Kulich and Paskha

This year I was very pleased with the way my kulich and paskha turned out.
These notes on well known recipes are for Abby, my son's fiance.

Kulich:
1/2 cup of hot milk + 100 g flour - make a paste
1/2 cup of warm milk + 57g of fresh yeast (1 package) + 100 g flour - mix together
Combine both mixes and let stand for about an hour (covered).
Take 10 egg yolks and mix with 250 g sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt (mix until egg yolks turn lemony-yellow, about 3 min). Take half of this mixture and combine with the yeast mixture + 250 g flour. Mix well. Let stand for another hour.
Add another half of the yolk mixture and another 250 g of flour. Mix well and add 200 g melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/3 teaspoons of cardamom and nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons of rum. Add flower (3-4 handfuls) if necessary (a tricky part), and mix until the dough stops sticking to your hands (it took me about 10 min by hand). Let rise for another hour. Add 1 cup of raisins, let rise for 15 min, and put in buttered coffee cans, or any containers that will help make a well-known kulich shape. Let rise for 10 min, and bake at 350 F until ready (about 30 min).
When cooled off a bit, make a paste of confectioner's sugar + lemon juice and cover the top of kulich.

Paskha:

3 lb of Farmer cheese
1 1/4 cup of heavy cream
1/2 lb butter
1/4 lb sour cream
3 eggs
1 lb sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raisins
Mix Farmer cheese with butter, sugar, sour cream, whipped heavy cream, eggs, vanilla and raisins. Place in a cheese cloth inside the mold. Place some weight on top, and put everything in a fridge (a plate to collect liquid should be under the mold).
Let stand this way for two days, unmold when ready to eat.

A low calorie dessert I use instead (not for Easter) is Farmer cheese mixed with sour cream and raisins.