LIGHT & FLUFFY Bacon Stuffed Pancakes!

Holy heavens it's bacon stuffed pancakes! It's been a while between breakfast recipes but now that we're all at home during the holidays now is the time to share with you one of my favourite breakfasts. These bacon stuffed pancakes are light and fluffy ricotta hot cakes studded with maple glazed bacon so they're super tasty and having the bacon inside the pancakes makes them super easy to eat. They're topped with extra maple glazed bacon and serve with maple syrup on the side. These bacon stuffed pancakes are a pushy recipe Dear Reader especially for bacon fans!

These bacon stuffed pancakes or hot cakes is a mix between Bill Granger's famous ricotta hot cakes and maple bacon pancakes. I love the combination of sweet and salty with pancakes served with bacon and maple syrup that you tend to get a lot in America. It doesn't seem as popular here in Australia but these little babies are a combination of both countries-the lightness and fluffiness of ricotta hot cakes that are popular here in Australia and the bacon and maple combo which is popular in America. I couldn't find a definitive answer on what the difference between pancakes and hot cakes. Each country has a different take on it.

Mr NQN are on opposite teams for breakfast. Give him fruit salad, bircher muesli or pancakes and he's super happy. I cannot handle sugar in the morning so avocado toast or even an Asian breakfast of noodles or dumplings is perfect for me. We are enjoying our time off and having leisurely breakfasts like this. Long time readers know how different Mr NQN and I are in all aspects but we do share politics. For me the hardest part of COVID was not seeing people or my friends whereas he would have happily gone for years without seeing others.

I often joke that Mr NQN and I only got married because he needs someone to speak for him. The worst part for him is talking to shop assistants, waitstaff or anyone he doesn't know. However in December he got his COVID booster shot 10 days before I did and that meant that he suddenly had to speak for both of us. Because Omicron is so contagious, for that 10 days he had to go into shops and buy things and talk to people while I waited outside. And while he was enjoying his time off, he was also counting down the days!

So tell me Dear Reader, are you on holidays? Do you like the maple bacon combo?

Bacon Maple Ricotta Hot Cakes

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 35 minutes

Serves: 8 hot cakes

• 200g/7ozs. bacon (around 6 rashers streaky bacon)

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 160g/5.6ozs. ricotta cheese

• 90ml/3flozs milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup/75g plain all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 egg whites
• Pinch of salt
• Butter for frying
• Maple syrup and butter to serve

Step 1 - First cook the bacon. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Place bacon rashers on a parchment lined tray and brush with maple syrup. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy. When cool enough to handle, chop into small pieces.

Step 2 - Whisk the ricotta, milk and egg yolks in a bowl. Stir in the bacon pieces reserving a tablespoon or two of bacon to decorate on top. Place the egg whites and salt in a mixer bowl and whisk until you get stiff peaks.

Step 3 - Sift the flour and baking powder over the ricotta mixture in two lots and then add the stiff egg whites in two lots and fold until combined.

Step 4 - Heat a frypan on medium heat and add a little butter. Add 1/4 cup of the batter and fry one or two at a time making sure not to over crowd the pan. Cook for 2 minutes on each side and then gently flip over. Serve with extra bacon and a pat of butter on top with maple syrup.