Ricotta Times Two

So, what to do with all that yummy homemade ricotta cheese that's so easy to make and so much yummier than anything you could buy in the shop?

Happily, ricotta was an ingredient in a few of the recipes I had to cook and photograph recently for Australia's Biggest Morning Tea. The recipes need to be passed by a nutritionist, so they're pretty good for you. And they have to be yummy, which speaks for itself.

These banana and ricotta fritters were so tasty, and it's nice to find a use for all my squishy overripe half-eaten bananas that's not cake or muffins. It's a Tobie Puttock recipe and you can find it here.

Then there were Callum Hann's scrummy ricotta pikelets with figs and honey. They were so good, and, like the fritters above, passed with flying colours when it came to my three girls.

Ricotta Pikelets with Figs and Honey

3/4 cup wholemeal plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra, to serve

2 eggs

100g ricotta, plus extra to serve

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons honey

spray oil, for cooking

6 figs, quartered, to serve

honey, for drizzling, to serve

Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon together into a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and ricotta together until smooth. Whisk in buttermilk and honey, then combine with dry ingredients.

Heat a heavy based non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Lightly grease the pan using the spray oil. Add ¼ cup of batter and cook until golden brown on the underside, 1-2 minutes. Turn over and cook until just cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve topped with extra ricotta, a sprinkle of cinnamon, a generous pile of figs and finish with a drizzle of honey.

And that's Sunday brunch out of the way. You're welcome.