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CHEESE:
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1. First prepare the cheese in the following fashion: In a heavy 3- to 4-quart saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over high heat. As soon as the foam begins to rise, remove the pan from the heat and gently but thoroughly stir in the yoghurt and lemon juice. The curds will begin to solidify immediately and separate from the liquid whey.
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2. Pour the entire contents of the pan into a large sieve lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth, and set it over a bowl. Let the curds drain undisturbed until the cloth is cool enough to handle. Then wrap the cloth tightly around the curds and wring it vigorously to squeeze out all the excess liquid.
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3. Discard the whey. Unwrap the cheese, gather it into a ball and place it on a marble slab or in a large shallow metal pan or on a baking sheet. Knead the cheese by pushing it down, pressing it forward several times with the heel of your hand, and gathering it into a ball again. Repeat for 2 or 3 minutes, then slowly begin to add the farina, working it into the cheese a teaspoon or so at a time.
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4. Continue to knead for about 15 minutes, until the cheese becomes firm and smooth and does not crumble.
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SYRUP:
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1. To make the syrup, combine the sugar, cream of tartar and water in a heavy 3- to 4-quart saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high and cook uncovered and undisturbed for about 5 minutes, or until the syrup reaches a temperature of 220 on a candy thermometer.
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2. Pour off about 1½ cups of the syrup and set it aside. Reduce the heat under the saucepan to the lowest possible point. Working quickly, scoop up about 1 tablespoon of the cheese, roll it into a ball, and drop it into the slowly simmering syrup. Repeat until all the cheese has been shaped into balls and added to the syrup.
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3. Stir occasionally for about 30 minutes, adding the reserved syrup a tablespoon at a time so that the balls remain completely covered with liquid as they simmer.
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4. Remove the pan from the heat, gently stir in the rose water, and serve warm or cooled to room temperature in the syrup. (If you like, the cheese balls may be marinated in the syrup in the refrigerator for as long as 24 hours before serving, to intensify their flavor.)
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