Papanași

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 gbrânză de vaci (fresh cow’s curd cheese), drained overnight if wet
• 2large eggs
• 80 gcaster sugar
• 1 tspbicarbonate of soda slaked with 1 tsp lemon juice
• 60 gsemolina
• 150–200 gplain flour, plus more for shaping
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 1 pinchsalt

To fry

• 1 litresunflower oil

To serve

• 300 mlsmântână (thick soured cream) or crème fraîche
• 250 gdulceață de vișine (sour cherry preserve)
• icing sugar

Directions

1. Push the curd cheese through a sieve into a bowl. Lumps in the bowl stay as lumps in the finished doughnut.
2. Beat in the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla and salt, then the slaked bicarbonate, which will fizz as it goes in.
3. Fold in the semolina and just enough flour to make a soft, sticky dough that barely holds together, then rest 15 minutes so the semolina swells. Add flour sparingly: too much and they turn heavy and bready.
4. With floured hands shape four 120 g balls, flatten them to 2 cm and press a hole through the middle with a floured finger, opening it out to 2–3 cm. Shape four small 25 g balls to sit on top.
5. Heat the oil to 165–170°C (325–350°F). Cooler is better than hotter here; papanași need to cook through before the outside takes colour.
6. Fry the rings two at a time for 3–4 minutes a side, turning once, until deep gold, cracked open along the sides and floating high in the oil. Fry the small balls for about 2 minutes.
7. Check one by breaking it open: the middle must be set and fluffy, not wet. Drain on a rack rather than on paper, which steams the underside soft.
8. Serve hot, one ring per plate, blanketed with cold soured cream, the little ball perched on top, a spoonful of sour cherry preserve poured over and icing sugar dusted at the table.

Technique

• Brânză de vaci is a fresh, slightly sour, fairly dry curd. If yours is wet, hang it in muslin overnight, because excess whey forces you to add more flour and you lose the lightness.
• The contrast is the whole dish: hot fried dough, ice-cold soured cream, sharp preserve. Serve the cream straight from the fridge.
• Papanași fierți, boiled papanași, are the older form: the same dough poached like dumplings and rolled in buttered breadcrumbs. Both are traditional; the fried version is what restaurants serve.
• Sour cherry is the classic preserve and blueberry (afine) the mountain-cabin standard. Sweet jam makes the plate cloying, so the preserve should be genuinely tart.

Substitutions

• No brânză de vaci: dry-curd cottage cheese, or ricotta drained overnight in muslin with 1 tbsp lemon juice beaten in for the sourness.
• No semolina: all plain flour, though the crumb will be a little less tender.
• No smântână: crème fraîche, or thick Greek yogurt slackened with a spoon of cream.

Variations

• Papanași cu afine, with blueberry preserve, the version served in every Bucovina guesthouse.
• Baked papanași, brushed with butter and baked at 190°C (375°F) for 20 minutes, for a lighter plate.
• A version served with plum magiun instead of cherry, in the south.

History

Fried curd-cheese doughnuts topped with sour cream and sour-cherry jam, served hot with a small ball perched on top.

Frequently asked questions

What is Papanași?

Papanași is a dessert from Romania: fried curd-cheese doughnuts with sour cream, sour-cherry jam. Fried curd-cheese doughnuts topped with sour cream and sour-cherry jam, served hot with a small ball perched on top.

How long does Papanași take to make?

Papanași takes 25 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Papanași?

Yes, within limits. No brânză de vaci: dry-curd cottage cheese, or ricotta drained overnight in muslin with 1 tbsp lemon juice beaten in for the sourness. No semolina: all plain flour, though the crumb will be a little less tender. No smântână: crème fraîche, or thick Greek yogurt slackened with a spoon of cream.

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

Check one by breaking it open: the middle must be set and fluffy, not wet. Drain on a rack rather than on paper, which steams the underside soft.