WHAT I COOKED FOR BREAKFAST - HOTCAKES RUSSIAN STYLE+ROAST FIGS AND SOUR CREAM

Ever since Bill Granger introduced ricotta hotcakes at his Surry Hills, Bills Restaurant, back in the late 90’s, they remain the most favourite breakfast staple on almost every breakfast menu of almost every cafe across Sydney. 

Well, we Russians have been cooking hotcakes for decades, the difference is we use farm cheese instead of ricotta.  The reason being that back in Russia we haven't been spoilt for choices and the produce such as ricotta cheese was totally foreign to our ears let alone the shop shelves.

I love to serve them topped wit caramelised figs for a touch of decadence.

Nevertheless, ours are as delicious and remain as popular for Saturday breakfast amongst my family.

To feed 4-6 people you need:

500 gr of fresh farm cheese

2 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil 

1 egg

3 tbs white sugar
1 tbs brown sugar

5 tbs plain white flour

A pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

A handful of sultanas (optional)

A tub of sour cream for serving

4-8 figs for serving

Method:
Place the farm cheese, flour, sugar and an egg in a bowl and mix together.  If the mixture feels a bit runny, add some more flour.  if you like your hotcakes really sweet, then add more sugar although sultanas will bring their sweetness as well.  The dough should not stick to your hands but try not to make it too firm.  

Sprinkle some flour over a chopping board, then take a spoonful of mixture and roll into a ball, then place it on the board and press lightly with the palm of your hand to flattened it out, about 2cm thick.  Continue with the rest of the mixture, you should end up having around 8-10 cakes.

Heat the frying pan over moderate heat.  Once it is hot, place one spoon of butter and add some olive oil to prevent butter from burning and when the butter is melted, fry the cakes in batches for about 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Cut the figs in half and sprinkle with brown sugar. Add remaining butter into the pan and fry the figs cut side down until the sugar is caramelised.  Remove from the pan and serve alongside the hotcakes.

We like to eat them with a dollop of sour cream to offset the sweetness but they are equally delicious just on their own.

Enjoy!!!