Semolina Pudding | Milk-Cooked Dessert Without Starch

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the semolina, and toast over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. It is ready when the semolina lightens slightly in color and smells nutty; lower the heat before it turns brown. Toasting coats the grains with fat and keeps them from clumping when the milk is added.

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Once it boils, lower the heat and cook for 8 more minutes, scraping and stirring the bottom of the pan. Remove it from the heat when it coats the back of a spoon and a line drawn through it with a finger stays open for 1 second. It will thicken further as it cools, so leave it fluid on the stove.

Divide the mixture among bowls and smooth the surfaces with the back of a wet spoon. Do not cover the bowls; condensation will collect and drip onto the surface. Once cooled, garnish with walnuts and cinnamon and serve.