Künefe – Turkish Cheese Pastry Dessert

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1. 1Step 1: Make the sugar syrup by adding the sugar and water to a pan. Bring to the boil and leave on a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved, 4-5 minutes. Take off the heat and add the rose water, orange blossom water or lemon juice. If you enjoy the floral flavours of these waters, you can add a little more. Set aside.
2. 2Step 2: Cut the kadayif into 1 cm (⅖ in) pieces crosswise. Mix well with the melted butter. It's important that all of the kadayif is buttered. I spend a couple of minutes on this to make sure everything is well mixed and coated.
3. 3Step 3: Mix the shredded mozzarella with the labneh.
4. 4Step 4: Butter a medium sized frying pan (22-24 cm/9 in diameter) with plenty of butter. Add half of the buttered kadayif to the pan, pressing it down until even and firm. Spread the cheese mixture evenly across the kadayif, leaving 1 cm (⅖ in) around the perimeter. Distribute the remaining kadayif on top, little by little. Press down again until the top is also fairly firm. Use your fingers to make sure you have nicely rounded edges.
5. 5Step 5: Set the frying pan over medium heat, then turn down to low as soon as it is warm. Fry until golden on the bottom, 3-5 minutes. Flip and fry until golden on the other side, another 2-4 minutes. I do this by placing a large plate on top of the kadayif, then flipping quickly so the kadayif comes onto the plate, cooked side up. Then slide the kadayif back into the frying pan.
6. 6Step 6: Take off the heat and add around ¾ of the sugar syrup, or as much as you like. Garnish with chopped pistachios. Serve immediately with the remaining sugar syrup on the side, in case someone likes it extra sweet.