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Fluffy farmer-cheese pancakes - for breakfast

Classic syrniki are farmer-cheese pancakes for breakfast or with tea. The secret to their tender texture is pressing the tvorog through a sieve. You can use homemade tvorog (see the separate card).

Groceries in the U.S. For tvorog, take farmer cheese (Friendship, Lifeway) or well-drained cottage cheese. Corn starch is sold as cornstarch. For vanilla sugar, use vanilla sugar or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.

Ingredients

  • Farmer cheese (tvorog) - 350 g (about 12 oz)
  • Egg - 1
  • Sugar - 3 tbsp
  • Vanilla sugar or vanillin (or 1/2 tsp extract)
  • Cornstarch - 1.5 tsp
  • All-purpose flour - 2 tbsp, plus more for coating
  • Salt - a pinch
  • Oil or butter for frying

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
  2. Combine the tvorog, egg, sugar, vanilla sugar, cornstarch, flour and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
  3. For a tender texture, press the mixture through a sieve (or blitz it in a blender).
  4. Shape small balls and roll each one in flour. Flatten the tops slightly.
  5. Fry in a hot pan with oil until golden on both sides.
  6. Move the syrniki to a baking dish and finish them in the oven for 12-15 minutes at 180 °C (350 °F).
  7. Serve warm with sour cream, jam or berries.

Tips

  • Tvorog pressed through a sieve makes syrniki smooth and tender.
  • Don't add too much flour - otherwise the syrniki will be dense.
  • Finishing them in the oven makes the syrniki fluffy and cooked through inside.

Nutrition (approximate)

  • Nutrition - Per serving (1/4) - 1 syrnik (~9 in total)
  • Calories - ~235 kcal - ~105 kcal
  • Protein - ~17 g - ~7.5 g
  • Fat - ~11 g - ~5 g
  • Carbohydrates - ~17 g - ~8 g

The values are approximate and depend on the fat content of the tvorog and the amount of oil. Calculated for 5% tvorog and light frying - about 940 kcal for the whole batch. Without pan-frying in oil the calorie count is lower.

Recipe source

This recipe is based on a video by @_lady.stohantseva_ on Instagram. The ingredients are taken from the author's recipe, and the steps are in my own words; thank you to the author for the idea.

Link: instagram.com/reel/CwrYKQsO4-6