Whole Wheat Lemon Ricotta Pancakes and Pomegranate Syrup

In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, ricotta, sugar and lemon zest. Add flour and stir to combine. Set aside.

In a separate bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Whisk about a quarter of the egg whites into the lemon-ricotta batter then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites.

Preheat oven to 200 F and place a baking sheet in the oven. Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add enough butter to the skillet to coat the bottom. Ladle 1/4-cupfuls of the batter into the skillet (fit as many pancakes onto the griddle as you can, but you will probably need to do it in batches) and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes each side. Remove pancakes from skillet and transfer to the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more butter as needed to the skillet to keep the bottom coated.

When all the pancakes have been made, make the syrup: Cut a pomegranate into quarters and remove the seeds. Transfer a little more than half of the seeds to a food processor or blender and blend until seeds are just broken. Push juice into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve. Pour 1/4 cup of the juice into a small saucepan with the maple syrup. Heat over medium-low heat until warmed through. Pour syrup over pancakes and sprinkle with remaining seeds, if desired.

Pancakes recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen.