Since most people tend to be rather depressed about summer being kind of over, I am dying in excitement. Firstly, we didn’t experience much of a summer anyway here in London this year; secondly, I simply love autumn. I love the clothes – think capes and boots and hats and scarfs –, I love the colours of the trees, I love the golden light, the falling leaves, the mild temperatures, as well as I love to sit inside with a cup of tea or hot chocolate on a rainy day.
Also, you may have guessed that: I love the seasonal produce autumn is offering: squash and pumpkin, plums and mushrooms, pears and: figs! I love figs just as they are, sliced into yogurt with honey and walnuts, or served on salads, in desserts – I can’t think of any time or occasion I do not like figs.
To celebrate the beginning of fig season I made a stack of lemon ricotta pancakes with caramelized figs a couple of days ago. The pancakes are heavenly fluffy and flavourful already, but I love to add lots of lemon juice and zest to add even more flavour to the pancakes. They are delicious even without fresh fruit, but, obviously, once you add a few warm and soft maple syrup sautéed figs… Well then life simply couldn’t be better – even on a rainy cold and dark autumn day.
Enjoy your pancakes and this beautiful Sunday!
Love,
Lea Lou
Lemon ricotta pancakes with caramelized figs
For two servings.
100 g ricotta cheese
50 g wholemeal spelt flour
25 g plain white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
one pinch of salt
1 egg, organic preferably
1 tablespoon brown sugar
100 ml milk (normal milk or almond milk)
grated zest of one lemon
butter (or coconut oil) for frying
four medium-sized figs
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon maple syrup
optional: lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup and /or cinnamon to serve
Put the ricotta into a sieve and allow the liquid to drain off for about ten minutes.
In a bowl, mix the flours, baking powder and salt. In another bowl whisk the egg white until stiff, then add the sugar and whisk a bit longer. Whisk the egg yolk with the milk, pour the mixture into the flour mixture, add the lemon zest and stir well.
Using a metal spoon, carefully fold in the ricotta and your egg white.
Heat a small pan over medium-heat, add a small piece of butter and a scoop of batter. Cook the pancake for a couple of minutes, carefully flip it and cook on the other side. Place it on a plate and keep it warm at around 70° C in the oven while making the other pancakes.
Once all pancakes are stacked up to a pile in the oven, wash and slice the figs, melt the butter in the pan until brown, add the fig slices and cook for a minute or so. Add the maple syrup and caramelize the figs for another minute.
Arrange the figs around the pancake pile and serve with additional lemon zest and juice, maple syrup and/or cinnamon if you like.
