Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Two different restaurants I have checked out recently had lemon ricotta pancakes on their breakfast menu.  What do you mean you don't check out menus before you go to a new restaurant?  Those pancakes sounded good, but something I could make myself.  So I ate a different breakfast and decided to make those delicious pancakes at home.

Only the tastiest recipes get on my blog, so you can assure yourself these are worth making.  I made them with a blueberry sauce.  But we also ate these pancakes with regular pancake syrup.  The addition of some crispy bacon made for a delightful meal.  I made them for dinner, because it is fun to have breakfast for dinner!

  

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

4 eggs
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar, divided use
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus a bit more for the egg whites
1 cup ricotta
1 large lemon
1/2 cup milk

oil for cooking

  

Blueberry Sauce, optional

4 cups frozen blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons water, divided use
1 Tablespoon corn starch

  

It takes awhile for the blueberry sauce to cook, so start that first.  Put the berries, sugar, and 1 Tablespoon water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to a simmer until the berries have burst and the juice has started to thicken.  If it isn't as thick as you'd like and you're ready to serve the pancakes, mix the remaining Tablespoon of water with the corn starch in a small bowl and add to the berries.  Stir until thickened, then remove from heat.

  

Whisk the flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.  Set aside.

  

Separate the eggs.  Place the whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and the yolks in a large bowl.

  

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt.  As it is mixing, add the 1 Tablespoon sugar. Continue mixing until the egg whites form stiff peaks.  Set aside.

  

Whisk the yolks with 1/3 cup of sugar.  When the sugar is dissolved, zest the whole lemon, making sure you only get the yellow part.  Squeeze the lemon to get the juice.  You'll need about 3 Tablespoons, which is roughly what I was able to get from one large lemon.  Add the zest, juice and the ricotta to the yolk mixture.  After blended, add the milk and whisk that in.

  

Add the flour mixture and gently mix it in.  Fold in half of the egg whites.

  

Then fold in the other half of the egg whites.

  

Be very gentle with them.  You don't want to mix out all the air you so carefully beat in.  Don't worry if there are lumps.

  

Heat the griddle, put a bit of oil on it and spread it all over with a spatula.  My griddle is electric and I set it at 350º.  I used a 1/3 cup measuring cup to pour batter onto the hot griddle.

  

Cook until bubbles form on top and turn gently. Cook another 2-3 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned.

   

Serve with butter and syrup or the blueberry sauce, if you chose to make it.

  

We tried the pancakes with syrup and with the blueberries. They were really good both ways!  But if you have the blueberries, You should totally make the blueberry sauce.  It is seriously good.

  

The pancakes were light and fluffy and the lemony flavor really came through.  You could even taste the lemon with the blueberries and the combination was soooo good.  I highly recommend this dish.

  

Just note.  You will have blue teeth.