Ricotta and Orange Hotcakes with Spice-Infused Honey
Photography by Manja Wachsmuth.
Honey lends itself to a wide range of infusions and is perfect to drizzle over cakes, fritters, hotcakes and tarts.
INGREDIENTS
250 grams firm ricotta
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
finely grated zest 1 orange
2 eggs, separated
⅔ cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
To cook
butter
2–3 oranges
100 grams extra ricotta to serve (optional)
sliced almonds, roasted (optional)
icing sugar
Spice-Infused Honey
1 cup runny honey
2 tablespoons orange liqueur or water
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
½ teaspoon whole pink peppercorns
2 long strips each orange and lemon zest
2 star anise
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 cinnamon stick
METHOD
Stir the ricotta, milk, sugar, vanilla, orange zest and the egg yolks together in a bowl.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and stir into the ricotta mixture.
Whisk the egg whites to firm peaks then gently fold into the batter.
Heat a sauté pan with a little butter and cook large spoonfuls of the mixture for 2–3 minutes each side until golden, puffed and cooked in the centre.
To serve: Peel the oranges with a knife to remove all the white pith. Slice thinly.
Layer 2–3 hotcakes with slices of orange on each plate. Top with a slice of ricotta and more orange then drizzle generously with honey. Add a small pile of roasted almonds and a dusting of icing sugar. Makes 12 hotcakes
Spice-Infused Honey: Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and heat gently to just below boiling point. Remove from the heat and pour into a sterilized glass jar. Cool then seal.
To serve: You can leave the spices in the honey and tell diners not to eat them or be a bit more practical and strain them out.
latest issue:
Issue #122
Our latest of dish is an absolute bumper issue, packed with over 70 recipes! We start by chatting with the MasterChef Australia judges and Kiwi contestant Ben Mcdonald before cooking up the very best of what’s in season. Then we make freezer meals easy and delicious with double-batch cooking. Next up we share some of our faves including Pretzel-crumbed Chicken Schnitty and French Onion Soup Mac and Cheese. Then we whip up warming curries, tempting dinners for two, epic sides like our Parmesan-crusted Roasted Potatoes, and crowd pleasers like our cover-star Miso French Onion Chicken. We finish up with irresistible sweet treats and a run-down of top Aussie shiraz!