Recipe of the Week: Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

An unusual pick for this week's recipe. We're sharing the secret to making the best pancakes you'll ever eat. Sure, it's a little more tedious than most of the recipes we post here. But the heavenly taste of these will more than make up for all the hard work. I promise!

Ingredients
5 tbsp unsalted butter (or substitute with apple sauce and skip the first step)
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt, divided
3 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
2 tbsp sugar, divided
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese

Directions
Place butter and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until butter melts. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, half teaspoon of salt; set aside.
Whisk together egg yolks, 1 tbsp sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add a quarter of the milk/butter mixture (to temper the eggs and prevent curdling), then whisk the remaining milk/butter mixture until smooth.
Add flour mixture and stir with rubber spatula until just combined (do not over mix); set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks. Halfway through whisking, add remaining 1 tbsp of sugar and 1/2 tsp of salt.
Using rubber spatula, fold the whites into the reserved batter until just combined.
Gently fold ricotta and blueberries into the batter.
Heat large nonstick frying pan, griddle, or seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat. Grease, then scoop 1/4 cup batter into the pan. Cook till bubbly for about 4-5 minutes, flip and cook 1-2 minutes more.
Serve with maple syrup.

Enjoy!