Layali Qamar al-Din

Ingredients

• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup fresh cream
• 4 and a half tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1/2 cup cold milk
• 8 tablespoons sugar
• 250 g qamar al-din, cut into small pieces
• 3 cups lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon rose water
• 1 teaspoon orange blossom water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• Cold syrup or sugar syrup
• Coarsely ground pistachios

Method

1. Heat the milk with the fresh cream and sugar in a saucepan over the heat.
2. Dissolve the cornstarch in the cold milk, then add it to the boiling milk mixture and whisk with a metal whisk until it thickens and becomes smooth.
3. After removing the mixture from the heat, add the rose water and orange blossom water.
4. Pour this mixture into a heatproof glass dish or into small custard cups so that they are filled halfway, and set aside to cool completely.
5. Soak the qamar al-din in the lukewarm water for 5 to 6 hours or overnight until it turns into a thick, sticky mixture.
   Timers: 360 min
6. Add 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons cornstarch to the qamar al-din and cook the mixture over the heat, stirring constantly with a metal whisk, until it comes to a boil, thickens, and becomes like milk custard. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a little water.
7. Pour the qamar al-din over the cold custard and set aside to cool completely. It can be stored in the refrigerator.
8. Garnish the Layali Qamar al-Din with ground pistachios and assorted nuts such as walnuts and almonds, as desired, and serve cold straight from the refrigerator.