Hawaii Made in America 2 – plus Lemon Ricotta Pancake Recipe

Who’s coming?
Nancy Silverton (one Michelin-starred Mozza Osteria, Pizzeria Mozza, The Mozza Cookbook,   La Brea Bakery) and Matt Molina (executive chef, Mozza, The Mozza Cookbook); Ludo and Krissy Lefebvre (LudoBites, Sundance Channel’s LudoBites America, Top Chef Masters);   Josiah Citrin (two Michelin-starred Mélisse, Lemon Moon Café, In Pursuit of Excellence) join hosts James Babian (executive chef, Four Seasons Resort Hualālai) and Linda Rodriguez (pastry chef, Four Seasons Resort Hualālai) for the celebrations.  Master Sommelier Chuck Furuya from Southern Wine & Spirits will be on hand pairing wines at the various dinners and featuring the wines of Joe Bastianich, who wrote the introduction for

“After the success of our first Made in America events in October, we decided to do this again, even bigger and better,” says Robert Whitfield, regional vice president and general manager of Four Seasons Resort Hualālai. “This lineup of amazing guest chefs is top-notch, offering some great culinary experiences for our guests.”

The line-up of events (schedule subject to change) is as follows:

March 1: Nancy Silverton and Matt Molina cooking class
Prix-Fixe Dinner at Beach Tree, featuring Nancy Silverton and Matt Molina
March 2: Farm Tour and Lunch with James Babian
Prix Fixe Dinner at Pahu i’a, featuring Josiah Citrin
March 3: Fishing Trip with Chefs
Master Sommelier Chuck Furuya conducts “Wine Tasting 101”
Made in America 2 Dinner at Beach Tree, featuring all chefs, Lucy Lean and Chuck Furuya
March 4: Josiah Citrin cooking class
Linda Rodriguez cooking class “Pie Making 101”
Prix-Fixe Dinner at Pahu i’a, featuring James Babian, Linda Rodriguez and Chuck Furuya
March 5: James Babian cooking class
Farm Dinner at Pahu i’a

Guests are invited to book one of these Made in America packages:

• Four-night package: available February 29 – March 4, includes luxurious accommodations, daily breakfast buffet for two, two cooking classes, one wine class, one farm tour/lunch, three dinners and two signed Made in America books. Nightly rates from $4,380 for the four-night package.
• Seven-night package: available February 29 – March 7 includes luxurious accommodations, daily breakfast buffet for two, four cooking classes, one wine class, one farm tour/lunch, five dinners and two signed Made in America books, Nightly rates from $7,665 for the seven-night package.
• Additionally, room nights and Made in America events are available on an a la carte basis. Nightly room rates from $775.

For more information and reservations, please call toll-free (888) 340-5662 or visit www.fourseasons.com/hualalai.

Given that it’s Pancake Day tomorrow and most importantly Linda Rodriguez’s pancakes were the beginning of a beautiful relationship between me and the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai I thought this would be a good time to share her recipe.

With more than thirty years of international experience, pastry chef Linda Rodriguez is a seasoned veteran. A California native, and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Rodriguez is responsible for all breads, pastries, and desserts served at the Hualalai Four Seasons Resort. “I love creating the first and last thing our guests eat at a meal,” she says.

It was over breakfast of lemon ricotta pancakes during vacation with my family that I discovered just how good Rodriguez is. One bite of the light fluffy pancakes with just enough zing from the lemon and I was asking for the recipe. I had been searching America for a pancake recipe to include in Made in America – something that elevated the usual American breakfast stack to something just that little bit more special. This photograph of the pancakes I took at breakfast and is the picture that was used in the book.

Rodriguez uses ricotta in her zesty lemon pancakes, which gives them a fluffy texture. “Careful not to overmix the batter,” she says, “the cakes won’t be as tender and delicate.”

6 large eggs, separated

Scant cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Finely grated zest of 1 1/2 lemons

1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour and sugar. add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and egg yolks and mix just until the batter comes together.

2. Add the ricotta but do not overmix. Slowly mix in the clarified butter (again, do not overmix).

3. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks. Just before cooking, gently fold the whites into the batter.

4. In a preheated nonstick pan or griddle over medium heat, add some clarified butter and about 1 1/2 ounces of batter per cake; each pancake will be about 5 inches in diameter and the batter will make approximately 12 cakes.

5. Cook the pancakes until they are golden brown and the edges have started to brown. Flip and cook through.

6. Place 3 pancakes on each of four serving plates, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, garnish with seasonal berries, and drizzle with good-quality maple syrup.

“Because of the ricotta, these pancakes do not bubble like normal pancakes, so you need to watch their color for doneness.”