🍥 Halawet el Jibn (Sweet Cheese Rolls)

Method

1. Cut 500 g cheese into thin slices and soak in cold water for 6 hours, changing the water every 2 hours.

2. Make the syrup: boil 2 cups sugar with the cup of water over medium heat, add the juice of 1/2 lemon and boil for 10 minutes (adding rose or orange blossom water at the end if you have it), then let it cool.

3. Drain the cheese well and grate it or chop it small.

4. Brush a large tray or the work surface with a little of the syrup.

5. In a non-stick pan put 1/2 cup of the syrup, add the cheese and stir over low heat for 5 minutes until melted and stretchy.

6. Add the cup of fine semolina little by little, stirring fast for 3 minutes, until a smooth, elastic dough forms that pulls away from the sides.

7. Tip the dough onto the greased surface and roll it with a syrup-brushed rolling pin until about 3 mm thin.

8. Cut into 10 cm wide rectangles and put a strip of ashta along one edge of each.

9. Roll them up around the ashta like fingers, and arrange seam side down on a serving plate.

10. Drizzle with the cold syrup, garnish with ground pistachios if you have them, and serve cold.

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