Lemon Ricotta Hotcakes with Blueberry Compote

I don't love pancakes (or hotcakes). They are the last thing I would order at breakfast. But for some reason, watching Curtis Stone eat these on "The Best Thing I Ever Made" made me envious. They looked wonderful. I read that the difference between hotcakes and pancakes are hotcakes have a rising agent in them and puff up when cooked. I wasn't fully convinced that these would be any different then the 'cakes' I've had in the past but because they looked so delicious on TV, I was definitely willing to give them a shot. These ricotta hotcakes were heavenly! By folding egg whites into the batter and adding baking powder, they became incredibly light and fluffy. The blueberry compote added the perfect sweetness!

Lemon Ricotta Hotcakes with Blueberry Compote 

Ingredients 

Blueberry Compote

18 ounces fresh blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves (optional)

Hotcakes

1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
4 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup buttermilk, shaken
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
Zest of 1 lemon (I added this to give a little lemon flavour)
About 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 

Directions
1. To make the blueberry compote: Combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook for 2 minutes, or until the sugar dissolves. (Don't let the berries cook too long or they will become mushy and lose their beautiful shape.) Remove from the heat. Gently stir in the chopped mint if using. Keep warm.
2. To make the hotcakes: Whisk the ricotta and the egg yolks together in a large bowl; then whisk in the buttermilk. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into the ricotta mixture. Stir with a whisk until just combined. Add the zest of the lemon and mix in the batter.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and sugar in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites through the batter in 2 batches. Gently fold the fresh blueberries into the batter.
4. Melt some butter on a hot griddle pan over medium-low heat. Ladle the batter onto the griddle (you should be able to fit 3 hotcakes at a time) and cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until the hotcakes puff, become golden brown, and are just cooked through.
5. Transfer the hotcakes to plates. Spoon the warm blueberry compote over the hotcakes. Serve immediately.