Ricotta cheese mini pastries

First of all, wanting my own cooking book, I'm learning how to write recipes for the book. It's quite interesting task to be my the own editor.


Ricotta cheese mini pastries
It's quite traditional pastries using farmer's cheese. In Russian these pastries were made with farmer's cheese (tvorog). I decided to tweak the recipe and make them with ricotta cheese, because ricotta cheese is available everywhere in US and Canada. Unfortunately, farmer's cheese is not that popular as ricotta and, truly speaking, many Russian immigrants still used to make farmer's cheese (tvorog) at home. Every woman has her own way to make tvorog and results are different. If you're good in making farmer's cheese you can use it for this recipe.
For those who want to try making farmer's cheese at home, I recommend some site with recipes to follow.

Here they are:
http://yulinkacooks.blogspot.com/2006/04/how-to-make-tvorog-farmers-cheese.html
http://cuceesprouts.com/2011/04/homemade-farmers-cheese/

Actually I found a nice recipe to make ricotta cheese at home on a blog of German Jew. Here's it is:
http://eatartword.wordpress.com/2011/11/20/milky-white-ricotta/


Make 5 dozens mini pastries
1 cup margarine, melted
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk or water
Prepare 2 bowls: one - big one, one - medium one. In a large bowl, mix the melted margarine with the ricotta cheese and 1 egg. In a medium bowl, mix baking powder, salt and flour. Slowly add flour mixture to a big bowl. Mix to obtain an homogeneous dough. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth. After dough is smooth and elastic, wrap dough in plastic wrap. Put the dough into the fridge for 4-5 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Roll out the portion of dough to about 1/8" thick on a floured board. Using a cutter or a drinking glass, cut out approximately 3 inch circles. Each circle sprinkle with sugar and fold into quarters (fold in a half and fold in a half again). After removing the lacy bits of dough in between the circles, put it back in a bowl and use it up later. Re-roll your scraps until it is ALL used up! Repeat with rest of the dough.

Prepare the egg wash beating the 1 egg and mixing with water or milk. Brush with egg wash the surface of a pastry and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Творожные мини-пирожные

На 60 мини пирожных
1 чашка (225 грамм) маргарина, растопленного
1 чашка (250 грамм) творога или сыра рикотты
2 яйца
1 1/2 чайных ложки разрыхлителя
1/2 чайной ложки соли
2 1/2 (300 грамм) чашки муки
2 столовые ложки воды или молока

В одной посуде смешайте маргарин, творог и 1 яйцо. В другой посудине перемешать разрыхлитель, соль и муку. Добавуть мучную смесь к сырной. Замесить не слишком крутое тесто и положить в холодильник на 4-5 часов.

Нагреть духовку до 350Ф. Разделить тесто на небольшие порции. Каждую порцию раскатать. Вырезать кружки. Каждый кружочек, посыпать сахаром и сложить пополам обсахаренной стороной внутрь. Получившейся полукруг поспать сахаром и снова сложить.
Проготовить яичную помазку. Смешать 1 яйцо с водой или молоком. Помазать пирожные и выложить на противень. Выпекать 15-20 минут. Вынуть, остудить и подавать с чаем или кофе.

Vareniki 1

Farmer's cheese pierogi (vareniki)

Make 30 medium size pierogies (vareniki)

Dough:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 hot boiling water
1 tablespoon corn oil

Filling:
1 1/2 cup farmer's cheese
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg

Sift together flour and salt on a work surface; form a mound with the flour and make a well in the center. Pour boiling water and oil into the center. Work the flour into the liquids slowly. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth. Allow dough to rest under and overturned bowl for 20 minutes.
Prepare filling.Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.
Place a large soup pot with water on the stove on medium heat. Bring it to a boil while making varenike.
Divide dough in half. Roll out the portion of dough to about 1/8" thick on a floured board. Using a cutter or a drinking glass, cut out approximately 3 inch circles. Place only about 2 tsp of filling, maximum, in the center of the circle. Wet the edges of one half of the circle and bring the top half down. press well to seal the edges. After removing the lacy bits of dough in between the circles, put it back in a bowl and use it up later. Reroll your scraps until it is ALL used up! Repeat with second portion of the dough.

Drop in the varenike in batches. Let them cook until they float and then simmer for 10 minutes, the pot partially covered. Remove them with a slotted spoon and let them drain.

Some people like varenike with potatoes or mix of potatoes and cheese. I promise, to make potatoes varenike next time. I found a good and trustful recipe. I hope you will enjoy another recipe as well as mine.

Potato latkes

Potato latkes (modern way)

Makes 12 medium size latkes

4 medium potatoes
1/4 medium size onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup corn oil for frying

Peel potatoes and quarter. Place potatoes and onion in food processor and process until almost smooth. Transfer potato mixture to a bowl and stir in salt, egg, flour and baking soda. Mix well.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot. Working in batches of 4 latkes, spоon 2 tablespoons potato mixture per latke into skillet, spreading into 3-inch rounds with fork. reduce heat to moderate and cook until undersides are browned, about 3-5 minutes. Turn latkes over and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Дыруны.

На 12 блинчиков.

4 среднего размера картофелины
1/4 средней величины головки лука
1 чайная ложка соли
1 яйцо
1/2 чашки муки
1/2 чайной ложки соды

1/2 чашки кукурузного масла для жарки.

Почистить картофель и разрезать на четвертинки. Положить картофель и лук в кухонный комбайн и прокрутить до получения глаской массы. Вылить картофельную массу в миску и добавить соль, яйцо, муку и соду. Хорошо перемешать.

Нагреть 1/4 чашки кукурузного масла на сковороде. Выкладывать по 4 блинчика.Каждый блинчик проблизительно по 2 столовые ложки картофельной массы. Жарить блинчика на каждой стороне по 3-5 минут. Выложить блинчики на бумажные полотенца.

Quick buns

Quick buns

Makes 20 medium size buns

2 cups farmer's cheese, 1/2 cup melted butter, 2 large eggs, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoon baking powder, 3 tablespoons sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 5 teaspoons sesame seeds.

In a big bowl mix together farmer's cheese, eggs, sugar, and salt. Add melted butter. In another bowl mix flour and baking powder. Add flour mixture to a big bowl. Mix well until dough is soft and slightly sticky, then turn out onto floured surface and let rest under a large greased bowl for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Shape each part of dough into 10 balls and place on greased baking sheet to rest for 5 minutes. Lightly brush balls with milk and sprinkle each ball with 1/4 tsp sesame seeds.

Bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool.

Быстрые творожные булочки

2 чашки (450грамм) творога обезжиренного,1/2 чашки (100 гр) сливочное масло, 2 яйца, 3 чашки муки, cоль 1 ч.л, 3 ч.л разрыхлителя, 3 столовых ложки cахара, 3 ст.л молока, 5 чайных ложек кунжутных семечек

Смешать в миске творог,яйца,сахар и соль.Растопить сливочное масло,остудить,чтобы оно было теплое и добавить в миску к творогу,яйцам соли и сахару.В муку добавить разрыхлитель и просеять.Добавить муку в творожную смесь и замесить тесто.Тесто на ощупь будет мягкое,но слегка липнуть к рукам.Накрыть полотенцем и оставить на 30 минут в теплом месте.

Разогреть духовку до 180 гр.Тесто разделить на 2 части.Каждую часть разделить на 10 частей и того получится 20.На слегка присыпанной мукой доске сформировать из каждой части круглые булочки.Положить их на противень выстланный бумагой для выпечки оставляя между булочками небольшое растояние.Кисточкой смазать каждую булочку сливками и посыпать кунжутом. Дать постоять ещё 5 минут.
После поставить противень в духовку и выпекать 20 минут.

Recipe from http://elena-fialka.livejournal.com/164635.html#cutid1