Flour, salt, ricotta (maybe even homemade!), lemon zest, butter, milk, maple syrup, and eggs. Where are the blueberries?

The maple butter comes first -- this is really fun if the butter is properly softened, and maddening if it isn't!

It looks like a curdled mess now, but just you wait.

Perfection!

The egg yolks are huddling together for warmth next to the hulking iceberg of ricotta. (Titanic on the brain much?)

Drown those egg yolks with the milk -- they'll be okay.

Popping each yolk with the whisk is one of life's simple pleasures.

Whisk until fully incorporated and pale yellow.

Now we add the dry ingredients: first up, flour.

Baking powder for lift and salt for oomph follow.

Fold it all in, but just barely -- you want these to be fluffy, not leaden.

We admit to using electric beaters for these whites, but do it by hand if you like!

Two more folds and this will be done -- if a streak of egg white is left, that's okay.

Perfect!

We love using cast iron for pancakes -- it heats evenly and retains heat batch after batch.

These are just bigger than silver dollars -- no more than two tablespoons of batter per pancake.

Just a minute longer on the other side...

And it's time for breakfast, hotcakes, maple butter, blueberries, and all.

It doesn't get simpler than this: salt, milk, lard, flour. Oh, and scallions.

Stir together the dry ingredients. (You're already halfway done.)

Chop the scallions thinly -- just the greens, please!

It helps to have a friend pour in the warmed milk and water while you stir.

The dough should come together smoothly -- no stickiness.

We'll have no half-hours of kneading here.

It doesn't take much for it all to come together. Then let the balls of dough takes a little rest.

Five minutes later, we're ready to roll!

It helps to generously flour your counter and even your rolling pin -- don't forget to make a few quarter-turns as you knead so the dough rolls out into a perfect circle.

Here's where that lard comes in. We're using local lard that Amanda received from FOOD52er sdebrango!

Now roll it up tight, but don't pull too hard on the dough.

Forming a nautilus...these swirls will become the flaky layers of the final pancake.

It looks like a tiny snail! And now we do it all over again with the other half of the dough.

After a short rest, we rolled the spiral of dough til it was flat again. Now for the scallion part of a scallion pancake.

Roll it up again to embed those scallions inside.

It's hard to be patient, but you'll be rewarded with a relaxed dough that's easy to work with if you let it rest between rolling.

Last time! Think of how good these pancakes will be after such an arm workout.

Into the pan it goes! Make sure the oil is quite hot.

And flip -- those splotches of brown are exactly what you're after.

Cut into eighths and share (or not).