Om Ali

Directions

1. 1
   Leave the sheets of fillo in a pile to keep them from drying out.
2. 2
   Brush each one with melted butter and place them on top of each other on a buttered baking sheet.
3. 3
   Put the buttered fillo sheets in a preheated 350F oven for about 10 minutes, until they are crisp and the top ones are very slightly colored.
4. 4
   When cool enough to handle, crush the pastry with your hands into pieces into a baking dish, sprinkling raisins and nuts in between the layers.
5. 5
   Bring the milk and cream to the boil in a pan with the sugar, and pour over the pastry.
6. 6
   Sprinkle, if you like, with cinnamon, and return to the oven.
7. 7
   Raise the heat to 425F and bake for about 2030 minutes, or until slightly golden.
8. 8
   Serve hot.
9. 9
   You may bake the pudding in individual clay bowls, as they do in Egyptian restaurants.
10. 10
    A Moroccan version has the boiling milk and cream poured onto crisp, fried paper-thin pastry broken into small pieces.
11. 11
    It is eaten like a cereal with nuts and raisins without further baking.