Pancakes That Taste Like Blintzes

When I was pregnant with my daughter Birdie, we went to IHOP when we rebelled against molecules of every food concentration that we had passed, and I ordered brinz with fruit compote, and I could actually eat them, and the cartoon bluebird chorus flew around my head. That’s all to say: I love Brinz. Brinz is a crepe stuffed with light, sweet cottage cheese and topped with fruit and jam.

Sadly, they’ve been cancelled at IHOP and I can’t make, fill or roll any lazy people, but these cottage cheese pancakes have the same tangy kindness that I crave. Furthermore, it is packed with protein and is very easy to make, assuming that you can wait for the bread to be properly heated. They got these slightly lace buttery rims and I was really able to eat all day long.

Birdies also love them (evidently because of the blitzes in the womb). And despite her usual in college, we go through the stage of making them and eating. But today my beloved nephew Sam was here so I stuffed him with pancakes and was very happy.

This recipe generously serves two people. It can be easily doubled or halved.

Brinz-like pancakes
Serve 2

2/3 cup full fat (4%) cottage cheese
Egg 2
2 tablespoons of flour (all-purpose or gluten-free)
1 tablespoon of melted butter (and butter for spreading and serving)
½ tsp kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
Reserves for butter, fruit, sour cream and/or toppings, as you like

1. Heat over a frying pan, wide pan, or medium heat while preparing the batter.

2. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until they appear liquid and homogeneous. This is a thin batter. That’s exactly what you want.

3. Spread the butter in a frying pan (it should now be hot), pour a small bloop of the batter directly from the blender, spreading it into a 3-inch or 4-inch circle. Cook until the bottom side is deep golden, then flip it over until the edges start to appear dry and the other side is golden (about 5 minutes total). If necessary, you can keep these warm in the platter in a 275 degree oven while the rest is cooking. Repeat with the remaining batters.

4. Serve with butter and fruit, or sour cream and jam.

PS Catherine’s delightful, cluttered house tour, three thrown breakfasts, zucchini muffins for school breakfast.