Om Ali (Egyptian Bread Pudding)

Om Ali is Egypt’s legendary bread pudding, a warm, creamy bake of puff pastry, milk, sugar, and nuts named after a 13th-century sultan’s wife. The story goes that she had the dessert created to celebrate her husband’s victory, and Egyptians have been eating it ever since. Unlike most Western puddings, it is baked, which gives the top a golden, toasted crust and a bubbling, custardy base, and it is also the dessert of Ramadan, welcomed at every iftar table.

Egypt’s answer to bread pudding, born in a palace

Chunks of crisp puff pastry soak up sweet milk and cream until they are soft but still hold their shape, while nuts and raisins add texture in every spoonful. Baked until the top browns, it comes to the table bubbling and fragrant, best eaten warm with the toasted bits of pastry on top. It is rich without being heavy, homey without being plain, and it tastes like the dessert equivalent of a hug. Serve it in deep bowls with extra toasted nuts.

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