Syrna Zapikanka (сирна запіканка, baked curd pudding)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •A fine sieve or potato masher
• •A medium ceramic or enamel baking dish, about 24 cm
• •A mixing bowl and wooden spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Drain the curd

   If your curd cheese looks wet, set it in a sieve lined with a clean cloth and let it drain until it no longer weeps whey into the bowl. It should feel damp and soft, not soupy. Too much water makes the zapikanka slump instead of slice.

2. 2

   Sieve it smooth

   Push the curd through a fine sieve or work it briefly with a potato masher until the grains soften. This is the step that decides the crumb. Leave the curd rough and the pudding bakes patchy; smooth it first and it sets evenly, tender from edge to middle.

   A food processor works if your curd is very dry, but stop before it turns pasty. You want smooth curd, not cheese glue.
3. 3

   Mix the batter

   Beat the eggs with the sugar until the bowl looks pale and loose, then stir in the smetana, melted butter, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt. Fold this into the curd, then stir in the semolina and raisins if you're using them. The batter should be thick but still spoonable.

4. 4

   Let it swell

   Leave the bowl covered for about twenty minutes, until the semolina has drunk from the curd and the mixture falls from the spoon more slowly. Watch the texture, not the clock. It should look settled, glossy, and a little heavier than when you mixed it.

5. 5

   Fill the dish

   Butter a medium baking dish and dust it with semolina or fine breadcrumbs, tipping out the excess. Spoon in the curd mixture and smooth the top with the back of a wet spoon. Don't press it flat like plaster; just settle it into the corners.

6. 6

   Bake until golden

   Bake at 180C until the edges are golden, the middle is set with a small wobble, and the smell changes from milky to warm and cake-like. If you tap the dish gently, the center should tremble, not slosh. Let it rest before cutting so the crumb gathers itself.

7. 7

   Serve generously

   Cut into big squares and serve warm, room temperature, or cold from the fridge. Spoon smetana over the top, add sour cherry preserves or honey if you like, and let the plate look like breakfast rather than a pastry case. Enough for eight guests or one hungry Ukrainian.

Chef Tips

• •Use full-fat curd if you can. Low-fat curd bakes drier and needs more smetana to stay kind.
• •If your curd is very salty, reduce the added salt and keep the topping simple. If it is bland, lemon zest and vanilla wake it up without making it fancy.
• •Raisins are common, but sour cherries are beautiful in summer. In January, open a jar of preserves instead. That's not a substitute, that's the actual tradition.
• •The sieving and resting are the two steps that matter. The bake time will move with your dish and your oven, so trust the wobble and the smell.

Advance Preparation

• •The curd can be drained overnight in the fridge if it is very wet.
• •Zapikanka keeps well for 3 days refrigerated and slices cleanly once cold. Warm pieces gently or eat them straight from the fridge with smetana.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 160g)