Leibrock Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Justice is her middle name.
That’s right. I’m talking about the one, the only Jane Justice Leibrock. When I learned that Jane was coming to visit, I had to find a recipe that was an homage to her spirit. Substantial yet whimsical, these ricotta pancakes have just the right balance of lightness and heft with a lemon zest that brightens your life and adds intrigue, much like the woman herself.
I first saw Jane on the stage when I was an impressionable college freshman and she was performing improv comedy in the Purple Crayon. After I joined the group, it took me years to muster the courage to go from being her admirer to her friend, and oh, what a wonderful payoff! This recipe also requires some build up — grating lemon zest, whipping egg whites, cooking pancakes at low temps — and is also well worth the wait.
May the friendships and the pancakes in your life be like mine and Jane’s — warm, comforting, exciting, and great with maple syrup. For more Jane content, check out Jane’s incredible magazine — Content Queen! New content is hitting the shelves shortly.
RECIPE - Halved, but otherwise fairly faithfully followed from Smitten Kitchen
Makes six small but surprisingly filling pancakes.
INGREDIENTS
For Pancakes
2 large eggs, separated
2/3 cups ricotta
0.75 tablespoons sugar
0.75 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Melted butter for brushing the griddle
Suggested Accompaniments
Pure Vermont Maple syrup
Crisp bacon
Fresh cherries
Jane Leibrock
RECIPE
Separate the eggs, and zest up that lemon! Life, like Jane, is zesty!
You’re not fully pancaked until you’re zestfully pancaked!
In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks, ricotta, sugar, and zest. Add the flour, and stir the mixture until it is just combined. In a bowl with a whisk, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold stiff peaks.
Obviously Jane is a woman of strength. Look at those peaks!
Whisk about one fourth of them into the ricotta mixture, and fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
Gentle thoroughness is Jane’s middle name. Just kidding! It’s Justice, and don’t you ever forget it!
Marie Kondo would be so proud of this folding effort.
Heat a griddle over low heat until it is hot enough to make drops of water scatter over its surface and brush it with some of the melted butter. Working in batches, pour the batter onto the griddle by 1/4-cup measures and cook the pancakes for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden, brushing the griddle with some of the melted butter as necessary. Patience will be rewarded here when it comes to temperature. Jane was unquestionably the voice of patience when it came to our pancake making efforts. I would have singed the lot, but she saved us.
Slow but steady won the pancake race.
Serve with a variety of accoutrements complimentary to the pancakes. In our case, this meant high quality maple syrup, crisp bacon, fresh cherries. Enjoy the fruits of your labor + almost twenty years of friendship!
Pancakes + accoutrements
Jane Justice Leibrock - Lemon ricotta pancake queen and Content Queen!
