Ricotta and Fruit Pancakes

These are the BEST pancakes that you will EVER EAT…but they are a little difficult to make due to their airy nature.  They are sooooo extremely light and fluffy that they are  tricky to “flip” so keep at it, and your efforts will be GREATLY REWARDED.  Remember to keep your stovetop on LOW and use a griddle.  You will need PLENTY of room to flip these pancakes…you really can’t crowd them into a standard frying pan…trust me, we tried.  Do not ruin these by topping them with a heavy syrup, it will overpower them and turn them into mush…all you need is fresh fruit and a dusting of powdered sugar.

.

RICOTTA AND FRUIT PANCAKES

.

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 egg yolks, beaten

4 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups ricotta cheese

2 egg whites

assorted fresh fruit, diced into tiny pieces

powdered sugar for dusting

.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together your flour, baking powder and salt…set aside.  In another bowl, mix together by hand your beaten egg yolks, shredded orange peel, vanilla, sugar and buttermilk.  Pour all of this into your flour mixture and stir just until the ingredients are moistened.  Add the ricotta cheese and blend gently…mixture will be slightly lumpy.

In a large mixing bowl, beat TWO egg whites until stiff peaks form and gently fold this into the pancake mixture a spoonful at a time…very gently so that you don’t flatten the egg whites.

.

Lightly grease a griddle and heat on LOW.  Pour about 1/4 cup onto the griddle for each pancake, or make tiny pancakes…the size is up to you.  Smaller ones will be easier to flip!!!  Cook on LOW heat for about 2 minutes, until you see tiny bubble all over the top of the pancake.  Very gently slide a very thin metal spatula under the pancake a quickly flip to the other side to cook for another 1-2 minutes…lift the edge to check for a golden brown color.

.

These pancakes are very, very light and airy.  They are difficult to flip.  Make sure to use a very thin metal spatula and make sure that it is fully cooked on one side before attempting to flip it over.  You MUST cook them on LOW because they require such a long cooking time on each side…they will burn on a higher temperature.

.

The taste is soooooo light and delicious.  Syrup with drown them and turn them to mush.  All you need is fresh fruit and a dusting of powdered sugar.  They are exquisite pancakes and worth the trouble!

.

BONE APPETIT!