Lemon & ricotta hotcakes with blueberry syrup

1. For the syrup, put ½ the blueberries in a small saucepan with the maple syrup, cardamom and vanilla. Bring to the boil, then turn down to simmer gently for 3-4 minutes until the berries have just burst. Take off the heat, stir in the remaining blueberries and set aside to cool.

2. For the hotcakes, put the ricotta, flour, sugar, egg yolks, lemon zest and a pinch of salt to a large mixing bowl and beat together with a wooden spoon. In a separate bowl, using electric beaters, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks, then fold into the ricotta mixture.

3. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat with 1 tbsp butter. Fry 3 hotcakes at a time (it makes 6 in total), using 2 dessert spoonfuls of the mixture per hotcake, and frying for about 3 minutes on each side. Repeat with the remaining 1 tbsp butter and hotcake mixture. Serve with the blueberry syrup (discard the cardamom pods) and a dollop of cream.

Cook’s tip 

For a breakfast option, serve these pancakes with yogurt instead of cream. They also work well with orange zest instead of lemon.