I first tasted ricotta pancakes with fresh fruit, one sunny April morning at Bill’s place in Darlinghurst, Sydney. The relaxed urban restaurant was owned by the very talented chef Bill Granger.
To make it even more special, Bill was in residence that morning. I want to think he was cooking my breakfast; one can only dream. Since then, I have made these pancakes to remind my family and me of that exceptional time together. I serve them with fresh strawberries and maple syrup, or bananas and runny honey. For my dear son, when he is home, he also likes strawberry sauce.
The recipe is simple to do and ideal if you are having friends staying over, plus the mixture does keep overnight in the fridge with a clingfilm cover, or my niffy Birkmann - Deco-Queen - an easy baking gadget.
You must cook and serve immediately.
The recipe makes approx. 12 medium pancakes
Ingredients
1 1/3 cup ricotta
3/4 (6floz) cup milk
4 eggs, separated
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
50g(1 1/2 oz) butter
To serve:
Strawberries and maple syrup, and if you like yoghurt
Method
- Place ricotta in a bowl together with egg yolks and milk and mix all 3 ingredients together.
- Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a separate bowl, and mix into ricotta mixture until just combined.
- Place egg whites in a clean, dry bowl and whisk until stiff peaks. Fold egg whites into the batter with a metal spoon. Do it in two batches, not all at once.
- Lightly grease a frying pan with a knob of butter, non-stick is best, then drop 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake into the pan. Only cook 3 or 4 pancakes together at a time, depending on the size of your pan. 2 minutes each side, or until golden brown. Transfer to a plate, top with strawberries and maple syrup and serve immediately. I sprinkle a little icing sugar over if I have guests for breakfast.
Wake up with a cup of coffee to kick start the day; then Bill says these ricotta pancakes are the only ones to flip.
So do try them. Let me know your thoughts!!