Halawet el Jibn (Levantine Sweet Cheese and Semolina Rolls)

Instructions

Halawet el Jibn Syrup

Heat the water and sugar in a small saucepan on medium heat and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat right down and simmer for 5 minutes.
When done, remove from the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes before stirring in the orange blossom water. Leave to cool completely before drizzling on the sweet cheese rolls. Can also be refrigerated for a cold syrup, but it will get very thick.
Can be made up to a week ahead, and stored in the fridge, covered.

Semolina and Cheese Dough

Place the water, sugar and semolina in a medium saucepan and heat on medium, stirring constantly.
After about 2 -3 minutes (depends on your heat and how cold your tap water is), you'll see the mixture start to thicken.
After 20 seconds, tip in the cheese and orange blosson water, and continue stirring. This part does get a little tiring, but it has to be done. Keep stirring until it becomes one big lump of dough, and is coming away from the saucepan, just like choux pastry.
It's very important that you give the dough enough time here, to cook. Keep stirring it round and round for 10 more seconds, after it comes away clean from the edges. Otherwise, your dough may be too sticky to work with.
Take it off the heat and leave to cool for about 20 minutes, until your hands can handle it.

Assembling Halawet el Jibn

Tip the dough out onto a large chopping board or a clean work surface. Divide it into 3 portions. Cover 2 of them with a damp cloth while you work with one.
Place a clingfilm on your work surface, then place the semolina-cheese dough on it. Cover with another sheet of clingfilm and roll the dough out with a rolling pin into a rectangle, measuring about 33cm by 25cm (10" x 13").
The clingfilm will prevent your dough from sticking, this is something I do with most pastry work, as you'll know from the other recipes on this site.
Using a knife or pizza wheel, cut off the edges of the rough edges so you get a neat rectangle. Add these cut offs to the two portions of dough.
Fill the piping bag with the mascarpone about halfway up. Snip off about 2.5cm (1") off the end.
Pipe out the mascarpone along the edge of the semolina dough that's closest to you. Leave about 1cm (½") of space from the edge.
Now we'll roll the dough up to form a log, like when we make sausage rolls. You can do one of 2 things:
1. Roll the dough up with the clingfilm until the mascarpone is completely covered in the dough, with the seam at the bottom. OR
2. Wet your hands with the sugar syrup, and roll the dough up without the clingfilm.
Then, using a knife or pizza wheel, cut along the edge of the log to "release" it from the rest of the dough. Carefully lift the log up and set it aside on a baking sheet. Be careful, it is fairly soft and may stretch.
You could also cut a length of clingfilm and wrap it along the log and twist the ends, then lift the log up to set it aside.
You should be left with half the rolled out dough to form another log.
Get the piping bag of mascarpone and pipe out another length along the edge of the second half of your rolled out dough. Repeat the above step. So roll your dough up to form a log, with the mascarpone fully sandwiched in the dough. Set aside.
Repeat with the other 2 portions. You will end up with 6-7 logs, depending on the lengths.

Serving Halawet el Jibn

Cut up the logs into little pieces, about 5cm (2") long, and arrange them on a serving plate. Be sure to wipe your knife between each cut so as not to leave bits of cheese on the next cut. Just like when slicing cheesecakes.
Drizzle the sugar syrup all over the cut pieces. Then, top with pistachios and rose petals or jam. Leave the syrup on the table for anyone who wants more.
Any extra will keep, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you don't finish them up, that is! You can serve them straight out of the fridge, or leave to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes, if you like. I love them cold.

Equipment

Ingredients

Halawet el Jibn Syrup

Semolina and Cheese Dough

Halawet el Jibn Filling

Toppings

Instructions

Halawet el Jibn Syrup

Semolina and Cheese Dough

Assembling Halawet el Jibn

Serving Halawet el Jibn

Nutrition