Cottage cheese Easter pudding with agar-agar
Description
The recipe won't take much time. The advantage of this Easter dessert without eggs and using agar-agar instead of gelatin is that it's ready in just an hour. Moreover, it releases very little moisture—almost none at all. Agar-agar, as a plant-based gelatin, quickly absorbs liquid. This dish is suitable for vegetarians who consume dairy products. To make the paskha sweet, add fructose or brown sugar (choose fine-grained sugar). Raisins and candied fruits will make it even more delicious. For preparing cottage cheese paskha with agar-agar, you can use either homemade fatty cottage cheese or less fatty store-bought cottage cheese. 1. Rub the cottage cheese (regardless of whether it's grainy or more like a creamy mass) through a sieve. Add coconut flakes to the cottage cheese. 2. Soak the raisins to soften them, then add them to the cottage cheese along with candied fruits. Then add sugar or fructose. Mix everything thoroughly. 3. In a small saucepan, combine cream and agar-agar. Heat over low heat until boiling, then boil for about half a minute, stirring with a fork or, better yet, a whisk. You should get a rather thick, jelly-like mixture. 4. Now the crucial step: quickly remove the cream and agar-agar mixture from the heat and mix it into the cottage cheese mixture. 5. Line a paskha mold with plastic wrap. Fill it with the cottage cheese mixture, pressing it down firmly. By the way, any other mold will work just as well for this purpose. 6. Place the mold in the refrigerator for one hour. 7. After an hour, remove the paskha from the mold, turn it out, and set aside the mold and plastic wrap—they're no longer needed. Decorate the dish with sprinkles, dried fruits, nuts—according to your taste. The finished cottage cheese paskha with agar-agar can remain in the refrigerator longer. It turns out very tender and simply melts in your mouth. Serve chilled.