Halawt al Jibn حلاوة الجبن

recipe by Umm O'Sama



Ingredients for Cream Filling قشطة
8 oz. heavy whipping cream
8 oz. half and half
5 tbsp. corn starch

Ingredients for Syrup
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. orange blossom water ماء زهر

Ingredients for Cheese Dough
16 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup water
½ cup sugar
½ cup semolina
½ cup farina
¼ cup orange blossom water ماء زهر
ground raw pistachios for garnish

Cream Filling Preparation
Stir ingredients together in a saucepan until the corn starch has dissolved. Place the mixture on medium heat, continuously stir-ring until the mixture becomes thick and bubbly. Remove from heat. Cool for ten minutes then refrigerate until chilled.

Syrup Preparation
Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan. Place the mixture on medium heat and bring to a boil. Add the lemon juice and boil for 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add orange blossom water and set aside to cool.

Halawt al Jibn Preparation &  Assembly
Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add semolina and farina and mix well with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the cheese and the orange blossom water. Mix well until the cheese has melted and the contents become fully mixed and doughy. Remove from heat.

With damp hands, roll out cheese dough on a work surface and form it into a thin rectangle about ¼-inch thick (brush a rolling pin and your work surface with syrup to avoid sticking). Spread chilled cream filling in a horizontal strip at one edge of
cheese dough. Fold the cheese dough over the cream filling and roll it closed. Cut the log off from the rest of the dough with a sharp knife. Continue to fill, roll, and cut until all the dough and cream have been formed into logs. Slice each log into 1-inch pieces.

Garnish with ground pistachios and drizzle with syrup.