Cottage cheese paskha is a cottage cheese dish made just once a year, for the Easter holiday. Paskha can be made two ways: raw or cooked. I made the cooked version — it turns out quite sweet and rich, just as it should be. The amounts listed are enough for one paskha measuring 16 cm tall with a diameter of 15 cm at the base.
Ingredients:
- 600 g cottage cheese (9% fat or higher)
- 200 g sour cream (20%)
- 100 g butter
- 100 g sugar
- 4 egg yolks (or 2 eggs)
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 100 g raisins
- 100 g candied fruit
How to cook cottage cheese paskha
Press the cottage cheese through a fine-mesh colander directly into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. If you don't have a heavy-bottomed saucepan, you can use a double boiler instead.
Warm the cottage cheese mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until it is completely smooth. The mixture will become more liquid — this is normal.
Continue heating until small bubbles begin to rise from the bottom. Do not let it come to a full boil.
Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool until just warm. Add the candied fruit and raisins (rinse the raisins first and pat them dry with a paper towel). Stir to combine.
Place the paskha mold in a plate or bowl to catch the whey that will drain off. Line the mold with damp cheesecloth folded into two layers. The edges of the cheesecloth should hang over the sides, and the folds inside the mold should lie flat in the corners. If you don't have a paskha mold, you can use a colander or a clean clay flowerpot with a hole in the bottom. Alternatively, cut the top off a large plastic bottle and poke several holes in the bottom for the whey to drain through.
Press a plate on top and place a weight on it (a jar of water or a 1-liter carton of milk or juice). Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
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