Sweet cheese and raisin cake

Different communities have different dishes they emphasise, such as the Saxons, who organise in Prejmer, near Brasov, the Festival of Crepes to mark the beginning of Lent, according to a long standing tradition.

Ștefan Baciu, 01.03.2015, 14:11

Different communities have different dishes they emphasise, such as the Saxons, who organise in Prejmer, near Brasov, the Festival of Crepes to mark the beginning of Lent, according to a long standing tradition.

The Christian Orthodox have recently celebrated their equivalent of Mardi Gras, the last day when they can eat eggs, fish and dairy. On this day, in the south of the country they make cheesecake. That, however, is a misnomer, because it is not exactly like a cheesecake, although it has similarities. The beauty of this recipe is the fact that the dough is hand made.

You need half a kilo of flour, half a kilo of cottage cheese, one cup of milk, two or three tablespoons of sour cream or butter, powdered sugar, possibly vanilla flavoured, about 100 grams of raisins, essence of rum, a little oil and two egg yolks. You also need some fresh yeast. Mix the flour with the yeast, two or three tablespoons of sugar, with two or three tablespoons of sour cream or a couple of tablespoons of butter. Mix the dough well, cut in half, and spread out the halves in two sheets. Lay the first sheet in the oven tray you’ll be baking in, lightly buttering the tray.

To make the filling, mix well the cheese with the two egg yolks, with the vanilla sugar and the raisins. Spread it evenly on the dough sheet, then cover with the second sheet. Prick the top sheet with a fork to let the steam out. It takes about half an hour to bake. Sprinkle with confectionary sugar and serve hot.