Ricotta Pancakes with raspberries

I made lasagna recently, and bought a huge tub of lasagna to do so.  I had about half the tub left and was looking for something to do with it when I saw a Facebook post from my dear old friend, Karina, who mentioned eating lemon ricotta hotcakes.  Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner of what to do with the leftover ricotta!

I hunted down a recipe for ricotta pancakes last night and modified it based on the contents of my cabinets.  I put in some almond extract to serve as a proxy for the lemon flavor, because it actually does a good job with the sweet-sour senses (and is very potent -- a little bit goes a long way).  Then, I topped with about 3/4 of a pint of raspberries because they are the best thing in this entire world.

So, tonight, J and I had ricotta pancakes and vegetarian sausages for brinner (breakfast for dinner, thank you Scrubs)!

Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes
made about 16 medium-sized pancakes

• 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, divided  (If you need a primer: watch this short video)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• Maple syrup, powdered sugar, and berries to go atop (we used raspberries!)

Drain excess liquid from ricotta by setting it in a fine mesh strainer about 30 minutes before you start cooking.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. 

Mix ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla in a separate bowl.

Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer until stiff and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta and milk mixture, whisking until just combined. Whisk in a small amount of the egg whites to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining whites.

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat (I set it at 325 degrees F), and brush the surface with butter. Use a measuring cup (I used a 1/4 cup measure) to pour batter onto the griddle. Cook pancakes for about 3 or 4 minutes, then flip, cooking until both sides are golden brown.

Top with Maple Syrup, powdered sugar, and raspberries.