Recipes extracted from Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay and the Bread Street Kitchen Team (Hachette Australia). Available in hardcover nationally at $49.99 and in ebook at $19.99

Ricotta Hotcakes with Banana and Stem Ginger Butter

“These hotcakes really do sell like their proverbial cousins… made with ricotta to make them light and tasty, these delicious pancakes are never off the menu.” p.45

Serves 4–6 (makes about 14 hotcakes)

For the hotcakes

• 250g ricotta
• 150ml whole milk
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 75g plain flour
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• Pinch of sea salt
• 30g butter, for frying

For the stem ginger butter

• 60g butter, at room temperature
• 2–3 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 large balls of stem ginger in syrup (about 40g in total, drained weight), drained and finely chopped
• 2 bananas, sliced on the diagonal, to serve

Tip

Use the batter when freshly made so that it doesn’t lose its fluffiness, otherwise it may deflate a bit on standing.

1. First make the stem ginger butter. Put the butter, maple syrup and stem ginger into a small bowl and mix together using a spatula until smooth and combined. Cover and set aside while you make the hotcakes.
2. Put the ricotta, milk and egg yolks into a mixing bowl and beat together just until combined using a balloon whisk. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together, then gradually beat this into the egg yolk mixture until smooth and combined.
3. In a separate large, grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Carefully fold half of the whisked whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining half until evenly combined but the mixture is still light and fluffy.
4. Melt a knob of the butter in a large, non-stick frying pan over a low–medium heat until foaming. Cook the hotcakes in batches over a medium heat (adjusting the heat if necessary so the butter doesn’t burn), using 2 tablespoons of batter per hotcake (you can cook two or three at once, but don’t overcrowd the pan). After spooning in the batter for each hotcake, gently spread each one with the back of the spoon to make a circle about 8–10cm diameter. Fry for 1–2 minutes until golden brown, then flip the hotcakes and repeat on the other side. Remove to a plate and keep warm while you cook the remaining hotcakes.
5. Serve the warm hotcakes topped with dollops of the stem ginger butter and the banana slices.