Ricotta and Ginger Pancakes with Finger Lime Caviar
Our first breakfast in our gorgeous new unit...I knew this was going to be special.
As I am sure you are all now very aware, I adore breakfast. Sweet or savoury, one thing that truly makes me happy is planning a beautiful morning meal. Let's be honest though, I do tend to gravitate more towards the sweeter options. This tendency has brought me much joy and made my tummy very happy, which is why I felt it prudent to honour the sweeter things in life at this very special meal.
And so I made pancakes - pancakes that represent where I'm at in my life. They're sweet and light, with a touch of spice and a little zing - just how my life is right now.
Ricotta and Ginger Pancakes with Finger Lime Caviar
Makes 6 large pancakes
When making this dish, I took inspiration from these two lovely recipes: Greedy Gourmand's Ginger, Coconut and Ricotta Pancakes and Kim Meredith's Ricotta and Lime Pancakes.
Ingredients
1/2 cup Regular Plain Flour
1/2 cup Wholemeal Plain Flour
1.5 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 tablespoons Caster Sugar
1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
2 Egg Yolks
200g Ricotta
1/2 cup Milk
Zest of 1 Lime
2 Egg Whites
2 Finger Limes* (optional but very pretty and delicious)
Pure Maple Syrup to serve
Extra Ricotta to serve
Method
1. Cut the finger limes lengthways down the centre and open them up to reveal the little lime crystals. Scoop them out and set aside.
2. Sift the flours and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir in the ground ginger and sugar.
3. In a separate, smaller bowl whisk together the egg yolks, ricotta, milk and lime zest until well combined.
4. Make a well in the flour bowl and add in the ricotta mixture. Whisk gently until the batter is smooth.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until peaks form (an excellent arm workout). Fold gently into the batter.
6. Heat a frying pan over low heat (I like to heat two and have them both on the go at once, it's quicker this way). Grease the pans with some butter. Check whether the pan is hot enough - flick a little water onto the pan and if it dances, it's hot enough. Add a small ladle of batter onto the pan (~1/3 cup). Cook until small bubbles appear, then flip the pancakes and cook them on the other side until golden and cooked through. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a plate and cover with foil. Repeat this process with the remaining batter until you have 6 beautiful pancakes (or more if you're going for smaller cakes).
7. Stack three pancakes on each plate. Top the stacks with a spoon of ricotta each, add a drizzle of maple syrup and then place the finger lime crystals on top of the the ricotta scoops (if not using finger limes, add a squeeze of lime juice or a scattering of zest).
* Finger Limes are a delightful fruit that come from rare native trees. They have a fantastic flavour - the little round lime crystals inside the fruit give a burst a fresh flavour as they pop in your mouth. Besides these pancakes, I'm picturing they'd be lovely in a Thai beef salad or seared scallops.
My Finger Limes were given to me by my mum's friend, Pauline Miceli. Pauline and her husband own Miceli Winery in Arthurs Seat, where along with their wine, they grow Finger Limes. Thank you, Pauline, for the bounty of finger limes! I loved playing around with this delightful fruit.
Heidi xo