Breakfast for dinner always feels special for some reason! I came home from work today and was looking at a bunch of lovely lemons that I got in my CSA this week, thinking of what I could make. Then I was reminded of these amazing lemon and ricotta pancakes that were on the breakfast menu at a restaurant I used to work at in Rhode Island. What I loved most is that they didn’t mix the ricotta into the batter like most people do, but instead put actual dollops of ricotta after pouring each pancake into the pan. It’s so delicious when you get individual bites with ricotta in it. So, needless to say, I made enough pancakes for a (non-existent) family of 5, then ate most of them myself. Because I do what I want!

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups milk
2 eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (my go-to is King Arthur flour!)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder

Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside. Place the eggs and milk in a large mixing bowl. Using a standing mixer, or hand mixer, mix on medium-high for about 3 minutes, or until light and foamy. Stir in the melted butter, lemon juice/zest, vanilla, and poppy seeds. Next add the dry ingredients a little at a time until fully incorporated. Let sit for about 10 mins.

Lightly butter a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter, then immediately place nickel sized mini dollops of ricotta into each pancake. Cook until bubbles form and pop, then flip and let cook for another 1-2 minutes. A nice little trick I learned from my dad, is to butter the top of the pancakes right after you flip them. This definitely adds some magic! It’s also important to cover the pancakes once off the grill to ensure they stay warm. No one wants a cold pancake! Continue with the rest of the batter. Serve warm with maple syrup. Sharing is optional…