Syrna Zapikanka — Baked Farmer Cheese Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 lb farmer cheese or dry-curd cottage cheese
• 3 eggs
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 5 tbsp semolina
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup raisins
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp butter, for the dish
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and butter an 8-inch baking dish generously, corners included.
2. Press the cheese through a sieve if it is lumpy — 90 seconds of work for a texture that reads as velvet instead of gravel.
3. Beat the eggs with the sugar until pale, then fold in the cheese, semolina, half the sour cream, vanilla, salt, and raisins. Let it sit 10 minutes so the semolina drinks.
4. Scrape into the dish, smooth the top, and brush with the remaining sour cream. Bake 35–40 minutes, until the top is freckled gold and the center barely wobbles.
5. Cool 15 minutes before cutting — it sets as it cools. Serve warm with more sour cream or a spoon of jam.