My dad couldn’t cook but he could at least follow the recipe on the Bisquick box. So Bisquick pancakes are the pancakes of my childhood. These aren’t those. My made-from-scratch hotcakes are likely the fluffiest you’ll ever have. Fresh ricotta keeps them moist and beaten egg whites make them airy. It’s blueberry season so I sprinkled a few plump berries into the batter on the griddle and made a blueberry-maple sauce to serve on the side.
DIY cheese: Homemade basket ricotta
Do use high-quality whole-milk ricotta here, even though you can’t see it. I like Bellwether Farms basket ricotta and Calabro Hand-Dipped ricotta. If you’re feeling ambitious, here’s how to make your own ricotta.
Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Maple Sauce
These pancakes have no leavening other than beaten egg whites; they are almost souffle like. You can make the blueberry sauce the day before and serve it chilled or rewarm it gently. I created this recipe originally for Discover California Wines. Serve with Mimosas or a California sparkling wine if Dad enjoys bubbles. Beyond Father’s Day, enjoy any leftover sauce on ice cream or yogurt.
Makes about a dozen 3- to 4-inch pancakes
Blueberry sauce:
1 pint blueberries
3 tablespoons maple syrup
Pancakes:
4 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 cup whole-milk ricotta
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 cup blueberries
Confectioner’s sugar
Unsalted butter for serving (optional)
Make the blueberry sauce: Set aside ½ cup of the blueberries. Put the remaining berries in a small saucepan with the maple syrup and ¼ cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries completely collapse, about 10 minutes. (Watch carefully to avoid spillovers.) The mixture will still be thin. Remove from the heat and stir in the reserved ½ cup berries. Let cool to room temperature; it will thicken as it cools.
Make the pancakes: Preheat a griddle to medium-low. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, salt and vanilla until pale and thick. Whisk in the milk, then the ricotta, whisking until smooth. Add the flour, whisking just until blended. In another bowl, by hand or with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites to firm peaks. Gently fold them into the batter.
Lightly brush the griddle with melted butter in the spots where you intend to make pancakes. You can make the pancakes any size you choose. Spoon the batter onto the griddle in desired amounts; ¼ cup batter will make about a 4-inch pancake. Dot the top with blueberries. Cook until nicely browned on the bottom, then turn with an offset spatula and cook on the second side until nicely browned, about 2 minutes per side.
Transfer the pancakes to serving plates as they are done. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and spoon warm blueberry sauce over and around them. Serve immediately, with butter if desired.