Searching for a leisurely weekend breakfast to help usher in the cooler Fall temperatures, I came across this delectable recipe from Food & Wine magazine.  With local apples from our CSA staring me in the face and a container of part-skim ricotta cheese waiting to be devoured in the fridge, these ‘Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes with Caramelized Apples’ were hard to resist making.

You start by caramelizing peeled apples in butter, ground cinnamon and a touch of sugar; cooked until tender and lightly browned, these apples are a perfect addition for the fluffy lemon-scented pancakes.  What makes these pancakes so light and luscious is not only the addition of creamy ricotta cheese to the batter, but beaten egg whites to help lighten up the batter as well.  (Just a note that I added a touch of vanilla extract to my batter as well as using half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour; a tiny variation from the original recipe, but well worth it!)  These flavorful, unique pancakes will quickly become one of your favorite recipes to welcome this crisp season. 

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lemon-ricotta-pancakes-with-caramelized-apples)

Tagged: apples, breakfast, caramelized apples, cinnamon apples, egg white, fall, Food & Wine, ground cinnamon, lemon, lemon-ricotta pancakes, maple syrup, pancakes, ricotta cheese, stiff egg whites