Double-Layer Cottage Cheese Casserole

Ingredients

For the base:

Cottage cheese 600 g

Cream cheese 150 g

Sugar 4 tbsp

Semolina 3 tbsp

Eggs 2

Vanilla extract 1 tsp

Lime zest

Orange zest

For the top layer:

Fat sour cream 400 g

Icing sugar 50 g

Egg 1

For the sauce:

Raspberries 500 g

Sugar 1 tbsp

Starch 1 tsp

Whisk the eggs with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract, zest, semolina, cream cheese, and cottage cheese, strained through a sieve. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly, but do not beat them. Pour into a 20 cm diameter mold and bake at 170ºC for about 20 minutes, until the curds set.

While the bottom layer is baking, make the sour cream. Lightly beat the sour cream with the egg and powdered sugar and pour over the firm curd layer. Bake at 170ºC for about 30 minutes.

Cool thoroughly. When removing from the mold, run a splint or knife along the edge of the mold.

Press the raspberries through a sieve. Add the powdered sugar. Pour out about three tablespoons of the sauce and dissolve 1 teaspoon of starch in them. Bring the remaining sauce to a boil, combine with the starch, stir, and let cool. Pour the sauce over the casserole before serving.

Enjoy!

Raisin Scones

Ingredients

Flour 225 g

Butter 50 g

Sugar 60 g

Egg 1

Raisins 60 g

Milk 60 ml

Baking powder 7 g

Salt 1 pinch

Sift the flour and mix with the baking powder and salt. Add the diced butter. Rub the butter and flour together with your hands until smooth. Add the raisins and granulated sugar. Mix well.

Add the egg to the dough and pour in 50 ml of milk (the remaining 10 ml will be used for greasing the buns). Mix thoroughly to form a buttery dough.

 Form the dough into a 1.5 cm thick layer. Cut out rounds of dough about 7 cm in diameter. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush with milk. Bake in a preheated oven at 210°C for 12 minutes.

Believe me, this will be enough time for the scones to bake perfectly and develop a golden brown crust.

Remove the finished scones from the oven, cool slightly, and serve warm.

Traditionally, these pastries are served with tea and accompanied by butter or jam.

Bon appétit!

Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

Ingredients

Flour 1/4 cup

Whole wheat flour 1/4 cup

Salt 1/4 tsp

Baking soda 1/4 tsp

Baking powder 1/4 tsp

Cinnamon 1/4 tsp

Butter 3 tbsp

Sugar 3 tbsp

Egg 1

Marshmallows

Dark chocolate 100 g

Cranberries 1 handful

Mix both types of flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add the cranberries. Beat the soft butter and sugar with a mixer for about 4 minutes. Add the egg and beat briefly.

Gradually add the flour to the butter, mixing until smooth.

Using a tablespoon, drop the cookies onto the baking sheet, spacing them apart. It's best to make small cookies—about 3-4 cm in diameter. Bake them in the oven for 7 minutes at 180°C.

After 7 minutes, remove the baking sheet, top with marshmallows, and bake for another 2 minutes to soften the marshmallows.

After the indicated time, remove the cookies from the oven. Dip the cooled cookies in chocolate melted in a double boiler. Place them on parchment paper to allow the icing to set.

Enjoy!

Neapolitan Easter Pie

Ingredients

For the shortbread crust:

Butter 170g

Icing sugar 95g

Eggs 2

Flour 300g

For the filling:

Bulgur 100g

Milk 200ml

Lemon 1

Cinnamon 1/8 tsp

Sugar 60g

Salt 1 pinch

Ricotta cheese 150g

Orange juice 2.5 tsp

Egg yolk 2

Egg white 1

Orange zest 200g

Icing sugar 50g

For the shortbread crust, beat the butter until smooth, add the icing sugar, and beat until pale. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well, then add the flour. Knead the dough and divide it into two parts, one slightly larger than the other. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

For the filling, pour bulgur and water in a 1:2 ratio, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Let cool, then drain.

Bring the milk to a boil and add the bulgur, a slice of lemon peel, half the cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and salt. Simmer over low heat until the milk is completely absorbed (40-45 minutes). Remove the lemon peel and let cool.

Candiled zest: Remove the peels from the citrus fruits. Boil them in water for a few minutes to remove the bitterness. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dry the peels and spread them evenly on the baking sheet. Dust both sides with powdered sugar, using a ratio of 50 grams of powdered sugar per 200 grams of citrus peel. Dry for about 30 minutes at 50°C (122°F), then turn over and dry for another 30 minutes.

Squeeze excess liquid from the ricotta using a sieve or cheesecloth. Mix the ricotta with sugar, the grated zest of half a lemon, the other half of the cinnamon, the orange juice, and the candied zest. Add the yolks one at a time, whisking after each addition. Add the cooled bulgur mixture.

Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into the mixture.

Grease a 23cm (9.5in) tart pan with butter. Roll out most of the dough and place it in the pan. Spread the filling over the dough and spread it out. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Remove the remaining dough, roll it out, and cut into strips. Weave the dough into a lattice pattern (or other design), pressing it down around the edges. Bake for about an hour. The top of the pie should be nicely browned.

Reduce the temperature to 120°C and bake for about 10 more minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick; it should come out clean.

Enjoy!

Poppy Seed Pie with Sour Cream Soufflé

Ingredients

Flour 250 g

Butter 100 g

Sugar 1 cup

Eggs 3

Poppy Seeds 7 tbsp

Semolina 3 tbsp

Milk 200 ml

Fat Sour Cream 400 ml

Vanilla Sugar 1 packet

First, prepare the shortcrust pastry. To make it, grate the cold butter coarsely. Add ½ cup of sugar, flour, and 1 egg.

Quickly knead until the dough is smooth and comes off easily. Place the dough in a bag first, then refrigerate.

To prepare the filling, grind the poppy seeds in a blender or mortar. Heat the milk to a boil, add 3-4 tablespoons of sugar, poppy seeds, and semolina. Cook, whisking, over low heat until thick and smooth.

Cool the filling to room temperature.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator, place it in the pan, and spread it evenly with your fingers to form a layer with a slight edge (about 3 cm). Prick the dough with a fork and return it to the refrigerator.

To make the soufflé, beat the eggs with a mixer until foamy. Add half a cup of sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat well.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and spoon the poppy seed filling onto it. Pour the sour cream filling over it and sprinkle a little poppy seeds on top.

Bake for about 45-60 minutes at 180°C. If necessary, cover the top with parchment paper. Cool the cake in the pan. 

Bon appetit!

Babka Nyagre

Ingredients

Flour 2 cups

Eggs 10

Sugar 300 g

Vegetable oil 200 ml

Kefir 250 ml

Milk 500 ml

Vodka 25 ml

Baking soda 1.5 tbsp

Butter

Breadcrumbs

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and sugar. Pour in the butter and stir.

Gradually whisk in the kefir and milk. Beat until smooth, avoiding lumps. Then add the vodka and beaten eggs in a separate bowl.

Grease a thick-walled pan with butter and sprinkle with a little breadcrumbs. This is usually made in a cast-iron wok.

Pour the batter into the pan (the batter will be very runny, like thin pancake batter). Cover the pan tightly with a lid or foil and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 1 hour and 40 minutes. After this time, reduce the heat to 100°C and bake for another 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Hazelnut, Ricotta, and Poppy Seed Pie

Ingredients

Butter 170g

Cream Cheese 120g

Hazelnuts 120g

Sugar 120g

Eggs 4

Flour 30g

Orange Zest

Poppy Seeds 2 tbsp

Apricot Jam 3 tbsp

Dark Chocolate 50g

Place the peeled hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 190°C for 5 minutes. Then, using a blender or food processor, grind them into coarse crumbs.

Separate the egg yolks from the whites and finely grate the zest. Beat the butter with the sugar, add the yolks one at a time, then the zest.

 Sift the flour into the batter, add the poppy seeds, cheese, and hazelnuts, and mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form and fold into the batter. Using a spatula, gently fold the batter, being careful not to overmix or the whites will collapse. Pour the batter into a greased and parchment-lined pan, smooth it out, and bake for 45 minutes at the same temperature.

Let the finished pie cool completely, then remove from the pan. While the pie is cooling, mix the jam with 4 tablespoons of water and bring the mixture to a simmer over low heat. Let it cool completely. Spread the jam on top of the pie, finely grate the chocolate, and sprinkle it over the top.

You can serve the pie with soft cottage cheese or whipped cream.

Bon appétit!