Now that I think of it, I have made this recipe many times and it could probably fit under a broad definition of a cheesecake. I'll include it for your research, Jim. [Sorry these directions are so long but my stepfather used to make this with just a list of ingredients on a scrap of paper. I finally got him to write down the instructions. There are easier versions of this that don't involve cooking the cheese mixture but this one comes out so creamy that it's worth the extra step.] PASKA (Ukrainian Easter Cheese) 1 1/2 cups sugar 7 egg yolks 2 1/4 lb. dry curd cottage cheese 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup blanched almonds, chopped fine 1/2 cup chopped candied or dried fruits 1 - 2 Tbs. liqueur Grated rind of 1/2 lemon 15 Tbs. soft butter 2 tsp. vanilla Scrub a 6 inch clay pot (measured across the top) thoroughly with a brush and soap and water. Rinse inside and out with hot running water; wipe dry and bake in a 300 degree oven for an hour or until thoroughly dry. Let the cheese, butter, egg yolks stand covered at room temperature for 2 hours. Mix fruits with liqueur. Place sugar and yolks in a mixing bowl; beat until light and lemon colored. Set aside. Break up cheese. Put half in the container of an electric blender. Add half the yolk mixture; blend at low speed until smooth. Scald the heavy cream; add half to blender. Blend until smooth. Empty into a saucepan. Repeat with the remaining yolk mixture, cheese and cream. Add salt and mix. Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring, until it thickens slightly. Do not allow it to boil. Remove from heat; add fruit, nuts and lemon rind. Put the mixture in a cool spot until it is completely cool. Place butter in a mixing bowl; beat until soft, fluffy and pale. This will take several minutes. Using a rubber spatula, stir and fold this into the cooled mixture. Add vanilla. The mixture should be very well blended. The flower pot must be thoroughly cooled before using. Cut off a large length of cheesecloth, rinse in cold water and squeeze until it is almost dry. Line the flower pot with a double layer of the damp cheesecloth. Allow the cheesecloth to extend way over the edges of the flower pot. Place the pot on a rack over a shallow pan. Pour in the paska mixture. Fold edges of the cheesecloth over top. Cover top with foil. Fit a small saucepan into the top of flower pot and weight down to press on mixture. Place in refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Whey will drain into the shallow pan. Run a knife around between cheesecloth and flower pot to loosen paska; open up cheesecloth to expose the top of the paska. Put serving plate on the top and gently turn over; ease paska out. Carefully remove cheesecloth. Garnish with fresh or glazed fruits. Cut in small wedges. Serves 16.

Down on the farm when I was a boy, mother and I made a lot of cottage cheese in the summer. As I recall, mother added salt only after the clabber was collected and drained. Cottage cheese can not be made from store bought milk. This milk is treated with inhibitors to increase shelf life. These inhibitors do a good job of inhibiting the bacillis responible for forming the curd. The result is that when store bought milk does "spoil", likely, the responsible critter is a fungus and it produces a horrid, foul tasting mess. Some varieties may be poisonous. We were most sucessful in making cheese on a hot, sultry afternoon with thunderheads popping up. Alao, it helps if you have a bit (salt free) of the last sucessful batch to use as a starter.

Here's one....but there is another with lemon zest in it that I can't find......and the Dilly casserole bread is delicious! Linda C Cottage Cheese Pancake (4 servings) 1 c Cottage cheese 6 Egg 6 tb Flour 6 tb Vegetable oil Whiz all ingredients up in the blender until smooth. Spoon onto hot griddle and turn as you would any other pancake - you know, when the bubbles appear, etc. This bread was from a pillsbury bake off years ago: Ingredients: 2 to 2 2/3 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour 2 tablespoons sugar 2 to 3 teaspoons instant minced onion 2 teaspoons dill seed 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 pkg. active dry yeast 1/4 cup water 1 tablespoon margarine or butter 1 cup small curd creamed cottage cheese 1 egg 2 teaspoons margarine or butter, melted 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, if desired Preparation Directions: 1. In large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, onion, dill seed, 1 teaspoon salt, baking soda and yeast; mix well. 2. In small saucepan, heat water, 1 tablespoon margarine and cottage cheese until very warm (120 to 130°F.). Add warm liquid and egg to flour mixture; blend at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed. 3. By hand, stir in remaining 1 to 1 2/3 cups flour to form a stiff batter. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place (80 to 85°F.) until light and doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes. 4. Generously grease 1 1/2 or 2-quart casserole. Stir down batter to remove all air bubbles. Turn into greased casserole. Cover; let rise in warm place until light and doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes. 5. Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover dough. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until loaf is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when lightly tapped. If necessary, cover with foil to prevent overbrowning. Remove from casserole; place on wire rack. Brush loaf with melted margarine; sprinkle with coarse salt. Cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or cool. 6. 1. FOOD PROCESSOR DIRECTIONS: In small bowl, soften yeast in 1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115°F.). In food processor bowl with metal blade, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, onion, dill seed, 1 teaspoon salt, baking soda and 1 tablespoon margarine. Cover; process 5 seconds. Add cottage cheese and egg. Cover; process about 10 seconds or until blended. 2. With machine running, pour yeast mixture through feed tube. Continue processing until blended, about 20 seconds or until mixture pulls away from sides of bowl and forms a ball. (If dough does not form a ball, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.) 3. Carefully scrape dough from blade and bowl; place in lightly greased bowl. Cover; let rise. Continue as directed above. High Altitude (3500-6500 ft) Bake at 375°F. for 35 to 40 minutes.

I make my dough in the food processor, like my mother did and her mother before her (after she got her first cuisinart, that is LOL). Place 4 cups flour in the processor fitted with the metal blade. Beat 1 egg with enough water to make 1 cup. Add a pinch of salt to the flour in the work bowl. I also put in a knife tip of baking powder, but my mother and grandmother do not. Running the processor continually, drizzle in the egg/water mixture in a thin stream. Let the dough come together until it clumps together and goes around the bowl. Sometimes you need more water, sometimes it doesn't use the whole mixture. The dough should be firm, but not sticky. Cut the dough into 4 pieces, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Let rest at least 20 minutes. Roll out each piece to desired thickness (grandma rolls hers so thin you can read through it, mom a little thicker than that, I can only get it so thin so I stretch each circle after I cut it LOL). Cut with a round cutter or drinking glass into circles. Place a dollop of filling (anywhere from a couple of teaspoons to a couple of tablespoons, as you gain experience you can pack more in there. Start with less). I stretch the middle across first and pinch it, then seal the two sides. Then place it down and sort of shape it into a nice crescent with a fat belly. Place on a well floured board and make sure they don't touch each other. Drop about 12 (slip them in one at a time) into a big pot of boiling water. Stir carefully after adding them to make sure none sank and stuck to the bottom of the pot. When the water comes back to a boil they should all be floating at the top. I let them cook for about a minute after that point, then scoop them into a collander. Rinse, then place into a dish. Spoon over some onions that have been sauteed in butter (Okay. Grandma used clarified butter. Mom used a mix of oil and margarine. I use cooking spray LOL) and mix them around. Repeat until you have used up all of your dough or all of your filling, or if you are very lucky - both! You can eat them as is (we call this "from the pot") or you can sautee them in a pan with additional fat until they are golden brown and to your desired crispness. Typically we would eat them the first day from the pot, then breakfast the next day fried. Any time they are made ahead and reheated we would fry them. I also eat them cold out of the fridge because I am a savage. For the filling, we make "white cheese" - dry curd cottage cheese mixed with mashed potato, salt and lots of pepper..."yellow cheese" - american type cheese with mashed potato and a bit of pepper....and sourkraut - good kraut drained and chopped a bit, then sauteed with onions until carmelized. These are harder to fold because the kraut mixture always mucks up the edges so they don't stick. Things to remember: Make sure you don't get any filling on the edges before pinching or they won't stay shut and will boil apart. This is a relatively stiff, elastic dough. I find it easier to work with than a soft dough. Your mileage may vary. Extra dough can be rolled and cut, boiled and fried just like the perogies and is yummy. In fact "skins" were my favorite part! Or cut into strips, boil, then saute with some cabbage and/or kraut, and onions. Serve with lots of cold sour cream!