AI-generated image
Höşmerim
Höşmerim: Erzurum's warm halva of fresh cheese, semolina and syrup
Höşmerim is a winter dessert of the Erzurum plateau and the Bolu highlands, made from unsalted fresh cheese melted with butter and semolina until it turns golden and gives off its own butter, then soaked with syrup. It's eaten warm in small bowls, chewy and rich, topped with crushed walnuts or pistachios, often after a long cold day. Common mistake: using salty or aged cheese, which turns oily and bitter; you need a soft, unsalted fresh cheese such as lor or ricotta. Chef's tip: keep cooking until the fat starts seeping out at the edges and the mixture is the colour of light toffee; that's where the flavour comes from.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the syrup
For the halva
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Boil 4 oz sugar and ¾ cup water for 5 minutes and keep warm.
5 minStep 2: Melt 1 ⅜ oz butter in a non-stick pan over a medium-low heat. Add 10 ½ oz unsalted fresh cheese (lor) or ricotta and stir for 5 minutes, until it melts and becomes stringy.
5 minStep 3: Stir in 1 ¾ oz fine semolina and keep cooking, stirring and folding, for 10–12 minutes, until the mixture turns light golden and butter starts to seep out at the edges.
12 minStep 4: Pour in the warm syrup; it will bubble up. Stir over a low heat for 2–3 minutes, until it is absorbed and the halva is glossy and soft.
3 minStep 5: Spoon into small bowls and serve warm, topped with 1 oz walnuts or pistachios.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 41 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does höşmerim take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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 sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Baklava
The famous layered pastry: crisp sheets of buttered fillo sandwich a filling of almonds, pistachios and cashews spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and saffron. After baking, the hot baklava is soaked in a syrup of sugar, honey, lemon, rose and cardamom and decorated with almond and pistachio flakes. Cut into 40 diamonds; serve with fresh cream or ice cream.
Custard sauce
Proper pouring custard made the easy way with custard powder. It's thick, smooth and lightly sweet, just right with apple pie, crumbles, fruit salad and trifle. Serve it warm, or chill it for trifles.
British
Chocolate sauce
A thick, glossy chocolate sauce made from store-cupboard cocoa and milk, ready in under 10 minutes. Pour it hot over vanilla ice cream, or let it cool and spread it on cakes and puddings.