I like simple recipes. Ya know the ones that are only a few ingredients and really depend more on the ratios; those that are easy to keep memorized. A pound cake for example originally got its name from its recipe. By using a lb of each of its four ingredients; eggs, flour, sugar and butter. Believe it or not, this is going to be even easier. 

Here’s What You'll Need: 

1 gallon of whole milk 

1 quart of buttermilk, high fat % preferred 

Salt to taste 

Yeah... that’s really it. 

Combine your milk and buttermilk together in an appropriate sized pot and gently cook on a simmer. Really were just gonna let science do its thing here. See, the amount of acid in the buttermilk, once heated, is slowly going to start to curdle your milk, separating the fat solids from the whey. Keep this simmering until the milk starts to break, about 40 minutes. Most people use vinegar or lemon juice for this, and that’s okay, but you do end up tasting those ingredients in the finished product. I like to keep it natural, any acidity you’re getting is coming from the buttermilk itself so it stays creamy and hides a little more on the palate. Continue cooking until the whey starts to get really translucent and that’s when you know its done separating. Little clouds of curd will start forming on the top that you can just skim away with a slotted spoon and into some cheesecloth to strain any excess whey. Do this for all of the curd. 

What You'll Need: 

1/2 cup ricotta, strained 

1/2 cup sour cream 

2 eggs, separated 

2/3 cup flour 

1 T granulated sugar 

1/2 t baking soda 

A pinch of salt 

Start by mixing your ricotta, sour cream and yolks in a bowl. Next, start whipping your egg whites; there’s only two so just man-up, do it by hand and it'll only take 4 minutes. When your whites are at soft peaks, add the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt to the ricotta batter and mix well. Then, take a little bit of your whites at a time and beat them into the batter. This helps to incorporate the rest of the whites evenly, getting them to a more similar state; this is a form of tempering. Once you have a nice homogenous, fluffy mix, start to gently fold the whites into the rest of the batter. This is going to help keep your pancakes extra fluffy. 

Get a nice skillet going with some melted butter and start making your pancakes. Remember these guys are pretty delicate so keep it on medium heat and 2-3 minutes on each side. Between the whites that are suspended throughout and the baking soda you're gonna get some nice tall, fluffy pancakes. The best way to eat these? Raw honey, crushed pistachios and some orange and lemon zest ontop. Boy oh boy, are these babies fresh. No better way to start your morning!

Tags: comfort food, recipe, recipes, breakfast, pancakes, cheese, how to