Vegetarian
A special holiday breakfast!
Pikelets (like their cousins pancakes, hotcakes and crepes) are fun to make and a bit of a spectacle, too- what with the fry pan sizzling and the smell of melting butter permeating the house they tend to tempt people into the kitchen… And that’s exactly what makes them a wonderful holiday or weekend treat!
The festive amount of dairy in this recipe is offset by the inclusion of kefir, a sour, cultured dairy product and powerful probiotic. By all means use a thin yoghurt to substitute if you find kefir too intense or have none on hand- on the other hand if you love it you can make it at home using the cultures we sell in store (click here for directions).
Ingredients (makes about 8 pikelets)
200 g ricotta
80 ml kefir
2 Tbsp water
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp maple syrup
2 eggs, separated
60 g plain unbleached flour (we used spelt)
½ tsp baking powder
pinch salt
butter, to grease pan
sliced bananas, kefir, maple syrup, cinnamon & nutmeg, to serve
Method
1. Beat ricotta, kefir, water, vanilla and maple syrup with the egg yolks. Sift over flour, baking powder and salt and combine: the batter should be thick and viscous. You may need to add a little more water if it is dry.
2. In a very clean high-sided bowl beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks then carefully fold into the batter- don’t be tempted to mix!
3. Heat a large frying pan over medium-low heat and melt half a teaspoon of butter in it. Add pikelet batter in 2 – 3 tablespoon dollops- you should be able to cook about 4 of these at once, but don’t crowd the pan- and cook until golden brown. Carefully flip and cook the other side until golden brown- it should take about 3 minutes on each side. Repeat with the remaining batter, keeping cooked pikelets warm in a low oven.
4. Layer pikelets with banana, kefir and maple syrup and serve immediately with a dash of cinnamon and grated nutmeg.