As a third generation Polish-American, I grew up with little knowledge or appreciation of my Polish heritage. The language failed to thrive when my mother entered the English-speaking grade school, and any specific traditions that she may have embraced throughout childhood, fell away when she married my English/French father.
The one and only constant thread to our Polish heritage was the food that my grandmother would lovingly cook for us. Living just two miles, my grandmother would often bring her delicacies to our family get-togethers every Saturday.
Pierogies were a staple in our diet growing up. Our favorite was her sweet cheese pierogi, made with Farmer's cheese, sugar and cinnamon. Although it would take the better part of a day to make enough for our family of nine, grandma would do this weekly.
(My sister with my Grandmother)
She passed the recipe and pierogi-making skill onto myself and my sister. So much a part of our lives, to honor my grandmother and to celebrate her upcoming wedding, my sister and I made a batch the night before she got married.
My sister is now a grandmother and I a mother, and we still celebrate the ordinary and the extraordinary events of our lives with a batch of my grandmother's pierogies.
My Grandmother's Sweet Cheese Pierogi Recipe
The Dough
This dough recipe, without egg, will result in a lighter and
smoother pocket for the pierogi filling. It takes a little
more work, but the results are definitely worth it!
Ingredients
• 3 cups flour
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon oil
Directions
Sift flour into a bowl and add salt. Add the boiling water
while stirring. Use the spoon or a fork to crumble up any
lumps in the flour. Cover the bowl with a towel and let sit
for 5 minutes.
Pour a little at a time of the cold water into the mixture,
again crumbling up any of the lumps with a fork or spoon
until smooth. Cover the bowl again with a towel and set
aside for 10 minutes.
Add the oil and knead the dough until it's smooth.
Sweet Cheese Pierogi Filling
Ingredients
• 1 lb Farmer's Cheese
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg and 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Directions
Mix all ingredients together by hand. For a tasty variation,
add cinnamon.
For more of my grandmother's pierogi recipes, as well as detailed directions on how to make and cook pierogies, check out the book written by my sister Kathy, which is free on Kindle today.