22 July 2019

Atayef ‘Assafiri (Middle-Eastern pancakes)

My Atayef ‘assafiri or Middle-Eastern pancakes, dash the preconception that Middle-Eastern sweets and pastries are packed with sugar – loads of sugar. These delightful, two-bite-sized treats are filled with a mixture of mascarpone, cream and semolina, and are only just sweet. You dip them into a homemade syrup flavoured with either orange blossom water or rose water and then take a bite of exotic deliciousness!

These Atayef 'Assafiri or Middle-Eastern pancakes are not as sweet as many other oriental pastries, they're just plain delicious! — These Atayef ‘Assafiri or Middle-Eastern pancakes are not as sweet as many other oriental pastries, they’re just plain delicious!

Thanks to Thermomix’s many functions such as heating, chopping and mixing, you can create these Atayef ‘assafiri or Middle-Eastern pancakes in a little over an hour. You can also make the crepes ahead of time, cover them with clingfilm, refrigerate and fill the next day. Thank you Thermomix!

Atayef ‘Assafiri or Middle-Eastern pancakes

For a not-too-sweet treat, try these Middle-Eastern pancakes filled with a creamy mascarpone mixture and dusted with pistachios, coconut, and dried fruits!

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 1 30

Course: Dessert, pastry, Snacks, Sweets

Cuisine: Middle-Eastern

Keyword: Atayef ‘assafiri, crepes, Middle-Eastern pancakes, ramadan

Servings: pancakes

Author: Madame Thermomix

Equipment

clingfilm
serving platter
bowl or pitcher for syrup

Ingredients

For the pancakes

225 g milk
10 g sugar
3 g dried active yeast about half a packet
100 g plain flour or gluten-free flour mix

For the orange blossom syrup

100 g sugar
100 g water
30 g orange blossom water
several drops lemon juice from one quarter of a lemon

For the filling

100 g milk
50 g single cream
1 Tsp semolina
125 g mascarpone
1 Tbsp orange blossom syrup that you made using the recipe below

For the toppings

15 g pistachios chopped a few seconds/Speed 4 or 5
dessicated coconut
dried apricots chopped 15 seconds/Speed 7

Instructions

Prepare the pancake batter

Add milk, sugar and dried yeast to your TM bowl and heat 3 minutes/37°C/Speed 3. Make sure the yeast has been activated with a 0.5-second Turbo blast; your mixture should be frothy.
Add the flour and mix 20 seconds/Speed 4. Scrape down sides of TM bowl and mix again 20 seconds/Speed 4 to break up any potential lumps. Pour into a dish or a measuring cup/jug, cover with clingfilm or a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm place (near a radiator, in a 60ºC oven or in the airing cupboard, for example) for 30 minutes to 1 hour. If you have two Thermomix bowls you can place the bowl with the batter in a warm place and continue this recipe with your second bowl. Quite practical, wouldn't you say?

While the batter is rising, prepare the syrup

Add the water, the sugar and the orange blossom water to your TM bowl and cook 6 minutes/Varoma/Speed spoon/measuring cup OFF.
Add the lemon juice and mix 5 seconds/Speed 5. Pour into a bowl or a pitcher and let cool completely.

For the filling

Add the milk, cream and semolina to your Thermomix bowl and heat 10 minutes/90°C/Speed 2. Check that the mixture has thickened and if required, cook for another 4 minutes until your mixture resembles a thick custard. (Mine still hadn't thickened after 16 minutes so I admit to adding a Tbsp of corn flour and cooking for another 5 minutes 😉 The result was just thick enough and perfect to carry on with the recipe.)
Spread your filling mixture onto a flat plate, cover with clingfilm to stop a skin from forming, and let it cool completely at room temperature.

Now start cooking the pancakes

Heat a large frying pan, a crêpe pan or a blini pan and lightly oil it.
Using a small ladle, add some batter to the pan to form a pancake between 6 and 8 cm/2 1/2 and 3 inches in diameter.
**Only cook on one side!** Do not turn your pancakes over! When bubbles start to form on the surface and the surface dries, remove the pancake from the pan with a flat spatula or fish slice and put it on a plate. Do not pile up the pancakes, either, or they will stick together.

Finish the filling

Put the cooled, thickened cream back into your Thermomix bowl, add the mascarpone and 1 Tbsp of your cooled orange blossom syrup. Mix 5 seconds/Speed 5.
Scrape sides of bowl with spatula and mix again 5 seconds/Speed 5. Chill in the fridge.

Fill your Atayef 'Assafiri

Once the pancakes have cooled, drop a spoonful of filling in the center of a pancake.
Bring the edges towards the centre and pinch the ends about 2/3 of the way until they stick together and form a horn shape.
Dip the open, filled end into one of your toppings and display on a serving platter as you go along.
When ready to serve, either pour the syrup over the crêpes or let your guests dip them into a pretty bowl of syrup.

Notes

Don’t worry if you’re not a fan of orange blossom water: I carefully controlled the quantities so as not to be bowled over by the smell of your great-grandmother’s cheap hand cream. Otherwise, use rose water for an equally authentic taste or replace with a few drops of vanilla essence.

You can vary your toppings according to your taste and to what’s in your pantry: chopped almonds; praline; dried apricots and candied ginger are just a few ideas. What did you top your Atayef ‘assafiri with?

Madame Thermomix’s Tips and Tricks

Use a blini pan if you can get your hands on one. Your pancakes will be the perfect size for two not-too-sweet bites. A regular fry pan works well, too.
Only cook your Atayef ‘assafiri on one side! Don’t bother turning them as the less-cooked side is easier to stick together when you’re making your horns.

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