Recipe for syrniki with semolina

According to my grandmother's advice, the store-bought cottage cheese should always be transferred from the package to a bowl and mixed with raw eggs and a pinch of salt. Supposedly, this helps to preserve the cottage cheese better. I have never had a reason to test if this is true because I always do it this way. Especially when it's as hot outside as it is now, I'm afraid the product might spoil. I've noticed that it doesn't matter which cottage cheese you use to make syrniki - whether it's bought at the market or in the store, full-fat or low-fat. That's why I use the cottage cheese I have for this syrniki recipe. So, you need to mix the cottage cheese with eggs and a pinch of salt. If you don't like lumps of cottage cheese in your syrniki, then mash it more thoroughly than I do.

Now let's add semolina and sugar (2.5 tbsp) to the cottage cheese, and mix everything together. As you may have noticed, I add a little sugar because there will also be sugar in the sour cream sauce later. Why do I use semolina instead of flour? It seems to me that syrniki made with flour always turn out slightly undercooked inside, and if you try to get rid of this moisture and fry them longer, they will become dry and not juicy at all. Maybe I just haven't found my perfect syrniki with flour. But ever since I tried syrniki using this recipe, I always make them this way.

In a separate dish, sprinkle some semolina and immediately put a frying pan on the heat. Is the pan hot? Then pour in the oil and heat it up. Now, using damp (!) hands, shape the syrniki and lightly coat them in semolina.

Since we will be baking the syrniki later, we only need to fry them briefly until they turn slightly golden on both sides. In fact, you can skip further cooking and just fry them a little longer in a pan with a lid. But I suggest making a sour cream and fruit topping.

You can use any fruits or berries, it will still be delicious. I really like syrniki with soft and sweet peaches. I slice the peaches into wedges.

In a baking dish, layer cottage cheese pancakes with semolina, alternating them with sliced peaches. And prepare the sauce. Add sugar (1 tbsp) and vanilla to the sour cream. You can also add vanilla sugar (preferably made with natural vanilla, not its flavoring). If you have thick sour cream, you can dilute it with milk or even water. If you are baking cottage cheese pancakes with apples, it would be wonderful to add a pinch of cinnamon to the sauce. In general, you can experiment boldly with the sour cream sauce. Pour the pancakes with fruit with the resulting sauce. And bake them in the oven, air fryer, or microwave. In the oven or air fryer, set the temperature to 180 degrees and bake the pancakes for about 15 minutes. In the microwave, set the highest power mode (800-900 watts) and cook for about 10 minutes (don't forget to use special microwave-safe dishes).

Delicious, incredibly aromatic cottage cheese pancakes with semolina can be served with a cup of hot tea or coffee, or perhaps with a glass of cold milk or compote. Enjoy your meal!