Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Macerated Strawberry Coulis

Is that title an intimidating mouth full or what? Well, just wait until you get a "mouth full!" Don't shy away- you can do it! The lemon and ricotta makes this one stand out from your typical pancake, but then you fold in the fluffy egg whites, and the strawberry stuff- sounds so fancy- (I don't even know what coulis means) but I do know it tasted incredible! SO SWEET and yummy. What a way to kick of the day! If you've got some time... because trust me, this one takes some TLC, whip these babies up... you'll thank yourself after, I promise. Doug said, (and I quote,) "These are by far the BEST pancakes I have ever had."

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Macerated Strawberry Coulis (Recipe courtesy of Food Network's Anne Burell)

Strawberry coulis:
1quart strawberries, topped and quartered
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice

Pancake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch for egg whites
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs, separated
1 heaping cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup milk
2 Meyer lemons, zested and juiced
Butter, for cooking the pancakes
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Strawberries:
Toss the strawberries with the sugar and orange juice. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
After the berries and sugar have macerated and become very juicy, remove 1/2 of the berry mixture, put it in a food processor and puree until smooth. Return it to the rest of the berries and reserve until ready to use.

Pancakes:
Sift together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the egg yolks, ricotta, milk and lemon zest and juice, and mix until it becomes homogeneous. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients to the well and whisk until combined.
Preheat a griddle.
In another bowl, using a whisk or electric mixer, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt to stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the flour mixture in thirds. Do this quickly and gently so the pancakes will be light and fluffy.
Melt small pats of butter onto the preheated griddle, and spread it around with a paper towel to remove any excess butter. Spoon or ladle the pancake batter onto the prepared griddle to desired size of the pancake. When the top of the pancake is full of holes, like bubbles have risen to the surface and burst, the pancake is ready to flip. Flip the cakes and cook until the bottom is golden brown.
Remove the pancakes from the grill to serving plates. Top with the macerated strawberry coulis and garnish with powdered sugar.
What a flapjack!

Maple Cranberry Pancake Muffins

When I made these, I was quite surprised to find that they tasted just like pancakes with cranberries inside. The maple flavor and texture all combine to make you feel like you are eating pancakes. These are the best when eaten right out of the oven. The ones I tried the next day were good, but not as soft and moist. And the drizzly maple glaze is a must!

 

Ingredients:

• 1-3/4 C. all purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/2 C. maple syrup
• 1/2 C. milk
• 1/4 C. butter, melted
• 1/2 C. dried cranberries or cherries or chopped fresh cranberries

Icing:

• 1/2 C. powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp. maple flavoring
• 2-3 tsp. milk

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease twelve standard muffin cups or line with muffin tin liners.
• In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center.
• In a small mixing bowl, stir together the egg, maple syrup, milk, and butter. Add all at once to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened (the batter should be lumpy). Fold in fruit.
• Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling them 2/3 full. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
• For the icing, in a small mixing bowl stir together the powdered sugar, maple flavoring, and enough milk to make a smooth icing of drizzling consistency. Drizzle over fresh muffins.

Recipe adapted from The Muffin Book

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 C. Instant Pancake Mix (Bisquick)
• 1 C. Regular or quick-cooking oats
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 C. Sour Cream
• 1 1/2 C. Milk
• 1 Banana, sliced very thin
• 1/4 C. Walnuts, chopped

Directions:
Combine first five ingredients with a wire whisk or hand beater (I used my Bosch compact mixer) until smooth. If needed, you can add up to 1/4 cup of milk to make it a bit more runny. Pour scant 1/4 c. measuring cupfuls onto a hot griddle. Arrange the banana slices on top of the uncooked side immediately after pouring it. The thinner the better. Sprinkle the nuts on top of that. I hate walnuts, so I always skip that step. Drizzle batter over top of the bananas just to cover them. Don't pour too much, just coat the exposed bananas and nuts. Cook until the edges are dry. Turn; cook until golden brown. This makes about 12 pancakes.


Topping Suggestion: Serve with bananas, walnuts, and caramel. I also like peanut butter as a topping. For more of a dessert pancake- caramel, whipped cream, chopped nuts.