Luscious Lemon Pancakes
No collection of pancake recipes would be complete without this one, and no other lemon pancake could be quite as delicious. The recipe is adapted from Marion Cunningham’s The Breakfast Book (Knopf, 1987).
3 large eggs, separated
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ cup low-fat cottage cheese
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
Confectioners’ sugar and mixed fruit (sliced strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries) or warm maple syrup
1. In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, flour, cottage cheese, butter, sugar, salt, and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Carefully fold the beaten whites into the batter just until blended.
2. Heat a large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat until hot enough to sizzle a drop of water. Brush with a thin film of vegetable oil, or spray with nonstick cooking spray. For each pancake, pour a scant ¼ cup batter onto the griddle or into the skillet. Adjust the heat to medium-low. Cook until the tops are covered with small bubbles and the bottoms are lightly browned. Carefully turn and lightly brown the other side. These cook quickly. Repeat with the remaining batter.
3. Serve with confectioners’ sugar, accompanied by sliced fruit or warm maple syrup.
MAKES ABOUT TWELVE 3-INCH PANCAKES.