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Middle-Eastern pancakes
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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!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dessert, pastry, Snacks, Sweets
Cuisine: Middle-Eastern
Keyword: Atayef 'assafiri, crepes, Middle-Eastern pancakes, ramadan
Servings: 20 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.
    Atayef Assafiri or Middle-Eastern pancakes

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.
    Middle-Eastern pancakes

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.