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Ricotta Latkes

Gloria Kaufer Greene featured this recipe for light and thin cheese pancakes in the first edition of her NEW JEWISH HOLIDAY COOKBOOK. Since then, they seem to have become a Hanukkah classic. Greene adds that eating latkes made from cheese predates the more popular one of dining on potato latkes.

Ingredients

1 15- to 16-oz. container part-skim ricotta cheese
4 large eggs or 1 cup egg substitute
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
FOR FRYING
Butter or margarine or canola oil

Instructions

In a food processor fitted with a steel blade (or in a blender in batches if necessary), put the ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. Process until combined. Add the melted butter, and process briefly. Add the flour, and process until the batter is very smooth, like thick cream. Scrape down the sides of the container a few times during processing. (The batter will be thinner than most pancake batters.)
Preheat a griddle or shallow skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat (not hotter). An electric frypan set at 325 degrees also works very well. Lightly grease the griddle. (You can use a stick of cold butter to make 3-inch circles on the griddle.) For each latke, spoon a 1 1/2- to 2-tablespoon measure of batter (no more) onto the greased preheated griddle. The batter will spread to form an approximately 3-inch-diameter latke. Keep the latkes at least 1/2 inch apart from each other.
Cook for about 3 minutes, or until a few bubbles have risen to the surface of the pancakes, the tops are beginning to look dry, and the bottoms are golden brown in a sort of "splotchy" pattern. The latkes will not rise at all. Carefully use a pancake turner to turn the latkes once. (If the bottom of the latkes brown before the tops are dry enough to turn them, the heat is too high.) Cook the latkes briefly on the second side just until they are golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is used, greasing the griddle between batches.