Stress Baking

Haven't we all stress baked at one point in our lives? I know that I have. Several times at that and today wasn't any different.

Just a few weeks ago, I had finished another semester of college and the thought of my inevitable graduation crept up on me. I only have one more year of college left, and while I'm somewhat relieved to almost be done, it's left me with a sense of anxiousness and uncertainity for my future. And what other way is best with dealing with stress? Stress baking, of course.

I've already made tons of cakes, cupcakes, ice cream and your typical desserts, so today I decided to venture out and try some of the desserts that had been on my list of foods to make. And that led me to making Knafeh (Knafeh Khishneh to be exact).

Made of kataifi (shredded phyllo pastry), sweet cheese (typically Nabulsi or akkawi, which is what I used, or mozzarella), and topped with a rose water or orange blossom sugar syrup and pistachios (please excuse the amount of pistachios in the picture), it was soft yet crunchy, and sweet yet savoury.

Knafeh

In addition, I also made some Halawet el Jibn (sweet cheese rolls), a Syrian dessert consisting of a semolina and cheese roll, filled with ashta or clotted cream, and topped with a rose water sugar syrup and pistachios. Unfortunately I did not get any pictures of it, but suffice to say it was delicious and sometimes all you need in life is a sweet treat!