Birthday Brunch with Wendy

I recently quit my job in the hospitality industry to pursue my passion for entertainment production. And though I was excited to leave, the hardest part was most certainly leaving behind my beloved friend and mentor, Wendy. Today we held a belated birthday celebration in her honor and feasted on an egg casserole with fresh basil, Italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes and Monterey Jack cheese, and lemon-ricotta pancakes with raspberry sauce. Cheers to Wendy and here's to hoping I have the pleasure of working with her again.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, milk, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice until smooth. Sift together the flour, baking powder and 1/8 tsp. of the salt over the ricotta mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.

In another large bowl, using a whisk, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the remaining 1/8 tsp. salt and continue beating until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the egg whites into the ricotta mixture, then gently fold in the remaining whites.

Preheat a griddle over medium heat. Spray the griddle with nonstick cooking spray. Ladle 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on top and the pancakes are golden underneath, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer to a warmed plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Makes 12 to 14 pancakes.