If you have never been to Stella in Silverlake at Sunset Junction, make time and go. Go for breakfast, have some coffee from Intelligentsia (I have a passionate love affair going on with their Decaf Librarians blend coffee, despite the empty promises it makes because it’s decaf) and order yourself some Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. This is a leisurely pursuit, take a book or someone you enjoy talking to, they take a while to arrive. I didn’t understand why until I made them. Their unique texture and fluffy, delicious flavor can really only be achieved by gently folding the ingredients together which makes this recipe labor intensive, but oh so worth it. I don’t have the time I would like on my hands for leisurely brunches at Stella so I sought out this recipe (Thank You Chow.com – this is their recipe, I’ve added a couple of notes that I’ve found help them turn out well) for the days I crave these. Now my favorite guests get to share in the deliciousness and none of us has to get dressed for the outside world. 🙂
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Ingredients
- 5 Tbsp Butter, plus more for coating the pan (I like to use coconut oil to cook them in, the flavor is a nice juxtaposition to the lemon)
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 1 1/4 cups All-PurposeFflour
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Fine Salt
- 3 Large Eggs, Yolks and Whites Separated
- 2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Packed, Finely Grated, Lemon Zest (Approx 2-3 Lemons)
- OR 1 Drop Young Living Lemon Essential Oil
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 Cup Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
- Powdered Sugar For Dusting When Served
Instructions
- Place butter and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until butter has melted; remover from heat and cool slightly
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp of the salt; set aside
- Place egg yolks, 1 Tbsp of the sugar, lemon zest and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in a quarter of the milk-butter mixture (this will temper the eggs and prevent them from curdling) then whisk in the remaining milk-butter mixture until smooth.
- Add the reserved flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined (Do Not Over Mix); set aside
- In a medium bowl, whisk the cold egg whites to soft peaks (they should bend like soft-serve ice cream; make sure the bowl and whisk are perfectly clean with no traces of grease, or the whites will not whip properly). Halfway through whisking them, sprinkle in the remaining 1 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt.
- Using the rubber spatula, fold the whites, gently into the reserved batter until just combined
- Gently fold the ricotta into the batter, being careful to not break down the texture of the cheese (the batter will be lumpy and streaked with ricotta); set aside
- Heat a large frying pan, griddle or seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat until hot, about 4mins. Test to see if the pan is hot enough by sprinkling a couple of drops of cold water on it, if it bounces and sputters, the pan is ready for use
- Lightly coat the pans surface with butter (or coconut oil), then ladle some batter into the pan. I like to make them a little larger than silver dollar size, say 4-5 inches across, what I've found is they cook better (no mushy centers) if they're spread thin, the dough doesn't spread on its own like a normal pancake dough you have to spread it with the ladle.
- Cook until bubbles form on the top of the pancakes, about 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until the bottoms are golden brown, about 1-2 minutes more. Repeat and serve immediately.
- These are lovely with powdered sugar, just warm and on their own but I love them with a nice lemon curd or blueberries that have been simmered until they break down in a light simple syrup.