Kataifi nests with cream, pistachios and berries

Kataifi nests (in Turkish kuş yuvası, “bird’s nests”) are one of the easiest ways to start with kataifi dough. Buttered strands are shaped in a standard muffin tin, baked until golden and crisp, then filled at the last moment with a light vanilla mascarpone cream, chopped pistachios and fresh berries. The baked nests keep for days, so you can prepare them well ahead of a party. This recipe makes 12 nests from 200 g of raw kataifi dough.

Ingredients (12 nests, 12-cup muffin tin)

  • 200 g raw kataifi dough (thawed if frozen)
  • 90 g unsalted butter, melted
  • 15 g caster sugar
  • 200 ml whipping cream (30–36 % fat), cold
  • 200 g mascarpone, cold
  • 40 g icing sugar
  • 5 ml vanilla extract
  • 40 g pistachios, chopped
  • 150 g fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries or strawberries)
  • 30 g honey (optional, for drizzling)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (top and bottom heat) or 160 °C with fan. Brush the muffin tin with 10 g of the melted butter.
  2. Loosen the kataifi strands with your fingers. Pour the remaining 80 g butter over them, toss until every strand is coated and sprinkle with the caster sugar.
  3. Divide the dough into 12 portions of about 16 g. Wind each portion loosely around two fingers to form a ring and place it in a muffin cup.
  4. Press the base and sides with the back of a spoon or a small glass to make a hollow in the centre.
  5. Bake for 15–18 minutes until the nests are golden. If the centres are still pale, bake for 3 minutes more.
  6. Let the nests cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then lift them out and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
  7. Whip the cream with the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla to firm peaks, about 2–3 minutes. Do not overwhip.
  8. Just before serving, pipe about 35 g of cream into each nest, top with berries and pistachios and drizzle with honey.

Tips

  • Thaw frozen kataifi in its closed pack in the fridge for about 12 hours, never at room temperature.
  • While you shape the nests, keep the rest of the strands under a clean, slightly damp cloth so they do not dry out and break.
  • Coat all strands with butter: dry strands stay pale and crumble. For a more even colour, use ghee instead of butter.
  • For a pistachio version, fold 60 g of pistachio cream into the whipped cream.
  • Store unfilled nests in an airtight box at room temperature for up to 3 days; re-crisp them at 160 °C for 5 minutes. Filled nests soften, so keep them in the fridge and serve within 2 hours.

Which kataifi to use

For the nests use our raw kataifi dough, chilled or frozen, because the strands must be shaped before baking. The pistachio version uses our pistachio and nut creams. More about the dough and how to handle it: what is kataifi.

For pastry shops and catering

With about 16 g dough per nest, 1 kg of raw kataifi gives roughly 60 nests; mini nests in a mini muffin tin need 6–7 g each and bake in 10–12 minutes at 180 °C. Bake the nests the day before and fill them during service. Raw kataifi comes in 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 kg packs; see our wholesale page for larger volumes.