Cheese Latkes

When my brother and sister-in-law received an invitation to my parents’ annual Chanukah bash taking place in their efficiency apartment at the Marco Polo hotel in Miami, they accepted with polite smiles. They only agreed to attend to prevent Mom and Dad from sitting alone in their little room, eating latkes by themselves. To their amazement, on the day of the party they were greeted by the sight of more than one hundred of Mom and Dad’s sun-bronzed pals lined up in the corridor outside their suite, smiling and joking while they waited to sample this year’s selection of fresh latkes.

Cheese Latkes

We never really understood how my parents pulled off this social event of the year, frying up batch after batch of crispy potato latkes, zucchini latkes, carrot latkes, and apple fritters, on five griddles (!), in a room that barely had room for two beds. But only after witnessing it, did my brother and sister-in-law understand how privileged they were to receive one of these coveted invitations. Cheese latkes, which predate the more popular potato latkes, are also eaten at Chanukah time when it is traditional to eat dairy foods. So don’t forget to serve a batch of these creamy, sweet, cheese pancakes at your annual holiday splash. Happy Chanukah!

Assemble your ingredients. Place the cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla, flour, salt, grated lemon rind (if using), and sour cream in the bowl of a food processor. Process the mixture with the steel blade until it is fairly smooth, about 30 seconds.

Spray a nonstick frying pan with cooking spray and add 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil to the pan. Heat the frying pan on medium-low until hot. Drop heaping tablespoons of latke batter into the frying pan (silver dollar size) and fry for about 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining cheese mixture adding more oil to the pan as necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature, with powdered sugar or other toppings of your choice.

Print Recipe

Cheese Latkes

Dairy and Meatless Mains

By Joan Nathan, published in the New York Times – Serves: 8-10 (24 latkes)

Prep Time: 5 minutes – Cooking Time: 20 minutes – Total Time: 25 minutes

Creamy, lightly sweetened cheese latkes are also enjoyed at Chanukah time.

Ingredients

• 1 pound farmer's cheese or cottage cheese
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• grated rind of 1 medium lemon (optional)
• up to a total of 2 tablespoons oil for frying
• confectioner's sugar, blueberries, vanilla yogurt (optional toppings)

Instructions

1

Place the cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla, flour, salt, lemon rind (if using), and sour cream in the bowl of a food processor. Process the mixture with the steel blade until it is fairly smooth, about 30 seconds.

2

Spray a nonstick frying pan with cooking spray and add 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil to the pan. Heat the frying pan on medium-low until hot. Drop heaping tablespoons of latke batter into the frying pan (silver dollar size) and fry one to two minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining cheese mixture adding more oil to the pan as necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature, with powdered sugar or other toppings of your your choice.

Notes

This recipe for Cheese Latkes was originally published by Joan Nathan in the New York Times.