The quince, which shares a similar sweetness to the apple and pear, is a golden, yellow fruit often used in recipes for desserts and breakfast items. Here, it works together with vanilla bean to star in a ricotta pancake recipe, as an indulgent dish dripping with delightful syrup, boiled fruit and creamy, melt-in-your-mouth breakfast cakes.
Ingredients
- 2 small quinces (400 g)
- 1 vanilla bean, halved
- 3 cups (750 ml) water
- 1½ cup (330 g) caster sugar
- ¾ cup (150 g) ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs, separated
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp caster sugar, extra
- 2 tbsps milk
- 2 tbsps self-raising flour
- 10 g butter
Steps
Peel and core quinces; slice each quince into 4 widthways.
Halve vanilla bean lengthways. Combine in medium saucepan with the water and sugar, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil; add quince, reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 1½ hrs. Uncover; simmer, stirring occasionally, about 1 hr or until quince is tender and syrup rosy-pink in colour. Discard vanilla bean.
Meanwhile, beat cheese in a medium bowl with electric mixer until smooth; beat in egg yolks, vanilla, extra sugar, milk and flour until smooth. Stand 15 mins.
Beat egg whites in a small bowl until firm peaks form; fold egg whites, in two batches, into cheese mixture.
Melt butter in large non-stick frying pan; using 2 tbsps of batter for each pancake, cook two pancakes at a time, uncovered, until bubbles appear on the surface. Turn; cook until browned lightly. Remove pancakes from pan; cover to keep warm. Repeat process with remaining batter to make a total of 8 pancakes.
Place two pancakes on each serving plate; top each with a slice of quince, drizzled with syrup.
Photo: bauersyndication.com.au