Sõir

Ingredients

Cheese

• 2 litreswhole milk
• 500 gdry curd cheese or well-drained quark
• 2eggs, beaten
• 60 gbutter
• 1 tbspcaraway seed
• 1½ tsp salt

To serve

• dark rye bread
• butter

Directions

1. Bring the milk to a boil in a wide pan, then crumble in the curd cheese and stir over medium heat until it separates into curds and clear greenish whey — about 10 minutes.
2. Tip into a muslin-lined colander and let it drain for 10 minutes, pressing gently. Save the whey for baking.
3. Return the drained curd to the pan with the butter and melt it over low heat, stirring constantly, until it is smooth and stringy.
4. Take the pan off the heat, let it cool for a minute, then beat in the eggs, caraway and salt quickly and thoroughly. Off the heat matters: eggs added to a hot pan scramble into visible threads instead of binding the cheese.
5. Return to low heat and cook, stirring without stopping, for five to eight minutes until the mixture thickens and pulls away from the sides in a single mass.
6. Pour into a mould or a bowl lined with clingfilm, press level, and chill for at least four hours until firm.
7. Turn out and slice. Serve cold with rye bread and butter. It keeps a week in the fridge.

Technique

• Beat the eggs in off the heat. This is the only step that goes wrong and it goes wrong immediately.
• Stir constantly during the final cook. It catches on the bottom the moment you stop.
• Caraway is not optional in Setomaa. Without it this is simply a firm curd cheese.

Substitutions

• Ricotta or a firm quark in place of the curd cheese.
• Cumin for caraway, though it is a different flavour entirely.

Variations

• A version with more egg comes out firmer and slices thinner.
• The Finnish munajuusto and Latvian Jāņu siers are close relatives, the Latvian one made for midsummer.

History

A Setomaa speciality in south-east Estonia, made for feast days and sold at Seto markets.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sõir?

Sõir is a cheese & dairy from Estonia: fresh curd cheese with caraway, pressed firm and sliced cold. A Setomaa speciality in south-east Estonia, made for feast days and sold at Seto markets.

How long does Sõir take to make?

Sõir takes 30 min plus 4 hours chilling of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 500 g. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Sõir?

Yes, within limits. Ricotta or a firm quark in place of the curd cheese. Cumin for caraway, though it is a different flavour entirely.

What is the most important thing to get right in Sõir?

Take the pan off the heat, let it cool for a minute, then beat in the eggs, caraway and salt quickly and thoroughly. Off the heat matters: eggs added to a hot pan scramble into visible threads instead of binding the cheese.