eating from the ground up

  • About
  • Recipes
    • By Category

      • Bites
      • Breads and Crackers
      • Breakfast
      • Drinks
      • Home Dairy
      • Mains
      • On the Side
      • Pickles and Preservation
      • Salads
      • Sauces, Dressings and Spreads
      • Snacks
      • Soups
      • Sweets
    • By Ingredient

      • Apples
      • Asparagus
      • Beans
      • Beef
      • Beets
      • Berries
      • Broccoli and Broccoli Raab
      • Brussels Sprouts
      • Cabbage
      • Carrots
      • Cauliflower
      • Celeriac
      • Cheese
      • Chick Peas
      • Chicken
      • Chocolate
      • Corn
      • Eggs
      • Fish
      • Garlic
      • Grains
      • Herbs and Flowers
      • Kale
      • Leeks
      • Lentils
      • Pasta
      • Pears
      • Peppers
      • Pork
      • Potatoes
      • Quince
      • Radishes
      • Rhubarb
      • Stone Fruit
      • Summer Squash
      • Tomatoes and Tomatillos
      • Winter Squash
      • Yogurt
  • Not Recipes
    • Family
    • Politics and Activism
    • The Writing Process
    • Travels
    • Kids in the Kitchen
    • My Berkshires
    • 1st of the Month
    • The Garden
  • Classes & Events
    • Classes

      My next class is in Hillsdale, NY at HGS Home Chef! Come make ferments with me over labor day weekend. Register here

    • Book-Tour Events

      Check back for more events and updates!

  • My Books
    • Eating from the Ground Up

    • The Homemade Kitchen

      • From Amazon 
      • From B&N 
      • From Powell's 

    • The Homemade Pantry

      Front cover The Homemade Pantry

      • From Amazon
      • From Barnes and Noble
      • From Indie Bound

  • Yogurt
  • contact

umm ali

October 10, 2010 by alana Leave a Comment

So, today, Cea’s the winner.

You didn’t think I’d forget about all your lovely cravings, did you?

When I asked what she yearned for, what flavors answered the longing of all her being, this was her answer:

“Ohh this is easy…I always crave the food of my childhood, good old Lebanese food. Luckily there are lots of places that now make the classics like hummus, tabouleh and shwarmas (although the hummus is never creamy enough, the tabouleh never has enough parsley and the shawarmas are never as delish as they are in saudi, carved by a sweaty man at a road side stand for about $1 each)….anyway so some of my cravings are met however there is a dessert called Umm Ali (or something like that)that I would die for. It is kind of a bread pudding that is made with puff pastry (sometimes day old croissants) and pistachios and goodness. There was a beautiful hotel called the Meridian that we used to go to for brunch all the time and they had vats of the stuff..warm and bubbly with crunchy sides and mushy, runny, buttery, coconuty wonder in the middle….ahhhh.. ”

Fantastic, isn’t it? Can’t you just taste the stuff?

Now, I’ve had the great fortune to know Cea for years and years, and I want nothing more to make her her own little bowl of umm ali. But she’s down there in the concrete and alligator jungles of Florida, and so…Cea? Here’s the recipe–you’re gonna have to make it yourself.

I had no idea what umm ali was, but man oh man am I glad that we have become acquainted. It is, in essence, an Egyptian bread pudding, and I think that you might want to make this even if you’re not Cea. It’s ridiculously easy, even more ridiculously fantastic, and probably the best thing you could ever bring to a potluck. All you need is sheet of frozen puff pastry, a can of sweetened condensed milk, and a few handfuls of nuts and coconut.

Day old croissants would do just fine too, in case you have any of those lying around. Or if you’re really going for it, you can make the puff pastry at home. Either way, you’ve got a treat ahead.
I worked off this recipe, and then topped it with a little orange flour whipped cream. That seemed like a pretty good idea (and it was!) but rosewater would work, or just plain old whipped cream, or ice cream. All in all, it was a few minutes of work, a few more in the oven, and then a whole pan of joy.

Thank you Cea. Turns out I was craving that one too.

Umm Ali
adapted from here

1 pound frozen puff pastry, thawed at room temperature for an hour
1 15 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup pistachios, shelled and chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
3/4 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup unsweeted shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Unroll puff pastry and bake on a buttered cookie sheet for 15 minutes, or until golden and puffed up. Remove puff pastry and leave the oven on.
Meanwhile, heat condensed milk, water, and vanilla over medium heat. Cook for about three minutes, or until hot and steaming.
Break up the puff pastry into bite-sized pieces. Layer in a 9×13 casserole dish with the nuts and coconut. Pour the hot milk mixture over the puff pastry and nuts. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

To make orange flower whipped cream, beat together 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and 1 tablespoon orange flour water. Beat until the cream holds soft peaks.

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google
  • Pinterest

Filed Under: Sweets Tagged With: Food and Memory

« pickled beets
fall vegetable chicken pot pie »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Welcome!

I’m Alana, and I write about food, family and the wonderful chaos that ensues when the two combine. If you’re new to the site, here are a few good places to start, or learn more about me on my about page.

Follow me on Instagram.

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

SPONSORS

Become a Sponsor

One_Alana_Ad 2016
Load More...
Follow on Instagram

My new book is out February 27!

Preorder from Amazon

Preorder from Barnes & Noble

Preorder from IndieBound

Be first in line for a signed copy from my local bookstore

Front cover The Homemade Kitchen

Amazon 
B&N 
Powell's 


Front cover The Homemade PantryAmazon 
B&N 
Powell's 


Tense Moments

failed cornbreadPan shattered in the oven? Jelly didn’t set? Trying to find a solution for a problem in the kitchen? Let’s get through the tense moments together, starting here.

CLASSES

alana at cheese classI teach cheesemaking, preserving and other workshops. Get the schedule.

NEW BOOK!

Learn more about my new book, Eating from the Ground Up, due out February 2018.

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

COPYRIGHT © 2015 EATING FROM THE GROUND UP.

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.