Light and fluffy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Happy Easter everyone :) and to celebrate why not try some of these wonderful light and fluffy pancakes for breakfast...

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

3/4 cup plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2-3 tbsp sugar
1 cup ricotta
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
Zest of 1 large Lemon
4 tbsp (heaped) Lemon curd
Blueberries, for garnish

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a small bowl. Mix together the ricotta, eggs, milk, lemon zest in a large bowl. Whisk the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. Heat a pan with some oil and butter over a medium high heat and once heated, pour out any excess oil from the pan. Spoon small amounts of the batter into the pan and cook on both sides until light golden brown. Place them on a plate and continue with the remaining batter.
Drizzle some of the curd over the pancakes and top with fresh blueberries.

Easter Hazelnut and Mascarpone Tart

Easter is nearly upon us so here's another easter inspired recipe...must say it is hard to get into the easter baking spirit with snow outside :(

Easter Hazelnut and Mascarpone Tarts

Hazelnut pastry case

180g plain flour
60g icing sugar
3 tbsp hazelnuts ,toasted, skins removed
90g butter , cold and cubed
1 egg yolk
1-2 tbsp cold water

Filling

250g Mascarpone
4 heaped tbsp Ricotta
2 tbsp icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Nutella (optional)
Mini eggs for decoration
Chocolate to drizzle

Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C
Whizz the hazelnuts in a food processor until roughly chopped
Tip the flour, sugar into the food processor with the hazelnuts and add the butter. Whizz until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and 1 or 2 tbsp cold water, then pulse to a soft dough. Take out of the processor and gently bring the pastry together (don't over work the pastry as it will become tough), wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough out and use it to line a tart tin (I used 4 individual tart tins) then chill for 15 mins. Line the pastry case with baking parchment filled with baking beans. Bake for 15 mins, then remove the paper and beans and cook for a further 5-10 mins until the pastry is cooked through

Mix the mascarpone until soft and add the ricotta and mix thoroughly.
Add the icing sugar and vanilla extract and whisk in. Chill until the pastry cases have cooled down.

Once the pastry case(s) have cooled down, spread some Nutella onto the bottom of the tart and top with the mascarpone filling, spread this gently and evenly.

Top with some mini eggs and a drizzle of melted chocolate

I did half with Nutella at the bottom and half without and both tasted yummy :))

A valentines special

For valentines day i cooked a lovely meal for my hubby, son and our friends and for pudding I wanted to make something light and sweet and these ticked the boxes. So simple to make yet extremely moreish, you may be tempted to make more....I did hehehe :)

Italian Doughnut recipe

200g Ricotta
2 Eggs
80g Plain Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp Caster Sugar
Zest of half an Orange
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Combine the ricotta and egg and mix thoroughly.
Add the flour, baking powder, sugar, zest and mix well.
Heat the oil in a deep pan, when it gets hot enough, spoon small amounts of the batter into the hot oil using a teaspoon. They will turn golden quite quickly and some will turn over by themself but keep and eye on them and turn them over if needed. Allow them to go golden on the other side and using a slotted spoon remove them and place on some kitchen paper.
Transfer to a plate and dust with icing sugar and serve and enjoy :)

(Recipe based on a nigella lawson recipe)