I've spent years trying to come up with a lemon curd recipe that retains a lot of the original citrus flavors after cooking. One that holds up that perfectly gelatinous shape once set. And one that tastes the least 'eggy" once cooked.
Because his family is a true-to-the-bone pancake family, I really wanted him to share with me the secrets to making a good pancake, thin and delicate, perfectly browned on the outside, soft on the inside. He gave me a recipe, one that he has memorized. A set of very specific instructions, the right temp, the right amount of time for frying. I followed it to a tee, and sure enough, the pancakes came out the way I had always dreamed they would.