Egypt's national dessert - a warm, deeply comforting bread pudding layered with torn puff pastry or croissant pieces, soaked in sweetened cream infused with vanilla, then scattered with raisins, coconut flakes, and toasted nuts before being baked until the top is blistered and golden. Named after Ali's mother in medieval legend, umm ali has the soul of a bread pudding but a lighter, more delicate texture from the pastry layers that absorb the cream without becoming dense.
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Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Tear the croissants or puff pastry into rough, irregular 2-inch pieces. Spread them in a single dish approximately 9x13 inches, allowing some overlap and variation in thickness for textural contrast.
Combine the milk, heavy cream, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. The liquid should be warm but not .
Pour the warm cream mixture evenly over the pastry pieces, pressing down gently so all the pastry begins to absorb the liquid. Let stand for 5 minutes .
Scatter the chopped nuts, plumped raisins, and toasted coconut evenly over the top. Dot with small pieces of butter across the entire surface.
for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is deeply golden and blistered and the cream is bubbling at the edges. The pastry should be creamy underneath with a crisp, caramelized top layer. Dust lightly with cinnamon and serve hot directly from the dish.
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