Dairy joys for Shavuot

EFRAT TABI

On Shavuot, it is customary to eat food that contains dairy products. Cheesecakes, cheese casseroles, cheese desserts and more. I would like to offer two recipes that are my favorites for Shavuot: homemade soft cream cheese and cheese casserole. With some salad on the side, hard-boiled eggs and some fresh bread, you can have a festive and delicious Shavuot meal.

SOFT CREAM CHEESE

Making soft cream cheese at home is simple but takes two days to make. This cream cheese has a soft, creamy and airy texture. You can use it as a spread or as a dip. It will last up to one week.

300 grams plain yogurt (preferably organic)
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
2 tbsp. olive oil

1. Put the yogurt in the centre of a thin cloth (a clean towel or handkerchief), gather the four corners together and tie with a string. Now you have a yogurt sack.

2. Place the sack in the colander and place the colander in the bowl.

3. Hang the yogurt sack in your refrigerator; underneath it, place the colander and the bowl. Don’t let the sack touch the bottom of the colander, so that the water from the yogurt can drain completely.

4. After 24 hours, most of the water will have drained. Pour it out after the first day (so that your refrigerator won’t smell). However, let the sack remain hanging in the fridge for another 24 hours, so that the cheese will drain completely, creating a soft, creamy texture.

5. Remove the cloth from the refrigerator, pour out the remaining water from the bowl.

6. Open the sack. Inside, you will have soft cheese. Put the cheese in a clean bowl, add two to three tablespoons of olive oil and salt to taste. Mix well, and transfer to a sealed container.

For flavored soft cheese (measurements are for 300 grams yogurt)

Dill and garlic: add one teaspoon of chopped dill and one small chopped garlic clove.

Onion and paprika: add two to three finely chopped slices of onion, one quarter teaspoon of paprika.

Green onion: add two to three stalks of chopped green onion (just the green part).

Roasted sesame seed: roast three tablespoons of sesame seeds in the oven for two to three minutes. Remove and let cool. Place the sesame seeds on a small plate. Roll small balls of the cream cheese, and roll them in the sesame seeds.

CHEESE CASSEROLE

This recipe is originally from Turkey. I have been making it for many years and it is my favorite. When Shavuot arrives, I know, for sure, this is going to be on the table.

For the dough you will need:
350 grams flour
2 tsp. baking powder
250 grams soft salted butter
1 egg
170 grams yogurt (preferably organic)

For the filling you will need:
500 grams cottage cheese
1 cup of grated Swiss cheese
1 cup of grated Gouda cheese
2 eggs (two egg whites and one yolk) – you will need one yolk to brush the casserole before baking
1 tsp. salt

1. Put the flour and the baking soda in a bowl.

2. Cut the butter into cubes.

3. Add the butter, eggs and yogurt to the flour and start to knead the ingredients together.

4. Mix until the butter and yogurt combine thoroughly in the flour. You will end up with a sticky dough due to the butter, but that is the right texture. Put the dough in the refrigerator for half an hour.

5. While the dough is in the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the filling ingredients together.

6. Remove the dough from the fridge, knead it and form a ball. Divide it into two pieces.

7. Oil a large cake pan with butter or oil. I use an oval pan to create a nice shape.

8. Roll both pieces of dough and place half on the bottom of the baking pan, pour on the cheese mixture, and place the other half of the rolled dough on top.

9. Brush the top of the dough with the leftover egg yolk.

10. Bake the casserole for 30 minutes or until the top is brown and the filling is firm (shake the baking pan gently – you can feel if the filling is firm or not). You can also check it by tacking a toothpick in the casserole. If it comes out dry, the casserole is ready.

Happy Shavuot!

Efrat Tabi is the owner, with her husband Albert, of the Donair Place and Coffee Shop, located at Yarrow Station, 42375 Yarrow Central Rd., in Chilliwack. The phone number is 604-823-0111.

^TOP