Recipe: Ricotta Pancakes with Roasted Applesauce

the appetizer:

Off The Menu, Staff Meals from America's Top Restaurants by Marissa Guggiana includes recipes like Wild-Boar Ragu; Herb Biscuits with Cheese; Ricotta Pancakes with Roasted Applesauce; and Roasted Whole Croaker and Cabbage Slaw.

Ricotta Pancakes
with Roasted Applesauce

Serves 4 to 6

These are Mother's Day, breakfast-in-bed-worthy pancakes, and the applesauce suits them beautifully. You could also slather them in maple syrup or butter and the contents of any of those jars of jam rattling around in your refrigerator door.

Roasted Applesauce

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 large, firm green apples, peeled, cored, and cut into large chunks
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Ricotta Pancakes

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons salt
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 eggs, separated
1-3/4 cups Cherry Glen ricotta cheese
(or see Homemade Ricotta on page 194 of the book)
1-3/4 cups whole milk

To make the applesauce, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat in a pan. Add the apples and stir occasionally, continuing to cook over medium heat until they begin to soften. Sprinkle in the cinnamon and salt. Continue to cook in the pan until the apples are well coated and ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Cook the apples to desired consistency, from chunky to saucy. Taste and add more salt if needed. Keep warm.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, ricotta, and milk until smooth. Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the larger bowl of dry ingredients. Set aside.

In a dry, clean bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold the whites into the batter. Heat a griddle over medium heat. Using a 4-ounce ladle, pour the batter onto the buttered griddle for each pancake, spreading the batter a little with the ladle. Cook until tiny bubbles form on the tops of the pancakes and they look slightly dry; turn and cook the other side until golden. Serve immediately, topped with the warm roasted applesauce.