Ingredients
Base
- 500 gunsalted butter, or thick clotted cream (öröm)
- 150 gplain flour
- 80 gsugar
To flavour
- 100 gdried berries — blackcurrant, sea buckthorn or raisins
- 50 gchopped nuts, optional
Equipment
- a wide heavy pan
- a decorative mould, or a loaf tin lined with clingfilm
Directions
- Melt the butter gently in a wide pan over low heat — melted, not browned.
- Sprinkle in the flour a little at a time, stirring constantly, and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes until the mixture turns pale gold and smells nutty rather than raw.
- Cooking the flour out is the whole point of this step. Undercooked, the finished tsagaan tos tastes of raw flour and no amount of sugar hides it.
- Stir in the sugar and cook two minutes more, then take the pan off the heat.
- Fold in the dried berries and nuts while the mixture is still warm and soft.
- Pour into a mould — traditionally a carved wooden one so the block turns out patterned — and press it level.
- Chill for at least four hours until completely firm.
- Turn out and cut into slices or lozenges. Serve at Tsagaan Sar alongside stacked ul boov cakes and aaruul, as part of the sweet table offered to guests.
Technique
- Cook the flour out properly. This is the only technical step and it is the one that shows.
- It sets hard because it is essentially butter and flour — that is correct, and it is meant to be sliced rather than spread.
- Traditionally made from öröm, the clotted cream skimmed off boiled milk, rather than churned butter.
Substitutions
- Clotted cream in place of butter, which is the traditional base.
- Any dried fruit — raisins, cranberries, chopped dates.
- Roasted flour, which shortens the cooking step considerably.
Variations
- Layered in the mould with berries between the layers so the slices are striped.
- A plain version with no fruit at all, cut into small blocks.
History
A festive Tsagaan Sar dairy, layered into moulds and turned out for guests alongside stacked ul boov cakes.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tsagaan Tos?
Tsagaan Tos is a cheese & dairy from Mongolia: white butter whipped with flour, sugar and berries; sliced as a sweet. A festive Tsagaan Sar dairy, layered into moulds and turned out for guests alongside stacked ul boov cakes.
How long does Tsagaan Tos take to make?
Tsagaan Tos takes 40 min plus 4 hours setting of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 800 g. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Tsagaan Tos?
Yes, within limits. Clotted cream in place of butter, which is the traditional base. Any dried fruit — raisins, cranberries, chopped dates. Roasted flour, which shortens the cooking step considerably.
What is the most important thing to get right in Tsagaan Tos?
Sprinkle in the flour a little at a time, stirring constantly, and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes until the mixture turns pale gold and smells nutty rather than raw.
