Lemon Souffle Pancakes with Raspberry Syrup

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar, the baking powder, salt, nutmeg and lemon zest.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, buttermilk, melted butter, lemon juice, vanilla extract and egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture and whisk together until smooth. The batter will be quite dense.

In a bowl, using a mixer set on medium speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Sprinkle in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold about one-fourth of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Do not attempt to make the batter completely uniform; a few streaks of egg white are fine. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 hour.

FOR THE SYRUP:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the corn syrup, raspberries and lemon juice. Bring slowly to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook at a bare simmer until a light, crimson-colored syrup forms, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on the berry pulp with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Cover to keep warm.

Lightly coat a griddle or a large nonstick frying pan with nonstick cooking spray, then preheat over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. For each pancake, spoon about 3/4 cup of the batter into the pan, to form rough cakes about 5 inches in diameter. Do not crowd the pan. Cook until large bubbles form on top, 3-4 minutes. Using a spatula, turn over the cakes carefully and continue to cook until golden on the second side, 3-4 minutes longer. Remove from the pan and keep warm while you cook the rest of the pancakes.

TO SERVE:
Divide the pancakes among warmed individual plates and top with the raspberry syrup. Sprinkle with the confectioners’ sugar and garnish with mint sprigs.