Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes with Caramelized Apples
★★★☆☆
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
- 2 crisp red or pink apples, preferably Honeycrisp—peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- Kosher salt
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 3 large eggs, separated
- ½ cup fresh ricotta cheese
- Warm pure maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
- 1. In a large skillet, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the apples, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, ½ teaspoon of the lemon zest and a pinch of salt and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just tender and golden, about 5 minutes; keep warm.
- 2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder with ½ teaspoon of salt and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk with the egg yolks, ricotta and the remaining ¾ teaspoon of lemon zest. Whisk the mix into the dry ingredients until just incorporated.
- 3. In a clean, large stainless steel bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold them into the batter.
- 4. Preheat a griddle and grease it with butter. Scoop ¼-cup mounds of batter onto the griddle. Cook the pancakes over moderately high heat until bubbles appear on the surface, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook until the pancakes are risen and golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to plates, spoon the warm apples on top and serve with warm maple syrup.
For the ultimate pancakes, use fresh ricotta cheese and finely grated lemon zest. The technique of separating eggs and folding in beaten whites creates exceptionally fluffy pancakes. Make sure to use a clean stainless steel bowl for beating egg whites to achieve proper peaks.
Wine Pairing: Sparkling