Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce

I had some ricotta that was nearing its “use by” date, and blueberries were on sale at the supermarket. What could be more yummy for a Sunday brunch than lemon-ricotta pancakes?

And if you don’t have your menu set for Shavuot, the Jewish cheesecake festival that starts tonight, consider making these pancakes for a light lunch or supper.

They’re light and fluffy. The batter is thicker than that made with the boxed pancake mix you may be used to, and they take a little longer to cook through, so when you put the pancakes on the griddle, you might want to flatten the batter out a bit with your spoon or ladle. I set my electric griddle to 300 instead of 350, to give them a little more time to cook inside as they browned.

The recipe says to use cooking spray. I forgot to spray my non-stick griddle, and the pancakes were fine and didn’t stick.

My husband and I scarfed down the whole recipe for brunch (though we had some blueberry sauce left over), but this recipe should be able to serve three or four people if you include salads with the meal.

Ingredients:

Blueberry sauce:

1½  Tbs.fresh lemon juice
1½ tsp. cornstarch
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2 – 3 Tbs. granulated sugar
2 Tbs. water

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and stir in lemon juice and cornstarch mixture. Stir until the sauce thickens slightly. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

Pancakes:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
½ cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 Tbs. canola oil

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, egg, egg whites, lemon juice, lemon zest, and canola oil. Gently fold this mixture into the dry ingredients until flour disappears. Don’t over-mix. The batter will be thick.

Heat a griddle or a nonstick skillet over medium heat (300 degrees on an electric griddle). Spray with cooking spray. Drop about a third-cup of batter onto the hot griddle or skillet. Cook the pancakes until browned on the underside and beginning to set, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the pancakes on the other side, about 2 minutes longer. Continue making pancakes until batter is gone.

Serve warm with blueberry sauce.

Serves 2 to 4