New Year's Day 2009 I started my year off the right way by making pancakes for breakfast. More hungover than I've ever been in my life and wearing a pink South Carolina Gamecocks shirt against my own will, I dragged myself into the kitchen to make blueberry pancakes for a bunch of boys watching football. When you feel like death, pancakes really speed up the revival process. I then went on a pancake binge for a couple months, broke up with them, and start dating oatmeal. We've been dating ever since, but last week when somebody told me you could make pancakes with ricotta, I knew I was going to have an affair.
On a Food Network episode of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," Aida Mollenkamp raves about the ricotta blueberry pancakes featured at the Los Angeles restaurant, BLD. Ricotta? In your pancakes? Doesn't ricotta go in lasagna? Yes...but ricotta in pancakes sounded like a marvelous idea that I needed to try. I searched through the blogosphere for a recipe until I found the winner: Mark Bittman's Light, Fluffy and Rich Pancakes.
These pancakes are special for two reasons: the use of ricotta and yogurt, and the separation of the eggs. The egg yolks are mixed in with the wet ingredients and the whites are whipped until stiff. After mixing the wet and dry ingredients, you then gently fold in the egg whites.
Before any mixing or whipping, there was some drinking...of mimosas. Sunday night breakfast with alcohol, sure, why not?
Well, maybe because champagne makes a normally clumsy girl extra clumsy and knock over a pint of blueberries...
and then have to clean them up...
The pancake batter was really light but thick. I scooped a large amount into the pan and flattened it out a bit so they were more even.
The pancakes had a nice crispy outer layer with a really tender inside. I'm telling you, these pictures do not do them justice. They were so soft with a creamy, cheesy middle that burst with flavors of blueberry. Moaning at the table may have happened.
As a side, I made the most adorable mini frittatas that I found here. I mixed 4 eggs whites + 1 egg with sauteed spinach, tiny pieces of pepperoni, bits of paranno cheese and s&p.
I poured them into a muffin pan and baked for 30 minutes at 350*. They were like egg cupcakes! With each one having different amounts of the ingredients, it was a surprise in each bite!
You have to make these pancakes! I was seriously sitting at the table saying "Oh my gosh" and "These are soooooooo gooooood" on repeat. I promise it wasn't because I drank half a bottle of champagne. As far my history with pancakes, they really were "the best thing I ever ate."
Question: What do you like in your pancakes? Fruit, nuts, spices? What do you top your pancakes with? I never use butter because I think it takes away from the pancake flavor. Jenna loves peanut butter! Tell me about the best pancakes you've ever had!
I want to thank each and every one of you who comments on my posts. You guys have no idea how happy each one makes me. Whether you write one sentence or a paragraph, it makes me smile. I absolutely love hearing from you. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten a compliment on my blog from someone that I had no idea was a reader. If you're out there, feel free to say hello! I welcome positive and constructive feedback from everyone :) Happy Monday!
