White Custard Kataifi Dessert With Sour Cherry Preserves

1. Let the Kataifi pastry in your fridge overnight to unfreeze.
2. In a blender or food processor add all of the pistachios and blend until they look finely chopped. Half of these (50 grams) will be used in the Kataifi base and the remaining half will be used as a garnish, sprinkled on top of the sour cherries.

Make The Syrup:

1. In a large cooking pot, add all of the ingredients for the syrup. Bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Then reduce the heat to medium-high and cook the syrup for about 10-12 minutes until it gets a nice syrupy consistency. Remove from heat and set aside.

Make The Kataifi Pastry:

1. Preheat oven at 170°C / 338°F.
2. Add the Kataifi Pastry in a large pan 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16-inch) and start to pull it apart, so most of its threads start to separate. The point here is to make it really fluffy, so there shouldn't be any thread lumps left. Once it's spread evenly in the pan, sprinkle the 50 grams of pistachios all over. Drizzle the melted butter on top and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Until it looks deep golden and crispy on top.
3. Once the Kataifi is baked, pour the syrup all over on top. Press the Kataifi lightly with a spoon to sink in the syrup. Then let it reach room temperature.

Make The Mastiha Cream:

1. If using Mastiha tears instead of the powder you will need to powder it first. To do this you will need 1 tablespoon of sugar and a spice grinder. The sugar helps to powder the Mastiha tears without them sticking together.
2. Take 200 ml out of the 1,5 liter of milk and place it in a bowl together with the cornstarch. You will need a hand whisk to stir these two together as the cornstarch will sink and stick to the bottom of the bowl.
3. Add the remaining 1,3 liter of milk in a large cooking pot along with the sugar and vanilla extract. Heat over medium heat.
4. Once the milk gets steamy hot, start adding the cornstarch mixture in slowly, while stirring constantly with a hand whisk. Keep stirring occasionally, until the cream starts to bubble. It will take about a minute or two for the cream to thicken from the time it starts to bubble. Once the cream thickens, turn off the heat and stir in the Mastiha. Give it a good stir for a minute and then remove the pot from the heat and set it aside.
5. Pour the hot cream over the Kataifi pastry (which is at room temperature) and spread it evenly with a spoon. Let the cream cool down completely at room temperature before adding the next layer of whipping cream on top.

Make The Whipping Cream:

1. Place the cold heavy cream in the bowl of your electric mixer. With the whisk attachment on, start beating the cream over medium speed.
2. Once the cream looks like it starts to thicken, start to add the sugar in, one tablespoon at a time until all 60 grams are incorporated into the cream. Then keep beating until stiff picks form on the cream. Turn off your mixer and spread the whipped cream over the custard cream.
3. You can use a spoon to give it a fluffy shape or make it smooth according to your liking. Refrigerate the dessert for at least 8 hours or even better overnight, before cutting and serving.
4. Cut into 16 large square pieces or cut the squares in half to create smaller triangular pieces. Add the sour cherries on top just when you are about to serve. If you add the cherries on top sooner, their syrup will be absorbed by the cream and make it runny.
5. Keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Enjoy!