Did you notice it has been a little while since my last post? This is what happens when my life gets crazy juggling law school, performing, and recording … but I still do prepare and eat yummy food!
I can’t wait to share these cream cheese pancakes with you. I happened upon them–and what a happy happening it was! They are lightly flavored with cream cheese and they are airy and light also. It seems they are a little bit like a breakfast cheese cake of sorts. Well, almost!
So now I am back and speaking of being back, I’m reminded of that classic jazz standard “Back in Your Own Backyard” where discoveries of great recipes happen in my life! I will have to preform and record this classic, but until then keep listening to Billie Holiday’s sublime version.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- Zest from one lemon
- 1 cup half-and half cream
- Juice from one lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg, separated
- 1 egg white
Instructions
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Add zest from one lemon. Stir to coat zest with flour. Set aside.
- Cut cream cheese into small chunks and put in a medium bowl. With a spoon, stir and flatten cream cheese against the sides of the bowl. Set aside to continue softening.
- Put half-and-half cream in a mixing bowl. Add juice from one lemon and vanilla extract. Stir.
- Separate egg yolk from white, putting the yolk in the half-and-half cream mixture and the white in a large mixing bowl. Add another egg white. Set large bowl of egg whites aside.
- Stir the yolk into the half-and-half cream mixture. Pour over cream cheese and try to blend together leaving chunks of cream cheese. Set aside.
- With electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside.
- Again stir to blend cream cheese into the half-and half cream mixture then add half-and-half cream mixture to flour mixture. With a large spoon, stir until slightly mixed.
- Fold in egg whites.
- Put skillet over medium heat. Add dab of butter and spread to the edges. Scoop out large spoonsful of pancake batter onto skillet. Slightly flatten with the back of the spoon.
- Turn pancakes as soon as one or two bubbles appear on top. The edges of pancakes should be a little crispy from frying in the butter. (If desired, before flipping to second side of pancake, add another dab of butter to the pan and flip the pancake on top of it.)
- Serve immediately with raspberry jam!