In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir the milk and butter until the butter melts. Then allow to cool.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and give it a little toss to mix.

Separate the eggs. Place the egg yolks into a large bowl and the egg whites into your mixer bowl.

With your whisk attachment, whisk the egg white on medium speed. Add in 1 tablespoon of sugar and salt when the whites are foamy. Continue whipping the eggs until soft peaks form.

Mix the yolks, 1 tablespoon of sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla, and whisk until it is light yellow and creamy. Gradually whisk in 1/4 of the warm milk being careful to temper the eggs and not cook the eggs. Then pour in all the milk in and stir until smooth.

Add the flour to the egg/milk mixture and gently stir until just combined.

Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter. Gently fold the batter over the whites, careful not to pop the air bubbles out.

Fold in half the ricotta the same way, followed by 1/3 of the egg white, the remainder of the ricotta, and the rest of the egg white.

Heat a large griddle to 375 deg F or a frying pan over medium-high heat.

Lightly coat the griddle with some butter and pour a 1/2 cup of batter onto the hot surface. Watch for bubbles to form and the edges to firm up, then flip over and cook for another minute. If you like a "marbled" pancake skin, add more butter before each addition. If you prefer an all-over brown pancake, then do not add any more butter between batches.

Store in a warm oven or in a Pancake Keeper until ready to serve.