Pascha

Pascha is the word for Easter in the Russian Orthodox tradition. It is also a sweet bread that is baked for the celebration of Pascha and it is a delicious cheese desert, somewhat like cheesecake filling only much yummier that is also made only for this feast.

The triple use of the word fascinates me as does keeping certain foods special to certain holidays. When I was growing up we had turkey only on Thanksgiving and ham for New Years and Easter, although many people have a leg of lamb for Easter dinner in honor of the symbolism of Christ the Paschal Lamb.

Easter is only a week away and I am looking forward to making Pascha, thanks to a kind neighbor who is sharing her baker's cottage cheese with me. This is exciting.

I had wondered if I could approximate the dry texture of the baker's cottage cheese (also known as pot cheese) by putting it into the yogurt cheese maker and I may still do that as an experiment.

I do not have one of the beautiful wooden molds that are traditional for making pascha (the cheese dessert) so a bowl will have to do. Some year, I do hope to buy the mold.

Anyway, thank you to my neighbor who is of Russian descent, for offering her extra pot cheese on the neighborhood list. It is fun to see what the list turns up next. I am grateful.