lemon ricotta pancakes with lemon curdiness

It looks like a mess. But don't the best things come from messes? Perhaps that's just my excuse for the intermittent state of the kitchen. But these lemons don't look too stressed about it. So I guess I'll ignore it too. Pancakes. Sometimes, I just need pancakes. Really thick, and fluffy pancakes. Is there anything better than pancakes on a lazy weekend morning? I'd be very surprised if there was. I'll admit, that sometimes just a plain old pancake won't do. Not that pancakes aren't fine and good all on their own, but sometimes it takes a little something extra to really let them sparkle. I decided that I needed lemon ricotta pancakes. But I wouldn't want them to be lonely, what a terrible fate that would be. Instead these pancakes were destined for a life with lemon curd, maple butter, and pomegranate seeds to complete the show. Cream Puffs in Venice, another food blog, always seems to have the best pancake recipes I've ever tried. So I couldn't say no, when I found a recipe for ricotta pancakes by Bill Granger. I honestly hardly ever have exactly the ingredients on hand for any one specific recipe, so I tweaked it with buttermilk instead of milk, and wanted to use lemon zest instead of orange zest. I sandwiched these pancakes inbetween some lemon curd, which sounds so lovely and light. Unless you haven't made it before, and then you'll discover that it is virtually all butter and eggs. This is why it is oh-so-fabulous of course. A dusting of icing sugar might be tacky these days, but alas, not when it is snowing outside, and the tang of the lemons just needs a tad of extra sweetness. Pomegranate seeds are a little extra festive and fun, especially when raspberry season is over. These are the ultimate entertaining pancakes. Want to have a showstopping brunch? Try telling your guests that you are serving lemon ricotta pancakes with lemon sandwiched with lemon curd and completed by a a spray of pomegranate seeds. mmm! Everyone will be in awe with the deliciousness lemony goodness these pancakes deliver. Start with the lemon curd; best bet is to make it the night before. Lemon Curd 1/2 cup butter 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 tbsp lemon juice 6 eggs 1. In a saucier or medium sauce pan, over medium-high heat, combine butter, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook until the butter has melted and the granules of sugar are no longer visible. 2. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk eggs. Whisk vigorously, while pouring in about 2 separate 1/2 cups of hot lemon liquid. Once combined, transfer the egg mixture back to saucepan, and continue to cook, over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. 3. Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap. Cool in the fridge until ready to use, ideally 6 hours. Lemon Ricotta Pancakes (adapted from Bill Granger) 1 1/2 cups, 425 g, ricotta cheese (12% fat content if you can find it) 1 tbsp sugar 3/4 cup buttermilk 4 eggs, separated 1 cup plus two tablespoons of all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp. vanilla 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest 1. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, sugar, buttermilk, and egg yolks with a wooden spoon. Set aside. 2. With a fork, combne the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the ricotta bowl, but do not overmix. 3. Add the vanilla and and lemon zest. 4. In an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff. 5. Using a spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture. 6. In a non-stick pan, heat enough butter to just cover the bottom of the pan. Using an ice cream scoop, add scoops of batter to the pan. Be careful not to raise the pan past medium-high heat, to allow the middle of the pancakes to cook without burning the outside. Allow room between the pancakes. Add more butter between batches of pancakes. 7. To serve, place layers of lemon curd between the pancakes, and a little more for the top. Serve with maple syrup, or a ratio of 2:1 of barely melted butter and maple syrup (SO GOOD!), pomegranate seeds, and a dusting of icing sugar.