Banitsa

Banitsa is a Bulgarian dish made of dough filled with brynza or cottage cheese, generously enriched with butter. Even in Bulgaria itself, banitsa is made in many different ways — the filling usually consists of brynza or lightly salted cottage cheese. I used a combination of brynza and cottage cheese in equal parts, and in my opinion, this makes it even tastier. The cottage cheese brings softness and a mild, creamy quality to the flavor, while the brynza provides the necessary saltiness and a firmer texture. That said, you can use 500 g of just one or the other if you prefer (if you go with brynza only, make sure it isn't too salty). As for the dough, you can use: - homemade hand-rolled dough (the most labor-intensive option) - store-bought phyllo dough (hard to find) - unleavened puff pastry (rolled out thin) - thin Armenian lavash (the easiest option and, in my opinion, absolutely ideal). I already have a Savory Meat Pie made with lavash, and I have to say — lavash is completely transformed in dishes like this. So there's really no need to make things harder than they have to be by kneading stiff dough and rolling out sheets by hand. Banitsa made with lavash is incredibly easy to put together, and the result is outrageously delicious — hearty, buttery, and full of cheesy goodness!

Ingredients:

• 300 g lavash (3 sheets)
• 100 g butter
• 250 g grainy cottage cheese (at least 9% fat)
• 250 g brynza (brine cheese)
• 2 eggs
• Custard filling:
• 250 g sour cream
• 3 eggs
• salt