Halawet el Jibn

                                          

Ingredients:

250 g fresh mozzarella (or akawi cheese)

100 g fine semolina

100 g sugar

1 tablespoon orange blossom water

Heavy cream or mascarpone for garnish

Crushed pistachios for garnish

For the syrup:

200 g sugar

200 ml water

1 tablespoon rose water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions:

Melt the mozzarella in a saucepan over low heat. Add the semolina and stir until you get a homogeneous dough.

Roll out the hot dough on an oiled surface in a thin layer.

Cut strips of dough and top with heavy cream or mascarpone.

Roll each strip into small rolls.

Prepare the syrup by mixing the water, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan. Let it boil for 10 minutes, then add the rose water.

Drizzle the cheese rolls with the cooled syrup and garnish with crushed pistachios before serving.

history of Halawet el Jibn:

These sweet cheese rolls are a typical dessert commonly associated with Levantine and Arab countries, though it is believed they originated in the city of Hama in Syria. The dessert is made with a combination of semolina, water, rose water, sugar, and cheese - traditionally Akkawi or Majdoola cheese, though modern variations often replace it with the widely available mozzarella.

All ingredients are combined and heated until they form a soft, pliable dough which is then rolled into thin sheets. The filling is made with ashta—thick clotted cream—which is piped before the sheets are rolled into thin logs.

The rolls are then sliced into small bite-size pieces and are typically served, drizzled with syrup and garnished with rose, petal jam and ground pistachios.