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Latkes - the Topic!

Fat Guy

By Fat Guy
in Cooking

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Rachel Perlow

Rachel Perlow

Posted
Posted
I'm sure I missed some etymological discussion, but why wouldn't you call your cheese latkes, latkes, as oppposed to fritters? Latkes are the word for pancakes, right? When I was a girl, we called many things latkes in my house, qualified by the flavoring ingredient, i.e. spinach latkes or matzo meal latkes. I've never made cheese latkes, but they sound good, have you posted a recipe?

I just figure since it's no longer Chanukah, it's inappropriate to call them latkes. Hence the fritters. But, that's just me. :huh:

Huh. My mom made the matzo meal latkes for Pesach.

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bloviatrix

bloviatrix

Posted
Posted (edited)
bloviatrix, why is it inappropriate to call them latkes after Chanukah?

It's really just my own mishugas. :wacko:

IMO, latkes should only be eaten at Chanukah. Hence, if I want a fried patty of who-knows-what at any other time during the year, I call them fritters.

But if you want to call them latkes go ahead.

Just remember, a rose by any other name smells just as sweet. :laugh: ( I probably screwed up that reference.)

Edited by bloviatrix (log)

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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JFLinLA

JFLinLA

Posted
Posted
Do you think plain Farmer's Cheese would work?  It's drier than cottage cheese, so less flour would be needed.

I just read through all the stuff about cheese latkes, and my question was the same (since I happen to have farmer cheese in the fridge at the moment), but it hasn't been answered yet. Well?

I have farmer cheese as well. Still haven't made them yet. With the exception of shabbos, we haven't been home for dinner in over 2 weeks. But I've used it for blintz filling, so I see no reason why it won't work.

I still have some batter made with cream cheese sitting the fridge so I'm not going to make any more. Would one of you give it a try with farmers cheese and let the rest of us know, please? BTW, it's a thick batter -- even more so when cold. I use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop the batter into the pan, rather than something you pour.

So long and thanks for all the fish.
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Rachel Perlow

Rachel Perlow

Posted
Posted

The farmer's cheese in my fridge tastes kind of sour (but not moldy) -- I didn't buy it and rarely if ever eat it (don't ask how it ended up in my fridge) -- is it supposed to be a little sour? Otherwise, the recipe will have to wait till I can go shopping.

Jason avatarized THE JELLO MOLD, how could I not use it? :smile:

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  • 3 weeks later...
bloviatrix

bloviatrix

Posted
Posted (edited)

The expiration date was nearing on the farmers cheese and Blovie asked nicely, so I decided to attempt the cheese latkes tonight. I will admit they were somewhat of a disaster. I made the batter in the blender - it was like a very thick cheesecake batter but still quite viscous, so I could probably use more flour next time.

Anyway, Blovie decided that he wanted to help. So first, we tried the non-stick pan with a bit of oil. Not good. Had a lot of problems flipping them over. So, I pulled out the regular skillet and decided that I would use lots of oil and see what would happen. Still not great. But they flipped. They absorbed a lot of oil, though. It tasted really good - kind of like fried cheesecake.

I'm afraid to know what they did to my arteries. I think I feel them hardening as I type. :raz:

Maybe I'll try this again next year. If I do, the spouse ISN'T allowed in the kitchen.

Edited by bloviatrix (log)

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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JFLinLA

JFLinLA

Posted
Posted
The expiration date was nearing on the farmers cheese and Blovie asked nicely, so I decided to attempt the cheese latkes tonight. I will admit they were somewhat of a disaster. I made the batter in the blender - it was like a very thick cheesecake batter but still quite viscous, so I could probably use more flour next time.

Anyway, Blovie decided that he wanted to help. So first, we tried the non-stick pan with a bit of oil. Not good. Had a lot of problems flipping them over. So, I pulled out the regular skillet and decided that I would use lots of oil and see what would happen. Still not great. But they flipped. They absorbed a lot of oil, though. It tasted really good - kind of like fried cheesecake.

I'm afraid to know what they did to my arteries. I think I feel them hardening as I type. :raz:

Maybe I'll try this again next year. If I do, the spouse ISN'T allowed in the kitchen.

Why wait for next December? How about Shavuot this spring.

Try a regular skillet with enough oil so they don't stick.

So long and thanks for all the fish.
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  • 10 months later...
Gifted Gourmet

Gifted Gourmet

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While the holiday of Hanukkah traditionally is celebrated with foods cooked in oil to commemorate the miracle of the oil lasting for eight full days, not all latkes must be made from potatoes .. some variations on the theme are right here:

nouvelles zucchini latkes

turnip latkes

vegetable and feta latkes

Italian latkes

sweet potato latkes

corn lowfat latkes

Israeli spinach fritters

Of course, I love to make and eat potato latkes myself ... :wink:

Have you tried any variations on the typical latke yourself? :rolleyes:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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KatieLoeb

KatieLoeb

Posted
Posted

Here's a link to an article that recently appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer

Latkepalooza

There are recipes for Ginger-Cilantro latkes and Wasabi Latkes with Lox. :smile:

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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bloviatrix

bloviatrix

Posted
Posted

Those wasabi latkes sound fantastic.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted

A visitor to my home, made sweet potato/parsnip latkes a few years ago. Sadly she did not share the recipe with me. The spiciness of the parsnips went perfectly with the sweet potato. We ate them topped with onion/garlic marmalade and home made sour cream. (mine and mine - she didn't get the recipe for them either. Two can play that game.)

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"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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bloviatrix

bloviatrix

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Posted

Now you have me thinking about onion confit with latkes.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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Swisskaese

Swisskaese

Posted
Posted
A visitor to my home, made sweet potato/parsnip latkes a few years ago.  Sadly she did not share the recipe with me.  The spiciness of the parsnips went perfectly with the sweet potato.  We ate them topped with onion/garlic marmalade and home made sour cream. (mine and mine - she didn't get the recipe for them either.  Two can play that game.)

Here is a recipe:

Sweet Potato - Parsnip Latkes

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andiesenji

andiesenji

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Posted

A perfect marriage of flavors and textures.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Curlz

Curlz

Posted
Posted

WOW. Might be worth a ride down to Philly this Sunday...!

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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KatieLoeb

KatieLoeb

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WOW.  Might be worth a ride down to Philly this Sunday...!

Save yourself the trip. It was LAST Sunday 12/5/04. :sad:

You can still try the recipes. :smile:

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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