Syrniki (Russian Cottage Cheese Pancakes)

Step 1

In a medium bowl combine the cottage (farmer's) cheese, egg, sour cream, sugar, and 1 tbsp. of semolina. Mix well with a wooden spoon or with a hand mixer at low speed, until smooth (about 1 minute). It will be quite sticky. Do not use blender as the mixture become too loose. Since the fat and water content of your cheese can greatly vary, start with one 1 tablespoon of semolina and adding the second one if the mixture is still too sticky. I would not recommend adding more than 2 tbsp. of semolina until you've chilled the batter (It will thicken up a bit.)

Step 2

Stir in any additions like raisins or lemon zest if using.

Step 3

Place the bowl with mixture in the refrigerator, for about 30 minutes. It will thicken up, but it can still be a bit sticky to touch. If the batter still too loose, you can add another tablespoon of semolina, but it should be okay to shape the pancakes.

Step 4

Take some batter at a time (About 1/4 cup or so) and shape into thick pancakes. I prefer smaller syrniki, but you can use more batter per one. If the batter is sticky, you can lightly dust your hands with flour. Depending on the size, you should get around 10 to 16 pancakes.

Step 5

Add the flour into a small plate. Dredge the pancake with flour on both sides. Shake off the extra flour. Transfer them on a plate or board and freeze for 10 minutes. Freezing is optional, but it helps keep their shape.

Step 6

In a meantime, preheat oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat (You might need to adjust to slightly lower heat later.)

Step 7

Gently arrange the pancakes into the pan using a spatula. Cook on medium-low heat for about 4-5 minutes, or until each side is golden brown. While frying, avoid moving or flipping them too early as you can damage the sear.

Step 8

Gently flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Step 9

Transfer the fried pancakes onto a paper towel to absorb the excess of oil.

Step 10

Fry the remaining pancakes adding more oil if necessary.

Step 11

Serve them warm right away or keep refrigerated for up to 3 days (Simply preheat in a microwave.) Enjoy dusted with icing sugar or with sour cream or / and jam!