Souffléd Ricotta Pancakes – Recipe

It's officially Pancake Day! OK so it's more like Pancake Night right now, but I'm a little behind on my baking schedule since I'm straddling two houses at the moment – my own flat, and my folk's house (I'm on cat-sitting duties while they're away on holiday). Tuesday nights are also my Chinese class nights, hence me making these so late in the evening. Yay dessert for dinner.

Ricotta adds an extra moistness to pancake batter, and whipping the egg whites makes them so fluffy they're almost moussey. I served mine with extra ricotta (the sin of fat consumption has already been committed, might as well fully-commit) and homemade strawberry compote, but you can add whichever toppings you like most.

Ready? Let's go.

Ingredients for Pancakes:

2 eggs, separated

2 tbsp caster sugar

Pinch of salt

4 heaped tbsp ricotta

4 level tbsp self-raising flour

Ingredients for Strawberry Compote:

100g strawberries, chopped

150ml water

80g caster sugar

To Serve:

Extra ricotta

Method:

1. To make the strawberry compote, simply bring everything to a boil in a small pan, then reduce to a simmer until reduced (about 10 minutes), and set aside.

2. To make the pancakes, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks (like a meringue), then whisk in the caster sugar and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, Combine the rest of the ingredients until smooth. Gently fold in the egg whites, taking care not to knock too much of the air out. and cook spoonfuls in a lightly-oiled pan on a low to medium heat, covering with a lid. Flip when lightly-browned (about 1–2 minutes), and cover again for another minute.

4. Stack up with extra ricotta and the strawberry compote on top, and serve for whichever meal you so desire.

Enjoy, and have fun!