Autumn Glory Pancakes

Frittelle Dolce di Ricotta, Polenta & Cachi con Confettura di Cachi & Lampone

Ricotta, Polenta & Persimmon Pancakes with Persimmon & Raspberry Sauce

Pancakes are man-cakes! That's what I say! Well, at least they are in my case... because you may get me to prepare you something sweet and delicious- but it is more likely to look more like this than some kind of fluffy, high and mighty real cake... what can I do?

And especially when it is just my breakfast that I am preparing- a pan-cake (or 6! of them) is still a kind of cake if you ask me!

Small, juicy, deliciously different and wonderfully easy to make! These are my favorite things about these and most any other kinds of pancakes... the absolutely most wonderful way to start a Sunday with a smile!

To make my 6 yummy pancakes, I needed 1 large, ripe persimmon, 2 tablespoons of fresh Ricotta, 4 tablespoons of polenta, 1 egg, a little sugar and cinnamon (with that obligatory pinch of salt!) and a half teaspoon of baking powder to help keep things light.

And for my little "sauce" of sorts, I simply blended a tablespoon of raspberry jam with half of the aforementioned persimmon... a little goes a long way, as you can see!

Decadent but not-too-naughty... that's the way I like it! And being me, I made sure to wait and see how sweet my fruit, the persimmon, was before adding any extra sugar- something you should do too! Recipes are fine... but common sense is better!

I started off by popping the persimmon, peeled and cut into coarse chunks into by blender and giving it a whizz.

I then used half of it, combined with the egg, the ricotta, flour and cinnamon and whisked it into a batter. I added a tiny pinch of salt and just 1 teaspoon of sugar, as the persimmon itself was really sweet. Use your own judgement when you make yours, but for me, 1 teaspoon was plenty! Remember, that jam is yet to come.

As for the jam, I simply added that to the other half of the persimmon and gently heated and stirred it through for 4-5 minutes whilst I busied myself with the pancakes.

My pancakes were small- just 2 tablespoons of batter each- but I find that to be a perfect size to be honest. Fry them on a medium heat until you begin to see little bubbles forming on the surface, before they are ready to carefully be flipped... you have all made pancakes before!

Fry them in butter, don't add too much and don't let it get too hot... and you will be just fine! 

And your pancakes will be too!

As a finishing touch, I poured my raspberry and persimmon sauce into the blender and gave it a last little whizz to get rid of any lumps... and there it was- rich, thick, smooth, sweet, tangy and delicious!

Stack 'em up! Serve 'em up! And enjoy!

And nope... that ISN'T ketchup- hehe! Even though that is what it looks like, admittedly!

In any case, with these fluffy but firm, polenta based pancakes, it is the perfect combination- and the fruitiness of the persimmon and the cinnamon help to make it so! So make it! So!