Feel like cooking breakfast this morning? Try something unusual - Russian cottage cheese pancakes! For the curious reader - their authentic name is syrniki.

Katya Wednesday, September 10, 2014 Add Comment

I have never planned on posting recipes to the blog. First of all, because I am quite an average cook and second, because I did not want to promote any diet, since I follow none and my food choices are rather inconsistent. In other words, the last thing I wanted to do is to position myself as somebody knowledgeable or skillful when it comes to culinary practices. But… yes, there is always a “but”.

The other day I woke up in such a great mood and, as a logical consequence, felt like cooking breakfast (which is a rare occasion for somebody who is not a morning person). Anyways, I checked the fridge and decided to go for syrniki. As I was mixing the ingredients and humming Kiesza’s “Hideaway” (oh, those miserable attempts to succeed in singing, can I accept already that I am doomed for life?), I had a thought. I wanted to create a blog focused on positive things, things which make people and me in particular happy. Food (its consumption, as well as preparation) is a huge part of those things! For me even more so, because I looove delicious food. Ok, enough of excuses, I am posting a recipe and so be it!

Syrniki (cottage cheese pancakes)

Ingredients (makes 8 pancakes):

- Quark (cottage cheese), 250 g (8 oz)

Better if you buy it at any Russian store in your area, because it is different from American cottage cheese. Ask for “tvorog”.

- Sour cream, 3 tablespoons

- Flour or pancake mix, 4 tablespoons

- 1 egg

- Sugar (as much as you prefer, add some and try the mixture for sweetness, if not enough, than add some more)

- Vanilla extract (you can do without it), 1 teaspoon

- Raisins (as much as you prefer, I added 2 full tablespoons)

- Butter or oil for frying

How to prepare:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl with a spoon. See if the mixture looks OK for frying, if too liquid, add some more flour.

2. Heat oil (I use organic coconut oil, not only because it is healthier, but also because it adds such a nice coconut flavor) in a frying pan over medium heat.

3. Fry pancakes on both sides until they get golden brown. As the mixture is not very thick, I prefer using an ice-cream scoop instead of a regular big spoon to scoop up the mixture.

4. Eat with sour cream, jam, honey, maple syrup or really any topping to your liking.

The great thing about these pancakes – they always taste good! It doesn’t matter how good of a cook you are, they will somehow manage to taste delicious. Happy Wednesday!