Recipes Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes with Caramelized Apples 5.0 (5,747) 3 Reviews For the ultimate pancakes, use fresh ricotta cheese and finely grated lemon zest. For a topping that is special and seasonal, try this quick sauté of apples with butter, sugar and cinnamon. Slideshow: Perfect Pancakes By Justin Chapple Justin Chapple Facebook Instagram Twitter Justin Chapple is a chef, recipe developer, food writer, video host, and cookbook author. In addition, he is the culinary director-at-large of Food & Wine and host of their video series, Mad Genius Tips, for which he was nominated twice for a prestigious James Bead Award.One of my favorite things in the world are cookbooks. For that reason, I wrote two of them: Just Cook It! and Mad Genius Tips! Check them out because I'm sure you'll love them as much as I loved writing them. Oh, by the way, you might've seen some of my work in magazines such as Food & Wine, People, O, The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, and Rachel Ray In Season, among other publications. I've appeared on some shows you might recognize, like NBC's Today, ABC's LIVE with Kelly and Ryan, Food Network's The Kitchen, Hallmark's Home & Family, and Fox's Good Day New York, among others. You might also recognize me from the live classes I teach on Food Network Kitchen.Originally from California, I moved to New York City in 2003. I graduated from the French Culinary Institute. I joined FOOD & WINE in 2010, helping produce the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. I split my time between New York City and the Catskills. I live with my husband, Jason, and my mini-dachshund Millie. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 1, 2014 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Christina Holmes Total Time: 40 mins Yield: 4 Ingredients 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing 2 crisp red or pink apples, preferably Honeycrisp—peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 cup sugar 1 1/4 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest Kosher salt 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 cups whole milk 3 large eggs, separated 1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese Warm pure maple syrup, for serving Directions In a large skillet, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the apples, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of the lemon zest and a pinch of salt and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just tender and golden, about 5 minutes; keep warm. In a large bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk with the egg yolks, ricotta and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon of lemon zest. Whisk the mix into the dry ingredients until just incorporated. In a clean, large stainless steel bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold them into the batter. Preheat a griddle and grease it with butter. Scoop 1/4-cup mounds of batter onto the griddle. Cook the pancakes over moderately high heat until bubbles appear on the surface, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook until the pancakes are risen and golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to plates, spoon the warm apples on top and serve with warm maple syrup. Rate it Print