Hotcakes with delicious blueberry compote

I'm constantly looking for new recipes to try. This is one I found in a magazine that I just had to experiment with: result = heavenly! Josh (my loving husband) and I went crazy over these. This recipe is definitely a keeper!


Blueberry compote (optional):
18 oz. fresh blueberries
1/4 c. sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp lemon juice
*optional: 1/4 c. coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves (keeps the compote from being too sweet)







Hotcakes:
1 c. fresh ricotta cheese (this makes them fluffy as a pillow!)
4 large eggs, seperated
3/4 c. buttermilk, shaken (substitution: I didn't have any buttermilk, so I used 1 tbsp. lemon juice then added milk to be 3/4 c and let sit for 5 min.)
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. fresh blueberries
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus extra for serving

1. Compote: combine blueberries, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cook 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves (don't overcook berries or they will lose their shape.) Remove from heat. Gently stir in mint (if using); keep warm.

2. Hotcakes: whisk ricotta and egg yolks together in a large bowl to combine; whisk in buttermilk. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into ricotta mixture. Stir with a whisk until just combined.

3. With an electric mixer, beat egg whites and sugar in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. With a large rubber spatula, gently fold egg whites through the batter in 2 batches. Gently fold blueberries into the batter.

4. Melt some butter on a hot griddle pan over medium-low heat. Ladle batter onto the griddle and cook, about 3 minutes per side or until hotcakes puff, become golden brown, and are just cooked through.

5. Transfer to serving plates. Spoon warm blueberry compote over the hotcakes, top with a dollop of butter, and serve immediately.