#132 Ricotta Pancakes, Greek yoghurt, Cherry compote and roasted, flaked almonds

... and my need for a 'thought marshal'.

Hey Hey Friends, how are we?

I’m horrified to admit this… embarrassed actually, not even sure I should say it out loud, (full permission to tell me off) … my ‘screen time’ last week was SIX HOURS AND FIVE MINUTES… A DAYYYY! Shocking! Absurd! Send help!!!…
I’m definitely regressing to teenage-hood (never actually ventured out of it, got stuck at 16, but we’ll gloss over that), I must have Text Neck from this, surely?! Did you know that Text Neck is an actual thing, by the way? It’s defined as:

‘Neck pain and stiffness caused by poor posture while using phones and other devices (also called smartphone slump)’.

Pretty sure 6 hours a day is enough to earn my TN/SS badge although my neck doesn’t feel too bent? (I genuinely just spent 5 mins looking in the mirror, trying to establish degree of neck-bent-ness!)

Also, I find it rather strange, ironic really, that the thing that alerts me to just how long I’ve had my head buried in my phone is the phone itself… I can’t work out whether it’s congratulating me, congratulating itself, or telling me to sod off and give it a break.

In my defence, a lot of this time is spent doing admin, writing/chatting to you guys (I find myself most productive and wordy when I walk and type into my notes app) and taking endless photos… because I like a photo (of cakes or puppies or the flowers, sky, outdoors). So, it’s not just mindless scrolling and texting and gawping at puppy videos, (although, this is also very fun), no, it’s ‘work’, right???

I do have some major beef with phones and media and all this digital stuff though… and that is this: my brain is constantly vibrating with chaotic thought matter and I’m pretty sure that my phone and the incessant onslaught of frenetic noise is responsible.

Picture this: I went to the cupboard to grab a (GREEN) tea bag on Tuesday morning - never actually sure I like green tea but it’s my ‘with-breakfast-drink’ so the flavour is masked sufficiently that I can’t detect the bitterness… and obviously, it FEELS #healthy drinking it, I’m GLOWING over here!!, roughly knew why I was there when I opened the cupboard door and I subliminally understood the assignment… but I was also juggling thoughts about:

-lemon custard ratios and egg coagulation (because I’d been researching the topic),
-the latest baffling news headline I’d read,
-how to reply to an email,
-the date in the month in relation to when my credit card bill needed paying,
-thinking I should be doing more strength work in the gym - like the girl who I just saw on insta,
-and the fact that I must put tinned tomatoes on the shopping list (I never did this and still don’t have tinned tomatoes)…
**above list by no means exhaustive!

…can you still remember why we’re stood staring at the cupboard? No, me neither!

So, I grabbed a peppermint tea bag. I merrily unwrapped it from its pouch (actually felt quite triumphant that I’d managed to execute a task amidst avalanche of other thoughts), before realising that it smelt wrong, ‘gahhh’ had actually failed with green tea mission.

Thus, returned to the cupboard and spent (I’m NOT exaggerating) at least 30 seconds moving various boxes of tea around in a Tetris-like fashion, before I eventually managed to assemble my thoughts sufficiently that I could locate the correct tea.

Minutes of life lost to this tea-related conundrum… too many! My conclusion is that I need to employ a thought-marshal, you know, someone to wear a hi-vis jacket and efficiently direct the traffic in my brain (and probably, more sensibly, spend less time, consuming media/tech poison).

Whilst I’m on the topic of un-adulting and general unworldliness… my other blunders/embarrassing confessions/mess-inducing activities this week include:

• Referring to last week’s banana loaf as VG in the title (meaning very good which now I think about it just sounds a bit arrogant), completely failing to acknowledge that this could be read as VEGAN, (which it isn’t) and therefore, potentially misleading ALL of you! Obviously, I was in BLIND PANIC – thought you’d all hate me – and frantically rebranded the newsletter as ‘Very good banana loaf’. I sort-of took a sigh of relief at the time, but now I’ve just realised that the new name echoes the ‘very good’ gingerbread from the previous week and thus, really reinforces my arrogance/lack of imagination re. naming my bakes – eurgh, might refer to this week’s recipe (which I think you will want to make, by the way - more arrogant assumptions!!!), as ‘average’, for balance and to make me sound less like an arsehole??

• Trying SO hard to be careful and un-messy in the kitchen and inevitably creating CARNAGE. I was unloading cooked beetroot from its vacuum packet on Wednesday and exerting the utmost care, to avoid squirting pink juice everywhere. I picked out each globe slowly, cautiously, no splishy splashing, all was going well, and then I came to the last nugget and seemingly got a bit cocky because I just errrr… juggled with it! It ricocheted off every surface imaginable (including myself, still have beetroot residue on jumper) and landed in the dog bowl – HOW do I do it? (I washed it and still ate it, is that bad? It is bad!!!)

• A realisation of just how abysmal my ‘beauty regime’ is –it goes something like this:
  -Morning: scrub a bit of (tinted) moisturiser onto face, followed by a smear of eye liner, then buff it all up a bit (like a car) with a fluffy duster (brush) and some powdery stuff to make myself suitably orange (one feels better when orange).
  I’d be surprised if this process elapses more than 30 seconds and on the rare occasion that I go ‘out-out’, it doesn’t change.

  -Then the reverse in the evening: wipe off stuff that hasn’t been rubbed off from moronically touching face throughout day (includes various food products), using a cotton pad and some wet stuff… then mash a bit of moisturiser onto my skin, fin! Having seen/read about the beauty routines of various ‘proper’ adult people, I realise that this is probably something else I’m not adulting at!

• Had a horrifying moment this week where I realised (was being very pensive and a bit doomy) that I don’t know what house bills are paid or how to pay them, clueless! Also don’t know how to use the washing machine… just know that it’s really sodding annoying when a cycle has finished because it constantly TWEETS at me, can just about manage the dishwasher, maybe I get adult points for that? Oh ALSO - performed update on computer - always feels dangerous… more adult points!!!

• Forgot to clean my teeth on Thursday morning (totally unheard of - probably due to the thought traffic jam in brain), arrived at the butcher and thought, ewww why does mouth taste ‘stale’? Brain quickly snowballed and began sweating with panic as realised had not cleaned teeth, was now confronted by a human and I still had bed/morning-breath, excellent! Spent this time (plus time in fishmonger and Co-op) shielding mouth-fumes from all humans and very hopeful that I didn’t bump into anyone

Other notes from the week:

• Food bits that I have found inordinately thrilling - Kiwi (had a good one and realised kiwi doesn't get enough recognition in bakes, why is that?). Unexpectedly white eggs from the Co-op. More blood orange fun (including a lush blood orange curd)… also more emergency cake (added a touch more baking powder - 1/4 tsp extra - and baked for 20 mins - a couple of minutes less than previously - and got a slightly better rise/bake, v.happy!) Some really bright green pumpkin seeds - why so bright and green? they look ‘youthful’.

  

  

  

• Made the CLOUDIEST ricotta pancakes that are obviously the main feature in this week’s newsletter and fundamentally why you are all here, right? I’m so excited for you to try them… I’ve drowned them in a velvety cherry compote, also some thick creamy goodness (Greek yoghurt) and a scattering of almonds - a very ‘boujee’ pancake breakfast indeed!! SO fun!

  

  FLOOF

• An absurdly agreeable crust to my bread…this 3 grain loaf, yields the BEST crispy, crunchy, crust… it reminds me of bread from the olden days (I sound ancient, don’t I?). Also, there’s no such thing as too dark for a crust - Am I right? I’m right! HEAVEN!

  

• Fellow cottage cheese fans take note: if you’re not already, WHIP YOUR COTTAGE CHEESE (in a food processor until smooth)… it becomes silky and airy… like cottage cheese mousse and I’m SO into it. Load it onto something crunchy (bread, brushed with olive oil - garlic too - and griddled until toasty) optionally add some blistered balsamic glazed roasted toms and devour.

• M-BEZ… aka Queen Mary Berry - she’s just a diamond isn’t she? I saw an episode from one of her earlier series this week and, ahhhh I just love her… want to be her… on that note, still want to get some ‘cookery school stripes’ like she did… just need a mortgage to pay for the course - one can DREAM!!!!!

• Brands like Lululemon, Elemis, Charlotte Tilbury, entering the Formula one/ motorsport space. I could not be more excited about this… women being valued, included, acknowledged, in a sport/landscape that has been male-dominated for so long is really exciting. I selfishly wish I could rewind a bit, and follow a path into the sport myself… maybe not behind the wheel, more likely crunching the data numbers or building a car (this sounds very fun - like LEGO??), but still, I’m thrilled to see opportunities opening up for more women!
  *Wonder if I can bake a cake for one of these brands and they’ll invite me to a race for more BTS action???). Gordon (Ramsey) seems to get the gig… me next???? WISHFUL… also, who do I think I am?? haha!

Finally… I’ve been receiving more messages from you all recently, and I just ADORE them. I’m so eternally grateful every time I get a little note from one of you… I love sharing bits about our messy little lives, or about recipes, and this probably sounds like I’m being all effusive or just saying it for effect, but oh my goodness, it really makes me SO happy - feels like we’re olden-day pen pals in a way, and I’m obsessed!

OK… time to scurry off… as ever, hoping you're all bumbling on ok!? Sending oodles of love and massive hugs to all of you… especially anyone in struggle-ford-shire - go easy on yourself, things WILL get brighter, they will!!!

Sending so much love,

Steph X X X

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Ricotta Pancakes, Greek yoghurt, Cherry compote and roasted, flaked almonds

Ok, I mentioned this over on Instagram, so apologies for repeating myself but… I’ve been steadily working on my pancake tekkers (not previously a pancake aficionado… until now?) and I think these are my best to date… literal ‘Ricotta pancake clouds’

They are delicately crisp on the outside - you know that sort of toasty little thin-crust exterior? - and cotton-soft, fluffy, cheesecake-y, in the middle… in this case, mildly flavoured with lemon and vanilla for sweet, creamy freshness.

Here I’ve topped them with the thickest Greek yoghurt I could find (10% fat from M&S), and a cascade of not-too-sweet cherry compote (I used defrosted frozzy cherries which are so full of flavour IMO, and left them to macerate for an hour or two with sugar, squeeze of lemon, a splash of amaretto too (YUM)… then simmered them for about 5/10 mins until syrupy and super cherified - like the best cherry sweet flavour?

I topped this spectacle off with a scattering of toasty flaked almonds for crunch and a dusting of icing sugar for sparkle (I was feeling fancy), and LITERALLY devoured it in minutes.

Ok, so I know there are a gazillion pancake recipes out there for you… and maybe YOU have the best recipe/version EVER… but I’m pretty proud of this rendition!

The whole dish comes together to create a super-model plate of deliciousness. It’s very Italian inspired, feels like dessert (imagine cherry, ricotta cakes? or cherry ripple ice cream with a cloud of fluffy pancake underneath) but totally acceptable as breakfast… I’d argue that this packs a decent nutritional punch!!! It’s also ridiculously easy and quick to prepare - especially if you make the cherry bit ahead of time.

A couple of little recipe notes

• This is enough for 2 and so it’s fairly small quantities, I therefore urge you to be as accurate as possible with the measurements.

• The batter is thick… (I’ve mentioned this below), so when you have spooned a dollop into the pan, use the back of your spoon to spread it out a bit - into a neat, slightly flatter round).

• Cook times will vary depending on the intensity of heat you use, I tend to opt for a low and slow approach to ensure an even ‘bake’… if yours end up a bit thicker than mine, they might take a little longer.

Right, I think you are all set… go get your pancake on friends!!!

For context, some photos of: the batter/ the size of spread to aim for and the all-important ‘assembly station’.