Russian Cuisine: Sirniki
Join your host Karine for a private cooking lesson with Chef Josef Fleissner and learn how to make Sirniki, a traditional and much-loved Russian dessert.
Sirniki
A typical dish of Russia, this delightfully different dessert is made with fresh farmers’ cheese. In Ukraine, it is often served for breakfast, so you can try it for brunch too. The farmers’ cheese is very mild, and a good foil for topping it with strawberry ragout as below, but you could experiment with sour cream, jam, or applesauce.
Ingredients
Sirniki
- 2 lb (907 g) farmers’ cheese*
- 2 lg eggs
- 2 Tbsp (24 g) sugar
- ½ tsp (2.5 g) salt
- 1 C (125 g) flour, plus additional for dusting
- Zest from each 1 orange and 1 lemon
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil
Strawberry Ragout
- ½ C (96 g) sugar
- ½ C (118 ml) red wine
- Juice from 1 orange
- Juice from 1 lemon
- ½ tsp (1.5 g) cornstarch
- 2 C (320 g) strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) Amaretto
Plating
- 1 C (60 g) whipped cream
- 6 mint sprigs
Directions
Sirniki
Preheat oven to 140°F (60°C). Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, place farmers’ cheese, eggs, sugar and salt; mix well. Add flour and zests, stirring to incorporate. Generously dust a plate with flour. Form pancakes about 2–3 inches (5–7.6 cm) across and dredge in flour, passing pancake from hand to hand to remove any excess; set aside. Place oil in skillet over medium-high and cook just until golden brown; transfer immediately to prepared baking sheet and bake 7–8 minutes.
*Or substitute small-curd cottage cheese, drained well in a fine strainer.
Strawberry Ragout
Meanwhile, place a small saucepan over medium heat and add sugar, wine, orange and lemon juice. Stir in cornstarch and strawberries and cook, stirring gently, until thickened. Stir in Amaretto; remove from heat.
Plating
Arrange sirniki on dessert plates, spoon ragout over the top, and garnish with whipped cream and mint.
- Prep time: 15 minutes.
- Cook time: 7–8 minutes.
- Makes 8 servings.
