As I may have mentioned in the past, I am not a huge fan of traditional American pancakes. Which means I’m always trying to play with different versions that please my palette and that of the kiddos, who do love a good pancake in their weekend breakfast routine. Since I often order the Marion’s Pancake at Chow (on those weekends when breakfast is best eaten out of the house), I decided to see about making a homemade version. What resulted is this recipe, which yields delicious, light, lemony, not too sweet pancakes that go perfectly with any fruit or maple syrup of course. If you have Meyer lemons on hand, they add an even more interesting flavor. But plain old Eurekas work great too.

You’ll appreciate how quick these are to whip up, despite the special step of beating egg whites (hint: get the kids to make them!). They are also chock full of protein which makes the morning meal more effective at keeping mid-morning hunger at bay. I like mine small and stacked but you could do like Chow, and go for the large full plate version too.

Preparation

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 minutes; total time: 20 minutes

• 4 large cage-free or pastured eggs, separated
• 1 1/3 cups fresh ricotta cheese
• 1-2 tablespoons organic sugar (more/less adjusting for taste)
• Grated lemon zest from 1-2 organic lemons
• juice of one lemon (or a bit more, depending on lemon potency)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• Butter for brushing the pan

Whisk together the egg yolks, ricotta, sugar, and zest.

Add the flour and gently mix.

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold stiff peaks.

Then, using a spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the yolk-ricotta mixture, about 1/3 at a time, until just combined.

Heat your pan or griddle until it is hot, add a thin coating of melted butter and cook, using about a 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Or more for larger cakes. Cook pancakes about 1-2 minutes per side, they will be golden when ready to flip.

You can keep them warm in a 200º oven as you finish the batch or serve immediately.