Syrniki
Ingredients
- 850 g (30 oz) farmer's cheese (tvorog), well drained
- 2 large eggs
- 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup semolina or all-purpose flour, plus more for coating
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Butter and oil, for frying
- Sweetened sour cream and jam or fresh berries, to serve
Syrniki take their name from syr, the old Slavic word for cheese, and they are exactly that: fried cheese cakes. Well-drained tvorog — farmer's cheese — is mixed with eggs, sugar, vanilla and just a quarter cup of semolina or flour, so the batter stays sticky and the cooked pancakes are dense with cheese rather than flour. Scoops of the mixture are rolled in flour, patted into thick pucks and fried in butter and oil until deep golden on both sides. They are eaten warm with sweetened sour cream, jam or fresh berries.
Method
Mix the cheese, eggs, sugar, semolina and vanilla thoroughly with a fork or a mixer fitted with the paddle. The mixture will be very sticky — that is normal.
Drop large scoops of the mixture into a plate of flour, roll each into a ball and flatten to about 2 cm thick, coating with flour as needed so they do not stick. Alternatively shape the dough into a log, cut into 12 pieces and pat each into a puck.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of butter and oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Fry the syrniki in batches until deep golden on both sides, adding more fat between batches.
Serve warm, topped with sweetened sour cream and jam or fresh berries.
