I’ve had a very inspiring & creative week in London.  On Tuesday I  checked out the  cafe culture & shops in Lower Marsh near Waterloo Station; on to  see Annie Leibovitz Women : New Portraits Exhibition in Wapping Hydraulic Power Station; creative  cocktails at Dandelyan then dinner at the Classic Italian, La Barca with my foodie friend Debs. Yesterday I was in Hammersmith at my food blog friend Meredith’s Create Winter event –  a fab evening about warming tastes & flavours. I met 5 enthusiastic foodies and together we created our own Turkish Pide (Pizza), and rustled up a Middle Eastern inspired carrot salad, spinach & clementine salad, and marinated pears with toasted almonds and sheep’s milk yoghurt for dessert. Today is World Nutella day and it’s Pancake Day on 9th February so I thought it was a good reason to combine both and make my ricotta pancakes. This recipe is great for kids to help  you make & eat. Meredith set me a creative challenge & I chose to combine a spice with something I’ve never done before. So I added a pinch of Sumac to the pancake batter which I thought worked well but is optional.

Ingredients  (serves 4)

Pancake Batter:

• 250g (9 oz) Fresh Ricotta
• 125ml (4.4 fl oz) semi skimmed milk
• 3 medium eggs, yolks & whites separated
• 100g (3.6oz) plain  (all purpose) flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon & orange zest
• rapeseed or any vegetable oil suitable for frying

Method

• Mix the ricotta and milk with a fork until smooth
• Add the egg yolks & zest (& sumac if using) mixing briefly for 1 minute until a pale yellow colour and smooth consistency
• Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt
• Add to the ricotta mixture and mix with a fork for 2 minutes until a smooth thick batter
• Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, fold slowly into the batter with a metal spoon  until combined, be gentle to keep the mixture light & fluffy

• Heat a non -stick frying pan to medium/hot and use a paper towel to wipe a few dabs of oil
• Add a dessertspoon of batter for mini pancakes or 3-4 dessertspoons for larger ones

 

 

• Cook for 1-2 minutes until you see bubbles appear on the surface, then carefully flip with a spatula
• Cook the other side for 1-2 minutes until golden brown
  

  Pancakes Flipped

 

 

 

 

• Keep pancakes warm on some  greaseproof paper whilst you cook a stack

Be creative with your toppings!

Here’s a few options Nutella, smooth peanut butter ( I use Pip & Nut),

Coconut Spread or Srikaya ( I use Hey Boo), maple syrup, sliced bananas, sliced strawberries, fresh cherries, raspberries, chopped roasted nuts ( I use hazelnuts to tie in with the Nutella), fresh lemon juice & honey, melted dark chocolate & dark rum (adults only!)