4sheetsfilo pastry, for baklava, or 1 large yufka filo pastry for börek
30gbutter (unsalted)
To stuff
75gkaymak, or clotted cream
50g unsaltedpistachios, ground or very finely chopped, or to taste
20gsugar
To garnish
2Tbsp unsaltedpistachios, ground or finely chopped
2Tbspicing sugar (powdered sugar), caster sugar
How I make it
Brush two sheets of filo pastry with a little butter, keeping most of it for step 4. You don't have to coat the entire sheets, only moisten them. Place one on top of the other.
Dab half of the kaymak or clotted cream roughly across the middle of each of the two double filo pastry sheets, then add half of the pistachio and sugar evenly across the same area. Make sure to leave enough space on each side of the rectangle to be able to completely “close” the katmer by folding in the edges, brushing the edges as you go along to seal. Filo pastries differ, so here are a few ways of doing this (choose the one you think is easier for you):If your filo pastry is rectangular, leave 1–2 cm (½ in) on the long sides, and just over ¼ of the total length of your pastry on each of the short sides. In other words, you should have filling on the middle half lengthwise, but almost all the way to the edge crosswise. Do the fold from the long sides first, then seal by folding the short sides just across the middle. Make sure there’s enough overlap to seal completely.If your filo pastry is square, or very nearly square, apply the filling in a diamond shape in the middle, then fold each corner just across the middle for an envelope shape. Make sure there’s enough overlap to seal completely.You can also cut your buttered pastry into two rectangles, one slightly bigger than the other. Place the filling across most of the bigger one, place the smaller one on top, then fold the edges to seal. Make sure there’s enough overlap to seal completely.If you’re using 1 large circular yufka instead of 4 thin filo sheets, place the filling in a square in the middle, then fold from four sides 90° apart until just across the middle for an envelope shape. Make sure there’s enough overlap to seal completely.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the remaining two filo sheets and filling.
Heat a very large thick bottomed frying pan (preferable non-stick or cast iron) over medium heat. Brush the katmers with the remaining butter, then fry until golden on each side, separately if your pan can’t fit both of them at the same time.
Transfer the cooked katmers to a cutting board and cut into four or eight pieces. Top with the finely chopped pistachios and icing sugar. Serve at once.
Tips & notes
This recipe is more in line with katmers you’ll find in Istanbul than the more pistachio-heavy ones served in Gaziantep. Feel free to add as much ground pistachio as you like – or less if you want even more of the flavour of the pastry (which is also delicious).This recipe makes for a balanced dessert that’s not overly sweet. Feel free to adapt the sweetness level to your own tastes, either by adjusting the amounts of sugar inside or icing sugar on top. The icing sugar may be omitted altogether, as can the pistachios for garnishing.If this is your first time making katmer, I recommend trying the recipe as written first. You can then adapt with more or less of each ingredient according to your own preferences next time.
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