Sweets Spotlight: Cheese Filling? Are You Surprised?

When one imagines a dessert associated with Middle Eastern food, the first thing which comes to mind is typically baklava. This isn't a bad thing. That stuff is tasty and often hits the spot when a craving for honey arises. Still, there are other options. The gyro has other partners in crime, such as the the low profile and inexpensive cheese halawa served at Karam.

A cheese halawa, as the name might imply, consists primarily of sweet cheese. It's wrapped in a small, nearly tasteless pastry shell that serves to keep it together more than to add anything to the dish itself. The filling itself has a consistency that's tougher than most confections, but is still clearly of a delicate nature. It's in the grey area which separates creamy and spongy. It still falters easily beneath steady chewing, avoiding the awkward horse chomp that more rubbery deserts require. Mystery spices provide the biggest bursts of sweet flavoring in the form of curious pebble-shaped nuggets of deliciousness.

It's a subtle treat that may strike the palate abruptly, but has all the hallmarks of a more mature after-dinner pastry. At $1.50 a piece, it's foolish not to try one.