Ricotta hotcakes with vanilla-roasted blood orange

I first discovered ricotta hotcakes through Australian writer and restaurateur Bill Granger. They are thick, fluffy pancakes made with creamy ricotta. They make for a moreish grown-up brunch or try cooking them in small rounds for pudding. They work just as well with blood orange as they do simply drizzled with honey.

SERVES 2-4 (2 for brunch or 4 as a dessert) PREP 15 mins

COOK 25 mins EASY V

2 eggs 150g ricotta 80ml whole milk 115g self-raising flour

2 tbsp caster sugar butter, for frying crème fraîche, to serve (optional)

For the blood oranges

4 blood oranges, peeled and sliced 4 tbsp light brown soft sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

40g salted butter, cubed

1 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. First, prepare the oranges. Put the slices in a baking dish with the sugar, vanilla and butter. Roast for 15 mins, then remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 150C/130C fan/gas 2.

2 Separate the egg whites and yolks into two bowls. Mix the ricotta and milk into the bowl with the yolks, then stir in the flour and sugar.

Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until fluffy and aerated, then fold a spoonful into the ricotta and egg yolk mixture until loosened, then fold in the rest, being careful not to knock out the air.

3 Heat a little butter in a non-stick pan and add 2 spoonfuls of batter per hotcake. Cook on a medium-low heat for 3-4 mins on each side. Keep the cooked ones warm in the oven while you work with the rest of the batter. Serve the warm hotcakes with the blood oranges, along with their syrup, and some crème fraiche on the side if you like.

GOOD TO KNOW calcium • folate • vit c • 1 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING (4) 478 kcals • fat 18g • saturates 10g •

carbs 66g • sugars 44g • fibre 3g • protein 12g •

salt 0.7g