Breakfast for Dinner

I love having breakfast food for dinner; sometimes it just hits the spot!  When I saw this pancake recipe from Williams-Sonoma I thought it would be the prefect meal to do that with.  Who doesn't like creamy pancakes served with berries and powdered sugar?  No matter what time of day or night you eat these, they will be delicious.  

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F, to keep the finished pancakes in while you cook the rest of the batter.  Place ricotta cheese in a large bowl, and add milk, egg yolks, and sugar.  Whisk to combine.  I used skim ricotta cheese, but you can use regular as well.

Add the flour, lemon zest, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.  Fold until well blended.

In a medium bowl, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar.  Using a whisk or a handheld mixer on medium speed, beat until soft peaks form.  I made these at C's house and forgot my mixer, so this was quite an arm work out.  Still no one has noticed and asked me if I've been hitting the weights... maybe next time.  Fold the whites into the ricotta mixture with a rubber spatula until just blended.

The recipe calls for four cups of mixed berries.  I cut the servings in half which made around seven pancakes, and used fresh strawberries and blueberries.  Combine the berries and lemon juice.  Stir gently to blend and set aside.

On a griddle or frying pan over medium heat brush the surface with a thin layer of oil.  Ladle around 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot surface.  Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until small bubbles appear around the edges.

Carefully flip and cook until the other side is slightly browned.  These are a little harder to flip than normal pancakes because they don't have as much flour to keep everything together.  Also be careful not to burn them, because of the ricotta cheese they burn faster than normal.  Transfer to an oven proof platter and place in the oven to keep warm, don't cover!  Repeat until all your batter has been used.

Just before serving dust with confectioners sugar and serve with a large scoop of mixed berries.  These were so delicious.  The lemon zest and ricotta cheese mixed with the berries tasted great.  They're light, but you're filled up after eating them.  I served with a couple slices of bacon, and ate it up!  

Enjoy :)

Ricotta Lemon Pancakes

Adapted from: Williams-Sonoma, Essentials of Healthful Cooking

1 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup milk *I used skim

3 large eggs, separated

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

pinch of cream of tartar

4 cups mixed berries

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Place ricotta in a large bowl, add milk, egg yolks and sugar; whisk to combine.

Add the flour, lemon zest, and a little salt; fold until blended.

In a separate bowl, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar. 

Using a whisk or mixer beat until soft peaks form.

Using a spatula, fold the whites into the ricotta mixture until just blended.

In a medium bowl, combine the berries and lemon juice and set aside.

On a griddle or frying pan heat over medium heat.  

Brush the surface with a thin layer of oil.

Ladle around 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot surface, and reduce heat to medium low.

Cook until bubbles appear around the edges, around 4-5 minutes.

Carefully flip and cook the other side until brown.

Transfer to oven platter and place in the oven to keep warm. *Don't cover, otherwise the pancakes will get soggy

Repeat until all the batter has been cooked.

Just before serving dust with powered sugar and a large spoonful of berries.