Mmmmm. Cheese. It’s one of my guilty pleasures. I’ve had a few friends decide they were giving up dairy. I could never do it. I love cheese too much. That was one reason why I was so excited when I saw a sneak preview for the book Cowgirl Creamery Cooks by Peggy Smith and Sue Conley, Photographed by Hirsheimer & Hamilton. I waited for months for the book to come out. Let me tell you… it did not disappoint.
Photo from http://www.cowgirlcreamery.com/
I’ve never had cheese from The Cowgirl Creamery, but one day I will. It’s definitely on my bucket list (I’m embarrassed to confess just how many items on my bucket list are food related).
If you follow my blog you know that I am celebrating my 1 year Blogiversary this week, giving away the below library of books (go here to enter to win) and sharing a recipe or craft project from the books each day.
When I was flipping through the Cowgirl Creamery Cookbook one of the first recipes that popped out to me was the Cottage Cheese Pancakes Recipe. Smothered with Creme Fraiche and Strawberry Jam it had my mouth watering. It’s the perfect weekend brunch recipe. I’m sure we will be eating this for breakfast this weekend so I thought I would share it with you so you can try it out too!
COTTAGE CHEESE PANCAKES RECIPE WITH CRÈME FRAÎCHE AND JAM FROM COWGIRL CREAMERY COOKS
SERVES 4
MAKES 16-20, 3 inch PANCAKES
Sue spent eleven happy years as a breakfast cook in Berkeley at Bette’s Ocean View Diner, which has stools at the counter and a dozen cozy booths. San Francisco Bay is just a few blocks away but the “Ocean View” is a bit of a joke, as you can’t see water from the diner.
This is an adaptation of one of Sue’s favorite pancake recipes. You’d expect the cheese to make the pancakes heavy, but the opposite is true. During cooking, the cheese and egg whites work together to make these lighter than air. You can use either cottage cheese or ricotta in this recipe.
Sue still sees the folks at Bette’s: when we began making cheese in Point Reyes, Bette’s switched over to Cowgirl Creamery cheese and became one of our best customers.
Ingredients:
- 6 Eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup Whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups Cottage cheeseor ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup All-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- Vegetable oil, for the pan
- 4 tbsp Melted unsalted butter
- Crème fraîche
- Jam (any flavor)
Directions:
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks until thick. Add the milk and beat for another 30 seconds. Gently fold in the cheese.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, salt, and sugar together and pour into the cheese mixture, stirring lightly.
With an electric mixer or whisk, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they are stiff, but not dry. Gently fold the whites into the batter, just until combined.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Ladle 1/4 cup of the batter onto a hot griddle for each pancake, leaving a bit of space between pancakes. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes, then flip.
Serve warm with crème fraîche and jam.
Recipe courtesy of Chronicle Books and Cowgirl Creamery Cooks by Peggy Smith and Sue Conley, Photographed by Hirsheimer & Hamilton.
We hope that you are enjoying our birthday celebration. Check back for two more craft excerpts coming this weekend!
Tell me… What do you have planned for brunch this weekend?