ricotta souffle pancakes with orange syrup

I know it's only Monday, but I'm already thinking about the weekend... If you are too maybe you can try these yummy pancakes Saturday or Sunday morning. They are luscious!

ricotta souffle pancakes

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour*

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

3 large eggs, separated

1 1/3 cups buttermilk**

1/2 cup ricotta 

1 cup fresh blueberries (optional)

butter

* to make these gluten free, you can substitute gluten free all purpose flour or sorghum flour

** if you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can make it by adding a teaspoon of white vinegar to regular milk and allowing it to sit for a few minutes

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, egg yolks, buttermilk, and ricotta until smooth. In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.

Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in a small amount of the egg whites with a spatula to lighten the mixture a bit. Then fold in the remaining egg whites, being careful not too mix the batter too much so that it stays light and fluffy. Carefully fold in blueberries if desired.

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat. When hot, melt a teaspoon of butter. Drop about 1/2 cup of batter onto the hot griddle. I use a large ice cream scoop, but you could also use a measuring cup. Cook until golden brown on the underside. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown. Place the cooked pancakes on a warmed platter until ready to serve. Repeat with the remaining batter adding more butter to the griddle as needed.

orange syrup

2 oranges cut into wedges

1 cup water

2 teaspoons honey

2 cups pure maple syrup

In a saucepan over high heat, combine the orange wedges, water, and honey and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Remove the orange wedges from the saucepan, add the maple syrup, and stir over low heat to combine. 

You can make the orange syrup a few days in advance if needed. Just warm over low heat before serving.

Serve pancakes warm with orange syrup.  Enjoy!

adapted from Williams-Sonoma Holiday Entertaining cookbook