Fruit Cocktail with Ashta
This summer my parents went overseas to Palestine and Jordan to visit our extended family. On one occasion, my parents were downtown enjoying a fruit cocktail. This is a treat that I almost always purchased when I would go out to the city at a cafe. I know you may think cocktail and automatically figure it is some sort of a drink but no, it is just like a fruit parfait. Think of all fresh seasonal fruits layered with creamy Ashta infused with orange blossom water then topped with nutty pistachios and a drizzle of honey or syrup. My summer nights overseas consisted of these.
Last night, we had friends over for dinner. For dessert, I assembled these fruit cocktails and it was a hit! Right away, our guests recognized this as something they enjoyed back home too which made me very happy.
These would make for such a nice treat at gatherings, parties, or even as a light dessert for any occasion. It is simple to put together and super tasty. I would love to see your take on them! Tag me at @fufuinthekitchen on Instagram!
Servings: 4
Total Time: approx. 30 min
Ashta Ingredients (Clotted Cream)
1 cup heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup milk of choice (I used Almond )
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp corn starch
1 1/2 tbsp of sugar (add 2-3 tbsp instead for more sweetness)
1 tsp orange blossom water (optional)
Fruit Salad Ingredients
10 ripe strawberries cut into 4ths
10 blackberries cut in half
1 cup of diced cantaloupe
1 banana sliced
2 kiwis sliced
1 cup of seedless grapes
1 peach or nectarine diced
2 tbsp honey
1/2 a small lemon’s juice
Garnish Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped pistachios
Honey for drizzling
Instructions
In a small pot, stir together the milk, cream, sugar, flour, and corn starch until there are no lumps. Do not do this over the heat.
Once smooth, place the pot on the stovetop and start to cook this mixture on medium-high heat. Stir the entire time with a whisk until the mixture starts to form large bubbles and thickens.
Once that happens, add the orange blossom water and keep stirring. Shut off the heat once the mixture is thickened and place the ashta in a bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap. Tip* Let the plastic wrap touch the surface of the cream to prevent a layer of skin.
Place ashta in the fridge to cool and thicken more.
In the meantime, mix all the fruit salad ingredients together gently. Set aside.
In desired cups or bowls, add a layer of fruit salad first then 2 spoonfuls of cream. *I highly recommend using a spoon to mix the ashta once cooled to loosen it up slightly. Then, add another layer of fruit. Top with a spoonful of ashta, pistachios, and a drizzle of honey. *Be sure to wipe the glass with a wet paper towel as you go along for nice layers and no smudges.
Bon appetit!
This dessert was the best! It’s so fresh and light and the ashta is to die for. Thanks (once again) for sharing such an amazing recipe with us!
I’ve never had this before, but it looked like a great summer dessert idea that I could impress some guests with. They look fancy, but they were easy to make and were very delicious! The perfect amount of sweetness!
I doubled the recipe for my guests and had an extra 2 cups assembled which I refrigerated for the next day. Just a tip – They refrigerated very well and we enjoyed them on days 1 and 2.
So light and refreshing. The Ishta was delicious and paired so well with the tangy fruit salad. The whole family loved it !
Made the Ashta for atayef and it was great! Super quick and easy, accidentally added the orange blossom water earlier than I was supposed to and it still worked thankfully!!
Awesome! Yes, it is perfect in atayef!
Out of this world. Super light and delicious. I’m definitely going to make this again.
These were a hit at our house for when we had company over. They were light and refreshing and very easy to make! Thanks for the recipe and reminding of us of back home!
I am so happy to hear that, Jenan