Jan requests lost pancake recipe

I love hearing from readers. Be it suggestion, compliment, complaint or request, it is gratifying to know that, paraphrasing a popular commercial, “When I write, you read… and cook.”

I also respect the obligations that come with the job. This includes finding lost recipes.

So when Jan R. e-mailed the Village News to tell me she had misplaced the recipe for Cottage Cheese Pancakes and asked if she could get it for a friend, I knew it was possible, if not necessarily easy.

I won’t bore you with the details. Suffice it to say that my extensive recipe collection needs more tender, loving care… and organization. I am re-reading one of my favorite books right now, “Organizing for the Creative Person” (Lehmkuhl & Lamping, Crown Trade Paperbacks, pub.), written especially for us “right-brain” persons. So there is hope.

Meantime, I found the recipe, last printed two years ago in February.

I trust you will all enjoy it, too. Jan’s request reminded me of how much I like this recipe, so it’s on my menu plan for a weekend breakfast soon. I’ll be serving the pancakes with a lemon sauce, the original complement. The pancakes are also good served with warm applesauce, warm syrup or warmed curried fruit.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes with Lemon Sauce

2 eggs

½ cup cottage cheese

1 tbsp. oil

¾ cup regular uncooked oatmeal

Pinch of salt

½ tsp. vanilla

1-2 tbsp. water, as needed

Place ingredients in blender or food processer container. Blend until smooth. Add water as needed to thin. Drop by ¼-cupfuls onto preheated non-stick griddle or skillet. Turn pancakes when bubbles appear on the surface. Cook an additional two minutes or until lightly golden. Serve with Lemon Sauce, warm syrup, warm applesauce or warm curried fruit.

Lemon Sauce

½ cup sugar

1 cup water

Grated rind of 1 lemon

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 tbsp. cornstarch

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Stir sugar and cornstarch in a small heavy saucepan to break up any lumps.

Stir in water, lemon juice, lemon rind and a pinch of salt.

Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly with a wooden or heatproof spoon. Cook until thickened. Stir in butter. Serve warm.

Sauce may be made ahead, refrigerated for up to one week and reheated over low heat, stirring, to prevent sauce from scorching.

Like most kids, gingerbread was my first exposure to the wonderful, distinctive flavor of ginger. As an adult my taste borders were expanded to other ginger-flavored foods and even as far as the pungent, hot flavor of grated ginger and preserved ginger so prevalent in Asian cooking.

Thus, I was intrigued by this recipe for Orange-ginger Squares that came in a recipe collection with my Cuisinart hand mixer. Here is an adaptation of that recipe.

Orange-ginger Squares

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. butter

2 tsp. fresh grated orange rind

1 egg

½ cup molasses

½ cup orange juice

1 ½ cups flour

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground ginger

Pinch of salt

Confectioners’ sugar

Coat an 8-inch sq. pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.

Cream brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

Add orange rind and egg. Blend well.

Combine molasses and orange juice.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, nutmeg, ginger and salt.

Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with molasses-juice, ending with flour, beating well after each addition.

Pour batter into pan.

Bake in a 350-degree oven about 25 minutes or until wooden pick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack.

Put confectioners’ sugar into sieve and stir with spoon over pan to dust lightly. Cut into 9 equal squares. Remove from pan and cut each square in half to form 2 triangles.

Quiche and salad is an elegant combination well suited to lunch, brunch, supper or a weekend breakfast. For this Quiche, use your favorite pastry or even a purchased convenience product. Do buy a good nutty-flavored Swiss cheese and a freshly grated Parmesan. For the Swiss I recommend a Jarlsburg. I usually bake individual tarts. However, the filling will work for a shallow 8- or 9-inch pie pan.

Simple Quiche

2 eggs

1 cup dairy sour cream

1/3 cup Swiss cheese, diced

very small

Salt, pepper and fresh grated

nutmeg

¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan

Pastry for four 4½-inch tart

pans or one 8 or 9-inch pie pan

Line four 4½-inch tart pans or one 8- or 9-inch pie pan with pastry.

Whisk eggs to combine. Add sour cream. Season sour cream mixture with salt, pepper and fresh grated nutmeg.

Divide Swiss cheese among tart pans or scatter over bottom of pastry-lined pie pan. Cover cheese with sour cream mixture. Top with Parmesan cheese. Bake in a 375-degree oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Curry is a natural flavor partner to many vegetables. Here, curry enlivens a combination of cooked vegetables and chicken stock for a filling soup.

Vegetables to consider would include peas, carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, corn, celery… or even a combination.

Curried Vegetable Soup

2 tbsp. soft butter

1 tbsp. flour

2½ cups good chicken stock

½ cup milk

1½ cups cooked peas (or other cooked vegetables or combination

of cooked vegetables)

1½ tsp. curry powder

Salt to taste

Put butter, flour and chicken stock into blender or food processor container. Blend or process until smooth. Pour into a saucepan. Add remaining ingredients to blender or food processor container. Blend until slightly chunky or smooth. Add to chicken stock mixture in saucepan. Mix well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened and smooth. 6-8 servings.