These pancakes are light and have loft to them, and don’t taste cheesy. If you wish, substitute labne for a tangier flavor and slightly denser texture. Use blueberries in this recipe instead of strawberries when you get them.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup ricotta cheese or labne
½ cup milk
2 eggs, large or extra-large, separated
½ cup whole wheat flour + ½ cup All-Purpose flour, or 1 cup AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8th teaspoon salt, crumbled if a large flake type
1 cup strawberries, hulled, cleaned, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
A few drops of vanilla extract, just enough to scent the batter
1 recipe “Agrodolce” Strawberries (see recipe)*
Neutral flavored oil as needed
Butter as needed**
Maple syrup to taste
METHOD:
Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-low heat.
Mix together the ricotta/labne, milk, and egg yolks, and vanilla.
Whip egg whites until medium peaks form.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift the dry ingredients into the ricotta, milk, eggs mixture, and stir gently.
Scoop a ½ cup of egg white into the above mixture and whisk in well. Fold in the rest of the egg whites.
Turn the heat under the pan to medium-high. When hot, add just enough oil to slick the pan. When hot, add a little butter to the pan and as soon as it is done foaming, add around 1/3 cup batter, or enough to yield a 4-inch circle, and cook until pinprick bubbles appear on the top of the pancakes. Add a scattering of diced strawberries and cook 1 minute more, or until the batter seems loosely set. Carefully flip the pancakes and cook until a light golden speckled with brown. This should take 2-3 minutes per side. Adjust heat as needed.
When pancakes are done, top with Agrodolce Strawberries and drizzle with syrup. If you wish, a smear of yogurt and jam is good in lieu of the “Agrodolce” Strawberries.
Chef’s Notes: * To make this recipe with berries from your box, just make the Agrodolce Strawberries according to the recipe, just pull the strawberries to be diced from the quart of berries in the box. **The oil is the lubricant for the pancakes and helps keep the butter from burning. The butter is there for flavor and coloring up the pancakes. You can use either one or the other if you prefer, just watch the butter that is does not burn. If it gets pretty brown, wipe it out before starting another batch, and add fresh butter to the pan.
Serves: Makes enough for 2 if this is the main event. If you are having eggs and such, this might be enough for 4. Doubling the recipe is easy and advisable if feeding more than 2.
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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