What is Shove Tuesday?

The day before Ash Wednesday throughout nearly all English speaking countries is known as Shrove Tuesday. To Shrive or to Be Shrove means to confess one’s sins, be absolved, and to receive the advice of a spiritual counselor.

In Ireland and England, Shrove Tuesday is also called Pancake Day. Why? That part is simple – in preparation for the Forty Days of Lent, all temptation needs to be removed. Fats and dairy products are not thrown out, but rather eaten. Why eaten? Back in the day, before refrigeration, dairy spoiled long before the end of Lent. So eating it made the most sense.

The most popular way to consume all the dairy in the house was to make pancakes, waffles and creeps. In France, this cleansing is known as Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is associated with a Carnival atmosphere, from the Latin “carne vale” which means no meat. What began as an innocent period of preparation for the coming of Lent is now a free-for-all party in places like New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro. Not as it was intended, but then most traditions founded in faith have evolved into something different.

In years go by, I do up an entire New Orleans inspired feast for Mardi Gras. We don’t get all wild and crazy, but we do eat well. This year, Hubby has a business dinner to attend, so Fat Tuesday is just Kiddo and I. That got me to thinking about Pancakes. Not just any pancake, but those made with Ricotta. And topped with Lemon Curd. These pancakes would not be a big hit with Hubby since he’s not a fan of cheese or lemons, but Kiddo and I love them both. Yeah, we’re in heaven. Perfect.

Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes with Lemon Curd
3/4 cup Flour
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons Sugar
1 Lemon, zested and juiced
1 cup Whole Ricotta Cheese
2 Eggs
2/3 cup Buttermilk
1 cup Blueberries
Butter for griddle
1 jar Lemon Curd

Sift flour and baking powder into a small bowl. Add salt and sugar into the flour mixture, set aside.

Zest and juice lemon into a large bowl. Whisk in the Ricotta Cheese, eggs and buttermilk. Fold dry ingredients into the Ricotta mixture. Gently stir. Add blueberries, fold in. Set batter aside to rest for 30 minutes.

Heat griddle to medium-heat. Once hot, brush with butter.

For each pancake, pour approximately 1/4 cup of the batter on the griddle. Cook until bubbles start to form and the edges are a light golden color. Flip, continue to cook another minute or two.

Plate pancakes. Top with Lemon Curd, serve and enjoy.