Breakfast for Dinner

So to be honest I am not a breakfast person, well not when it comes at 8 in the morning (give or take 2 hours).  My idea of breakfast is making a cup of coffee, which last week consisted of me putting water in the carafe placing it in the coffee maker and turning the switch on...can you imagine if I tried to actually make something?  It could be catastrophic.  So to say mornings and I don't get along is a bit of an understatement.   

"But breakfast is fantastic" you say.  Oh I agree, there is nothing like warm fluffy pancakes, or jam-packed omelets...oh and don't get me started on the fantastic qualities of  bacon, trust me when I say I LOVE bacon!  But if you read the first paragraph, (and if you didn't I will give you a moment to go back and tackle it)....you know that these things would be way too complicated for my morning-impaired mind.

So to solve my little conundrum I frequently enjoy a little thing I like to call breakfast-for-dinner (I know the name is not that original, but it is descriptive!).  This way I get to enjoy all of the breakfast yummy-ness at a more functional time of day. 

Tonight was a breakfast-for-dinner night.  I had some leftover ricotta from the cookies I made last week (post to come soon for those, they were fantastic!) so my first thought was ricotta pancakes.  This was my first attempt at these lovely little bundles of fluffiness and it is safe to say that it will NOT be my last.  I paired them with a simple strawberry sauce and the combination was wonderful, light and perfect for dinner. 

So I strongly urge you to have breakfast-for-dinner this week and put these on the menu, you won't be disappointed.

Ricotta Pancakes
adapted from: the kitchn

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• pinch salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 eggs, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I love vanilla so I added a splash more)

If your ricotta is a bit runny, or you suspect that it may have a lot of moisture, place it in a fine mesh strainer about 30 minutes before you start, to drain off the excess liquid.

Combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a medium sized bowl. In seperate bowl combine ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla.

Wet ingredients - dry ingredients

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  In the meantime, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Gently fold in the egg whites one half at a time.

Eggs whites beating away

Heat a griddle, or large pan over medium-high heat, and brush the surface with butter or vegetable oil. Using a 1/3 cup measure (smaller or larger cups can be used depending on how big you desire your pancakes to be) pour batter onto the griddle/pan. Cook pancakes till they are golden brown, 3-4 minutes each side.


Strawberry Sauce*

• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 cup water, the colder the better
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 ½ - 3 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen)

In a small bowl dissolve cornstarch in the cold water.  Rinse and hull strawberries if using fresh, for frozen berries thaw and drain.   Depending on your preference you can slice the strawberries or place them in a food processor to puree them.  In a large sauce pan combine all the ingredients.  Cook over a medium heat until thickened.  If you run your finger across the back of the spoon (be careful it will be HOT!) and it leaves a path then it is thick enough.  Serve warm.


*This sauce is great and has a million uses, I have used it as a cake filling and over ice cream.  The possibilities are many!