BM# 75: A-Z Bake Around the World: Day 21
Bake of the Day: U for Umm Ali
Country: Egypt
Today I have an absolutely delicious dessert from Egypt called Umm Ali. It is the national dish of Egypt and it is very similar to bread pudding made with puff pastry or phyllo dough or stale bread. It has a condensed milk base and dry fruits like almonds, pistachios, cashews and raisins are added for crunch.
Umm Ali which means Mother of Ali has some very interesting but differing stories about the history of this dish. One gory version involves a murder and this dish being made as a celebratory offering. A not so violent story is about a cook called Umm Ali making this dish to feed a hungry Sultan (aka king)and the dish was so well received that it was named after the creator.
There are a ton of recipes online of Umm Ali that are made with freshly baked puff pastry or phyllo pastry or store-bought palmiers or croissants. I made mine with regular sized store bought croissants to make 4 servings. Recipe is from Nestle site.
Unlike the traditional bread pudding made with eggs, this recipe doesn’t have any eggs in it which is perfect for vegetarians. The croissants are soaked in a warm milk and condensed milk mixture and layered with dry fruit. I flavored with milk with some rose water to give the dish a Middle Eastern flair. Umm Ali is then baked until bubbly and golden.
I started the dish in a 375°F oven and baked them for 20~25 minutes, then broiled the top until nicely golden. Umm Ali is best eaten warm but refrigerated the leftovers and ate them the next day and it tasted pretty good to me.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 75.
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| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 Servings | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 30 minutes |
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Umm Ali is a rich and decadent dessert from Egypt. It is a bread pudding made with condensed milk, nuts and dry coconut. It is great to serve warm or at room temperature.
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- 2 Croissants, chopped
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- ¼ cup Sweetened Condensed milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp Rosewater
- 1 tbsp Sliced Almonds
- 1 tbsp Pistachios
- 1 tbsp Dry grated Coconut
- 1 tbsp Raisins
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp Confectioners Sugar
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a small saucepan, bring the milk, condensed milk, vanilla extract, rosewater to a boil. Turn off the heat and let cool for a couple of minutes.
- Toast the nuts, coconut and raisins until nicely golden.
- Divide the chopped croissants between 4 individual ramekins (about 6~7oz.) or a bigger baking dish. Pour the milk mixture evenly over the croissants. Top with the toasted nuts. Let the croissants soak up with milk for a few minutes.
- In the meantime, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Evenly spread it over the croissant mixture.
- Bake for 20~25 minutes or until the mixture is nice and bubbly.
- Turn on the broiler -- leave the door slightly open and broil for 1~2 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm.
Wow Pavani…this looks so decadent. Such a simple and delicious dish. Yum
Super ! Pavani , I like the idea of using ready croissant , oh the pudding with those middle eastern flavours is truly rich and inviting . Quick and delicious , will try soon .
Wow croissant Umm Ali, looks absolutely fantastic and irresistible. Can imagine how dangerously delicious this Umm ali must be.
Wow love your version too Pavani. Love the use of croissants. Awesome. Droolworthy
Very neat idea to use the store bought croissants! A sinful dessert for sure.
So nice to read about the stories revolving around this, I never gave it a thought as I was so relieved I got a dish with U..yours has turned out so pefect!..
Umm ali looks so rich and delicious. love the idea of using ready croissant.
This very blog is really cool and besides diverting. I have discovered a lot of useful stuff out of it. I’d love to go back every once in a while. Thanks a bunch!
Very interesting desser recipe with croissant. Havent heard of this…
Simply delicious yummy and i so love the beautifully baked dessert!!
Same pinch Pavani! Loved Umm Ali and I would be baking these often. Love the idea of using croissant. Will definitely be trying this with left over croissants.