Om Ali

Ingredients

• 375g all-butter puff pastry sheet, or 6 stale croissants
• 1 litre whole milk
• 150ml double cream, plus 150ml for the top
• 120g caster sugar
• 60g pistachios, roughly chopped
• 60g blanched almonds, roughly chopped
• 40g desiccated coconut
• 50g raisins or sultanas
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp rose water or orange blossom water (optional)

Before you cook

• Heat the oven to 200C fan.
• Chop the pistachios and almonds coarsely.
• Unroll the puff pastry onto a lined baking tray.

Steps

1. Bake the puff pastry sheet for 15 to 18 minutes until it is deeply golden, puffed and dry all the way through. Any pale patches will go soggy later.
2. Take the pastry out and leave it to cool completely on a rack so it crisps.
3. Turn the oven down to 190C fan.
4. Break the cooled pastry into rough pieces the size of a matchbox and scatter half of them over the base of a 25cm baking dish.
5. Scatter half the pistachios, almonds, coconut and raisins over the pastry.
6. Add the rest of the pastry and then the rest of the nuts and fruit, keeping back a spoonful of pistachios for the top.
7. Pour the milk, 150ml of the cream and the sugar into a saucepan and set over medium heat.
8. Warm the milk, stirring, for about 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and steam rises, but do not let it boil.
9. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla, cinnamon and rose water.
10. Pour the hot milk evenly over the dish and press the pastry down gently with the back of a spoon so it all takes on liquid.
11. Leave it to soak for 5 minutes.
12. Whip the remaining 150ml cream to soft peaks and spread it over the surface in a rough, uneven layer.
13. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is bubbling and patched with dark golden brown.
14. Scatter the reserved pistachios over the top and rest for 10 minutes before spooning into bowls.