Apple Cheese Pancakes (with or without the cheese)

This recipe is adapted from that old ‘70’s kitchen bible, The Moosewood Cookbook, by Mollie Katzen. Mollie calls for ricotta or cottage cheese – but we prefer them with plain yogurt instead. They are light and flavorful; the eaters at our table were divided on whether they were better with maple syrup or without.  Mollie Katzen said that any apple would work well, except Red Delicious.  I bet she had no idea of the number of choices that would leave.  If you use a sweet apple, put in less honey.  If you choose a tart one, try lowering the amount of lemon juice.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup yogurt

  • 1 heaping packed cup of grated apple

  • 3/4 cup flour – 1/2 cup white, 1/4 cup whole wheat

  • 1 Tbs honey

  • 1 tsp lemon juice

  • 1 Tbs sliced almonds or sunflower seeds

  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

  • dash of nutmeg

  • 4 eggs – separated

  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

  1. Mix everything together except the egg whites. Beat the egg whites until stiff, and then fold them into the batter.

  2. Fry the pancakes in butter or vegetable oil over medium heat until they are brown on both sides. Serve with maple syrup, preserves, yogurt, or fruit.

  3. And if you just need to have a little cheese, try grating up some cheddar and adding it to the batter.  It oozes out of the pancakes as it cooks and makes a little ring of crispy fried cheese around it.  Kinda delicious.