Lviv Cheesecake “Lvivskyi Syrnyk”

This dessert carries us to Lviv, where it was invented. With its great popularity it is surrounded by the atmosphere of chic old café interiors, good coffee and smell of paper pages. It is much more lighter than a well-known New York version mostly because of using one iconic ingredient –  fresh cottage cheese (“syr” from which the name ’ syrnyk’ comes) instead of cream cheese. Frankly speaking, it is my favorite!

INGREDIENTS

• 750 gr. syr (tvorog/cottage cheese/quark/fromage blanc)
• 6 Eggs
• 53 gr. semolina flour
• 188 gr. sugar
• 150 gr. butter
• 100 gr. raisins
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Vanilla bean

For the glaze

• 150 gr. butter
• 80 gr. sugar
• 30 gr. milk
• 13 gr. dark cacao powder
• Cognac (Armagnac) – 2 tbsp (optional)

METHOD

1. Firstly, choose the best quality cottage cheese. Home, market or bio variants are preferred. It should be acidic enough, if not – add lemon juice. Be sure that cheese is not too watery. It should be firm. If not – cover it with a gaze or a thin towel, put in a sieve and a saucepan and leave in the fridge for a night.
2. When the cheese is ready, preheat the oven to 170 C.
3. Let the raisins sit in boiled water for 10 minutes. Drain the water, dry with a paper towel.
4. Melt the butter without boiling.
5. Mix cottage cheese, eggs, sugar (using an immersion blender is preferred).
6. Let the melted butter cool and add it in.
7. Add semolina and stir.
8. Add raisins, lemon zest and vanilla seeds, stir carefully.
9. Fill a form with parchment or use a long silicone one (around 35 cm x 12 cm)
10. Put in the oven for 50 minutes
11. Let it cool in a form and put it in the fridge for couple of hours. When the cheesecake is cold enough, we start preparing the chocolate glaze.

For the glaze

1. Sift dark cocoa powder through a sieve.
2. Put milk and butter in a saucepan on low heat. Let it melt a little and then add sugar. Be careful not to overheat it and stir constantly with a whisk.
3. Bring to a boil and add cocoa. Mix well.
4. Remove from a heat and add the cold cognac.
5. Cover cheesecake with a glaze by pouring it on top as well as the sides.
6. Let it rest in the fridge until it is almost frozen before cutting.