Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Cake Recipes Country Cheesecake 5.0 (2) 1 Review This Polish-style cheesecake is a favorite in Martha's family. By Big Martha’s Mashed Potatoes, a legendary recipe rich with cream cheese." tabindex="0" data-inline-tooltip="true"> Martha Kostyra Martha Kostyra Martha Stewart’s "greatest teacher" was her mother, Martha Kostyra, affectionately known as Big Martha. At their family home in Nutley, N.J., Mrs. Kostyra instilled a love of cooking, along with housekeeping skills and a drive for hard work and self-sufficiency. Over the years, Mrs. Kostyra was a frequent guest on Martha’s TV shows, cooking alongside her daughter with authority, and often sharing cherished family recipes. Her most-loved recipe is for a simple side dish, Big Martha’s Mashed Potatoes, a legendary recipe rich with cream cheese. Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 8, 2023 Rate PRINT Share Prep Time: 35 mins Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins Servings: 12 Jump to recipe A favorite recipe from Martha's mom (who in turn got the recipe from her mother, Martha’s grandmother), this rustic cheesecake is an Easter tradition in the Kostyra family. Instead of the usual cream cheese filling and graham cracker crust, this sernik or Polish-style cheesecake has a light, creamy filling made with tangy farmer cheese, sour cream, and plump golden raisins. Lemon and orange zest are the secret ingredients that complement the creamy filling. The crust is a rich pie crust-like pastry made with flour, confectioners’ sugar, butter, egg yolks, and sour cream. Once you try it, you may never go back to your old cheesecake! 19 Family Recipes From Big Martha, Martha's Mother Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients Dough 1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting ½ cup confectioners' sugar ¾ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces 3 large egg yolks 3 tablespoons sour cream Ice-cold water Filling 4 large eggs, plus 1 large egg white ¾ cup granulated sugar 1 ½ pounds fresh farmer cheese ½ cup sour cream Grated zest of 1 lemon (1 teaspoon) Grated zest of 1 orange (2 teaspoons) ½ cup golden raisins 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract Unsalted butter, for pan Directions Make the dough: Sift together flour, confectioners' sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Sift again. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Add butter; pulse until largest pieces are the size of peas. Add egg yolks and sour cream; pulse until dough just begins to come together. If dough is too dry, add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until dough comes together. Form into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm but pliable, at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven, prepare the pan, roll out the dough and fit: Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in center. Lightly butter a 10-inch round springform pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 15-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit dough into bottom and up side of pan. With a paring knife, trim dough to about 1/2 inch below the rim. Crimp edges with the tines of a fork. Freeze until firm, 10 minutes. Blind bake crust: Line dough with parchment. Fill with dried beans or pie weights; bake until crust is firm and dry, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove parchment and beans; let cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Make the filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together eggs and egg white on medium speed until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in granulated sugar to combine. Add farmer cheese, sour cream, lemon and orange zests, raisins, and vanilla; mix until fully combined. Transfer filling to cooled crust. Bake and cool cheesecake: Bake until set at edges but still slightly wobbly in center, 50 to 55 minutes (if cheesecake is browning too quickly, tent edges of crust with foil). Transfer to wire rack; let cool completely. Refrigerate until cold, at least 8 hours; serve. Bryan Gardner You can follow Mrs. Kostyra's lead and pass the farmer cheese through the fine filter of a food mill for a more old-world texture. Try Our Other Favorite Cheesecake Recipes Classic Cheesecake Pashka Ricotta Cheesecake Chocolate Cheesecake No-Bake Cheesecake Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, June 2002 Rate It PRINT