Easy Creamy Ashta Recipe
This quick Lebanese-style ashta (clotted cream) comes together on the stovetop with milk, cream, and a touch of cornstarch. Silky and lightly scented with orange blossom and rose water—perfect for filling atayef, knefeh, or serving with fruit and pistachios.
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Servings:
Calories: 120kcal
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 2 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 0.25 cup granulated sugar
- 0.25 cup cornstarch level, not heaping
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour helps stabilize for a creamier set
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
- 1 teaspoon rose water
- 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 0.125 teaspoon kosher salt
- 0.125 teaspoon ground mastic optional, finely crushed
- 0.5 cup pistachios, chopped for serving
Instructions
Preparation Steps
- In a medium saucepan off heat, whisk together the whole milk, heavy cream, sugar, and salt until the sugar dissolves.
- Ladle out 0.5 cup of the cold milk mixture into a bowl and whisk in the cornstarch and flour until perfectly smooth with no lumps.
- Return the slurry to the saucepan. Set over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until thick, glossy, and slowly bubbling, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in orange blossom water, rose water, vanilla, and mastic (if using). Taste and adjust floral notes to preference.
- For the silkiest texture, strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a shallow dish. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
- Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold and set. Whisk briefly before serving to loosen, then top with chopped pistachios.
Notes
Chilling time is not included in the total time. For a thicker filling, add an extra 0.5 tablespoon cornstarch; for a softer spoonable cream, reduce cornstarch slightly. Adjust floral waters to taste—start light if you’re sensitive to their aroma. Serve with fruit, drizzle of simple syrup, or use to fill atayef and pastries.