SYRUP or ATTAR

1. Add the sugar to the water and bring to the boil.
2. Add lemon juice and boil for 7 more minutes.
3. Remove from heat cool slightly and add orange blossom water, stir.
4. Cool down to pour over the pastry hot from the oven (the syrup should be cool and the pastry hot when pouring it over top to keep the phyllo sheets crispy).

QASHTA/ASHTA  (ARABIC CLOTTED CREAM)

1. In a saucepan, bring the milk and half-and-half to a boil on medium heat all while continuously stirring. If you choose to add a pinch of sugar (optional) you can add it initially to the milk.
2. Add the vinegar or lemon juice, the milk immediately starting to clot.
3. Using a strainer, start collecting the clotted cream from the surface and place them into a separate strainer. Continue collection process until milk in saucepan turns into a near clear color.
4. Once collected, you can rinse the Ashta under cold water to get rid of the vinegar taste.
5. When the Ashta cools down to room temperature, you can use it directly or add a can of Ashta Cream (such as Puck) for a creamier texture.

DOUGH

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Grease a 22×33 cm baking pan with butter or ghee.
3. Cut carefully the dough to the sizes that would fit your pan first or as you go along (keep the pastry covered with a layer of plastic wrap and on top, a damp towel).
4. Spread the layers of phyllo into the pan buttering each layer as you go, and cut the pastry with a pastry cutter of your choice.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until it becomes golden (it must turn gold).
6. As soon as you remove from oven, pour the cooled syrup over it and add as much as needed, (recommended 1.5 cups). Keep aside for 30 minutes.
7. Split each flower in half, remove the top, and pipe some of the Ashta, and top with ground pistachios.
8. Repeat with the rest of the flowers.
9. Serve and enjoy!

Ward el Sham is a Lebanese delicacy made of Filo pastry cut into a circular shape (or square shape), baked until golden color, filled with clotted cream (ashta), topped with pistachio’s.  Ward el Sham are not different from baklava, except that they are crunchier from the outside and soft from the inside. Traditionally they have a square or round shape but here we used a real flower cutter!