Banana (or Pumpkin) and Ricotta Hotcakes with Bacon and Manuka Honey (or Maple)

Influenced by wonderful breakfasts enjoyed in Sydney and Wellington, here's Sarah Tuck's recipe for the ultimate hotcakes.

To my lovely American friends who seem to have a fondness for pumpkin around this time of year, you could easily swap the banana for mashed pumpkin, add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and change the honey to maple syrup et voila - 'fall hotcakes'! 

Manuka honey or maple butter:
120g butter, slightly softened
3 tablespoons manuka honey or maple syrup

Banana and Ricotta Hotcakes:
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons caster sugar
pinch of salt
250g ricotta
¾ cup buttermilk
3 medium eggs, separated
2 small ripe bananas, mashed (or you could use 1/2 cup mashed pumpkin)

2 tablespoons rice bran oil

To serve:
16-20 rashers bacon
Manuka honey or maple syrup
150g mascarpone - optional

Stir honey through softened butter then pop in the fridge to firm up for 10 minutes. Sift flour, baking powder, caster sugar and salt into a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk egg whites to firm peaks. Separately again (sorry about the washing up!) whisk ricotta, egg yolks and banana with a fork to combine. Add banana mix to flour and fold in briefly. Add egg whites and fold in. If you are serving bacon, lay it out on a baking tray and have ready to grill while you cook the hotcakes. Heat rice bran oil (a little each time) in a frying pan over a medium heat and drop in 1/3 cup lots of hotcake batter at a time. After a few minutes flip to cook other side. Serve with grilled bacon, a scoop of honey butter or mascarpone and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup. Makes 10.