Stacks of Bill Granger’s ricotta hotcakes, spoonfuls of creamy salted caramel swirled mascarpone, brown-sugar caramelised sticky banana slices, fresh tart strawberries and a drizzle of maple syrup. Jump to Recipe
Solo airport travel is a strange experience. Surrounded by people on holiday, on business, with family or friends, all hurrying along different points on their journey, yet still completely alone. Observance is heightened – overheard snippets of conversations, harried family quarrels, the rumpled clothing and smart business suits of people on the move. Time is slightly warped – crossing timezones does that, but so does blurred hours sitting at 30,000 feet, breathing stale air, eating predictable airline food and rushing through terminals, security and baggage claims. Emerging out the other side into bright daylight (or night, as it may be) seems a little surreal – back to exactly where you started a week ago. You question vaguely whether the time away even happened, or whether it was just a particularly vivid dream.
The rush continues: onto the airport bus, through train stations, out to the suburbs, back to college. Unpacking, attempting to finish the mountain of work that sat unattended through the week away. And soon it will be tomorrow, with university rolling on for the final push towards the end of the year.
At least the memories remain. And can be paused on at different times, recollecting hazy moments of sunshine, sandy toes, supermarket trips, conversations, time spent reading, swimming, baking and photographing the latter. There was a lot of food. Good food, too.
Our last lunch together as a family was yesterday: these ricotta hotcakes with caramel mascarpone and caramelised bananas. It was a last minute decision to photograph and record the recipe – Mum took over the hotcake flipping while my youngest brother aided my mission to capture them in the few minutes spare before we sat down to eat. I think it must have been the fastest photography session I have ever done, quick-snap in the corner of the room by the white-washed shutters, and the fewest photos taken – but some of my favourites. Caramel mascarpone melted and slid off the warm hotcakes straight from the pan as sweat beaded on my forehead, sun streamed into the hot kitchen, a brief attempt at a maple syrup pour shot, and everything brought to the table to devour.
Stacks of fluffy ricotta hotcakes, spoonfuls of creamy salted caramel swirled mascarpone, brown-sugar caramelised sticky banana slices, fresh tart strawberries and a drizzle of maple syrup. We felt like kings.The hotcakes are an adaptation of Bill Granger’s famous Sydney recipe via Izzy Hosack – and they are well-known for a reason. Light and not too sweet, studded with small bits of ricotta, which you might not realise unless you knew, made with beaten egg whites to incorporate extra air, and ridiculously easy to put together – they are hard to beat. I even managed to cook them successfully in a couple of battered old pans with no non-stick surface whatsoever on an oven top where it is near impossible to control the heat – and yet still received satisfying golden swirled surfaces. Even the few where the flip went slightly awry tasted perfect.
The bananas disappeared swiftly: sauteed in a hot pan with brown sugar and olive oil, they caramelise and turn soft-edged and sticky in a matter of minutes. The mascarpone does require caramel sauce – easy to make earlier in the morning (or you could buy it..but really making your own takes 10 minutes), swirled to combine the creamy tanginess of Italian cheese with salty-sweet, dark golden caramel. Strawberries are the ideal spring or summer accompaniment, although leave them out and the recipe seems rather autumnal and warming, for those of you in the Northern hemisphere.
A summery, sticky sweet end to a week away. A match for any occasion, enjoyed by all ages, not hard to construct, eaten at any time of day, whether outside on the deck in the sun or inside shielded against frigid air, rain or snow. You can’t go wrong.
- 6 eggs , separated
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 1/2 cups plain flour (185g)
- 1 1/2 heaped teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 450 g ricotta
- A few tablespoons of olive oil to cook
- 1 cup sugar (200g)
- 85 g (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup cream (120ml)
- about 1 teaspoon salt , or to taste.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 250 g mascarpone
- 3 bananas , sliced thickly on the diagonal (see photos)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- A punnet of fresh strawberries , quartered
- Maple syrup
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First make the caramel mascarpone and store in the fridge while you cook the hotcakes (recipe below).
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In a large bowl, stir together the egg yolks, milk and salt. Sift over the flour and baking powder and stir to combined with no lumps.
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Add the ricotta and stir briefly, making sure to leave small lumps of ricotta in the batter (don’t completely combine!)
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In another clean bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks.
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Fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture until just combined.
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Preheat the oven to about 50°C and put a plate in to keep the hotcakes warm on. Heat a pan or two on medium heat with a tablespoon or two of olive oil to grease the pan.
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Add about 1/3 of a cup of batter for each hotcake, cooking until the underside is golden. Flip and cook the other side. Keep cooked hotcakes on the plate in the oven until you have finished cooking them all.
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Meanwhile, chop strawberries into quarters and make the caramelised banans (recipe below)
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Serve the hotcakes with caramelised bananas, the caramel mascarpone, fresh strawberries and maple syrup.
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To make the caramel, first measure out all the components so you are ready to go (it happens quickly!).
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Heat the sugar in a medium pot over medium-high heat, stirrng constantly with a wooden spoon. It will form clumps and start to melt into an amber liquid - watch carefully, ensuring it doesn’t catch/burn.
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When it is melted and golden-brown, add the butter and whisk until combined (this may take a couple of minutes). Be careful as the caramel will bubble and steam vigorously.
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Drizzle in the cream slowly, again whisking constantly until fully combined (1-2 minutes). Remove from the heat.
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Stir in the vanilla and salt to taste. Leave to cool.
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Just before serving, fold about 6 tablespoons of the caramel through the mascarpone.
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There will be extra caramel left over - you can store this in a jar for another time (poured over ice cream, added to brownie, over another lot of pancakes or waffles, anything you like!)
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Heat the olive oil and brown sugar in a pan over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the bananas and toss gently for 2-3 minutes or until golden and caramelised.
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Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl for serving.
Now that looks like my kind of breakfast! Glad you decided to share these hotcakes, the caramel marscapone especially looks delicious 🙂
Thanks June! The caramel mascarpone was a flash of inspiration but went so well with the hotcakes – it half melted on top and turned all gooey and caramelly! 🙂
I want these! I love this entire post. Your photos are stunning, and I totally know what you mean about traveling alone. I do it constantly, and it is always a bit like a dream. Now I just wish I had these for breakfast 🙂
Thanks so much Rachel! For me the best part of travelling alone is getting back friends and family at the end of it – the slight loneliness of being around so many people but not knowing anyone is hard to get used to! I’m sitting here after dinner now and wishing I had another plate of hotcakes for dessert – I think I could eat them any time of day <3
Wow these pancakes look fantastic! And those carmazlied bananas!! Yum!
Thanks Kelley! <3
I find it beautiful that you made these with your family. You’re an amazing 18 year old making all the beautiful and delicious food. When I was 18…. I was just shoving a lot of fried chicken into my mouth. :p
Thanks Ai! Food has always been such a big part of my life – I do enjoy a good fried chicken but probably more restaurant style than fast food style haha! 🙂
Airports are fascinating to me! The whole ritual of getting from one place to another via being encased in metal at 38,000 feet is just so weird and anti-intuitive but such a normal part of life now at the same time. Such a good decision to photograph these hotcakes, Claudia! They’re stunning. So nice of your family to help out too hehe.
Hope you are settling back in okay! I went to boarding school from Year 7 to 12, and it always took me a few days to adjust either way, whether it was arriving home or back at the boarding house. No matter how many times you do it it can still be tough!
So with you Hannah! It definitely takes a few days to adjust, I find especially arriving back at college I miss everyone at home more for a bit until I get back into the routine of uni. And yes, Wynton got very used to running around after me when I asked him to do things – I think the main motivation was getting to eat the caramel mascarpone though!! Thanks so much <3
These are lovely and the photos turned out beautiful. Dont you love when impromptu photography turns out perfect? Sometimes the spontaneity creates a better back drop. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Kathleen, I certainly loved it on the weekend! <3
These hotcakes look so scrumptious! Beautiful photography!
Thanks Marsha!
Please tell me I’m not the only one who will do pretty much anything for mascarpone? And then you added caramel? Swoon! Btw, I love that you added strawberries here, I can imagine how they perfectly balance the dish. Really stunning!
You are definitely not the only one! I have been using mascarpone way too much lately – just last week I made an espresso mascarpone to go with a banana bread, which was equally good! And yes, the strawberries were the perfect bite of freshness to go with all the other sweet aspects. Thanks Stephanie 🙂
All of this is making my stomach rumble – great pictures and glad you decided to post. Impromptu meals in my opinion are the hardest to capture due to new light, props, etc and you made it look effortless! Yum!
Aw thanks Julia! It was tricky photographing in the new setting of the apartment we were staying in, but by the end of the week I had a pretty good handle on the lighting! Limited props was a bit of an issue though haha 🙂
Ahhh this is gorgeous!!! And love the photos of the ocean…just beautiful! I make a similar pancake to this, it’s Russian style and we call them Syrniki 🙂 That mascarpone sauce is calling my name!
Ooh I will have to investigate Synriki – always so interested by food from different countries. Thanks Mila! <3
Can you believe I have never traveled alone before? I’m twenty five and always seem to have a travel buddy with me. It sounds nice to be able to be alone with your thoughts while everyone rushes past. These pancakes look so dreamy covered in caramel mascarpone and bananas.
Thats crazy – but I suppose I only started travelling alone when I went away for university and had to start flying back and forth by myself. It is nice in some ways, but can be lonely at other times! Thanks Nicole <3
Your photos are gorgeous! Also, with caramelized onions? I am so in!
Thanks Cathleen 🙂 (PS and do you mean bananas? Not sure how well onions would go with this haha!)
Wow! I was just reading about ricotta pancakes today in Bon Appetit magazine, and totally decided I want to make some soon! You’re look absolutely amazing and delicious!! I’ve GOT to make soon!
I was put off a little by the thought of ricotta initially just because it is a cheese, but it makes the hotcakes so lovely and light, fluffy, and tender that there is no going back! Would love to know what you think if you give them a go 🙂
Wow, these look and sound amazing! I can’t believe this was a last minute photo shoot! And caramel mascarpone? Yes, please! Looks like a beautiful vacation, totally jealous.
Thanks Maya! We did have a lovely holiday – just went way too fast!! <3
These pancakes look like perfection, Claudia! Isn’t it amazing how the best things can arise in the most unexpected of times? I am loving the caramelized bananas here – SO incredibly gorgeous and appetizing. And the caramel mascarpone is just the thing to, like you said, make you feel like a king eating this breakfast! Such a great combo of ingredients here and truly perfect way of preparing them! <3
Thank you Beeta! It does seem that way – sometimes the things that you spend the most time deliberating over don’t turn out how you had planned, whereas if you don’t plan so much there are less expectations. Thanks for stopping by <3
These hotcakes look amazing! I really love the caramelized bananas you put on top! That totally makes the dish! They would be perfect with some maple syrup!
Thanks Shelby! The maple syrup was pretty perfect with it – added just the right amount of sweetness and stickiness – I think all the sweet components of top work really well because the hotcakes themselves aren’t that sweet, so it ends up just right 🙂
I can’t decide what is more gorgeous – the sunset pictures or the glorious pancakes. I’m going to go with the pancakes. Because, CARAMEL MASCARPONE – genius!
Haha I know right, I would probably pick the pancakes too – I mean, as good as it looks, you can’t eat the sunrise!! Thanks so much Kate!
Oh wow! These pancakes look FABULOUS. And those carmazlied bananas on top look so gorgeous. Yummy!
Thanks Anu!! <3
Oh, I SO feel you, girlfriend! Traveling solo IS a strange and almost humbling experience! When I moved to NC, I flew without my husband, and now that I live in a different state than my family, my travels will mostly be solo. It is kinda weird, and awkward. But, when I fly alone, I just look around and create stories for all the strangers surrounding me. And I appreciate the face time I get when I finally see someone familiar at the end of my adventure and baggage claim. You learn to appreciate the time together, more so than before. And you find yourself inspired to create dishes that will create memories! These hotcakes are perfect for that! They are beyond beautiful and look absolutely delish! The ricotta and caramel mascarpone is enough to make my tummy swoon, but you went and added caramelized bananas! CRAZY YUMMMM!
Thank you! They were pretty awesome, judging by the speed at which they were consumed by my brothers!
And making up stories for people is so much fun! I love to do it when sitting at cafes or watching people go past in the city as well, wondering where they are going what their story is. And since being away at college, I definitely appreciate being home with family and friends SO much more – I completely agree with you. Thanks so much for stopping by Cheyanne!! X
OMG. Major drool and stomach grumbling happening here! What was I thinking visiting your blog before breakfast? lol It looks divine and I’m definitely trying this soon. Pinning!
Haha I feel the same way every time I look back at these and there aren’t any left too eat- so much hunger! Thanks so much Olivia, let me know what you think if you do give them a go! 🙂
The ricotta hotcakes are gorgeous! Love the caramelised bananas – so yummy! And caramel mascarpone – I need to try that! So incredible. Your photos are stunning.
Thanks Jessica! I loved how easy the caramelised banana were to throw together as well – as couple of seconds in the pan and they were just so good!! X
These look sooooo amazing Claudia! I love the sound of these hotcakes. The caramelised bananas and caramel mascarpone sound so delicious and decadent. I can see myself devouring a whole batch!!!! Yum yum yum <3
Thanks so much Harriet! I would have too but luckily my brothers were around to eat most of them before I could eat them all! At least the hotcakes themselves aren’t too unhealthy – no butter or sugar so must be okay haha! The toppings make up for it in decadence though <3
Wow, I so want this for my breakfast now! So drooling at the moment
You summed up my feelings of traveling alone to a T! No doubt, it is exhausting anyway, but then taking care of all the details, transfers, navigation etc. alone can get stressful. I do a lot of people watching when traveling… noticing how we’re all the same, really. What a delight to come home and make these incredibly fluffy and flavorful pancakes! Those caramelized bananas alone are pretty incredible, with that brown sugar, I’m drooling! And the ricotta…. I’ve gotta make these! Thank you for this my dear!
Aw thank you Traci! And it is so true that we are all the same travelling – all trying to get somewhere and meet someone, and all in our own little bubble. The pancakes were a big hit – and I’m not normally a pancake person but I absolutely loved them! Thanks again <3
These look fantastic Claudia! YUM! I have actually had the pleasure of eating at Bill’s and will never forget it! Your version of these pancakes looks incredible; I can’t wait to try!! Best of luck with your new endeavors too!
Thanks Jackie!! His cafes are so good, right? I first tried the ricotta hotcake at one in Sydney – we were there just for the weekend and I was convinced I needed to get there to try them. That was 2 years ago now but I still love them!! Thanks again <3
So so gorgeous <3
Thanks so much Shellie! <3
Your pics make me want to be on a beach. Like right now. I think I’m going through tropical withdrawal! LOVE these hotcakes by the way. Simply delicious!
Hahaha thanks Lauren!! I already wish I was back there! Maybe you could just make the hotcakes and imagine yourself staying near the beach… could be the next best option! 🙂