Syrniki – Russian Cheese Pancakes
A simple Slavic recipe and more nourishing than the usual pancake: small cheese cakes fried in butter, eaten with sour cream, jam or honey.
The whole thing depends on how dry the cheese is. If the ricotta (or tvorog) is wet, drain it in a strainer for a couple of hours before you start — otherwise the dough will not hold its shape and you end up adding flour until they turn into rubber.
And they fry slowly, over medium-low heat. High heat browns the outside before the center cooks, and the sugar on the surface burns.
Ingredients
- 500 g ricotta, well drained and dry
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour) or semolina
- 1 pinch of salt
- Vanilla extract or lemon zest
- Butter for the pan
- Optional: a handful of raisins
Method
- 1
Press the ricotta with a fork to break up the larger lumps. If it is at all wet, drain it in a strainer for a couple of hours before you start — this is what decides the recipe.
- 2
Combine the ricotta with the egg, the sugar, the salt and the flavoring (vanilla or lemon). Add the flour or semolina a little at a time until you have a tender dough that holds its shape.
- 3
Roll the dough into balls and flatten them into disks about 2 cm thick. Dust them lightly in extra flour to help them seal.
- 4
Heat a skillet (frying pan) with butter over medium-low heat. Brown the syrniki slowly on both sides so the center cooks through without the sugar on the surface burning.
- 5
Serve with a spoonful of sour cream (smetana), jam or honey.
Slavic Cooking: Tradition, Technique and Comfort
Slavic cooking does something few other kitchens do as well: it turns simple ingredients into unforgettable dishes. Here are the Eastern European classics — from delicate syrniki to a warming buckwheat soup — each one written so the authentic, familiar flavor actually comes out. If you want food that warms from the inside and surprises your guests with something unfamiliar, this is the place.
