Umm Ali – Egyptian Bread Pudding

® This is a RAS signature Recipe©

Umm Ali. A centuries-old dessert, that is popular throughout Egypt and the Middle East.  The sweet,  warm, and milky dessert with a gorgeous mix of textures, is especially popular during the fasting month of Ramadan.

The Recipe Intro↓ has more information on the dark story behind the birth of this dish,  and related links If you’d like to check it out.

♦Prep time:20MIN ♦Cook time:45Min ♦Yield:8 servings.

You can strike through ingredients, as you prep them, by clicking on the ingredient.

Ingredients:

Puff pastry, thawed according to package instructions		500 gm
Egg, beaten (for Egg wash)		1
Milk		500 ml
Kara Coconut Cream		200 ml
Kara Coconut Cream (chilled in the fridge for more than a day)		200 ml
Mascarpone ( soft cream cheese, used for cheesecake may be used  if Mascarpone is not available, but it will be have a tangier flavour)		190-200 gms
Sugar		To taste
Powdered /Icing Sugar		3-4 Tbsp ( to taste)
Vanilla extract ( for hot milk and whipped topping)		4-6 tsp, divided
Pistachio kernels (plus 2 Tbsp for sliced garnish)		1/3 cup
Cashew nuts (plus 2 Tbsp for sliced garnish)		1/3 cup
Almonds (for sliced garnish)		2 Tbsp
Black and/or Golden Raisins		A handful
( Roasted hazelnut, walnuts, and Coconut flakes or desiccated coconut)		Optional ingredients, as needed

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Roll out the thawed pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangular sheet.
3. Using a pastry cutter, cut into uniform long strips, then into smaller squares or rectangle shapes, and then again into triangles.
4. Place these on a large baking tray, lined with baking paper and brush lightly with egg wash. Make sure to leave a small space between the pieces.
5. Bake these in batches. Place the first batch in the oven for 15 minutes or until they are golden. Then, leave them to cool down, as you continue with the next batch.
6. Meanwhile prepare the Hot Milk: Heat the milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, add sugar to taste. Regulate the heat, stirring from time, till the milk thickens (about 5 minutes).
7. Add 200 ml Kara Coconut Cream as well as vanilla extract. Stir briskly and bring to a boil once again. Remove from heat. Keep Warm.
8. Add 2/3 cup each of Pistachio and Cashew nuts to a small processor and grind them up leaving a little bit of texture.
9. When the second batch of puff pastry has finished baking, leave to cool and reduce the oven temp to 180°C.
10. Add one layer of the baked and cooled puff pastry sheets(the first baked batch) to a (3L /35x24cm) deep oven baking dish. You can tear some of the pieces to make small shreds as you add them.
11. Sprinkle the ground nuts along with raisins on top. Then cover with the next layer/tray of baked and cooled pastry sheets over the top.
12. Pour the hot milk over the puff pastry and nuts. Leave it for just 5 minutes until the pastry absorbs some of the milk.
13. Meanwhile, whip the chilled Kara Coconut cream along with the Mascarpone or Soft Cream Cheese. Add powdered sugar(icing sugar) and vanilla extract. Whip till you get soft peaks.
14. Add dollops of this whipped cream over the surface of the puff pastry. Don’t cover completely as getting bits of crisp pastry is nice when served.
15. Bake the Umm Ali in the oven for another 15 minutes. To get the top golden, you can place it on the top rack (under the grill) and broil for 2-5 minutes more. You can also remove it from the oven, sprinkle some sugar over the top, and use a kitchen blow torch to get the top golden.
16. Sprinkle with chopped nut and raisins, to garnish, and serve immediately.

Umm Ali

Notes:

• Umm Ali is most delicious if served immediately. The milk will get soaked up as it sits, so try to serve it as quickly as possible, If you must reheat the dessert, pop it back in the oven to reheat and prepare some extra milk mixture. Add the milk to the serving dish first and add the reheated dessert over it.
• If you must, store leftovers in the fridge for not more than 2 days. The pastry will not be crispy (obviously). It can be served after warming in the microwave or oven. Y0u can always halve this recipe. only bake as much puff pastry as required, and reduce all other ingredients accordingly.
• Many types of milk may be used in this recipe, you can use milk and heavy cream, some like to add condensed milk to sweeten, but I do not like the taste of condensed milk and it makes the light dessert heavy. You can make the topping with whipped cream or Ashta Cream(Middle East whipped cream or clotted cream), but Mascarpone makes it decadent and delicious. The coconut cream-mascarpone combination works well, bringing a lovely tropical twist. Cream cheese like Philadelphia cream cheese can be used instead of mascarpone, it will just have an added signature tanginess. Mascarpone is highly recommended, for its hint of sweetness. Coconut cream gives an added tropical flavor, but if you don’t like coconut you may omit it and use just mascarpone or add some heavy cream instead before whipping.
• Although the modern-day Umm Ali is most often made with puff pastry, olden-day recipes use Roaa/Ruqaq/Regag(Egyptian flatbread). Other options that are sometimes used are croissants, palmiers, phyllo pastry, and Khari Puff pastry biscuits.
• Spices like cardamom and cinnamon( ground) are traditionally added to flavor the milk instead of vanilla extract. However, vanilla is often used. Rose water may also be added if you prefer the aromatics of rose water which is often found in Middle Eastern desserts.
• Using a kitchen blow torch can add an added element of flavor to both sweet and savory dishes. In this recipe, it caramelizes the whipped topping and chars the soaked puffed pastry. It’s delicious when served right away but you can also just continue in the oven, directly under the broiler to get the top charred. I use the blow torch in several recipes, both sweet and savory, it gives an added layer of flavor! Check out my Open-faced Tuna Melt Recipe.

Key Ingredients: Puff Pastry, Milk, Coconut Cream, Mascarpone, Sugar, Dried Fruit and Nuts.

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