Dinner Tonight: Ricotta Pancakes with Lemon Curd
Breakfast for dinner. It doesn't happen too often, but when the times are right, nothing seems better. Perhaps it's because the meal is so comforting or you have memories of mom and lazy mornings. It's especially great when your city is blanketed in heavy snow and you don't have the ingredients to make much else. I found this recipe on The Kitchn, and realized it would use some of the leftover ricotta I had in the fridge.
These aren't your regular dry pancakes. The ricotta makes them twice as tender and soft. But they also get a big boost from the egg whites, which are beaten until stiff and then folded in at the end. They give the pancakes height without weighing them down.
But the real reason I picked this recipe was the lemon curd that gets spread all over the pancakes. Of course, you could save time and just douse these pancakes with some top-grade maple syrup and all would be fine with the world. But for some reason, the lemon curd has a special affinity for these guys. It's the perfect tart antidote for the creamy pancake.
Ricotta Pancakes with Lemon Curd
- serves 4 -
Ricotta Pancakes
Ingredients
1 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch salt
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs, yolks and whites separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Butter
Powdered sugar
Lemon Curd (recipe follows)
Procedure
1. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. In another slightly larger bowl, stir together the ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla.
2. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. An electric hand mixer will save loads of time. Dump the flour mixture atop the ricotta mixture. Stir until just combined. Gently fold in the egg whites.
3. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat. Wipe surface with butter, and then scoop out about 1/3 cup of the mixture for each pancake. Cook until well-browned on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes a side.
4. Spread some of the lemon curd on the pancakes, and sprinkle on some powdered sugar.
Lemon Curd
Ingredients
3 egg yolks
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup lemon juice
6 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons butter, diced
Procedure
1. Whisk together the yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a saucepan. Turn the heat to medium, and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat, and stir in the butter one piece at a time, until all of it is incorporated and the mixture is very smooth. Cover mixture and stash in the fridge while you make the pancakes.
View other entries from Dinner Tonight.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
25 Comments:
OK, off to the store for some lemons and ricotta!!! THANKS SE!!!! :o)
juliebugsmama at 4:37PM on 01/12/09
Bea-uuuu-tiful.
Michele Humes at 4:37PM on 01/12/09
We've had these with lovely blueberries. Always delish. No reason why we can't have blueberries and lemon curd!
duodishes at 4:48PM on 01/12/09
cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurd
Grace Kang at 5:39PM on 01/12/09
This sounds really good and pretty simple, will have to make it!
Jbout at 5:43PM on 01/12/09
ooooh! that looks absolutely lush ^_^
Kathy YL Chan at 5:52PM on 01/12/09
this does look really really good
foodismyspeciality at 6:37PM on 01/12/09
Kenny Shopsin has this in his book, too.
His basically is, combine pancake batter and citrus zest together, fold in ricotta, then cook on the griddle.
Prairie at 6:46PM on 01/12/09
Oh. My. Goddess.
buffy at 7:20PM on 01/12/09
This sounds amazing!
saraann at 10:18PM on 01/12/09
Does anyone have any tips for making these on a cast iron skillet? I have heard cast iron is the way to go for great pancakes, but I've always used a griddle pan. Thanks!
sperrone at 9:10AM on 01/13/09
My mouth has never watered for pancakes... until now.
smile at 10:42AM on 01/13/09
if it weren't for all the egg yolks, i'd smear curd over everything i ate. my goal in life is to turn all fruits into curds, although so far i've only succeeded with mango-lime and passionfruit.
also, ricotta pancakes may be the best of all possible pancakes.
thursdaynightsmackdown at 1:12PM on 01/13/09
What a perfect way to get rid of the rest of the ricotta in the fridge! Love pancakes too. :-)
All I need is eggs for this one. I ran out this weekend.
Can't seem to find my zester which is problematic at the moment.
Butrflygirly at 3:19PM on 01/13/09
Resolution: FAIL! Though all New Year resolutions are already a thing of the past, I had at least decided that this week I would NOT stop off at the store on the way home to pick up this or that ingredient for dinner, but would only use what I have in the house - until this recipe! DAMMIT! Who always keeps ricotta on hand?!!? Very light and tasty pancakes; and the curd was far easier than I thougt it would be....thanks
oishi at 8:34AM on 01/14/09
Deliciousness!
kathall at 5:58PM on 01/14/09
My stomach needs this ASAP!!
Marls Barkley at 6:22PM on 01/14/09
I just ate my monitor while trying to taste the picture of these pancakes.
ChicagoDrew at 3:49AM on 01/15/09
It's brinner!
CanadianFoodieGirl at 11:07AM on 01/15/09
Mmmm... are you by chance missing the Northstar Cafe ricotta pancakes, Nick?
mekuno at 1:31PM on 01/15/09
Mekuno: Honestly never had them...I do miss the freshly made ginger ale and that veggie burger. Combine that with a hot summer day out on the patio, and I'm set.
Nick Kindelsperger at 4:21PM on 01/15/09
I've had those Northstar pancakes. They're one of my first Columbus, OH food memories, and probably still one of the fondest!
July at 4:27PM on 01/15/09
I gave these a shot this week and found the pancakes a little too delicately flavored for the lemon curd. If you want the pancakes to lead, use a bit less curd.
I'm also learning that I think I prefer dense, buttermilk-style pancakes to the lighter and fluffier egg-white variety.
sethmad at 9:31AM on 01/17/09
Delicious pancake recipe, with the best tangy ricotta flavor I've had yet, but I was disappointed they weren't fluffier with all those egg whites. Maybe I overworked the batter, but these weren't even half as thick as my usual buttermilk pancakes. the lemon curd was delicious though, and great on cold leftover pancakes.
cupcakelust at 10:53AM on 01/20/09
Made the batter for my daughter and SIL, she cooked them at home...loved them. They ate the pancakes with honey & strawberry jam. I didn't make the lemon curd--too many eggs... they enjoyed anyway.
elaine nan at 8:10PM on 01/21/09