Syrian Cheese Pastry

Ingredients

• 300g Akkawi cheese
• 100g fine semolina
• 80g sugar
• 2 EL orange blossom water
• 50g pistachios, chopped
• 1 TL rose water
• 200ml water
• 1 Prise salt
• 1 EL lemon juice

Instructions

1. Slice the Akkawi cheese and soak it in cold water for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. Change the water several times to desalt the cheese.
2. For the syrup, bring sugar, water, and lemon juice to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, then add orange blossom water and rose water and let cool.
3. Drain the desalted cheese well and melt it in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once the cheese is melted, add the semolina and stir well until a smooth dough forms.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it out to about 1 cm thickness. Cut into rectangles or diamond shapes.
5. Place the pastry pieces on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (fan oven) for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
6. Immediately after baking, drench the hot cheese pastry pieces with the cold syrup and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
7. Serve the Syrian cheese pastry lukewarm or chilled.

Nutrition