Every New Year’s Day, my best buddy and I create this delectable dish. We always accompany it with handmade cornbread, champagne, ham, and black-eyed peas. Happy New Year to everybody!
| Prep Time: | 5 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 10 hrs |
| Total Time: | 10 hrs 35 mins |
| Servings: | 32 |
| Yield: | 1 large round of cheese |
Ingredients
- 12 eggs
- 1 quart whole milk
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
Instructions
- Crack eggs into a large saucepan and beat with a whisk. Whisk in milk, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Cook over low to medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture fully forms curds and whey separates. This will take 20 to 30 minutes. Using higher heat or failing to stir will result in a big pan of sweet scrambled eggs.
- Drain mixture into a colander lined with several layers of cheesecloth. Use the cloth to shape into a ball and twist the top to remove excess moisture. Secure with a twist tie and hang for 8 hours to overnight.
- I hang the cheese on the spigot of the kitchen sink. This would probably wig out the germ police, but I haven’t gotten botulism in 34 years. Of course, you could let it drain initially there and then finish it overnight in the fridge suspended over a deep bowl.
Reviews
I have used this several time times now. This is very close in taste to my Mom’s version of this Easter “cheese”. She uses 18 eggs and water in addition to milk, plus a can of sweetened condensed milk. I stuck to this recipe but did add the condensed milk this time, not much difference though. Really enjoy this with the rest of what my family always had on Easter Sunday; ham kielbasa, potato salad, cole slaw.
Wouldn’t be a Ukrainian Easter without the cheese We also used a few drops of vanilla instead of cinnamon but I like both so it’s just for a tiny bit of flavor I also think you could cut the sugar from one cup to 1/2 or less if you like it less sweet Thank you for posting this the cooking directions and stirring advice were perfect and it turned out perfectly
Taste just like my Grandma Ruth’s recipe! Thank you
I use the basic recipe for a pre-cooked breakfast. Instead of sugar and spices in this recipe, I add a bit of salt, and usually a teaspoon of other herbs or spices. My favorite is curry. I’ve also used, at different times, oregano, garlic, firebrick pepper (crushed black pepper and red pepper flakes that have been smoked), or sage. About a teaspoon of chili-garlic sauce is a good addition, too. Just cut a slice in the morning. Eat it plain, or between whole-grain bread rounds.
My Hungarian roots are so excited for this recipe. We always had this for Easter and after my grandma passed away, some traditions passed with her. I found this recipe last year, and my whole family was excited and nostalgic. Besides adding blonde raisins, my grandpa uses to put rum on it, like a fruitcake. I don’t care for it, but a few members of the family do.
Another Hungarian recipe is never thought I’d see. So good, it can be a little sweet but not overly. The raisins are a nice touch, golden of course.
Most of my family members make it using only eggs, milk and salt no sugar, cinnamon or other ingredients. When it is served salt to your taste. I like mine slightly sweet so when I make it I had some sugar. I also make it during the year not just at Easter. Very easy to cut in half or double.
Nearly spot on, Occasionally I toss in a hand full of craisens and enjoy my rebel hrudka! MIke
Was glad to find a recipe for this. A Slovak Easter is not complete without it. The only difference in the way my family made it, no sugar or cinnamon. We just use salt and cracked pepper, savory instead of sweet. I hang mine on the cabinet door knobs.
My family has made this my entire life, my dad used to make it, after he passed, my mom & I, and now I make it for my husband & I. I use 3 qts of milk, 1 1/2 doz eggs, salt & pepper. We never used sugar nor other seasonings. My dad was Slovak, this was his family recipe. I don’t use a double boiler, we warm the milk on med heat till almost a boil, then add the beaten eggs and salt & pepper. Stirring constantly is a must. I have an old salt bag, pour the mixture into this after curding, then grab one corner and the top of bag, tie tightly, hang overnite..it would not be Easter without Hrudka.
I have had this for 70 years, it wouldn,t be Easter without it
I was looking for the spelling of this egg custard, and found this. Our family always made this for Easter, and I have been doing it myself for the past 20 years. My mom’s recipe was a dozen eggs and a quart of milk, nothing else. I also found that it is better to use a double boiler to lessen the possibility of burning it. I use a towel to form the cheese, and when cold, slice it and lather it with the horseradish and beet mixture. We called the beet and horse radish Huren (?) Was looking for the spelling of that as well. I’m 74 years old, and never had it with any sweetener or other spices. But it wouldn’t be Easter for me without it. Christos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!
At 73 I still make this at Easter except the next day we coat with butter and bake it in oven til brown. Also I make a smaller one with egg substitute not as dense but healthier, not the same Wonderful memories of family easters of old.Wouldn’t be Easter without, beet horseradish ham kolbassi and Hrudka.
I wanted to make this as a surprise to my Dad for Easter. This is something that was ALWAYS on the Easter table my whole life, and his. My grandmother passed away 15 years ago and it hasn’t been made since. I knew my Dad had the recipe from my grandmother which was his grandmothers but I didn’t want to ask him for it, I wanted it to be a surprise. I found this recipe, added golden rasins and it was perfect! He told me it tasted just like his grandmothers. (Who was a Hungarian immagrant.) Thank you so much for this recipe and helping me surprise my Dad. It will now be somthing I make every year for Easter.
My family is Hungarian and has always made Easter cheese…I was never sure if it was just a family thing or something more. We don’t have a recipe, just make it like everyone else did. Yay…now I know it is more than my family that loves Easter cheese.
The only difference between this and my family’s recipe is that we use vanilla instead of cinnamon. A+. The name is a bit misleading to anyone not familiar with the dish, though–even though lots of people call it Easter Cheese, it’s not meant to taste like the cheeses with which Americans are generally familiar. It’s *supposed* to be on the bland side in order to complement the salty ham and the bite of the horseradish.
Don’t lose site of the fact that this simple (and many might say bland) dish is the perfect vehicle for Chrin, more commonly known as horseradish beets. My grandmother served this for years as part of a traditional Easter meal, and my brothers and I soon found out it was best slathered with the horseradish mix. I intend to experiment a little with the recipe this year. I’ll let you know how I make out!
sounds just like my grandmother’s receipe, but she used vanilla instead of cinnamon
This is a staple at our table every Easter. We called it Yayashnik. It was served with ham, kielbasa, raisin babka (bread), hard boiled eggs and yes, the horseradish for those who liked it. This is part of the Eastern European (specifically Byzantine Orthodox) Easter tradition. Thank you for sharing this recipe. For those of you who didn’t grow up with this tradition, another serving suggestion would be to use slices of this Hrudka on bread with slices of ham. It makes a great sandwich!
taste EXACTLY like my step grandmother made!!
I made this to serve with the Paska bread. Was very disapointed in the flavor. Other than my son saying it looked like brains, it tasted like cinnamon egg custard. Needless to say we didn’t have it with the bread. I will keep searching for a cheese flavored cheese.