Cheese Crescents

These little half moon–shaped pies called kalitsounia are found in Crete in many varieties, including a sweet one. This particular variety is made with the Greek version of ricotta cheese called mizithra or myzithra. When I was last in Crete, in a mountain village near Chania, I ate kalitsounia made with malaka, a local soft cheese similar to mozzarella but made from sheep’s milk. Some Greek cooks use orange juice to make the dough; it’s quite nice. Others