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Peynir helvası
Cheese and semolina halva
Peynir helvası: Çanakkale's warm baked cheese and semolina halva
TurkishAround Çanakkale and the Dardanelles, peynir helvası is a soft, oven-browned halva made with fresh unsalted cheese, semolina, butter and sugar, sold warm in clay dishes at the market cafés. The top caramelises in spots, the inside stays creamy and stretchy, and the flavour sits somewhere between cheesecake and halva. Eat it warm on its own or with a glass of tea after a fish lunch. Chef's tip: use a mild, fresh, unsalted cheese and squeeze it well; salty or wet cheese gives a sour, runny halva.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 ⅞ oz butter
- 4 oz fine semolina
- 14 oz unsalted fresh cheese (lor or ricotta)squeezed dry in a cloth
- 5 ½ oz caster sugar
- ½ cup whole milk
- 3 ½ oz low-moisture mozzarellagrated, for stretch
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Melt 2 ⅞ oz butter in a pan over a medium-low heat, add 4 oz fine semolina and stir for 8–10 minutes, until it smells nutty and turns pale gold.
10 minStep 2: Add 14 oz unsalted fresh cheese (lor or ricotta), 3 ½ oz low-moisture mozzarella and ½ cup whole milk and stir for 3–4 minutes, until the cheese melts into a thick, stretchy mass.
4 minStep 3: Stir in 5 ½ oz caster sugar just until it dissolves, then take the pan off the heat. Common mistake: adding sugar early; it makes the cheese weep and the halva turns grainy.
Step 4: Spoon into 6 small ovenproof dishes or one 20 cm dish and smooth the tops.
Step 5: Bake for 15–20 minutes, until the top is spotted dark gold and bubbling at the edges. Serve warm.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does peynir helvası take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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