Go ahead and add Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Fresh Berry Sauce to the meal plan for this weekend. There’s something about Saturday morning that begs us to slow down and savor the break in our weekly routine. “Gather everyone round and make something special for breakfast,” it whispers as we lazily rise from our cozy slumber.
Admittedly, sometimes this looks more like a donut run than a fancy pants homemade breakfast, but these Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Fresh Berry Sauce are just the thing when lingering around the table and letting the dishes sit a while is a luxury your schedule will allow.
While this is a perfect recipe for weekend breakfast, I was inspired to make these Lemon Ricotta Pancakes earlier this week because I had a leftover half carton of ricotta staring at me from the back of the fridge (remember those Orange Ricotta Cookies we made). I knew if I didn’t find a way to use it up, it would be sacrificed to the kitchen trash. Along with it was a couple cups of berries that were past their prime. And my neighbor’s lemon tree is dropping gigantic lemons all over the sidewalk. See where this is going?
As a result of a little creativity, a few random almost wasted ingredients came together to make the most delicious stack of pancakes I’ve had in quite some time! The ricotta in these pancakes makes the center creamy and almost custard like. Yet, they are light and airy with the loveliest tang from the fresh lemon juice and zest. The result of the sweet berry sauce and lemony pancakes coming together is such a delight.
Let this be a lesson to me!
Look for ways to use what is already there before buying more. Be creative and find ways to give new life to foods that might be overlooked. So often, I think of shopping sales when looking to save money on groceries, but could it be more efficient and wiser to simply make better use out of what I already have?
That berry sauce is so easy to make with just some ripe berries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. I might just try it on homemade vanilla ice cream very soon.
Hello summer, I definitely see you coming.
It may be only Wednesday, but it’s never too early to dream about the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes that are most definitely happening this weekend.
Did you make this recipe?
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Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Fresh Berry Sauce
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 small pancakes 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
These Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Fresh Berry Sauce are weekend breakfast perfection! The ricotta makes the center creamy and almost custard like. Yet, they are light and airy with the loveliest tang from the fresh lemon juice and zest.
Ingredients
For the Pancakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta
- 3/4 cups whole milk
- 2 eggs (separated)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- zest of one lemon
- Butter for the pan
For the Fresh Berry Sauce
- 2 cups berries, strawberries halved
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- pinch of salt
- fresh mint for garnish if desired
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, whisk together ricotta, milk, egg yolks (reserve egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer), vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta mixture and stir together. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, whisk the reserved egg whites until soft peaks form about 2-3 minutes. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Set aside.
- Preheat a cast iron pan or griddle over medium heat.
- While the batter rests and the pan preheats, add the fresh berries, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and salt to a small pan. Bring them to a gentle simmer over medium low heat, stirring and crushing slightly as they cook to bring the juices out. When the juices have thickened slightly, turn the heat off and start on the pancakes.
- Spread butter to the preheated pan or griddle and ladle the pancake batter using about 3/4 cup batter per pancake. Cook about 2 minutes per side. Serve warm with fresh berry sauce.
Notes
This recipe is slightly adapted from a Fluffy Ricotta Pancake recipe found on Kitchn.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Pancake With Berry Sauce
- Calories: 206
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 181mg
- Fat: 7.7g
- Saturated Fat: 4.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.8g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 27g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 7.8g
- Cholesterol: 68mg
Emily says
Thank you for these tips! I love my cast-iron too, but, like you, there are some things that annoy me. Hopeful that they’ll actually last a lifetime.;-)
Emily
http://www.theorangeslate.com