Slovak Easter Cheese (cirak)
This Slovak Easter Cheese Recipe (Cirak) is a traditional Eastern European egg cheese ball served on Easter Sunday for breakfast or the main meal. My family has been making cirek, or Ukrainian hrudka, every Easter for years.
Servings: 12
Cost: $5
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
- 1 quart milk whole or 2 percent
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl, and beat with wire whisk until well blended
- Pour milk into Dutch oven, and heat over medium heat until just hot
- Reduce heat to low, and add eggs. Stir in vanilla, salt and pepper
- Cook over low heat, stirring continuously until curds start to form and separate from the whey, about 20 to 30 minutes. Mixture will resemble cottage cheese with watery liquid
- Turn heat off. Spoon or pour curds and whey into a colander lined with cheesecloth (place a mixing bowl in the sink, place colander in mixing bowl and cheesecloth over colander)
- Bring ends of cheesecloth up, and squeeze as much liquid as you can out of cheeseball. Tie cheesecloth tightly with twist tie or elastic band.
- Hang cheese over bowl. Allow cheese to drain until it stops dripping, about 30 minutes to 1 hour
- Wrap tightly with plastic wrap or clean cloth to preserve the shape, and store in refrigerator overnight until ready to eat
Video
Notes
Use caution while draining since mixture is hot. Use hot mitts or oven mitts to protect hands.
See blog post for ways to drain Easter cheese. Nutrition info is approximate.
Store in airtight container or tightly wrapped in refrigerator.
Eat within 3 to 4 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 192mg | Sodium: 302mg | Potassium: 181mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 351IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 1mg