Dessert: Cinnamon Mascarpone Pancakes with Warm Morello Cherries and Hazelnuts

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Honey, Nuts

Health and fertility benefits of Cinnamon Mascarpone Pancakes with Warm Morello Cherries and Hazelnuts

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). One tbsp of honey has a glycemic index (GI) of 55. Nuts are a natural source of Inositol, a derivative of Vitamin B (which is often prescribed in the form of supplements for women with PCOS). Inositol can effectively control the symptoms of PCOS by reducing insulin resistance and improving insulin sensitivity.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/2 plus 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch fine sea salt
1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for griddle
2 cups Morello cherries, with their juice
2 tablespoons cherry brandy, such as Kirsch
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup toasted blanched hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

Instructions

Stir the confectioners' sugar into the 1/2 cup mascarpone and set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the sugar and eggs until pale. Add the buttermilk, 1/3 cup mascarpone, vanilla and orange zest and mix until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Add the butter and mix until just combined. Do not over mix. Let the batter sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Put the cherries and their liquid into a saute pan and warm over medium heat. Add the cherry brandy off the heat, and then return to the heat and flambe (cook off the alcohol). Once the flames die down and the alcohol is cooked out, remove from the heat and stir in the honey. Transfer to a bowl. Heat a griddle over medium heat and brush with some melted butter. Add about 1/4 cup of the batter to the pan and cook until the bottom is lightly golden brown and bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake, about 3 minutes. Flip the pancake over and continue cooking until the bottom is golden brown. Serve 3 pancakes per person, top with cherries, a dollop of the sweetened mascarpone and some chopped hazelnuts.

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