Hello and welcome to Boone Appétit! In one of my earlier posts I wrote about a Russian Supermarket called Gormanoff’s in Paramus New Jersey and Brighton Beach Brooklyn. As often happens I find myself going back to a place and trying new things each time. On one of these trips I was exploring the dairy aisle, which is amazing, by itself. I saw one place where three times, mothers with children stopped and the children each pointed to an array of bins and the mother would grab the item and place it her shopping cart. Then I noticed a man who came along and reached into one of those bins with both hands and dumped his treasure into his cart. Now I was curious.
I strolled nonchalantly to the spot of all the commotion. I had no clue what I was looking at! At first I thought maybe it was a candy bar that was kept cold for a reason.Perhaps, being in the dairy case it was something like string cheese. I scanned the bins until I saw a few words I recognized. Cheese and cake and chocolate, that’s all I needed to read! I was sort of right on both accounts, it’s called Sirok or Siroki for plural, and it’s a cheesecake bar covered in chocolate. There were many varying flavors and add-ins like fruit jams or honey, double chocolate, caramel and even poppy seed. I would say approximately 15-20 different varieties were available.
The thing that strikes me most is how filling and rich these little bars are, and for some reason they feel a little healthier than having a candy bar. While these are called cheesecake bars it’s not the type of cheesecake most Americans are use to. I would say it more akin to farmer’s cheese, which is slightly sweet and usually has raisins or blueberries inside it. There is also a certain tang that Siroki has and it might be attributed to the fermentation process or maybe a little citrus zing. It’s that tang coupled with the sweetness and chocolate that really separates these from anything I’ve eaten before. You can tell you’re eating something that is somewhere between ice cream and cheese. I know that may sound weird but I urge you to give one a try. Since that first encounter I have been back two more times each time trying a different variety and brand. Some have not been so delicious. Some have had a consistency that I found unpleasant, however the majority have been amazing.
I know these can be incredibly hard to find , so I searched the internet and found a recipe for making homemade Siroki. These are made as lollipops and that might be a good thing because they are so rich. You can find the recipe here, http://www.russianbites.com/russian-chocolate-covered-cheesecake-pops-sirki-v-glazure I haven’t tried this recipe and I do not know the person who made this recipe but , her other Russian recipes look delicious. If any of you do decide to give this recipe a try please write back and let the rest of us know how it went. Until next time Boone Appétit!
Very interesting! Paying attention to the people around you led to finding a new treat. And who doesn’t love cheese! Thanks Charlie for the mini Russian cultural lesson
Hi Claudia,I find watching people when I’m not sure what’s good, usually helps. I’m always asking the servers,”what dish is that?’ as they walk by, so in a supermarket I watch and ask, people are generally friendly and love talking about the foods of their culture. I’d recommend giving the recipe a try if you’re a little curious about Sirok. Thanks for stopping by!