slovak easter cheese

From the Smoking Meats forum I'm on-
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slovak easter cheese (slovakia, hungary, ukraine, poland etc.)
This recipe is from the kitchen of Maria Macejko Milot, my wife's grandmother.

Hrudka (Sirets - Egg Cheese)
1 dozen eggs
1-2 tsp vanilla
1 quart milk
1/2 cup sugar
Combine all ingredients in a white, enamled pan. cook over medium to low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture curdles.

Pour mixture into a colander that is lined with several thicknesses of cheesecloth. once mixture is drained, pick it up, cheesecloth and all, and shape into a ball by twisting the top part of a cheesecloth.

Tightly tie open end with string, placing string very close to the top of the ball. CAUTION! this will be hot! hang over sink until cool.

remove cheexecloth when cool; wrap and refrigerate.

*the whey from the hrudka can be saved and used when making pascha (paska). to conserve the whey, place the colander over a large pot before pouring mixture into cheesecloth.
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TasunkaWitko

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Discussion was also brought up about making a savory rather than sweet by leaving out the vanilla and sugar and adding salt and herbs.

It's pretty good and helps us get rid of a lot of eggs (we have hens) and make something tasty!

How much does this make? It looks pretty delicious. Is it served alone, or part of another dish?

James -

this will make a "ball" or "lump" about the size of a pound or maybe 1.5 pounds of "regular" cheese. It is normally served sliced as a treat or maybe a dessert.

One year, I sliced some, and then treated it like French toast, dipping it in an egg-milk mixture with cinnamon and vanilla, then frying it a few minutes on each side. Probably not very traditional, but definitely good!

Oooh... Need.

We're going to be making a bunch of this soon, so I am bringing it up to the top, just in case anyone wants to give it a go ~

If anyone wants to see some step-by-step photos of this process, you can find them here:

http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/hrudka-vekonon-syr-starej-mamy_topic50.html

Dobrú chuť!

Ron

I just read about this an hour or so ago........... I already have a ball of hrudka hanging from a cupboard handle......... How's that for fast ;-) I buy eggs at Costco by the 5 dz, and have an abundance at the moment. Good Friday seems like a good day to make Easter Cheese ............
While making it, I was wondering what it would have been like with kefir instead of milk.......
Since I started making cheese, I've wondered about using egg whites when making whey ricotta. Ricotta is made from alblumin. This is the first egg based cheese I've heard of......... but I never googled it.
Mine was boiling by the time is separated, but boiling point at this elevation is about 200F

H.W.

Hey, Owly - glad that you tried this! Sorry to take so long to reply - we spent Easter at the Yogo Inn, then took the Grassrange-Roundup Express the next day through some very interesting weather to Billlings. They closed the roads soon after we arrived, and I hear it was pretty rough on the Harlowton route going to the same destination. On one hand, I've always embraced all the seasons of our great state - but on the other, it honestly feels like January 71st....

What did you think of it? It is a bit unusual, and in my opinion probably not a "proper" cheese, but it is a nice tradition and my wife is very sentimental about it, as it reminds her of her grandmother.

I don't see why it wouldn't work with kefir, but /I don't know enough to make an educated guess. If you do give it a try, let me know how it goes.

Thanks for giving this a try, and I look forward to your report!

Ron

TasunkaWitko said:

Hey, Owly - glad that you tried this! Sorry to take so long to reply - we spent Easter at the Yogo Inn, then took the Grassrange-Roundup Express the next day through some very interesting weather to Billlings. They closed the roads soon after we arrived, and I hear it was pretty rough on the Harlowton route going to the same destination. On one hand, I've always embraced all the seasons of our great state - but on the other, it honestly feels like January 71st....

What did you think of it? It is a bit unusual, and in my opinion probably not a "proper" cheese, but it is a nice tradition and my wife is very sentimental about it, as it reminds her of her grandmother.

I don't see why it wouldn't work with kefir, but /I don't know enough to make an educated guess. If you do give it a try, let me know how it goes.

Thanks for giving this a try, and I look forward to your report!

Ron

Click to expand...

Ron:
I tried it, but was not particularly impressed. What it could use is a lot more spice, as well as some chopped toasted nuts, and a bit of sourness, as I mentioned before...... at least for my taste. When I do it again, it will be on a smaller scale. To me it's a foundation for something a lot more interesting.........

H.W.

Last year I tried steeping a cinnamon stick in during the process and it did - in my opinion - liven it up quite a bit. I think your idea with a bit of sourness could provide some good balance. Will be interested in seeing how it turns out.