Krupenyk
Think of krupenyk as the farmhouse cousin of a soufflé: cooked buckwheat is folded with crumbly cottage cheese, eggs and melted butter, then baked until the top puffs and turns a speckled brown. Families in the Kyiv and Chernihiv countryside made it for Sunday breakfasts and for the days after a christening, when the dairy was full of fresh cheese. It cuts into soft, moist squares that taste nutty and gently tangy, and it is eaten warm with cold sour cream, or with a little honey for those who like it sweet. Tvorog and other cottage cheeses are usually made without animal rennet, but check the label if you are cooking for strict vegetarians. Watch out for dry, crumbly krupenyk: it comes from baking buckwheat that was already firm, so cook the groats until fully soft. Chef's tip: push the cottage cheese through a sieve first; the pudding sets silky instead of grainy.



