Damson compote with ricotta and buttermilk pancakes
“Of all the late-summer fruits, damsons are the star of the show. Every autumn, we make jars of damson compote to see us through the year, spooning it over porridge in the cooler months. We love serving it with pancakes, for breakfast or brunch, or as a dessert.”
Ingredients
Serves 6
For the compote
For the pancakes
Methods
Step 1
Place the compote ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Take off the heat and leave to cool. You can remove the stones, but we like to leave them in for more flavour.
Step 2
For the pancakes, mix together the ricotta, buttermilk, egg yolks, vanilla and the zest of 2 lemons in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda and icing sugar. Add the dry ingredients into the ricotta mixture and stir to combine.
Step 3
Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add half to the ricotta mix and combine with a metal spoon. Repeat with the remaining egg whites.
Step 4
Heat a little butter in a frying pan, then add serving-spoon-sized dollops of the mixture, maintaining a small space between each one. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then flip. Cook for a further minute, then take off the heat and keep warm. Repeat until all the mixture is used up.
Step 5
Serve with a dollop of yogurt and a good spoonful of the damson compote. (Watch out for the stones if you left them in.)