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
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.
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.
