Syrian Sweet Cheese Rolls (Halawet El-Jeben)

Step 1
To prepare sugar syrup: Combine sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Once the mixture boils, add lemon juice and orange blossom water, and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Step 2
To make ashtah (filling): In a non-stick saucepan, combine the milk, cornflour, and semolina. Whisk until well combined.

Step 3
Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring continuously.

Step 4
Add the orange blossom water, bring the mixture to a boil for a few minutes, until the texture thickens and becomes creamy. Remove from the heat and pour into a glass tray. Cool in the refrigerator for one hour.

Step 5
Gently fold the cream into the ashtah; we’re looking for a clumpy texture here. Refrigerate until ready to use for the filling.

Step 6
To make halawet el-jeben roll: Strain and rinse the buffalo mozzarella and bocconcini cheese. Cut the mozzarella block into pieces. In a non-stick pot, add water and sugar, turn the heat to medium, and then add the cheese. Stir the cheese gently until it turns into one melted, stretchy piece of cheese.

Step 7
Gradually add the semolina to the cheese, stirring quickly and continuously. Add the orange blossom water and keep stirring until it forms thin strings and becomes stretchy. Once done, it should look like a large piece of dough. Cool it down for around 5 minutes at room temperature.

Step 8
Cut it into 2 equal halves and work with one half at a time.

Step 9
Start by covering your work surface with cling film (50 cm x 50 cm). Pour about 3-5 tbsp sugar syrup on the cling film. Place one piece of dough on it, roll it in the sugar syrup a couple of times, cover it with another layer of cling film, and roll out the dough into a rectangle sheet until it reaches your desired thickness – a thickness of 2-3 mm is ideal.

Step 10
Trim the edges of the dough to create a neat rectangle sheet. Place the rectangle with the long side nearest you.

Step 11
Fill a piping bag with the cream filling and cut off about 2 cm of the tip. Pipe a line of the cream across one end of the cheese sheet, leaving about 1 cm on the long side closest to you.

Step 12
Wrap the sweet cheese sheet around the ashtah/cream, using the cling film to help with the shaping, to form a tube shape, allowing an overlap of about 1 cm of cheese sheet.

Step 13
Cut off the excess dough with a sharp knife. Set the tube aside. Repeat the piping and rolling until all of the dough has been used. Repeat the steps with the other piece of dough.

Step 14
Wrap each roll in a separate piece of cling film and leave it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Step 15
To serve, cut the roll into small pieces, about 3-5 cm in length, and place them on a serving plate. Sprinkle with crushed raw pistachios and dried rose petals or rose petal jam.

Step 16
Drizzle with sugar syrup.