February 2012

I did put a lot of effort into crafting a special Valentine’s Day Observed dinner.

I did not put all the lemony, minty, chèvre and ricotta filling into the heart shaped ravioli shells.

I did have a lot of egg yolks leftover from making the special Valentine’s Day cakewich.

I did not see any reason to leave the cozy house the next, wintry morning (at least I think it was wintry…regardless, I was content to stay put).

I did see a reason to use the previous night’s flavor combinations and leftovers in a new way. You don’t come to look like this without a bit of creative resourcefulness!

Plan Brunch…what did you think I meant?!?!

Lemony Leftover Scramble + Strawberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes w/ Whiskey Whipped Cream

You might notice the above egg scramble has quite the bright, golden hue.  It’s not the trick of photo enhancement.  No sir.  No ma’am.  It is the trick of an abundance of egg yolks excluded from a special cake batter.  These eggs might not be the poster child for a low fat lifestyle, but they were incredibly, edibly good, as the branding has taught us!

Egg yolks + a few whole eggs (all local/free-range)
Leftover ravioli filling
Speck (leftover from a certain heart shaped charcuterie spread)

Do you have to make the other recipes first, in order to create this scramble?

Nope!

My point is- use your leftovers creatively!  Trust your instincts and take a few risks!  The result may pleasantly surprise you!  These eggs were a one-of-a-time, delicious whim and maybe even a metaphor for life?

As for the pancakes, we started from scratch with the previous night’s flavors still on our minds.  I’m so lucky to have a Valentine who becomes a pancake flipper in the morning light!

Strawberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
w/ Whiskey Whipped Cream 

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
3/4 cups organic cornmeal (Bob’s Redmill)
2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
zest from one lemon
1 teaspoon organic lemon juice
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs (local/free-range), separated
1 teaspoon organic almond extract
1/3 cup all natural ricotta cheese
1/2 stick organic, unsalted butter, browned
1 cup strawberries,

extra butter for pan

Directions

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk buttermilk, egg yolks, and lemon zest to blend.

Stir buttermilk mixture and almond extract into flour mixture until evenly moistened. Gently stir in ricotta cheese.

In a bowl, with a mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. With a flexible spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter just until they are incorporated.

Stir in the browned butter.

Gently fold in the strawberries.

[This is the part of the recipe I happily ignore and substitute my talented boyfriend to make up for my flipping inabilities]

Place a nonstick griddle or a 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat; when hot, coat lightly with oil and adjust heat to maintain temperature. Drop batter in 1/2-cup portions onto the griddle and cook until pancakes are browned on the bottom and edges begin to look dry, about 2 minutes; turn cakes with a wide spatula and brown other sides, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes longer. Coat pan with more oil as necessary to cook remaining pancakes.

Serve pancakes as cooked, or keep warm in a single layer on baking sheets in a 200° oven for up to 15 minutes.

Serve with whiskey whipped cream, sliced strawberries and pools of pure maple syrup!!!

Whiskey Whipped Cream

Ingredients

1 cup organic heavy cream, chilled
Generous splash of Wild Turkey
1-2 Tablespoons of pure vanilla extract
1-2 Tablespoons of pure maple syrup

For the Whiskey Whipped Cream

Combine all of the ingredients in a chilled bowl.

Use an electric mixer to beat until stiff peaks form.

Keep chilled until ready to serve.

As always… Enjoy!