Cheese Latkas Recipe. Gluten-Free-Friendly

Posted on 29th of November, 2012 by Lévana

I have my mother-in-law to thank for turning me on to cheese latkas, which she used to whip up anytime we tugged at her heartstrings, Chanukkah or not, and often for a light lunch, as they are only very lightly sweetened.   With this recipe, your cheese latkas will be every bit as delicious as hers.  Ricotta Latkas/Fritters are a huge Italian dessert favorite, and a snap to make. Like mini cheesecakes. Gluten-Free diners can enjoy them too! You will find them quite versatile, served as suggested here.

Frying scaring you? Read my guidelines on frying first,  Fear of Frying Therapy I trust you will feel empowered to do it more often, and maybe even enjoy it!

If you decide to serve the cheese latkas as a savory dish, reduce the sugar to just 2 tablespoons, skip the vanilla or rum, and add some thinly sliced chives, a good pinch of nutmeg and some ground pepper to the batter. Proceed just as instructed, and if desired, top them with thinly-sliced smoked salmon and a dollop plain yogurt.

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil for frying

Batter:

4 eggs

1 cup cottage cheese, low-fat OK

2 cups ricotta cheese, low-fat OK

1/3 cup sugar, a drop less if used as savory

1 cup flour, any flour including Gluten-Free, a little more if necessary

1/2 cup golden raisins

Pinch salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract, or 2 tablespoons light rum or brandy (liquor stores)

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Instructions:

Pour the oil in a large skillet, coming up about 1/3 inch high, and heat on a high flame.

While the oil heats, mix all batter ingredients in a bowl and combine thoroughly. Add a little flour if necessary to form a malleable and firm batter.

Using 2 soup spoons, drop the batter in the hot oil, taking care not to crowd the skillet (which would cause the temperature to drop: the usual culprit for greasy latkas). Fry about 2 minutes on each side, until golden. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. You will get about 2 dozen total. Serve warm. alone or with plain yogurt, vanilla ice cream, applesauce (homemade would of course be best: My applesauce is delicious and a snap to make!) or maple syrup. I even tried with a little drizzle of Chocolate Syrup, and it was great!

Filed under: Chanukkah Recipes, Cheese Latkas Recipes, Dairy Recipes, Dessert Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Italian Recipes, Kosher Recipes, Latka Recipes, Recipes