1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1½ Tbs. sugar
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup pecan pieces, toasted
2 Tbs. finely grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
8 oz. local honey with honeycomb
(Serves 4)
If your ricotta has a lot of liquid pooling at the top, which most grocery store brands do, put it in a fine mesh strainer and set it over a bowl to drain off excess liquid about 30 minutes before you start cooking. If your ricotta seems fairly dry and compact, you can skip this step.
Preheat oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and pecans in a bowl. Combine the ricotta, lemon zest, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla in a large bowl. Gently stir the dry ingredients into the ricotta mixture, stirring until just combined.
Beat the egg whites with a handheld electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Stir a small scoop of the egg whites into the pancake batter to lighten the batter, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites with a spatula.
Heat one tablespoon of the butter in a griddle or large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Use a 1/3-cup measure to pour batter onto the hot griddle, leaving a little bit of space in between each pancake. Cook the pancakes until the undersides are golden and you see a few bubbles popping through the pancakes, three or four minutes. Flip the pancakes gently with a spatula and cook until golden, three to four minutes more. Place the pancakes on the prepared baking sheet and place them in the oven. Add a tablespoon of the butter to the griddle and repeat. Serve immediately with the honeycomb.
