Currently Obsessed With...Bouchon Bakery

Saying my mother is a foodie is an understatement! She is always trying new recipes and goes to different cities just to try new foods.  She turned me on to Bouchon.....and I was enlightened!!!

Photo Courtesy of Bouchon Bakery

Bouchon offers fantastic little patisseries just like a Parisian Boulangerie.  Their signature Bouchons which are a petit chocolate cake/brownie, a Nutter Butter sandwich cookie which is filled with a smooth peanut butter cream, an Oreo-esque chocolate cookie, just 100x better than the original.  Brioche loaves,  I have been know to have eaten a whole loaf in a 24 hour period (don’t judge me!).  

Photo Courtesy of Bouchon Bakery

And them my favorite... macarons,  (((sigh)))! Salted Caramel,  Pistachio, Vanilla, just to name a few but my favorite is the Passion fruit.  It reminds me of a tart little lemon meringue pie, in the form of a cookie the size of my palm.  It’s one of those things I like to eat in silence, when I can really savor it.  So I usually eat it while Z is asleep so I avoid being rushed, and to elude having to share.  Perish the thought, I mean Z can’t truly appreciate all that is... Bouchon, well not yet at least!

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes...Ummm Yes Please!

                                     Photos and recipe courtesy of judicialpeach.com

JMP and I are natural born foodies.  And one thing we cannot resist is homemade bread, in any form!  Well my mom introduced me to Lemon Ricotta Pancakes & i've been dreaming about them ever since.

I was raised making blueberry buttermilk pancakes from scratch on the weekends.  But recently my mom mixed things up and tried a new recipe she got from the Four Seasons via The Today Show for Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.  They are were so light and fragrant from the lemon zest, and nothing short of delicious!  And with pure maple syrup from Vermont (you haven't had maple syrup until you've had it from this state!) every bite is a piece of bliss!

The saddest part of the story was that the next week after our "experience" with the great Lemon Ricotta Pancakes my daughter asked for pancakes.  I made our original blueberry ones all the time thinking, "I wish these were the lemon ones!"  And then Z takes one bite and says, "I don't like these I want the other pancakes!"  I told her, "me too".  Another foodie is born :)

Bon Appetite!

LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKES

Recipe from the Four Seasons Hotel

YIELD: About 20 pancakes.

WHAT TO GRAB:
6 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
8 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon zest (about 6 lemons)

HOW YOU DO IT:

1.  Preheat your griddle.

2.  In a medium bowl, mix together ricotta, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla extract.  In a separate bowl, whisk together  the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest.  With a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the ricotta mixture.

3.  In yet another mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks begin to form.  Fold a quater of  the beaten egg whites into the batter, then fold the rest of the egg whites in, until just combined.  The beaten egg whites will lighten the batter substantially.

4.   Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a griddle over medium-low heat until it bubbles.  Pour the pancake batter – about 1/4 of a cup per pancake – onto the griddle.

5.  Cook for about 4 or 5 minutes, or until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned.  Flip the pancakes and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes.

6.  Dust with powdered sugar and serve!