I’m sad to see the weekend go. We did quite a bit this weekend…certainly more than many weekends in the past year. My brother and his family came on Friday evening and when my 2-year-old niece was still awake at 11pm, I kindly excused myself to hit the hay. I can’t hang with little people on central time, what can I say?
Saturday, my parents came to visit. We haven’t seen much of them in the past year, but of the 6 adults that were here, 4 have been vaccinated with both doses and my dad is getting his first vaccine next weekend. Only Mark will be without the vaccine in my immediate family. It’s good hanging out with old people and those in healthcare right now. Mostly kidding. 😉
We just bummed around the house after I made brunch for the second weekend in a row. This time, feeding lots of mouths! Love it. I used to make baked donuts, quiche, pancakes…SOMETHING nearly every weekend, even it was just the 2 of us, and lately, I’m in the routine of rolling out of bed around 8 and joining the girls on the couch to snuggle up with my Kindle. The girls grab granola immediately upon waking, so they’re never hungry for anything I would make anyway.
We need to work on this because I’ve officially rekindled my love for all things brunch. Seriously, what feels more weekend-y than a beautiful breakfast shared with the ones you love?
Last weekend, I happened to stumble upon this recipe. Everything on hand and nothing but time. I had the ricotta, even. Sure, beating egg whites to soft peaks takes a few minutes and a few extra dirty dishes. And you know me by now – I’m all for short-cuts and less dishes. But I’m telling you, the egg whites are what make these pancakes fluffy and 5-star.
My creative juices were flowing and our freezer stock of hand-picked Michigan berries has not yet run dry. So, the compote was added. I even surprised my crew with a bit of whipped cream. It’s a good thing I doubled the recipe (reflected below) because leftovers were enjoyed both throughout the week and from the freezer – they didn’t even last a week in there 🙂
Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Compote
Fluffy with warm bursts of blueberries and gentle lemon tang, these pancakes elevate breakfast!
Ingredients
Compote:
- 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1/3 cup sugar
Pancakes:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 15 oz part-skim ricotta
- 1 cup low-fat milk
- 1 1/2 Tbsp grated lemon zest
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 eggs, separated
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Instructions
- Prepare compote by combining the sugar and berries in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly. Compote with thicken.
- Heat a griddle over medium heat, or about 325-350 degrees F if using an electric griddle.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the ricotta, milk, lemon zest, vanilla, and egg yolks, placing the egg whites into a separate medium bowl. Whisk together the ricotta mixture until well-combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries; set aside.
- Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites to soft peak stage, about 5 minutes. Add to the pancake mix and fold until incorporated.
- Prepare griddle if nonstick, dropping about 1/3 cup and gently spreading the batter to create a 4-5 inch pancake. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes before fliping and cooking an additional minute.
- Repeat with remaining batter. Serve pancakes hot with blueberry compote.
Notes
Recipe slightly adapted from Driscoll's
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 pancake with ~2 tablespoons compoteAmount Per Serving: Calories: 157Total Fat: 2.4gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 185mgCarbohydrates: 29.0gFiber: 2.0gSugar: 16.6gProtein: 6.5g
Love brunch? I live for it. Check out some breakfast-y favorites!
- Red Velvet Crepes with Sweet Cream Cheese Filling
- Lemon Chia Seed Pancakes
- Artichoke and Spinach Strata
- Cinnamon Apple Crepes
- Greek Omelet
- Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cream Cheese Glaze
Weekly Menu: February 21st – 26th
- Sunday: Cauliflower Parmesan with spaghetti
- Monday: Firecracker Halibut with roasted potatoes and green beans
- Tuesday: leftover Chicken Pot Pie from the freezer
- Wednesday: beef tacos with corn and rice, guacamole
- Thursday: steak with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli
- Friday: carry-out (Chinese?)
Be well,
