Maj Sofi @mywanderinghome recipe: White chocolate and strawberry kataifi cheesecakes

Food and interiors enthusiast Maj Sofi, known on social media as @mywanderinghome, shared one of her favourite sweet recipes with us for those cooking up an occasion feast. These individual cheesecake cups use kataifi, which is finely shredded filo pastry often used in traditional Middle Eastern desserts like baklava. Find out how to make them below, along with a few ideas for how to serve your meal if you’re having friends and family over for a celebration.

White chocolate and strawberry kataifi cheesecakes

Makes 12

Ingredients

For the cheesecakes:
75ml double cream
20g granulated sugar
120g cream cheese
100g white chocolate, melted and cooled

For the sugar syrup:
150g granulated sugar
300ml water
1 slice of lemon
1 small cinnamon stick

For the kataifi cups:
3tbsp melted butter and a little extra for greasing the muffin tin
130g shredded kataifi pastry

For the garnish:
12 strawberries (one per cup)
A couple of handfuls of pistachio nuts, crushed
Edible rose petals

Method

• Pre-heat your oven to 180C fan.

• Prepare your cheesecake mixture by creaming together the cream cheese and sugar for a minute or two until fully combined. Pour in the melted and cooled white chocolate and whisk for a couple of minutes until combined and thick. Add in the double cream, whisking all the time, until the mixture is thick and glossy. Refrigerate.

• Grease your muffin tins with melted butter or greasing spray.

• Pull apart your kataifi strands, trying to keep the strands running in one direction. Grab a handful (around 13g) and roll it around to form a nest that will fit into the muffin hole. Place it in the muffin hole, making sure the bottom is covered with the pastry, then use a pestle or back of a spoon to press down the kataifi.

• Generously drizzle each kataifi nest with melted butter. This will get them lovely and golden brown.

• Bake for 15 mins or until golden brown. Once cooked, remove from the oven and cool completely before carefully taking the cups from the muffin tin and placing on a wire rack.

• Prepare your sugar syrup by heating the sugar, water, lemon and cinnamon stick on a medium to high heat for about 10 mins. The mix should reduce by about half and you’ll be left with a glossy syrup.

• Once your kataifi cups have cooled down, drizzle the hot sugar syrup over each cup.

• Pipe in the cheesecake mixture using a piping bag, or if you don’t have one just spoon in carefully and use a fork to swirl the topping. Then it's time to get creative, topping each cup with your garnish ingredients. Sprinkle the crushed pistachios, then top each cheesecake cup with a sliced strawberry, fanned out, then finish with a few edible rose petals.

• Arrange the cups on your table on a decorative platter or cocktail tray and allow guests to select their own after the main meal.

Dress your table

If you're having people over for a festive meal, have your table dressed and ready with a few decorative touches. Add colour and interest with tinted candle holders and plenty of candles, perhaps setting the mood using an oil burner with an uplifting scent. Dot around a few little blooms from the garden in glass bud vases for a springlike feel.

£25

£19.50

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Serve with style

Bring in some texture and tone with colourful kitchen textiles and give your dishes the attention they deserve with some standout tableware. With tonal pink and saturated blue hues and a reactive glaze, our Berwick Blue dinnerware set is perfect for family gatherings.

Dips, chutneys and snacks can be shown off in a dip bowls set, and for your cheesecake cups, think about arranging them on a decorative platter or cocktail tray after the meal. Grouping them together makes a colourful focal point on the table and will have everyone diving in.

£145

£45

£29.50

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£24.50