Pancakes

(from smotheram’s recipe box)

From WSJ

Source: From WSJ

Ingredients

  • For the pancakes:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Finely grated zest of 2 scrubbed and dried lemons (optional)
  • 4 large eggs, separated
  • 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
  • 3 cups buttermilk, well shaken
  • 1/2 cup ricotta (use a drier ricotta if possible)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • [columnists] PAIRINGS
  • With the pancakes, Chef Fraser recommends a peach Bellini made with Prosecco di Valdobbiadene from Italy, and we think that's a great choice on many levels. Prosecco, even by itself, would be a treat for Mom. It's sparkling, mellow, low in alcohol and ine
  • • To prepare candied lemon zest garnish: Using a citrus zester, remove long thin strips of zest from the lemons. (Or use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest in long wide strips, remove any pith, and then julienne the zest.) Toss the lemon zest in the gr

Directions

  1. • To prepare pancake batter: Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

  2. • Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and grated lemon zest, if using, together in a large bowl and set aside.

  3. • In a separate large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of the melted butter together. Add 21/2 cups of the buttermilk, ricotta, and vanilla and stir until just combined. Don’t overmix the ricotta; small curds should still be visible. Set aside.

  4. • In a separate medium bowl, beat the egg whites with a mixer until medium peaks form. Set aside.

  5. • Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. The batter should be thick but pourable. Add the remaining buttermilk if necessary. Fold in the egg whites in 2 or 3 batches until just mixed and batter is still slightly lumpy. Set aside and let sit for 20 minutes.

  6. • Heat a griddle over medium heat until hot. Brush griddle liberally with butter. Working in batches, pour the batter onto the griddle, using 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Cook until the pancakes are golden on bottom and bubbles form on the top, about 11/2 to 2 minutes. Turn pancakes and cook until other side is golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer pancakes to a heatproof platter and keep warm in the oven. Grease griddle as necessary between batches with the remaining butter. Adjust heat to medium-low if necessary.

  7. • Brush off excess sugar from the candied zest. Serve pancakes garnished with powdered sugar and maple syrup and the candied lemon zest.

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