Buttermilk

Buttermilk, packed with calcium and probiotics, lends a subtle tanginess to this spice-spiked lassi. Finish with a sprinkle of chopped pistachios for a hit of crunch.

Sweet-tart cherries elevate the otherwise straightforward custard, and buttermilk lends a welcome tang.

An overnight soak in buttermilk and a few key spices makes for the most flavorful, tender fried chicken.

Inspired by the classic steakhouse wedge, this salad gets a double hit of smokiness thanks to the bacon and grilled iceberg.

A confection similar in flavor to caramelized white chocolate. Tangy buttermilk tempers the sweetness.

Connie McEvoy, Louth: Retired farmer and craft expert As the eldest of ten, from the age of 12 I would make several cakes of this wheaten bread every Saturday based on my grandmother's recipe. We always mixed it by hand and I still measure it by hand, using four large fistfuls of wholemeal flour and two smaller fistfuls of plain flour.

Blind-baking the crust is essential: It keeps it from getting soggy when the custardy filling is added.

Crunchy, toasty coconut chips transform a simple loaf cake.

Buttermilk lightens the traditional all-cream panna cotta base—without sacrificing lusciousness.

Yes, you could serve these crepes before they've been caramelized in sugar, but why deprive yourself?

This hits all the notes of a great slaw: creamy, tangy, and crunchy.

Here's how to time this: Have the salad and onion ring components ready before you cook the steak and the sauce, then keep the sauce warm while you fry the onions. Toss the salad at the last moment.

This recipe traces a familiar path: Slice fruit and nestle it in some caramel, pour cake batter over the top, bake, and unmold. When you flip over the cake, you'll find it's topped with delicious candied orange slices and citrusy caramel. Stressed about that caramel? No need to be. Keep a distant eye on the sugar once you put it on the stove, but don't hover. Chop some vegetables. Check Twitter. Pet the dog. Every so often, swirl the pan to make sure the caramel is cooking evenly. Don't bother stirring (the sugar will only clump up on your spoon). Once the mixture starts to color, swirl it slightly more frequently. When it turns an attractive chestnut brown, take it off the heat, add your premeasured butter and salt (and a splash of booze, if you want), and stir.

To make ahead, freeze the cutout biscuits in plastic bags. Bake frozen, increasing cooking time to 45–55 minutes.

Fried chicken on a hot buttered biscuit—what's not to like?

With a cocoa-infused batter and chopped chocolate stirred throughout, these indulgent waffles are just the thing to make any morning feel special.

The batter for these fritter-like cakes is pretty dry, but that's what yields crisp results. Pressing them flat in the pan also helps maximize the crunch factor.

Coconut oil adds a rich sweetness to the batter; shredded coconut delivers crunch.

Yeasted doughs might seem daunting to novice bakers, but these rolls are very simple to make.