Vecriga - Latvian Pastry

Vecriga is one of the most amazing desserts to try, ever — a light choux pastry filled with delicious, creamy vanilla cheesecake filling. So fluffy, so light, so hard to stop at just one. This dessert is genuinely Latvian, sold everywhere from tiny corner shops to bakeries all over Latvia. It's one of my absolute favorites — I hope you love it as much as I do.

Ingredients

Dough

• 250g water
• 100g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 10g sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 150g plain flour
• 3-4 medium eggs

Vanilla Cheese Filling

• 400g dry cottage cheese (ricotta, farmers cheese, or quark also work)
• 400g double/heavy cream (33-36%)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 120-150g icing sugar, plus extra for decoration

Directions

1. Combine water, butter, sugar, and salt in a pot over medium heat until the butter melts. Remove from heat, add flour, and mix until a dough ball forms. Return to the stove and cook 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, to dry out the dough.
2. Cool the dough slightly (5-10 minutes) before adding eggs, so you don't accidentally cook them.
3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing fully between each addition, until you reach a soft, sticky (but not runny) dough. You may not need all the eggs.
4. Pipe the dough onto parchment paper in your desired size — they'll roughly double in the oven, so don't make them too large, and keep sizes consistent for even baking.
5. Bake at 205°C/400°F for 10 minutes, then lower to 180°C/350°F for a further 12-18 minutes, until golden on top and bottom. Don't open the oven during the first 15 minutes.
6. While cooling, whip cold heavy cream with icing sugar and vanilla to soft peaks. Blend or mash the cottage cheese smooth, then gently fold in the whipped cream in three additions.
7. Cut the pastries in half (or make a small hole) and fill generously with the cream. Dust with icing sugar and enjoy immediately — best eaten the same day, though they'll keep 2 days refrigerated.

Hugs, Alla xox

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