Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes

While we were in Montana, we ate breakfast twice at a place called The Rack Shack.  I ate the Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes which were fantastic.  The boys tried mine and when we went back they both ordered them.  I decided that I should try to make a version once we got home.  This is a recipe I found on the Williams-Sonoma website.  I think that they came out even better than the ones we ate at The Rack Shack if that is possible.  I suggest topping them with either blueberry, strawberry or raspberry sauce.  My son tried them with strawberry-rhubarb conserve from Harry & David's and said it was a great combination.  Either way, they are delicious.


Lemon-Ricotta Pancake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, milk, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice until smooth. Sift together the flour, baking powder and 1/8 tsp. of the salt over the ricotta mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.


In another large bowl, using a whisk, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the remaining 1/8 tsp. salt and continue beating until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the egg whites into the ricotta mixture, then gently fold in the remaining whites.


Preheat a griddle over medium heat. Spray the griddle with nonstick cooking spray. Ladle 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on top and the pancakes are golden underneath, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer to a warmed plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Makes 12 to 14 pancakes.

Enjoy!

Arch's Flapjacks from Diane Mott Davidson's Fatally Flaky

I finally tried another one of Diane Mott Davidson's recipes!  This time it was Arch's Pancakes.  They are really good.  I know they are good because my son loves them.  He doesn't like pancakes all that much but has actually asked for these again.  That is a very good sign coming from him.  I decided to double the recipe so we could have some for breakfast during the week. The batter is very thick.  If you make these and decide to double the batter, reduce the amount of flour to 2-1/2 cups and increase the buttermilk by 1/4 - 1/3 cup otherwise you will have extremely thick batter.  In the book, Arch makes a point of preparing clarified butter which is what they use in the pan to cook the pancakes.  I did this last time but skipped it this time.  This recipe is nice because you can make the whole batter in your food processor and never have to use a bowl.  Personally, I never thought of adding cottage cheese to pancakes before but it adds a bit of protein to breakfast. Nice!  Thanks Diane.

Arch's Flapjacks (aka The Fluffiest Pancakes Ever)
by Diane Mott Davidson in Fatally Flaky

1/4 cup (2 oz.) cottage cheese
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbs canola or safflower oil
1-1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. sugar (optional)
Butter, Maple Syrup or Fruit Preserves

In a food processor or blender, pulse the cottage cheese until it is smooth(er). Then add the egg, buttermilk, and oil.  Mix briefly until smooth.  Next, mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar just until combined.  The mixture will be thick, but if it seems too thick, add a tablespoon or two of buttermilk.   Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles on the surface.  Then drop the pancake batter -- about a scant 1/4 cup for each -- and let cook until bubbles form on the surface and the edges seem dry around the edges.  Flip the pancakes and let cook for another minute or two, until the bottoms are lightly browned.  Serve immediately with butter and toppings or keep warm in a 200-degree oven.

Enjoy!

The Creative Cook

Easy Oven Baked Pancake

Today we had another snow day. I don't know why because our weather wasn't bad. We had maybe a dusting of snow. I guess in the north of the county there was ice or a lot more snow. If their roads were bad, then that is why our schools were closed. I probably will never know why but it gave me and D the chance to make a yummy breakfast. We had the idea of making an oven baked pancake so we started with a recipe from the Recipezaar website. After a discussion with D and reading all the comments, here is what we came up with. I will tell you that we added additional flour, egg and sliced frozen strawberries and strawberry jam in the middle. We also increased the cooking time to about 28 minutes to make up for the additional liquid added by the strawberries and jam. I can also recommend using only one tablespoon of butter rather than the two that the original recipe recommends because there was melted butter pooling on the top of our cooked pancake. Feel free to sprinkle the top with cinnamon and more sugar if desired. For best results, the baking dish with the melted butter in it must be hot before adding in the batter. We used a 9-inch round pan because we didn't have a 9-inch square pan. It worked just fine.

Easy Oven-Baked Pancake

40 min 10 min prep

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1-3/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Set oven to 400 degrees (bottom oven rack).

Melt the butter in a 9-inch square baking dish in the oven.

In a medium bowl beat together eggs and 1/4 cup milk.

In another bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; add to the egg/milk mixture; mix until combined.

Slowly whisk in the remaining 1 cup milk.

Pour into the hot baking dish over the melted butter.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

After tasting this pancake, I thought it would also taste really good if you made it with bacon and cheddar cheese. Also, you could use practically any fruit. I could see this being fantastic with apples and applesauce along with cinnamon and sugar on top. We thought peaches would work as would any other berry. This is a very versatile recipe. You can absolutely double it for a larger crowd and putting it into a 9 x 13 inch pan.

I am thinking about making it in my heart shaped pan with a different berry for Valentine's Day!

Enjoy!

The Creative Cook