There’s no wrong way to enjoy cheese, it’s just a matter of how you’re going to eat it today. It could be in a sauce, melted between bread, or just straight from the refrigerator. Now there’s a new way to enjoy the crispiest, chewiest, most toasted version of cheese: frico pancakes. The flavors of slightly sweet pancake batter and salty, toasty cheese, paired with a thin, brittle crust encasing a fluffy, light interior makes this a snack you’ll keep coming back for. You get frico when you take cheese past the point of melting to where it browns and crisps into a sort of cracker. You can use fricos as snacks, pizza crust, or even taco shells. Pancakes, however, are decidedly easier. To frico your pancakes, you’ll need to whip up your favorite pancake recipe and have a bag of shredded Parmesan on hand. In a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat with no oil or butter, sprinkle a pinch of shredded cheese. You want to make a circle of cheese that's slightly bigger than the pancake size you want to end up with. Use as much cheese as you need to achieve that size. Wait for the cheese to begin to melt, then add pancake batter directly on top of the melting cheese, stopping a half-inch shy of the frico border to allow for rising. In typical pancake fashion, wait for the edges of the pancake to show bubbles before you flip, about two minutes. Sprinkle another heavy pinch of shredded parmesan onto the pancake and flip it over. Allow the second side to cook for one to two minutes or until the frico layer is crisp, and nicely browned. Cool on a wire rack and serve.
