OMA'S PASKA
Submitted by Brent Alderman Sterste
My father's family is Latvian and we make a sweet Easter cheese called
Paska -- my aunt presses hers in a sterilized flower pot with canned
goods on top!
Ingredients:
4 lbs. Farmers cheese (biezpiens), store-bought or home-made
1 lb. Unsalted butter, room temperature
4 Egg yolks, hard-boiled
4 Egg yolks, raw (optional, but traditional)
2 1/2 c Sugar
1-2 Tbls Pure vanilla extract
Dried fruit, (optional) e.g. currants, pineapple, glace fruits
Recipe:
Put boiled egg yolks and farmers cheese through a grinder or sieve.
Combine butter with sugar, raw yolks, and vanilla. Beat well.
Add butter mixture to cheese. Mix well.
If adding fruits, stir in.
Press cheese in double layer of cheese cloth. This can be done either by
tying the ends of the cheese cloth and placing it under a weight such
as a heavy can, or by placing cheese in a sterilized flower pot, topping
with a small saucer, and pressing under a weight. If available, one can
also use a cheese mold and press, with fairly light pressure.
Press in refrigerator for 24 hours. Unmold and slice to serve.