Our Favorite Fall-Inspired Breakfast Recipe Lately

Hello fall! It’s the beginning of our favorite time of the year. The air starts to get a little cooler, the holidays are around the corner, and there’s so many amazing fruits and vegetables in season, from apples to pumpkins to figs!

Figs? I know right… it’s like the forgotten fruit for some. Let us tell you though, there are so many wonderful ways to enjoy figs as part of a sweet or savory dish, on a cheese plate, or in pancakes! That’s right, pancakes. Totally unexpected, yet so delicious.

Fresh figs are in season from mid-May to October. They are packed with just the right amount of sweetness and have a seedy texture. While there are many varieties to choose from, the most common varieties that are grown in the U.S. are Black Mission, Brown Turkey and Green Kadota.

Figs come with nutritional benefits too! We asked Barbara Atkin RD/LDN to give us the skinny on what nutritional benefits we can expect from figs:

“Figs add interest, unique flavor, and texture to your cooking and baking. Figs offer a good source of calcium, magnesium, potassium and fiber. Three fresh figs (2 1/4 diameter, each) is approximately 30 grams of carbohydrates, 3.4 grams of fiber (good source of fiber), 54 mg calcium, 348 mg potassium, 27 mg magnesium. (Note: calculations may vary with variety of figs). Dried figs are higher in carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium and potassium.”

We could not think of a better way to start a fall day than to share Ina Garten’s recipe for Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Figs. Packed with flavor, we know you’ll love them just as much as we do.

Enjoy!

Tip: We recommend using fresh Black Mission figs in this recipe. You can also make them in advance and package them up in a set of 2 to freeze and then pull them out to reheat when you are ready.

Ina Garten’s LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKES WITH FIGS

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh whole milk ricotta cheese

1 cup buttermilk, shaken

3 extra-large eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons), plus extra for serving

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

6 tablespoons clarified butter

8 to 10 ripe figs, 1/2-inch diced

Salted butter and pure maple syrup for serving

Directions:

1) In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, buttermilk, eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. While stirring with a rubber spatula, add the flour mixture to the ricotta mixture and mix just until combined. Set aside for 5 minutes.

2) Heat a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium heat. Pour in a tablespoon or two of the clarified butter and heat until the butter sizzles. Stir the batter with a rubber spatula. Using a standard (2 1/4-inch) ice cream scoop, drop level scoopfuls of batter into the pan and allow them to cook for a few minutes, until bubbles appear all over the top. While the pancakes cook, distribute the figs on the pancakes, then turn to cook on the other side, until they spring back when lightly touched. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding clarified butter to the pan as needed. Transfer to plates and sprinkle with lemon zest, dot with butter, and drizzle with maple syrup. Serve hot.

Makes about 14 pancakes