Pancake Man

My husband makes pancakes.  All different kinds: blueberry, buckwheat, banana, bacon...English majors love alliteration by the way!  They are all wonderful, and this is saying a lot because I'm not exactly a pancake fan.  But, I had learned to appreciate his griddle skilz and even really love a few of the pancake variations.  My favorite is lemon ricotta....mmmmmm....so spongy, creamy, flavorful!  You don't even need syrup with these little cakes of happiness.  I am just not a dessert or syrupy-sweet type of gal; give me some stinky cheese and a glass of wine any day over sticky cobblers and cakes!  So, the lemon ricotta pancakes are right up my alley.  For Mother's Day, Hubby made lemon ricotta pancakes, bacon (meat candy to some of you) and his ubiquitous strawberry fan.  The man loves a strawberry fan, don't tell him I told you!  So, here is his recipe for basic pancake batter, along with the lemon ricotta variation:

Basic Batter

2 C of flour (you can use half white and half whole wheat/buckwheat if you want to make it healthier)
3/4 C of granulated sugar
2 1/2 T baking powder
1 t salt
Whisk dry ingredients well in large bowl

Add:
2 C milk
1 egg
1/4 C vegetable oil or 3T melted butter
2-6 T honey (to taste I guess.  For basic batter only, not lemon ricotta)

Whisk well until all ingredients are incorporated.  For lemon ricotta, zest 1 lemon into bowl.  Squeeze lemon, cut in half and squeeze juice into bowl.  Whisk well again.  Crumble about 1/3 C of ricotta cheese and fold gently into batter.  This is is slightly different than a traditional ricotta pancake recipe where the cheese is whipped fully into the batter.  I like the consistency of the cheese making an appearance in the pancake! 

Cook pancakes at 350-375 on a griddle or large non-stick skillet.  Flip when bubbles form (I'm told you flip pancakes only once for what it's worth).  This is a sticky batter so it helps to have both griddle and spatula well oiled.   I wish I had a picture of these little bauties but I'm always too busy scarfing them up before my children get them all...I'm a good mom like that!

Serve on plate with strawberry fan for maximum authenticity!  And syrup if you want, but try it without it first, you will be surprised at the natural lemony, creamy flavor!  Serve to your special someone, or yourself, whenever possible for a sunny start to the day.  Enjoy!