Homemade cottage cheese paska
Description
Easter paskha and kulich are essential attributes of the Easter holiday. Since our paskha will not undergo any heat treatment, to be 100% confident in the product's quality, we'll make it using homemade cottage cheese, as the recipe isn't that complicated. 1. First, ferment the milk: add sour cream to warm milk, stir well, and place the pot in a warm spot until it sours. It's best to do this directly in the cooking pot. 2. Once the milk has soured, curds and whey will form. Cut the curds into pieces with a sharp knife, then place the pot over low heat. Warm it until the pot feels hot to the touch. 3. Remove the pot from the heat and let the mixture sit for 8–10 hours. Then pour it into a colander lined with cheesecloth and allow the whey to drain for 1–2 hours. 4. Wash the raisins and dried apricots. If they are very dry, pour boiling water over them and let them soak for 5 minutes. Then chop the apricots or candied fruits into small pieces. 5. To the cottage cheese, add sour cream, vanilla sugar, regular sugar, and soft butter. Blend everything with a mixer until smooth and creamy. 6. Add raisins, dried apricots, and candied fruits to the cheese mixture, then mix well. 7. Line the paskha mold with two layers of cheesecloth and fill it with the mixture. Press it down and smooth the top. 8. Place the mold into a colander, and set the colander into a deep plate. Place a weight (such as a jar filled with water) on top of the paskha. Put everything into the refrigerator overnight. That's it—our paskha is ready. Remove it from the mold, transfer it onto a beautiful plate, and decorate as desired. Wishing you a joyful and bright holiday!