flipQuark Vatrushka
Quark Vatrushka
Why this dish? Vatrushka — a brioche or tart with tvorog (fresh cheese) — accompanied large gatherings and Russian Sundays. For an émigré family in Paris, taking it out of the oven on a holiday was to bring back, for a moment, through the smell of vanilla and warm cheese, the country left behind.
A soft brioche dough hollowed out and filled with sweetened quark, scented with lemon zest. Warm, barely golden, it is the sweetness that closes — or punctuates — a long tea session.
It was on Sundays that I loved it, when the smell filled the apartment long before we saw it. The cheese in the middle, barely sweet, still quivering, and all around the golden, tender dough. We cut it into slices, took seconds without saying so, the tea burned in the glasses, and the hours slipped by unnoticed.
- •Flour, milk, butter, yeast — for a brioche dough (base)
- •Tvorog (Russian fresh cheese) — a good amount (filling)
- •Eggs — 2 (binder for filling)
- •Sugar — moderately (sweetness)
- •Lemon zest — a little (flavor)
Quark Vatrushka
A soft brioche dough hollowed out and filled with sweetened quark, scented with lemon zest. Warm, barely golden, it is the sweetness that closes — or punctuates — a long tea session.
Why this dish? Vatrushka — a brioche or tart with tvorog (fresh cheese) — accompanied large gatherings and Russian Sundays. For an émigré family in Paris, taking it out of the oven on a holiday was to bring back, for a moment, through the smell of vanilla and warm cheese, the country left behind.
It was on Sundays that I loved it, when the smell filled the apartment long before we saw it. The cheese in the middle, barely sweet, still quivering, and all around the golden, tender dough. We cut it into slices, took seconds without saying so, the tea burned in the glasses, and the hours slipped by unnoticed.
Ingredients (period version)
- Flour, milk, butter, yeast — for a brioche dough (base)
- Tvorog (Russian fresh cheese) — a good amount (filling)
- Eggs — 2 (binder for filling)
- Sugar — moderately (sweetness)
- Lemon zest — a little (flavor)
Ingredients
- Cake flour (T45) — 350 g (brioche dough)
- Active dry yeast — 7 g (leavening)
- Warm milk — 120 ml (hydration)
- Softened butter — 60 g (richness)
- Well-drained fromage frais or ricotta (if tvorog unavailable) — 300 g (filling)
- Eggs — 2 (binder for filling + egg wash)
- Sugar — 80 g (sweetness)
- Lemon zest — 1 lemon (flavor)
Method
- Knead the brioche dough (flour, yeast, milk, sugar, 1 egg, butter, pinch of salt); let rise for 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Mix drained cheese with 1 egg yolk, sugar, and lemon zest into a smooth cream.
- Roll out dough in a mold, shape a rim; hollow the center and pour in the cheese mixture.
- Brush the rim with beaten egg white, let rise for 20 minutes.
- Bake at 180°C for 30–35 minutes until the brioche is golden and the filling is set. Cool slightly before cutting.
How it was made : Tvorog, a typical Slavic fresh curd cheese, was homemade from soured milk (prostokvasha) drained in a cloth. Vatrushka could be a large family tart or a multitude of small individual well-buns.
The contemporary twist : A few sour cherries (see varenye recipe below) placed on the cream before baking: a tart burst at the heart of the sweetness.
Sources : Elena Molokhovets, *A Gift to Young Housewives* (Подарок молодым хозяйкам)
Nathalie Sarraute · Charactorium
