Halawet el-jibn

Halawet el-jibn (cheese confection) a delectable Syrian dessert made from Semolina soft rolls, sweet cheese dough that gets stuffed with clotted cream, and crowned with pistachios.  A drizzle of syrup flavored with orange blossom and rose water puts the final seal of perfection. This delicate confection originated in the city of Hama in Syria about 60 years ago, though it is sometimes claimed to be the city of Homs, where it is considered a specialty.  It is found in other regions in the Middle East, including Lebanon and Turkey, and other countries around the world.

Today some shops add pieces of ice cream to halawet el-jibn in the summer to give it a  more delicious taste

 

Ingredients:

For the syrup:

1- 2 cups sugar

2- 1 cup water

3- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

 

4- 3/4 teaspoon orange blossom water

5- 3/4 teaspoon rose water

 

For the sweet cheese rolls:

1- 1 1/2 cup water

2- 3/4 cup sugar

3- 1 cup fine semolina

4- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

5- 1 tablespoon rose water

6- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water

 

For filling the rolls:

Easy Homemade Ashta ( an oriental Cream)  or 400g store-bought fresh ashta   

 

For garnish:

Ground pistachios

   

Instructions:

If using the Easy Homemade Ashta as your filling, start by making it as it needs at least one hour to set.

To make the sugar syrup:

1- In the small saucepan, combine together the sugar, water and squeeze of lemon juice. Set on the stove top over medium high heat.

2- Bring to a rolling boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for no longer than 10 minutes. Set a timer! The syrup will thicken slightly. Stir in the orange blossom and rose water.

3- Transfer to a serving bowl, allow to cool to room temperature.

To make the cheese rolls:

1- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, heat together the water and sugar, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil then add in the fine semolina, stirring constantly with a spatula until well combined and slightly thickened; about 30 seconds.

2- Turn down the heat to medium, then add in the cheese and rose water, and stir well until the cheese melts and the mixture forms soft, cohesive dough. Allow to cool briefly until it’s warm enough to handle.

3- Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces; take 1 half of the dough to work with and cover the other half. Turn out the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and cover with another sheet. Roll out the dough between the 2 sheets of plastic wrap, into a rectangle. Remove the plastic wrap on top. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, trim off the irregular sides of the dough to form a clean cut rectangle. You could use a ruler or the edge of an object to help you get straight sides.

4- Fill a piping bag with the eshta (clotted cream) and snip off about (2 cm) of the tip. Start piping the eshta on the long side closest to you, leaving a (2 cm) border. Alternatively, you could just spoon the eshta on the dough with a spoon.

5- Using the plastic wrap under the dough, lift the dough and roll it over the cream filling, until the cream filling is completely covered, the dough seals it in and looks like a thin log. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, make a cut alongside the log to slice it off from the rest of the dough. Repeat this process to make make 2 more logs.

6- For cleaner cuts, place the logs in the freezer for about 15 minutes to firm them up a little. Then using a sharp knife or bench scraper, divide the logs into (4cm) pieces. You should have 30 to 32 pieces.

7- Repeat with the other piece of dough.

8- Arrange the rolls on the serving platter; sprinkle each with a little ground pistachios in the center.

Serve alongside the syrup.

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.

 

Lara Khouli.