Easter for our family has always been a big deal. In addition to the many services during Holy Week that wind down the season of Lent and begin the Paschal celebration, there was the food. For anyone unfamiliar with the traditions and practices of the Christian church, we fast in Lent, and then on Easter, we celebrate. We pull out all the stops. Whereas before, sweets are generally not eaten as we devote ourselves to prayer, on Easter it's celebration time. So we make lots (lots... I mean seriously, lots) of food, raid the larder, open up the canned goods, bake kolach and pascha bread, and have a good time as families.
One of the traditional food for Easter is Hrutka. aka Cirok. This is a very basic egg cheese, like a drained, curdled custard. It can be made sweet or savory, plain, with poppy seeds, with dried fruit added, broiled on top to brown, coated with sugar and bruleed, cold, warm, by itself, with food, in sandwiches, etc. It's a fresh, simple cheese that needs very fresh, tasty milk.
I'm making this right now for tomorrow, thought I'd share the recipe. It doesn't take long, and is a real crowd pleaser.
1 dozen eggs (bartered for mine, free range)
1 quart full-fat milk (I'm actually using the hand-skimmed cream from 1-day-old and 2-day-old Nubian milk, about 8% fat)
1/4 tsp-3/4 tsp salt (depending on how salty you want it. I like about 1/2 tsp to balance the sweetness)
1-2 tsp vanilla (if going the sweet route. I'm using 2 tsp 50/50% blend homemade haitian and madagascar. Mine is full of bean specs, otherwise I'd use 2 whole split pods)
1 -6 TB sugar or honey. I'm doing this for dessert, so I am making it moderately sweet, 4 TB.
optional: 1-2 TBSP liquor to flavor. I like to use Frangelico
The process is really simple:
1) Whisk together the eggs. If you prefer, strain the mix through cheesecloth to fine it. I like to do this as it gives me a more delicate custard
2) mix the eggs and milk together. Add sugar (is using), salt, vanilla (if using), and liquor (if using)
3) Put in a double boiler (if handy; it works fine in a regular pot) and heat slowly. Starting around 150F, it will begin to seem thicker. Stir gently to distribute the heat.
4) As you keep cooking, usually at 165-180, somewhere around there (depends on the milk and eggs), it will coagulate. Stir gently to help retain moisture. It will look like ricotta, or like scrambled eggs.
5) After the curds form, turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then drain
6) Drain in a mold, or regular cloth, and then put in the fridge to firm up. Serve next day.
No pH markers or anything fancy. The biggest controls are the amount of fat in milk and how gently you handle the curds and to what temp, all of which determine moisture and mouthfeel. Other than that, use the highest quality eggs and milk you can find and afford.
I'll try and take some pics and post here. It's a really lovely cheese. I try to be very gentle with the curds during the make, and use a high-fat milk to make it more of a softer dessert cheese. Sometimes, I will add an additional several yolks to make it more custard-like.
