This is the recipe my friend Louis tried. She used quark, which is available at local markets including Trader Joe’s, Eddie’s and the Wine Source.
Crust
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup butter, soft
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 eggs
Line bottom of 9-inch springform with parchment butter paper and sides of pan. Sift flour, baking powder and sugar; cut in butter; add extract and eggs. Blend with a fork. Pat into springform, distributing evenly across bottom and halfway up sides.
Filling
5 egg yolks, beaten
2 pounds cottage cheese, quark, ricotta cheese, farmers pot cheese, cream cheese, or a combination (press cottage cheese through a sieve or process in a food processor)
1 1/3 cups sugar
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1 package Dr. Oetker vanilla pudding or 1/3 cup potato starch (do not substitute Jell-O- instant vanilla pudding mix)
1 cup raisins
5 egg whites, beaten nearly stiff
Blend cheese with beaten egg yolks; add sugar, lemon, zest, pudding powder or potato starch, and raisins and mix well. Fold in beaten egg whites. Pour filling on top of crust. Bake 350 degrees for 60 to 90 minutes or until the top is brown. Cool and refrigerate.
