Recipe: Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce

LEMON-RICOTTA PANCAKES WITH BLUEBERRY SAUCE

"Ricotta cheese gives these golden pancakes their rich, smooth texture, while a generous addition of lemon zest provides a refreshing citrus accent. Beaten egg whites contribute a light airiness to the batter. The scrumptious blueberry sauce that accompanies these griddle cakes is simple to assemble, but needs a little simmering time to concentrate the flavors. You can make the sauce three days ahead and reheat it at serving time."

FOR THE BLUEBERRY SAUCE:
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries (defrosted and patted dry)
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

FOR THE PANCAKES:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, separated
1 cup whole milk ricotta
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp grated lemon zest
Canola oil

TO MAKE THE BLUEBERRY SAUCE:
Combine the 1 cup cold water, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a heavy, medium saucepan and stir until blended. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring, until the cornstarch dissolves. Add the blueberries and raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, for about 5 minutes. Remove and cool for about 10 minutes.

Puree the sauce in a food processor or blender until smooth. Strain the pur ed sauce through a fine-meshed sieve back into the saucepan. Return to medium heat and cook at a simmer until reduced to 1 cup, about 30 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon. (The sauce can be prepared 3 days ahead; cool, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat over low heat when needed.)

TO MAKE THE PANCAKES:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, ricotta, milk, sugar, and lemon zest until well blended. Gradually whisk in the dry ingredients.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg whites until they are just firm. Gently stir one-third of the whites into the batter to lighten it. Then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

Heat a griddle or a large, heavy frying pan set over medium to medium-low heat until hot, and then brush the pan with just enough oil to coat the surface. Working in batches, pour a generous 1/4 cup/60 ml measures of the batter onto the hot griddle. Cook until bubbles appear on the top and pancakes are golden brown on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn and cook until golden brown on other side, about 2 minutes. Remove to a warm platter, and cover loosely with foil. (Do not stack the pancakes or they will steam and become flabby.) Repeat, adding more oil to the griddle until all the batter has been used.

TO SERVE:
Arrange three overlapping pancakes on each of four plates, drizzle with some warm blueberry sauce, and serve.

Makes 12 pancakes, to serve 4
Source: Sunday Brunch by Betty Rosbottom