Ricotta Pancakes with Cornmeal

Last month we blogged about using ricotta. We occasionally buy ricotta for savory Italian pasta dishes and then end up throwing the other half of the container out because it goes bad. But not anymore! After some googling I stumbled upon all sorts of yummy breakfast recipes with ricotta so now we use the second half of the ricotta for brunch.

We had previously tried ricotta pancakes and knew they were delicious. That first recipe for ricotta pancakes was found online. This one today is from a cookbook we received as a wedding gift! I particularly enjoyed this ricotta pancake variation because it had cornmeal in it which added a bit to the savory flavor.

We actually made these pancakes for Valentine's Day which explains the extra dollop of whipped cream -- gotta be a little extra sweet on the holiday! Since we did so many wedding posts in February this one got forgotten but here it is now. Read on for the recipe.


Ricotta Silver Dollars from Sarah Copeland's The Newlywed Cookbook
Ingredients
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal or polenta
1/2 tsp fine sea salt or iodized salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta
2 large eggs, separated
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
punch of finely grated lemon zest
1 tbsp sugar
melted unsalted butter, for the pan

Directions
   Whisk together flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, ricotta, egg yolks, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and whisk in the wet ingredients until just incorporated.
   Beat the egg whites and sugar with an electric mixer. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter with a spatula or whisk until evenly incorporated, but don't overmix, which can deflate the egg whites.
  Heat a cast-iron or nonstick griddle or heavy frying pan over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles when splashed on the pan. Brush the griddle lightly with melted butter. Pour 1/4 of batter per pancake onto the griddle, leaving about 2 inches between pancakes. When little bubbles form all over the surface of the batter, after 1 to 2 minutes, gently life and flip the pancakes with a flexible spatula. Cook on the other side until the pancakes are golden brown around the edges, about 2 minutes. Repeat, adding more butter to the pan as needed.
   Serve immediately with sliced nectarines and their syrup.

2 comments:

  1. Sounds good. You are always creative.

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  2. Hello! I stumbled across your blog some time ago and enjoy all the recipes! The Spaghetti Squash Bake looks yummy! Several in our family are on the GAPS diet right now and we are always looking for new recipe ideas! Thanks for sharing!
    Jayme Silvestri

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