Don't be scared

Cheesecake is one of the number one dishes in Poland and for very good reason - it's delicious.  If you go searching for a Polish Cheesecake recipe, as I have done countless times over the years, you will find it's main ingredient is always listed farmer's cheese or Tvarog (or a variation of that spelling).  You cannot buy this cheese in Australia, and apparently the closest substitute is Quark, and some people have even suggested cottage cheese or a combination of cottage and philly cheese.  Given that I didn't actually know the texture Tvarog, but I did know the texture of this cheesecake (there's a Polish bakery near my family's home in Brisbane!) it's been one of those things that I've never quite gone to the lengths of making.  Enter a local Multicultural Day, that given our Polish heritage, my sister said she'd make Polish Cheesecake for and the challenge was set.

Between us we compared and read through countless recipes.  Some had a pastry base and others didn't.  We wanted the pastry base so ended up combining two separate recipes.  The main thing that was clear to us though was, if this cheesecake was going to happen we had to make our own cheese.

Eventually we settled on the tvarog/farmer's cheese recipe below, as it was the simplest and you didn't have to start the day before.  The time consuming part is slowly warming the milk, because you really have to do it slowly.  Given that the milk will curdle when you add the buttermilk and vinegar, my best suggestion is put your bottle of milk out on the bench a few hours before you're going to start this process, so it's not so cold.  We made the cheese first so we knew the yield, and have then adapted the amount in the cheesecake filling recipe to suit (it was about 2/3 of the original filling recipe).  So depending on how much cheese you make, then scale the filling amounts up or down.  With the cheese, most recipes will say to 'grind' it in your food processor so it is a little smoother.  We pulsed it for about 20 - 30 seconds and it broke it up a little.

In terms of a tin, we made it in a baking tray 20cm x 30cm, and about 4-5cm high, because it was for a shared lunch.  You could make it in a round loose-bottom tin as well.  The cook time was accurate and after an hour we turned the oven off and left it to cool in the oven over night.  The top didn't crack, which we were pleased about.  And the taste... well pretty good.  I would have added some sultanas, as that's how I prefer this cheesecake, but my sister doesn't like sultanas so it was just plain.  We also discussed that a bit of lemon/orange zest or orange peel in the mix would have been a nice touch too.  I've seen other versions with nutmeg sprinkled on the top or strips of dough laid across the top and then glazed with an egg wash, and the original filling recipe had a raspberry glaze.  Don't be scared to make your own cheese, it'll take you about 90 minutes, but is so worth it to get the taste and texture of this cheesecake correct. 

This recipe and cheesecake has been a very long time coming and now that we've made it I think it will become a favourite for many family occasions.  

Sernik (Polish Cheesecake)

Dough:
225g plain flour
125g butter, softened
125g icing sugar
2 egg yolks

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times until it comes together.
2. Roll it into a disc and wrap in glad wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Remove from fridge and place dough between two sheets of baking paper and roll out to desired shape and thickness (less than 0.5cm thick).
4. Pick up dough in the baking paper and place straight into tin (approx 20cm x 30cm, and 5 - 6 cm high). Remove top sheet.  Prick dough with a fork.
5. Bake at 180C for about 20 - 25 minutes until light golden.

Filling:
6 eggs, separated
200g caster sugar
650g Tvarog (farmer's cheese - see recipe below) 
140g butter, softened
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp plain flour

1. Beat egg yolks and sugar until light and creamy.
2. Add cheese and butter and continue mixing until well combined and creamy.
3. Add baking powder and flour and mix until combined.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk/beat the egg whites to stiff peaks.
5. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the cheese mixture.  Continue gently folding in remaining egg whites until combined.  Don't overwork the mixture.
6. Pour the mixture over the base (see above) and smooth out the top.
7. Bake at 180C for about 60 minutes.  The top should be a little golden.
8. Turn off oven.  Allow cheesecake to completely cool in oven with door slightly open.

Variations: add 1/4 - 1/2 cup sultanas; add some orange peel or zest.

Tvarog (Famer's cheese)
3L full cream milk
1L buttermilk
2 tbsp white vinegar

Tvarog, as the whey was draining.

1. Allow the milk to come to room temperature, then pour into a large saucepan and place on stove on very low heat.
2. Slowly warm the milk to a light simmer, do not let it boil.  It's a good idea to stir it often, especially once it starts to get close to a simmer - you don't want it to burn or stick to the bottom, or to boil over.  Warming the milk can take 30 - 60 minutes depending on the ambient temperature.
3. Once the milk is simmering, remove from heat.  Add in buttermilk and stir.  And in vinegar and stir.
4. The mixture will immediately separate into curds and whey.  Give it a bit of a stir then set aside for 10 - 15 minutes for the curds to finish forming up.
5. Line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth and pour in the cheese (catching the curd).  Allow to drain to desired consistency.
6. Keeps in the fridge for 5 or so days. 

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Bellissima

I hesitate to write this post, about the most-cooked dish in my kitchen - pizza.  Why do I hesitate?  Well, shortly I'm off to Italy for a few weeks.  Whilst there I'm spending a week at an Italian cooking school south of Rome, learning how to make pizza, pasta and other amazing Italian food properly.  I'm thinking it's probably good to document my pizza-making tips and recipe now, then see what changes in 8 weeks time!

Making your own pizza base is not difficult.  The only thing it requires is time - at least an hour.  If you don't have an hour then don't bother, just have something else for dinner and try again tomorrow. You don't have to work on it for an hour, you have to leave it alone for an hour, so the yeast can work it's magic. Whilst it is doing it's thing, why not have a glass of wine and decide what your toppings will be!  Let your creativity shine through in your toppings and whatever you dream up to add to your base.  Make it pretty or just make it tasty.  Once you've made your own dough, you'll never use store-bought bases again.

Pizza Dough
300g (2 cups) Bread/Pizza Flour (I use this one)
7g sachet dry active yeast
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
200mL warm water (not hot)
extra flour

1. Sift flour into a large bowl.
2. Stir in yeast, sugar and salt.
3. Make a well in the centre, add warm water and oil.  
4. Bring together using a wooden spoon or your hands.  Turn onto a floured surface.
5. Knead for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth.  Add flour as necessary.
6. Wash out and dry your original bowl, then lightly oil it.  
7. Place the ball of dough into the oiled bowl and cover with glad wrap or a tea towel, and set aside in a warm place to prove for 1 hour (or until doubled in size).
8. On a floured surface, knock back the dough and knead again until smooth.
9. Divide the dough into two and roll out to form two thin bases.
10. Add sauce, cheese and toppings.  Bake at 240C for 8 - 10 minutes.

Activate yeast; mix dough; let it prove.

Other ideas:

• Make sure you have some flour on your hands before working the dough.
• If it's a cool day, then mix the warm water with the yeast before adding to dry ingredients.
• Some say you can use normal plain flour instead of bread/pizza flour.
• Dough can be wrapped in gladwrap, then a snaplock bag and frozen for another time. Just thaw it in the fridge, then allow it to come to room temperature before kneading and rolling out.
• Add fresh or dried herbs, such as oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary etc, to the dry ingredients.
• Add a few tablespoons of dried turmeric and finely diced red chilli (or chilli flakes) to the dry ingredients. The pic on the bottom left is an 'indian dough', which I topped with tandoori chicken, coriander and some mango chutney to finish
• Try not to have more than 3 - 4 other toppings, as well as cheese and sauce.

 

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One a penny, two a penny

Today is Good Friday - a day of fasting and remembrance.  It's the most solemn day on the Christian calendar.  And it's the day that we love to eat Hot Cross Buns.  As you know, they've pretty much been in the shops now since Christmas, which is very strange indeed.  And oh my, the array of flavours they come in: no fruit, no peel, chocolate, sticky date and caramel (thanks Woolies)!

C'mon now, the hot cross bun is meant to be a sweet spicy fruit bun with sultanas or currants, with a cross on the top, traditionally eaten on Good Friday.  In my opinion there should be no chocolate or other flavours, and nobody should waste their time on those - remember, Good Friday is a day of fasting!  Hot cross buns should be eaten hot, smothered in butter and possibly some red jam (strawberry, raspberry, whatever you've got) and that is it.  The over-commercialisation of our world is astounding.  If you want to mess with them, then don't put a cross on top and just call them whatever flavour they are.  Ok, that feels better, end of rant!

Last year I made my own hot cross buns for the first time.  They were not as soft as I'd hoped, so I've given them another go, with a different recipe this time.  When I make them again next year I will reuse this recipe, as they were lovely and soft this time. I have increased the amounts fruit and mixed spice from the original.  Feel free to adjust those as you see fit, and I won't even mind if you don't put the orange peel in.  Many recipes for hot cross buns have you mixing the yeast with the warm milk and butter initially, then letting that foam, then add that to the dry ingredients.  This one is a bit more of a 'throw it all in' recipe.  Enjoy!

Hot Cross Buns (makes 12 large buns)
4 cups plain flour, sifted (yes, even I sifted it)
2 x 7g yeast sachets
1/4 cup sugar
2 - 3 generous tablespoons mixed spice (or use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg etc)
pinch of salt
2 - 3 cups sultanas, currants, mixed peel (or use a box of mixed fruit - cherries optional!)
40g butter, melted
300mL milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Flour paste: 1/2 cup plain flour, 5 - 6  tablespoons water

Dough proving

Glaze: 1/3 cup water, 2 tablespoons caster sugar

1. Mix all dry ingredients together - flour, yeast, sugar, mixed spice, salt, fruit.
2. Melt butter, add milk and warm for about a minute, until it is lukewarm (should feel neither cold nor hot when you put your finger in it).
3. Add lightly beaten eggs, and milk mixture to dry ingredients.  Combine well in bowl.
4. Tip out onto a floured bench and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth.
5. Place ball of dough in a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover and allow to stand in a warm place, until it is doubled in size (about an hour depending on the temperature of the day).
6. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
7. Punch back dough to original size.  Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead to smooth.  Divide into 12 even pieces (about 100g each), shape into balls and place on lined tray about 1cm apart.  Cover and allow to stand for about 30 minutes, or until balls are doubled in size.
8. Meanwhile preheat oven to 190C.  Make flour paste by combining ingredients.  Put this in a snaplock bag and snip the corner.  Pipe crosses across the buns.
9. Bake for 20 - 25 mins, until cooked and golden.



Buns proving

10. Whilst they are cooking, make the glaze: In a small saucepan, mix the water and sugar, until sugar is dissolved.  Bring to boil and allow to boil about 5 minutes.  Brush over warm hot cross buns.

Variations:
Glaze - warm some jam or golden syrup and brush over the top
Substitute brown sugar for caster sugar, for a richer bun
Add dried yeast to melted butter and warm milk and allow to froth/foam - may reduce proving time.
Make twice as many, by making them smaller - about 50g each