Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Caramelized Apples

It’s Memorial Day Weekend and the Fun Meter is on Max. Three day weekend means three opportunities to lavish in a home-cooked breakfast. You must try these. WoW.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Caramelized Apples

Adapted from Food and Wine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing

2 crisp red apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Kosher salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups whole milk

4 large eggs, separated

1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese

Warm pure maple syrup, for serving

In a large skillet, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the apples, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of the lemon zest and a pinch of salt and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just tender and golden, about 5 minutes; keep warm.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk with the egg yolks, ricotta and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon of lemon zest. Whisk the mix into the dry ingredients until just incorporated.

In a clean, large stainless steel bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form (this is key—makes the pancakes so fluffy!); fold them into the batter.

Preheat a griddle and grease it with butter. Scoop 1/4-cup mounds of batter onto the griddle. Cook the pancakes over moderately high heat until bubbles appear on the surface, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook until the pancakes are risen and golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to plates, spoon the warm apples on top and serve with warm maple syrup.

Izzy’s Fun Meter is also on Max. She is in the mood for a weekend roadtrip—possibly, to Mount Rushmore? She has been giving me profiles all morning, hoping I’ll carve her likeness into the rock wall next to the chicken coop. I told her it would take a sculptor far more skilled than I to manage her facial landscape of fat folds, cascading like an Elizabethan dress under her chin. So beautiful.