Bill's Ricotta Hotcakes

These ricotta pancakes are to die for!!!! They are wonderful. Maybe I feel this way because I have never had ricotta pancakes before, but I cannot wait to make them again. I was told that they are also very good with some lemon zest. I made a few minor changes which I will put in parenthesis in the recipe but other than that I followed Bill's recipe pretty closely. You can find it at http://www.awhiskandaspoon.com/ or here. I found these to be very light. They are great with a little powdered sugar and some syrup.

I am leaving for the mountains for a few days to attend an apple festival! Be prepared for many apples recipes within the next few weeks!!!

1 1/3 c ricotta (I used one cup)

3/4 cup milk

4 eggs, separated (I used 3 eggs)

1 c AP flour

1 tsp baking powder

a pinch of cinnamon (optional)

a pinch of salt

butter for pan or griddle

Place ricotta, milk and egg yolks in a bowl and combine

Sift flour, baking powder and salt (and cinnamon, if using) into a bowl. Add to the ricotta mixture and mix until just combined

Place egg whites in a clean dry bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. With a large metal spoon, fold the meringue through batter in two batches

Heat a large non-stick frying pan, cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat. Lightly grease with butter and drop two tablespoons of batter per hotcake. Don't cook more than three per batch. Cook over a low to medium heat for two minutes, or until hotcakes have golden undersides. (These won't bubble like ordinary pancakes do so you need to be careful and check them.) Turn hotcakes and cook on the other side until golden and cooked through.

Transfer to a plate. Dust with icing sugar and serve with fresh fruit and maple syrup.