BREAKFAST CLUB: lemon ricotta pancakes with berry syrup

All was right with the world, as soon as the citric scent of fresh squeezed lemons tingled her nose; the mist dancing around her face and fragranced the air. Summer had arrived. 

I don't much quite like lemons you see, not for what it is. Then again, it must simply be a dressing. An accessory. A companion to those in need, like sauces and pestos and cakes. Ahh cakes. For some, nothing tops a guilt ridden slice of cold pizza in the morning. But for me, a chance to have cake before noon is an indulgence I don't see comparable in any way. The idea of squirting lemon into my morning cake batter though, was a concept as alien to me as putting chocolate chips in my iced coffee. As a self-nominated gourmand, I'm willing to try anything once, as foreign yet familiar as they may be.

Cheese on the other hand, well, there are not many things I wouldn't throw cheese into, on, or all over. Ricotta has just entered my life though, and taking a dive with lemony recipes while toying with a new dairy product was an adventure well worth it. Cooking and baking should be a visit to the unknown whenever possible anyway. Don't you think?

LEMONY RICOTTA PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup ricotta
• 1 freshly squeezed lemon and zest
• 3 eggs, seperated
• 3 tbs butter, melted
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 tbs sugar
• pinch of salt
• berries, optional

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to low.
2. Put the ricotta, lemon juice and zest, egg yolks, and half the butter in a bowl and beat until combined.
3. Sift in the flour, baking soda and salt and fold in. Whisk the egg whites in a seperate bowl with electric handheld whisk until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and whist until glossy and fm. Fold whites into the batter.
4. Use remainign butter to grease pan. Drop a heaping tablespoon of batter into the skillet and cook for two minutes on each side until cooked through. Keep pancakes warm in oven until done.
5. Serve with warm berry syrup (simply mix berries with a bit of sugar until desired consistency is achieved) and top with creme fraiche or maple syrup. Yum!