In the spirit of the season, a small gift from the "Hungarian Pronunciation Tutor" to you, with our best wishes for a blessed Christmas and happy and prosperous new year!:

Grandmother Veronica's Hungarian Christmas Cheesecake

A lighter, arguably more delicious, and decidedly more Hungarian variant of the ever-popular cheesecake.

Combine: 15 graham crackers crushed into crumbs (1 1/2 cups) 1 stick butter, melted . . . mix and press in to 13 x 9 in. pan. Chill for 30 minutes.

Mix:

1 16 oz. box of cottage cheese, small curd, riced or sieved

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup canned evaporated milk

3/4 cup regular milk

Fold in four stiffly beaten egg whites; pour into crust. Bake at 350 degrees, 45 minutes to 1 hour (until brown on top.)

Variation: add lemon juice and raisins to taste. Enjoy!