Arabic recipesSweets
Warbat bil Qishta: Flaky Levantine Phyllo Cream Triangles
Warbat bil Qishta are pastry-shop triangles from Damascus and Amman made by stacking ghee-brushed phyllo sheets, cutting neat squares, and folding them loosely over Arabic qishta cream. Baked until the layered edges fan open, they are drenched hot with cold orange blossom syrup.
Also known as:Syrian warbat cream pastriesPhyllo baklava triangles with ashtaLevantine shaabiyat
Servings12
Prep time25 min
Cook time25 min
Ingredients
Add ingredients to cart- 480 g fresh phyllo / baklava sheets
- For the qishta cream: 500 ml whole milk, 3 tbsp fine semolina, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 2 crushed mastic tears, and 170 g thick Arabic qishta
- 180 g melted warm pure ghee
- 80 g chopped peeled green pistachios
- For the cold syrup: 400 g sugar, 200 ml water, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp orange blossom water
Preparation Steps
- 1Simmer the syrup sugar and water for 9 minutes, stir in lemon juice and orange blossom water, and cool completely.
- 2Cook cold milk, fine semolina, and cornstarch over medium heat while whisking until thick; off the heat, fold in mastic and qishta and chill completely under plastic wrap.
- 3Stack 12 to 14 phyllo sheets, brushing lightly with warm ghee every two sheets, then slice the stack cleanly into 10 cm squares.
- 4Place a spoonful of chilled cream in the centre of each square and fold diagonally into a triangle without pinching the layered edges shut.
- 5Nestle snugly on a baking tray, spoon the remaining warm ghee over each triangle, bake at 185 °C for 25 minutes until golden and fanned, and pour cold syrup + pistachios on top.
