Ricotta hotcakes with vanilla-roasted blood orange

Make these thick, fluffy pancakes with creamy ricotta for a grown-up brunch or dessert. They work well with roasted blood oranges, or drizzle with honey

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 150 g ricotta
• 80 ml whole milk
• 115 g self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• butter, for frying
• crème fraîche, to serve (optional)
• 4 blood oranges, peeled and sliced
• 4 tbsp light brown soft sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 40 g salted butter, cubed

Steps

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 fraîche on the side if you like.