This is a quick, light desert with kataifi which works well as long as the plates, syrup and kataifi are warm!
Take the ice cream out of the freezer for 15 minutes to soften so that it can be easily served. Preheat the oven to 180°C. When separating the kataifi rub the palms of your hands with melted butter, to moisten a little. Divide into 4 generous handfuls and put in a baking tray (do not put in the oven yet).
Add the sugar, water and vanilla in a small saucepan. Stir until the sugar melts and then allow the syrup to boil. As soon as the syrup boils, lower the heat (at the same time put the tray with the kataifi in the oven) and leave the syrup to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
In the oven, the kataifi will brown in 10 to 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it, and when it begins to brown put the plates in the oven to warm for 2-3 minutes.
Spoon some warm syrup into every plate and then put the browned kataifi on top, add 2-3 scoops of ice cream, garnish with pistachios and serve immediately.
Kataifi: It is essential that you thaw the kataifi completely before using it. Do not place in the microwave oven though, as it will become an ugly mass of dough (after all, kataifi is basically made of flour and water). Also don’t put it in the sun because it will thaw on the outside but will remain frozen inside and it will be very difficult to separate. Remove from freezer and leave in its packaging at room temperature until it thaws well (approximately 2 hours). Or you could let it defrost in the fridge for about 4 hours.
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups (300g) sugar
½ litre (2 cups) water
½ tsp powdered mastic
200g approx. (4 generous handfuls) separated kataifi
2 tbsps melted butter
1 litre approx. vanilla ice cream
1 cup pistachio nuts coarsely chopped
