A New Recipe for Easter Weekend

I'm already thinking about a special breakfast next Saturday for my family (can you tell I'm excited already for Holy Week and Easter?) and I came across this recipe on a blog called Singing With Birds.  The blogger says it is a dish featured at The Cheesecake Factory.   I love all the flavors (and the colors) and will be excited to try it.  It was a toss-up between this recipe and one for cinammon roll pancakes--maybe another Saturday soon.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes 

with Fresh Strawberry Syrup( gathered from Singing with Birds blog)

• 1¾ cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Kosher Salt
• 1½ cups Buttermilk
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
• 2 cups Fresh Ricotta Cheese
• 4 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Lemon Zest (minced)
• 2½ tsp. Vegetable Oil

• Place the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir all of the ingredients together until evenly combined. Set aside.
• Pour the buttermilk into another mixing bowl. Add the eggs, vanilla and oil into the bowl.
• Add the ricotta cheese, sugar and lemon zest into the bowl with the buttermilk. Using a wire whisk, gently stir the ingredients together until evenly combined.
• Add the flour mix into the bowl with the buttermilk and ricotta cheese. Continue to fold the ingredients together until evenly combined with a few small lumps remaining in the batter. Do not over mix the batter.
• Heat 1/4 tsp. of canola oil on a griddle or in a large non-stick pan. Using a 4 oz. ladle, pour the batter onto the griddle or into the non-stick pan, forming one pancake that is 6" in diameter.
• Cook the pancakes for approximately 2-1/2 minutes or until the edges begin to dry and puff up with little air bubbles will start appearing over the top surface of the pancakes.
• Flip each pancake over and continue to cook for another 1-1/2 minutes or until done.

Fresh Strawberry Syrup

• 1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1/2 cup sugar or stevia to taste (I use liquid)
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, and let stand 30 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until warm.