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This French-Levantine dessert combines a saffron-infused semolina dough enriched with Mont d'Or cheese, layered with cow's milk curd and fresh grapefruit, finished with a candied grapefruit syrup glaze and pistachio-rose garnish for complexity and elegance.
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Make the grapefruit syrup: Peel the zest from the grapefruit and cut into fine strips.
Blanch the zest 3 times in boiling water, changing the water each time.
Place the sugar and grapefruit juice in a saucepan over a low heat. Add the strips of zest and simmer until candied.
Make the dough: In a saucepan, gently heat the sugar, water and saffron until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Without removing from the heat, add the semolina to the syrup, whisking as you go.
Add the Mont d'Or and continue to stir with a rubber spatula until you have a smooth dough similar to choux pastry.
Turn the dough out onto non-stick kitchen paper and roll out into a rectangle half a centimetre thick. Set aside to cool.
To assemble: Cut the dough into 8 cm wide strips.
Pipe or spoon the curds and diced grapefruit into the centre of each strip.
Roll up the dough to make a sausage shape; glaze with the grapefruit syrup, and sprinkle with ground pistachios and edible dried rosebuds.
Written automatically by CookOS, not by the creator.
Store assembled dessert in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours. Do not freeze; the semolina dough becomes tough. Prepare components separately and assemble fresh for best texture.
Written automatically by CookOS, not by the creator.
Prepare the saffron-semolina dough and grapefruit syrup 1 day ahead. Assemble with curd and fresh grapefruit within 2 hours of serving to prevent the dough from softening.
Mont d'Or is a soft, creamy French alpine cheese with a distinctive mushroom rind. Substitute with Époisses or Taleggio for similar richness, though the flavor profile will differ.
Simmer grapefruit zest and juice with sugar until syrupy (about 15–20 minutes), then strain. The result coats the dessert and adds both sweetness and citrus bitterness.
Use fresh, mild cow's milk curd (fresh cheese curds or quark). Avoid yogurt or ricotta; they are too tangy and lack the delicate texture needed here.
Yes. Rose buds add floral aromatics and visual elegance but are optional. Substitute with additional ground pistachios or candied grapefruit peel for garnish.
