Ricotta Hotcake with Lemon Cream, Blueberry Syrup and Hazelnuts

For hotcake: Position oven rack in upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 375°. Butter a 10-inch cast-iron skillet.

In a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks, ricotta cheese, milk and vanilla. Whisk until blended, but a few clumps of ricotta still remain. Fold in flour and salt just until batter is blended. Don’t overmix.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with a mixer on high until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar while beating; beat to stiff peaks. Fold egg white mixture gently into batter. Pour batter into prepared skillet and gently smooth top.

Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan 5 to 10 minutes. Loosen edges of hotcake; gently invert hotcake onto a serving platter.

Meanwhile, for lemon cream: In a medium bowl, combine mascarpone cheese, cream, lemon zest and vanilla. Beat with a mixer on medium just until smooth, creamy and slightly thickened. (Don’t overbeat or the cream will get grainy.)

For syrup: In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup blueberries, the maple syrup and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Boil gently, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 cup blueberries.

Serve hotcake topped with Lemon Cream, Blueberry Syrup and hazelnuts.