Inspired by nostalgia for traditional Russian breakfasts.
What did you eat for breakfast as a child? I frequently had either kasha (oats, rice, millet or semolina boiled in milk), which I hated, or cottage cheese with sugar and sour cream, which I loved. Breakfasts in Russia were and still are considered an important meal. Eating lots for breakfast has been always strongly encouraged ( meaning heavily insisted) by a caring mother.
Having strong love/hate feelings for breakfasts as a child and going “wild” as a teenager (sandwiches with kielbasa for breakfast oh yeah!) I eventually have returned to the roots. I make kashas. I prepare cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is still my favorite. A great thing about the cottage cheese is that so much can be done with it. One of the recipes I’d like to share with you is a cottage cheese cheesecake which, in my Eastern European opinion, can equally be eaten for breakfast, brunch and a dessert after dinner.
This recipe is similar to a classic baked cheesecake recipe. It has a crumbly crust, lot’s of cheese and some additional flavor. The cottage cheesecake has a more grainy texture than a classic cheesecake does, less fat and no flour in the crust. The crust is a mix of crushed almonds, butter and sugar. No graham crackers or any cookies are involved.
The recipe is perfect for 6-8 servings.
Ingredients
For the crust
Almonds, raw - 1 cup Butter, unsalted - 50 g (1.8 oz) Sugar - 1/3 cup
For the cheesecake
Pressed cottage cheese, low fat - 500 g (17.6 oz) Sugar - 1/2 cup Butter, unsalted - 50 g Eggs, large - 3 Lemon, juice - 3 tablespoons Rice four - 1 tablespoon Candied orange peels - 1/2 cup
For candied oranges
Orange - 1 or more Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
Instructions
Step 1. Make candied orange peels.
I prepare candied orange peels over a few days. This is the laziest version ever. Instead of boiling the orange peels in ten waters over a couple of hours that an express method suggests and which might work for you as well, I accumulate orange peels over a few days and keep them soaked in the water. I change water once a day. Then I boil the peels in a sweet syrup for 40 minutes and let them dry. For express method check this recipe or many more others available in internet. Or do it a lazy way.
- Soak the orange peels in water for 2-3 days. Change the water daily and put a plate over the peels so they are fully in the water.
- Before cooking, slice the orange peels in stripes.
- Bring a pot with a sweet syrup (water+ sugar) to boil and put the orange peels in. Let the peels simmer for 40 minutes. (Make a sweet syrup in proportion water:sugar = 2:1. This time I boiled peels of one orange in 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Use more orange peels for a more efficient use of ingredients. Always make sure that sweet syrup covers the orange peels fully.
- Place the candied peels on a parchment paper and let them dry for a couple of hours.
Step 2. Make the almond base.
- Crush the almonds in a food processor. Turn almonds into tiny tiny pieces.
- Mix the crushed almonds with melted butter and sugar.
- Spread the almond mix evenly in the bottom of a springform pan and press it with a spoon.
Step 3. Make and bake the cottage cheese cheesecake.
- Process the pressed cottage cheese in a food processor to break the crumbs and reach a smoother texture.
- Separate egg whites and yolks. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks are formed. Set the egg whites aside.
- Beat the egg yolks with sugar until the egg yolks get white. Add melted butter, lemon juice and rice flour. Mix well.
- Gently incorporate egg whites into the cottage cheese cake batter with a spatula.
- Add candied orange peels, cut in small squares.
- Pour the cottage cheese cheesecake batter over the almond crust and bake the cake for 30 minutes on 360 F.
- Take the cake out and let it cool down at room temperature first. Then let the cake stay in a fridge for a few hours or overnight. The cottage cheese cheesecake might crumble when sliced. The longer the cake stays in a fridge, however, the better it holds the shape when sliced. Remember! Despite a potentially imperfect slice, the taste is awesome. Those candied orange peels add some amazing flavor experience!