Fresh Rhubarb...Cottage Cheese Pancakes with a Rhubarb compote

So this was the first meal I served to my guests and I'm pretty sure they were honest in telling me that it was delicious, because I thought so too!  I'm not a huge breakfast person, I usually do something small with a cup of coffee, but on the weekends sometimes it is nice to just go all out.  Plus we have awesome landlords who give us pretty much full access to all of their garden and the rhubarb is ripe and delicious right now.  This pancake recipe is very unusual.  I've never seen one with cottage cheese in it, but it was actually very good.   I didn't really even taste the cottage cheese, but I guess they did have a bit of a different texture.  The one thing to warn you about is when you cook the pancakes be sure to make them small, like the directions say, because they are very difficult to flip when they are large...I learned this the hard way and had two casualties.  After that I figured it out and they turned out great.  I added a package of strawberries to the compote and it was SO SO SO good, I could put this stuff on EVERYTHING, seriously!

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

3/4 cup all purpose flour 

1 T sugar

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup cottage cheese

2/3 cup milk

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

5 tsp vegetable oil 

(I doubled this recipe and it served 4 perfectly)

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda.  Stir in cottage cheese, milk, egg whites and vanilla.  In a large skillet heat oil and working in batches drop batter into pan (1/4 cup per pancake).  Cook until just set around the edges and small bubbles appear on the top.  Flip pancakes and cook until set in center.  Serve immediately with rhubarb compote.

Rhubarb Compote

1 3/4 lbs rhubarb, ends trimmed, cut crosswise into 3/4 inch pieces (about 6 cups)

1 cup sugar

1 T finely grated peeled ginger

Stir rhubarb and sugar in a large saucepan (off the heat); let stand until rhubarb releases some liquid, about 10 minutes.  Stirring occasionally, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until rhubarb has softened, about 5 min.  (Add strawberries at this point if you choose).  Remove from heat.  Place ginger in a fine sieve set over a small bowl.  Press with a spoon to release juice (about 1tsp).  Discard solids. (I actually just put the ginger in, i don't have a sieve).  Stir ginger juice into rhubarb mixture. 

Logan Rating: ****