Ricotta Pancakes With Lemon Curd

Thursday, The Early Show resident chef Bobby Flay is making breakfast for a change. But not just any breakfast — he's making Ricotta Pancakes with Lemon Curd and Fresh Raspberries as well as Sage-Mustard Breakfast Sausage.

Ricotta is a fresh, creamy, white cheese, smoother than cottage cheese, with a slightly sweet flavor. The name "ricotta" means "cooked again" in Italian, referring to the second processing of the liquid to produce the cheese and is available in whole milk and part-skim milk versions.

As for the lemon curd, it is made from the juice of lemons, sugar, eggs and butter.

The following are his recipes:

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Lemon Curd & Fresh Raspberries
Yields: 4-6 Pancakes

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
Juice and grated rind of one lemon
Butter, for griddle
1 jar prepared lemon curd
Fresh raspberries
Confectioners' sugar

Method:

1. Combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt in a small bowl. Whisk together the cheese, eggs, milk, lemon juice and zest in a large bowl.
2. Whisk the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. Brush the griddle with butter.
3. Pour approximately 1/4 cup measure of the batter on the griddle and cook on both sides until light golden brown.
4. Empty the contents of the lemon curd into a small saucepan and warm over low heat or remove the lid and place in a microwave for 2 minutes, stopping after 1 minute to stir the curd. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the curd over the pancakes, top with fresh raspberries and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for frying the sausage
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
1 lb ground pork or ground turkey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium sauté pan or griddle over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft.
2. Add the garlic and fennel and cook 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the mustard and sage, let cool 5 minutes.
3. Place the pork or turkey in a bowl, add the onion mixture, gently toss to combine and season with salt and pepper.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Form the sausage mixture into 8 equal size patties.
5. Cook on both sides until golden brown. Reduce the heat, cover and continue cooking until just cooked through.