When we talk to him about Layali Loubnan, “the Nights of Lebanon”, in Arabic, he opens his eyes wide and his arms begin to grind on their own: “It’s a glamorous, gourmet dessert that makes you want to dance. »
This dessert, which has been enjoyed since the dawn of time in Lebanon, as its name attests, “we also eat it in other countries of the Middle East”, assures Alan Geaam. With its good length in the mouth and its “pampering” flavors, it’s a comforting dessert… and not very difficult to make either.
“All you need is milk, sugar, semolina, rose petal jam, rose water, orange blossom water, crushed pistachios and above all lots of love to give”, enumerates the starred chef of a gastronomic restaurant which, since 2017, bears his name.
Two ingredients to prepare the day before
The chef recommends to “respect the three parts of the recipe”. Because at least two of the ingredients are to be prepared the day before. The Lebanese achta cream, made up of a mixture of 1/2 liter of whole milk, 40 g of cornstarch, a capful of orange blossom water, a capful of rose water and a little powdered sugar, stir well together with a whisk and refrigerate overnight. And the syrup obtained by boiling 200 g of sugar in 10 cl of water, a good lemon juice, orange blossom water and rose water.
It remains to prepare the semolina flan. “And there, nothing should be rushed”, underlines Alan Geaam who advocates patience: “At the end, the semolina should no longer be grainy but become creamy, melt into the milk. »
Pour a liter of cold milk. Add 60 g of semolina, little by little, while mixing, as well as 60 g of sugar. Add two eggs and stir together with a whisk. Add a dose of miské, “this is the condiment used in Lebanese pastry and which in Greece is called mastic”. And keep whisking. Add another capful of rose water, a capful of orange blossom water… “And there, we have all the smell of Lebanon, the scent of oriental pastries that stands out. Really, it’s beautiful. »
The whip wielded by hand
Even if the operation will last a good quarter of an hour, Alan Geam recommends using the whip by hand. “It’s the memory of my mother who did it by hand, the old fashioned way. But the energy that I bring to the recipe, the dessert will give it back to me and it will be delicious. »
It’s time to fill the ramekins with the semolina cream, which will need to be chilled in the refrigerator for one hour. An hour later, the dessert took the form of a panna cotta. All that remains is to add the achta cream, pour the syrup, sprinkle with crushed pistachios and add a spoonful of rose petal jam.
” And enjoy your meal ! launches the chef before starting his Layali Loubnan. “Mmm! It’s very, very, very, very good. Normally, when we make a dessert, we taste it, then we stop. There, I am eating everything. These Nights of Lebanon will perhaps not be so long.