Hariseh - the recipe

You can buy this book from www.simplyisrael.co.il. It was compiled by a friend of mine and I can vouch for the fact that ALL the recipes are well tested - by generations of Israelis. Here is the recipe for Hariseh. I ran out of semolina yesterday, so substituted a bit of fine couscous, and it worked well. I did add some of the syrup to the main recipe though, as I suspected the couscous would need more liquid than the semolina.

Pre heat your oven to 175 degrees

3 cups Semolina (or 2 cups semolina & one cup fine cous cous)
150g butter softened
2 cups flaky coconut
half cup sugar
1 cup plain yoghurt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons water

1) Mix all the ingredients together then press into a greased large cookie sheet with sides ( I use a flan tin with a lose bottom. However if you use this kind of tin make sure when you are pouring the syrup on it that you have the pan on a wipeable surface, as some of the syrup will escape!)
2) Cut in the direction you want to cut the final biscuits. If you are using an oblong tin, cut diamond shapes and put an almond or walnut in the centre of each biscuit. This makes it easier for cutting later.

Bake in oven until golden brown - about 15 minutes.

Syrup
2 cups Water
1 and 3 quarter cups Sugar ( i used a bit less)
I used about 3 tbspoon of rose water in the syrup, but the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Boil the syrup mixture until it begins to thicken slightly (around 15 minutes).

When you remove the hariseh from the oven, pour the hot syrup over the cake. I use a measuring cup and pour it over in small amounts to allow it to soak up. You won't use all the syrup, so let the remainder cool and keep in a sealed jar for next time.

He who is of a merry heart has a continual feast. Proverbs 15.15

Photo in post below