In honor of Mother’s Day, we’re celebrating the matriarchs who have shaped the restaurants and recipes we hold close.
EsterEv is known for its globally inspired coursed menu—rooted in the heritage of Chefs and Restaurateurs Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite.
Chef Jacobs' grandmother continues to guide his cooking today through recipes like his beloved Syrniki—an Eastern European cheese pancake.
At EsterEv, he gives the dish new life with house-made ricotta, careful technique, and a deep sense of nostalgia. It’s the kind of dish that reminds you how food connects us, and how much of what we carry into the kitchen comes from those who we grew up cooking with.
Scroll down for the full Syrniki recipe.
Note: This recipe’s written for a restaurant kitchen—unless you’ve got a walk-in at home, you’ll want to trim the portions.
INGREDIENTS
Ricotta
3700 g Milk
1400 g Buttermilk
250 g Cream
65 g Salt
475 g Lemon Juice
Pancake Batter
450 g Ricotta
2 g Egg yolks
40 g Sugar
120 g Flour
7 g Baking powder
30 g Melted butter
Yeast Oil
Fresh yeast
500 g Sunflower oil
Black Garlic Labneh
150 g Black garlic
100 g Shoyu
50 g Koji
450 g Labneh
Watercress
125 g Watercress for garnish
DIRECTIONS
To create the ricotta: Heat milk, buttermilk, and cream to at least 125°F on low heat. Add lemon juice and salt and bring up to 180°F on low heat. Strain using cheese cloth.
To create the batter: Mix egg yolks and ricotta. In a separate bowl mix dry. Add wet to dry. Rest.
To create the yeast oil: Break yeast into pieces about a tablespoon size. Roast in the oven until toasty. Blend with oil and strain.
To create the black garlic labneh: Blend black garlic, shoyu, and koji until smooth. You might need a little water. Mix with labneh and season.
Heat up your pan to medium hot. While that's heating, ball your dough into 20 g portions. Add 1 tbsp of clarified butter to the pan and add dough. Cook until you see color on one side and then flip them. (I prefer mine slightly undercooked, so don't overcook them). Put a thin layer of the black garlic labneh on a plate. Stack the Syrniki and add a drizzle of toasted yeast oil. Garnish with watercress.
