So, I was filing the other day. Filing recipes. You see, running a food blog gives the writer/owner free license to save infinitely more recipes than she ever did before. My stack of to-try recipes continues to explode, and if I don’t keep on top of it it would be out of control in a matter of a few months. At least I have a system. About 2 years ago I started a new regime – a recipe just HAS to jump out at me telling me it needs to be prepared. If it doesn’t yell at me that way, it doesn’t get clipped, copied or saved. I go through all the cooking magazines with scissors, pen and Scotch tape near me. If a recipe makes the cut, it’s clipped right then and put into the to-try pile. And the magazine goes out in the trash bin right away. The only exception to that rule is around holiday time when I might want to look at the magazine for ideas.
But, it’s only every couple of months that I get around to putting all those saved recipes into some binders I keep here in my kitchen. I save recipes from food blogs too. Lots of them, actually. This cooking community of food bloggers is a veritable treasure trove. And one learns that if you like one blogger’s recipes, you may like many from that blogger. I subscribe to Cook’s Illustrated, and one thing I really like is reading the commentary by the food developer about how he/she came to the final result. Like less salt, omit the sugar. Bake 5 minutes less. You know what I mean. And I like to read the final descriptive phrase about every recipe. If there’s not one – like “gee, this was a sensational dish at my dinner table,” “the final result was just perfect,” or “I’ll be making this again and again,” then I may go right on past.
Therefore, I’ve learned that I really like a lot of the recipes blogged by Cheryl Sternman Rule, over at 5 Second Rule. Cheryl is a food pro, and a very interesting and entertaining writer too. I always enjoy her stories. (I also admire her photography, but that’s another story.) So when I read this particular story last year I immediately saved the recipe. It went into the to-try file. So wouldn’t you know it, I was filing and this recipe just popped up in my hands and said “fix me today.”
What appealed to me about this recipe was that although these are pancakes, they’re composed mostly of protein (eggs and cottage cheese). The batter contains next to no binder (flour), so it’s a higher protein meal than a carb one. And the story, about how Cheryl came by this recipe (from a family acquaintance who attended her wedding, but it was passed on to Cheryl’s mother-in-law who prepared them often) just made these pancakes all the more endearing to me. They’re an Eastern European invention, called siriniki.
So, here’s the gist: you whip egg whites to stiff peaks with some cream of tartar, then set it aside. Then you mix the egg yolks, full-fat cottage cheese, a pinch of salt and a tiny bit of flour, then you combine the two. Carefully, since you don’t want to deflate the soft, tender stiff peaked-egg whites. Then you gently scoop small amounts of batter out on a nonstick skillet, slightly elongating each glob (you don’t want them to be too thick or they won’t cook properly) and cook them for 2-3 minutes per side. Then serve immediately with maple syrup.
You don’t have to use any butter in the nonstick pan. You don’t need any butter on the finished pancakes either. They’re perfect just as they are, but add some real honest-to-goodness maple syrup and you’ll be transported. Cheryl calls these Cottage Cheese Pancakes, but I added the souffle part because these pancakes are ever-so light in texture. They rise quite a bit, actually, but they’re SO tender. These are a must-fix. So there’s my analysis. And if you read my blog regularly, then you can take my word for it. These are worth making, even though you’ll use more than a few bowls and things in the making. Well worth the effort. We had them for lunch, actually, but ideally they’d make a delightful family breakfast anytime.
printer-friendly PDF
Cottage Cheese Souffle Pancakes
Recipe By: 5 Second Rule blog
Serving Size: 5 (makes 25 pancakes)
NOTES: Beating the egg whites separately and folding them into the batter makes these pancakes exceptionally tender and light. The cottage cheese adds additional softness and creaminess. I suggest making the pancakes small to ensure they’ll cook all the way through.
6 whole eggs — separated
1 pinch cream of tartar
16 ounces cottage cheese — full fat, small curd
1 pinch salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
Maple syrup — for serving
1. Separate the eggs, placing the whites and yolks in separate medium/large mixing bowls. (If you have a stand mixer, place the whites in the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.)
2. Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
3. Add the cottage cheese and salt to the yolks and beat well with a wooden spoon, hand-held electric mixer, or the paddle attachment on your stand mixer. Stir in the flour and combine well.
4. Lighten the egg yolk/cottage cheese batter by stirring in one-third of the beaten egg whites. Then pour all the cottage cheese batter into the bowl with the remaining whites. Fold until the batter is uniformly combined, taking care not to deflate the whites too much.
5. Heat a large non-stick skillet or cast-iron griddle over medium-high heat. Coat with nonstick spray if necessary. Use an ice cream scoop to dollop small rounds of batter onto the hot skillet, dragging the batter a bit to create somewhat oblong shapes. (This will help the cakes cook through.) Cook two to three minutes per side, flipping once, until golden brown and speckled, working in batches. Serve warm, with maple syrup.
Per Serving: 231 Calories; 8g Fat (31.7% calories from fat); 22g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 262mg Cholesterol; 479mg Sodium.
A year ago: About Epicurious’ 2009 food forecasts
Two years ago: Carrot-Ginger Slaw
Leave a Comment!