Cottage cheese pancakes with sour cream and caramelised apples (syrniki)

In Russia, these light and fluffy cheese pancakes are traditionally made from quark, a fresh cow’s milk cheese, but cottage cheese is a close substitute and much more readily available in Australia. They are eaten with sour cream and jam or apple sauce.

If you're looking to mix sweet and sour, this Russian recipe is perfect for breakfast (or dessert). Credit: Chris Chen

• makes

  15

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 500 g (2½ cups) cottage cheese
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 80 g caster sugar
• 200 g (1⅓ cups) plain flour, sifted
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• vegetable oil, to brush
• sour cream, to serve

Caramelised apples

• 80 g unsalted butter, chopped
• 150 g brown sugar
• 2 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
• 125 ml (½ cup) thickened cream

Resting time 30 minutes

Instructions

Combine cottage cheese, eggs, sugar, flour, bicarbonate of soda and vinegar in a bowl, mixing until smooth. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

To make caramelised apples, melt butter in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Add apples and cook, turning once, for 6 minutes or until deep golden. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Allow to cool slightly.

Brush a frying pan with oil and place over medium-low heat. Working in batches, pour 60 ml (¼ cup) batter into pan for each syrniki. Cook for 3 minutes on each side or until golden and cooked through. Serve warm with caramelised apples and sour cream.

Photography by Chris Chen. Food preparation by Phoebe Wood. Styling by Justine Poole.

As seen in Feast magazine, August 2014, Issue 34. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.