When I was growing up, my mother loved making sweet cheese pastry almost as much as I loved eating it.
It was a regular dessert in our household, and it always reminds me of my childhood. Years later, my daughters quickly learned to ask for this dessert after every visit at their grandmother’s.
Being pressed for time, I adapted her recipe by using store-bought sheet pastry instead of flour dough kneaded from scratch. Although I don’t make it as often as my mother did, I make it periodically for my friends and family. It’s a light dessert that can be served any time.
1 pkg of phyllo pastry (approx. 20 sheets)
500 g (1 lb) pressed dry cottage cheese
5 eggs
Margarine
Confectioners’ sugar
Raisins (optional)
Preheat oven to 160º C (325º F). Place the cheese in a bowl and add in the eggs one at a time. Continuously mix the eggs and the cheese until mixture is smooth and homogeneous. (If desired, add raisins to taste). Divide the mixture into three equal parts. Also divide the pastry sheets into four equal parts.
Grease one large tray 30 x 37-cm (approx. 12 x 14 1/2-inch) with margarine and place one of the four parts of the pastry sheets into the tray. (If the tray size is smaller than the size of the sheets the edges can be folded to fit). Spread one part of the mixture of egg and cheese on top of the first layer of the pastry sheets. Repeat this step twice, placing another layer of pastry on top of the mixture. Scatter little pieces of margarine on the top layer.
Place tray in the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes. When a light golden brown, remove the tray from the oven and sprinkle the top with a layer of powdered sugar. Cool a little, then cut into squares and serve warm.
