The oven must be well preheated before cooking the casserole.
Secrets of making curd casserole
Cottage cheese. The most important thing in preparing a delicious cottage cheese casserole is the choice of the main product - cottage cheese.
The curd should be fresh and tasty. The kind that you yourself would like to eat with pleasure, until it is cooked. Moderately moist, not granular, 5-9% fat. Before cooking, it is recommended to wipe the cottage cheese through a sieve, but I make it easier - I thoroughly knead it with a potato machine with holes. The cottage cheese becomes much softer, lumps go away.
You can make a ricotta casserole or mix the ricotta with cottage cheese. The taste of the finished casserole will, of course, be different. From cottage cheese - with a characteristic sourness. Ricotta casserole will turn out to be very tender, airy, but also more bland.
An indispensable ingredient in a curd casserole is semolina.
Semolina. Semolina can be used both from soft wheat and from hard wheat - semolina. If there is a choice, it is preferable from soft varieties. Sometimes starch is added instead of semolina as a binding ingredient, especially in combination with ricotta. In this case, the dish becomes similar to a soufflé, which is also delicious.
Semolina in a casserole is the product that "holds" the cottage cheese, adds fluffiness. But you can't put too much decoy. In the process of preparation, semolina swells, gives rise. And when the casserole cools down, semolina takes a lot of moisture from the cottage cheese and the dish can become dense, dull.Almond flour is a good substitute for semolina and starch.
Eggs - also add fluffiness to the casserole, but if you put a lot, after settling, the dish will become "rubbery".
What else can you put in a curd casserole:
The most common is raisins, which should be small, seedless. Instead of raisins, you can put dried cranberries, currants.
Dried apricots, cut into small pieces - aroma and sunny color of the casserole are guaranteed.
Put sliced apples well. Advice - apples should be sweet (so they will not creep in mashed potatoes). And even better - before putting them in the curd mass - caramelize.
From nuts - I do not recommend putting walnuts - they will spoil the color. Hazelnuts are too coarse for a tender casserole. Put almond leaves well.
Coconut flakes will add original flavor and crunchiness.
Flavors for curd casserole - curd loves vanilla, lemon and orange zest. I do not advise adding cinnamon to the curd, it will give an unattractive brown tint.
The most tender and lush traditional cottage cheese casserole will turn out if you take 2 tbsp for 500 g of cottage cheese with a fat content of 9%. spoons of semolina, 2-2.5 tbsp. tablespoons of sugar, 2 eggs (beat) 3 tbsp. tablespoons of melted butter, a pinch of salt. Be sure to grease the top of the casserole with sour cream! It will be beautiful too - golden brown, and the top of the casserole will not dry out.
The closest relative of cottage cheese casserole is Lviv cheesecake. There is a difference in the amount of the main ingredients, texture. But the main thing is the appearance. Lviv cheesecake is poured with chocolate glaze, like a large curd cheese.
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