Hmm. Some comments on your recipe. Don’t use a food processor, it will affect the texture of the cheese if you get anywhere close to biezpiens. It will make it too smooth. Also, you might want to add some fresh buttermilk if it doesn’t curdle up well. I don’t know how you’re making kefir cheese (from commercial?) but looking at your pics, I’m betting Gunta might have a supplier of fresh milk like my mother-in-law does (she gets it from the guy next door, the lucky woman!) which curdles up easier and faster because of the acids and bacteria present, though with a 2:5 ratio of biezpiens to milk, you might not need it. It’s also traditional to put weights on the cheese and to rub it with salt all over once it’s hard enough to do so. The recipe looks great, it’s very similar to the one I’ll be using though it calls for more biezpiens than mine.

Definitely enjoyed the pictures you included. The pirāgi, which I know (and love) as “speķa rauši”, look delicious and so does the ābolu rausis! My husband laughed when he saw the little sugar bowl on the counter — his family had the same set back in the day — but thinks you ought to try a better beer next time you’re there, like Bauskas or Užavas. ;-) Can I ask what region she lives in? And you will have to let me know how the cheese and biezpiens came out!

My sister-in-law (Gunta) got her Jāņu siers recipe from a magazine you may have seen in Latvia called “Ievas māja”. If I have understood how Tinyurl works, a photo of the mag, my Aldaris Gaišais :-) and Gunta’s finished product can be seen at http://tinyurl.com/nmkhwo , Gunta with her Līgo pīrāgi and her other wonderful creations at http://tinyurl.com/ntr2eb .

As best I can translate it, the recipe goes like this (adjusting quantities as appropriate:

To make 2kg Jāņu siers we need:

1. 5 liters milk
2. 2 kg biezpiena
3. 5 eggs
4. 400 gm butter
5. caraway seeds, salt

Important: The biezpiens must be dry. Very fresh cheese is not suitable – it should be at least three days old.

Method:

* Heat milk to 90°C (heating must be stopped before the milk boils)

* Break up biezpiens rubbing by hand, with a mincer or through a sieve (I may use a food processor).

* Add milk to biezpiens.

* Gently heat mixture stirring constantly until the milk has been curdled by the acid in the biezpiens and the mass has become elastic (resembling dough).

* Strain the mixture carefully (suggestion: use a wooden spoon to press liquid out).

* Melt butter in a saucepan and add strained biezpien mixture.

* Beat eggs and add to mixture in the saucepan

* Add 1 – 2 handfuls of caraway seeds and salt to taste (about one tablespoon)

* Heat the mixture stirring briskly until the mixture becomes elastic.

Note: The longer the mixture is heated the harder the end product will be. N.B. If stirring is interrupted the mixture will catch and burn.

* When ready transfer mixture to containers of choice, allow to cool and then place in fridge to harden. When hard, remove from container and slice – enjoy.

Looking forward to your version.