Ricotta Hotcakes with Honeycomb Butter

I can't find a better way to start the day with a giant plate of hotcakes for breakfast, especially on the day after you have returned from a great holiday. We spent 7 days holidaying at the FNQ (Far North Queensland) and returned to Sydney late yesterday.

It's still school holiday in Sydney for another week and Mr J won't be back in the office today because he injured his back while packing our suitcases yesterday. The price to pay for being tall (6'4") is having an unstable back. It feels like an extended holiday at home. So I decided to make everyone's favourite hotcakes breakfast to kick start the day.

Bill Granger: "Born in America, the hotcake has assimilated well into Australian breakfast society. Take it back to its roots by substituting maple syrup for the golden-flecked crunch-sensation butter."

Ricotta Hotcakes with Honeycomb Butter
(Adapted from Bill Granger's Bills Sydney Food)
Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups ricotta
3/4 cup (6 fl oz) milk
4 eggs, separated
1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
50 g (1 1/2 oz) butter

To Serve
Banana
Honeycomb butter, sliced (below)
Icing (cofectioners') sugar for dusting

Honeycomb Butter
250 g (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
100 g (3 1/3 oz) sugar honeycomb, crushed with a rolling pin
2 tbsp honey

Method

1. Place ricotta, milk and egg yolks in a mixing bowl and mix to combine.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add to the ricotta mixture and mix until just combined.
3. Place egg whites in a clean dry bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites through batter in two batches, with a large metal spoon.
4. Lightly grease a large non-stick frying pan with a small portion of the butter and drop 2 tbsp of batter per hotcake into the pan (don't cook more than 3 per batch). Cook over low to medium heat for 2 minutes, or until hotcakes have golden undersides. Turn hotcakes and cook on the other side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and quickly assemble with other ingredients.
5. Slice one banana lengthways onto a plate, stack 3 hotcakes on top with a slice of honeycomb butter. Dust with icing sugar.
6. Honeycomb Butter: Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Shape into a log on plastic wrap, roll, seal and chill in a refrigerator for 2 hours. Store leftover honeycomb butter in the freezer - it's great on toast.

Note: Hotcake batter can be stored for up to 24 hours, covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.