Jâñu Siers

Desription

Jânis' cheese (in Latvian)

Ingredients

• 4 – 5 lbs dry cottage cheese or ricotta
• 10 quarts milk
• 1 tsp yellow food colouring (optional)
• 2 – 3 tbsp oil
• cheesecloth
• 5 – 6 oz butter
• 6 eggs
• 1 tbsp caraway seeds
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 – 2 tsp lemon juice (may be unnecessary)

Directions

1. Drain off any liquid in the cottage cheese.
2. Put it through a cuisinart or blender to make sure it is finely ground.
3. Use a large dutch oven or stock pot.
4. Put oil in pot, add milk.
5. Heat to boiling.
6. Then add cottage cheese and keep stirring.
7. If milk mixture doesn't curdle within about 5 minutes, add the lemon juice.
8. When curdled, strain off all liquid.
9. Place cheese mass in cheesecloth (gauze) and wring out any remaining moisture.
10. Melt the butter in the pot, put in the cheese mass and heat until hot.
11. Meanwhile beat eggs together with salt and caraway sees.
12. Gradually add beaten egg mixture to heated cheese mass.
13. Mix well and keep on stirring until it all balls up and becomes a bit stretchy.
14. Remove from heat and pack into a number of small round-bottomed bowls (alternately, shape into small cheese wheels, and wrap in cheesecloth)
15. Cover, and keep cool.