To Cook with ‘Love’: Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes with Raspberries for Mother’s Day!

With Mother’s Day at our heels, my mom has been on my mind more than usual. In general, human beings tend to take the most important people in their lives for granted. And I know that I have been guilty of not being as grateful as I should be to the people who matter the most to me in my life, which is my parents and family.

It is in-grained in my mind – that my mother will always be there for me. Perhaps, it is the security of her love, or simply one of our weaknesses for being human. One thing I do know that if it wasn’t for my mom – I wouldn’t be here, period. The funny thing is that growing up, my mom didn’t cook for us. She had a full-time job and we had house keepers. Most people are raised with fond memories of their mom’s cooking. I think that sentiment skipped a generation in my family. My mom expressed our love through other ways. Most importantly, she expressed her love by being by our sides, no matter which path we took.

My mom’s mantra to us, ” this is the right path, that is the wrong one; regardless of what choices you make, I will always love you and be here for you”.

And till today, across continents, she is supporting me; whether it is to share a recipe, or to discuss new ventures; I know she is just a phone call away.

My mom and immediate maternal extended family are purely vegetarian; not even eggs are consumed in their diet. You can very well imagine what an ordeal it can be trying to cook with such stringent restrictions on a daily basis, especially for a person like myself who considers herself an omnivorous eater (who will eat just about anything cooked or raw). But with perseverance and practice, I have managed to create many a vegetarian dishes to please  one of the most significant people in my life – MOM.

Enough mushiness, let’s talk about my passion: food. Since, this post is about my mom, sharing my mom’s favorite dishes that I cook for her seemed the natural course to take.  Here’s me expressing my gratitude,  mom – Thank you for making me who I am today!!

Ricotta Pancakes with Lemon Curd & Raspberries

As I have mentioned earlier, traditional Indian breakfast is savory and spicy, and hardly ever sweet. By contrast I find that breakfast dishes here in the States tend to me more sweet than savory, ranging from pancakes, pastries, fresh fruit medley, granola etc. Now my family adores pancakes and crepes, but it’s hard to appease them at times as most recipes tend to lean majorly on the sweet side.

I stumbled across this recipe by chance and it immediately won my family over. It’s light, airy, flavorful, with a hint of sweetness. The lemon brightens up the entire dish while the ricotta renders sweetness and lightness to the batter. The flavors are so delicate here that one feels no necessity to add the traditional maple syrup here. The generous sprinkling of powdered sugar and sweetness from the lemon curd completes the dish. I could even serve it in min-portions for dessert.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 lemon, zest and juiced
• 1/2 tsp lemon essence
• Butter, for griddle
• 1 jar prepared lemon curd
• Fresh raspberries, for garnish
• Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish

Directions

1. Stir all-purpose flour, baking powder, nutmeg, salt, and sugar in a small bowl.
2. Whisk the ricotta cheese, eggs, milk, lemon juice,  zest, and essence in a separate bowl.
3. Gently whisk the flour mixture into the cheese mixture until just combined.
4. Over medium heat, butter a non-stick pan. Scoop half a ladle of the batter on the pan and cook on both sides until light brown. Repeat until no batter remains.
5. Warm the lemon curd in a small pan over low heat.
6. To serve, drizzle a few tablespoons of lemon curd on the pancakes, top with fresh raspberries, and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

 

I for one am extremely humbled and grateful that I get to share one more Mother’s day with my darling mom. What are some of your favorite cherished memories of your mother? I would love to hear from you..until next time, take a minute of your time to tell your family and friends how much you love them and what they mean to you.

And if YOU are a MOM, I humbly bow to you, cause you are the ‘epitome of love’.

Have a blessed and delicious Mother’s Day!

Recipe adapted from Food Network.

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