Umm Ali Pie

In 2005, about 6 months after I moved to Dubai, my parents came to visit me. I had taken time off work as they were visiting and we were due to travel to India for a few weeks after a brief stay in Dubai. One particular day we decided to try out an international buffet at one of the hotels and my mum discovered the famous Umm Ali dessert. It was and is still one of my favourite Middle Eastern desserts and to this day the first thing I will look for on a menu is Umm Ali when i'm in a Middle Eastern restaurant. If i don' t find it, I'll ask the staff. Both mum and I devoured several helpings of the dessert that day, unashamedly going back and forth to the pot for seconds, thirds and possibly fourth helpings. In essence Umm Ali is a form of a bread and butter pudding but with spices. A few years back I created my own version of Umm Ali and added a pie crust to it so it became an Umm Ali pie.

Filling Ingredients

• 300 g Condensed Milk

• 300 ml Whole Milk

• 200 ml Double Cream

• 50 g Almond Flakes

• 100 g Sultanas

• 2 Croissants (broken into pieces)

• 4 tbsp Milk Powder

• Pinch of saffron

• 1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp ground Cardamon

• 3/4 tsp Rose water

Crust Ingredients

• 300 g Almond Flour

• 12 tsp melted Butter

• 2 tsp Sugar

• 1 Egg

Method

1. Prepare the filling by combining all the ingredients OTHER THAN the sultanas and croissants to a pan.

2. Boil until the mixture thickens slightly and then add in the croissant pieces

3. Mix well and then add in the fruit, mix and set aside

4. Prepare the crust by adding the melted butter to the almond flour and sugar

5. Add a beaten egg to the almond flour mixture and form a crumbly mixture

6. Place mixture into small shallow moulds or in one large mould ensuring that the sides and bottom are fully covered

7. Prick the bottom with a fork

8. Pour the filling mixture into the moulds

9. Bake on 180C for 30 mins or until golden brown.