Pinched cheese cakes (Tsimbites)

Tzimbites means pinched in Greek, as in the pinched pastry that decoratively cloaks these delicious sweet Greek cheesecakes from the Cycladic island of Tinos. They are one of the most unique Greek recipes in the Aegean islands.

Credit: My Greek Table

• makes

  40

• prep

  45 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Filo (phyllo) pastry

• 500 g (1 lb or about 4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 3 tsp olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1½-2 cups fresh, strained orange juice

 

Filling

• 500 g (1 lb) Tinos petroma cheese (see Note)
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp vanilla powder or vanilla extract
• Pinch of ground cloves
• ¼ tsp mastic (mastiha) crystals, pounded in a small mortar with 1 tsp sugar
• 250 g (1 cup) sugar
• 2-3 eggs, as needed
• 1-2 tbsp sugar, for sprinkling on top

Makes about 40 pieces. You will need a pasta maker for this recipe. 

Resting time: 30 minutes, or up to 1 day if refrigerated.

Instructions

1. To make the pastry: Place the flour, olive oil and egg, slightly beaten, in a large mixing bowl. Work the mixture by hand until it becomes mealy. Drizzle in the orange juice in half-cup increments and work the dough, kneading, until it becomes smooth and  firm. Set aside covered with plastic wrap for a half hour, or up to 1 day, refrigerated .
2. To make the filling:  Place the cheese, orange zest , cinnamon, vanilla, clove, mastic and sugar in a bowl. Add the first egg and mix it into the filling with a fork. The filling should be dense enough to keep its shape when formed into a little ball in the palm of your hands. Add the second egg and work it in. If the filling is still very dense, add the third egg, only if needed.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F).
4. Pinch off an orange-size piece of dough from the mass. Flatten it with your hands and start passing it through a pasta maker, starting from the widest setting and working down to setting #4, forming a long strip that is silky but sturdy and thin. Place this on a floured work surface and using a glass or cookie cutter, cut 4-inch circles out of the strip. Place the first one in the palm of your hand or on a flat work surface  and place a spoonful of the cheese mixture in the center. Bring the sides of the pastry up around the cheese filling and pinch and pleat as you go to shape little muffin-like pieces with pleated sides. Repeat the rolling and shaping with remaining pastry and filling.
5. Place the tsimbites on a parchment-lined baking sheet (or sheets) and sprinkle the tops with a little sugar. Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour, until golden and set. Remove, cool, and serve.

Note

• Petroma is a soft, tangy cow’s milk cheese unique to the islands of Tinos and Andros. You can substitute it with a combination of 225 g (½ lb) crumbled Greek feta, 112g (¼ lb) well-drained ricotta and 112g (¼ lb) cream cheese, mixed all together.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.