Basbousa bel Laban Zabadi

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds
• 2/3 cup yogurt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups semolina
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar or a few drops of vanilla extract
• 11 1/2 cups eishta (page 407), clotted cream, or mascarpone, to serve with (optional)

1. Make a syrup by boiling the sugar, water, and lemon juice for 58 minutes, until it thickens enough to coat a spoon.
2. Let cool, then chill.
3. Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter.
4. Toast the blanched almonds under the broiler or in a dry skillet and chop them finely.
5. Beat the yogurt with the sugar in a large mixing bowl.
6. Add the melted butter and all remaining ingredients except the cream and the 2 tablespoons unmelted butter.
7. Beat well until thoroughly mixed.
8. Pour into a large, rectangular, buttered baking pan and bake in a preheated 375F oven for 1/2 hour.
9. Pour the cold syrup over the hot basbousa as soon as it comes out of the oven.
10. Cut into lozenge shapes and return to the oven for a further 3 minutes.
11. Before serving, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, pour over the pastry, and spread with eishta (the rich cream from water buffalos milk), clotted cream, or mascarpone.

sugar, water, lemon, butter, blanched almonds, yogurt, sugar, semolina, baking powder, vanilla sugar, cream

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/basbousa-bel-laban-zabadi-373611 (may not work)