Passover began yesterday and Easter is just around the corner, which means it’s time for pancakes, or perhaps you call them flapjacks.

Ever since I can remember, our family Easter breakfast/brunch has featured pancakes, sometimes along with waffles, bacon or ham, and eggs, usually the pastel colored Easter eggs found by the kids that morning. Pancakes also play a big part in Passover meals, especially potato pancakes.

Whether you’re planning an Easter brunch or a Passover supper, pancakes will probably be on your menu, so instead of more palaver in the column this week, I’m going to use the space for more recipes. Recipes for pancakes, naturally; one of my favorite all-purpose foods.

I wish all our readers a blessed Passover and/or a very Happy Easter.

RECIPES

No Krusteaz or Bisquick for these; make them from scratch and wait for the words of praise. These pancakes are light, fluffy, lemony and unusual.

LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKES

3 large eggs, separated

1½ cups buttermilk

3 T. sugar

1 cup ricotta cheese

1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

2 T. lemon zest (you could substitute 1 t. lemon oil, if necessary)

¼ t. nutmeg

½ t. salt

In a mixing bowl, beat together the egg yolks, buttermilk, sugar and ricotta cheese. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, lemon zest, nutmeg and salt. In a third bowl, beat the egg whites to med. stiff peaks.

Mix the dry ingredients into the buttermilk mixture with a few quick strokes (a few lumps are OK). Gently fold in the egg whites.

Heat a lightly greased griddle or skillet over med. heat until hot enough to evaporate a drop of water immediately. Drop the batter, (¼ cup) onto the griddle and cook for about 2½ min. on the first side (bubbles should come to the surface and pop), then flip and cook for about 1 min. on the second side. A light golden brown is what you’re after. Serve immediately (or stack in a clean kitchen towel in a warm oven, if you have to hold them until you have enough to serve everyone.) These are delicious with lemony maple syrup (warm the syrup and add a teaspoon or two of freshly squeezed lemon juice). Makes about 20 3- or 4-inch pancakes.

If you have a small group for brunch or supper, these feathery-light pancakes are perfect. They don’t hold well in the oven, however, and are best served as they come off the griddle, thus the “small group” comment. Take note that these pancakes use whole-wheat flour, which makes them health food, right?

ORANGE CLOUD PANCAKES

3/4 cup cottage cheese

(I use small curd)

3 eggs separated

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

1 T. orange juice

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 T. sugar

½ t. salt

Pinch of cinnamon

1 T. orange zest

Place cottage cheese, egg yolks, melted butter and orange juice in a food processor and process until the cottage cheese is smooth. Add the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon and process again. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the orange zest. Allow this mixture to stand for 10 min.

In the bowl with an electric mixer, whip the egg whites to med. stiff peaks. Use a rubber spatula to stir a spoonful of the whites into the orange mixture to lighten it, then gently fold in the rest of the whites.

Heat a nonstick griddle or a heavy skillet and brush lightly with vegetable oil. When the surface is hot enough that a drop of water sputters across the surface, give the pan a quick swipe with a paper towel to remove excess oil. Spoon batter onto the griddle/pan, about 1/3 cup at a time and cook. Check to be sure they’re not browning too quickly, and when small bubbles begin to form around the edges, flip them and finish cooking until both sides are golden brown. Serve immediately, with orange honey or maple syrup. Makes about one dozen pancakes.

Before we go any further with pancake recipes, let’s talk about syrup. It doesn’t always have to be maple syrup on pancakes; I happen to be a big fan of honey, for example, but right now both rhubarb and strawberries are coming into prime time, so here’s a quick bit of springtime to pour over your pancakes.

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB SYRUP

1 cup diced rhubarb

1 cup sliced or frozen sliced strawberries (unsweetened)

1 cup sugar

2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cinnamon stick, or 1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 T. water

Place rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon stick (or cinnamon) in a saucepan over med. heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until rhubarb is tender, about 5 min. Add strawberries and corn syrup and let mixture come back to a simmer. While you’re waiting for it to simmer, combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl and stir until cornstarch is dissolved, then stir this into the simmering rhubarb mixture. Stir continuously until mixture comes back to a simmer and goes from cloudy to clear and thickens. Remove cinnamon stick, if using; take syrup off stove; serve warm over waffles, pancakes, ice cream, scones, etc.

And finally, here’s a very old recipe for pancakes that kids will love, but which may sound very strange to adults. These pancakes are always on a breakfast menu in Germany and Austria, and after I ate these “torn up” pancakes for the first time, many years ago in Salzburg, I made them part of my very large pancake recipe file. Delicious, and for some reason, kids love this. Let them do the “breaking.”

EMPEROR’S BROKEN PANCAKE (Kaiserschmarrn)

1 cup flour (I prefer unbleached, all purpose)

1 cup milk

4 egg, separated

1 t. vanilla

Pinch of salt

Butter, for frying

In a bowl, whisk flour, milk, egg yolks, vanilla and salt together until well blended.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until fluffy (soft peaks). Gently fold into the batter.

Heat butter in a skillet over med. heat. Pour in 1/3 of the batter and cook until the underside is golden. (Lift edge with a spatula to check; don’t let them burn.) Flip pancake very carefully and as it is cooking, take two forks and tear the pancake into pieces. Turn out on to a warmed plate and sprinkle with sugar or powdered sugar (and perhaps fruit; see note below). Repeat with remaining batter. Serve hot.

Note: Adding fresh fruit such as sliced, sweetened strawberries, or any other available fresh berry is delicious, or top the “torn” pancake with sliced fresh peaches, or apple slices with cinnamon and sugar. Whatever is in season and appealing, especially for the kids. Or you could drizzle the “torn pancake” or any other pancake or waffle with this syrup.

THREE BERRY SYRUP

1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries

2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups light corn syrup

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 T. cold water

Put berries, lemon juice, sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan over med. heat. Bring it all up to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Put cornstarch in a cup or small bowl, add the cold water and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. When the syrup is simmering, add the cornstarch slurry all at once and stir continuously until the syrup comes back to a simmer, thickens, and goes from cloudy to clear. Serve warm.

Note: This can be any berry syrup; all raspberry, all blueberry, or any two or three berry mixture you love, but often in the freezer section, you’ll find the bags of frozen three berry mixture.