Add ½ cup of whipping cream and a pinch of sea salt to a mason jar. Seal it tightly and shake the jar for about a minute, just until the cream is runny yet thickened. It should be pourable.

Feel free to shake this up during any downtime in the following steps.

Get that rind ready. First ditch the tough green skin and trim away any remaining pink watermelon flesh. We’re after that crisp white rind hiding in the middle.

Dice it into small, roughly ¼-inch cubes until you have 1 cup.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium nonstick skillet at medium-low heat.

Toss in the watermelon rind and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring here and there. It’ll start to soften and release some liquid. That’s exactly what we want.

Add 2 tablespoons brown sugar, ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and a pinch of sea salt for full on apple pie vibes. Give everything a good stir and keep it cooking uncovered over medium-low heat. Does your kitchen smell like apple pie? I love a little identity crisis.

Keep cooking for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rind is tender.

Thicken the sauce. Cook away the extra liquid until the brown sugar and butter become a thick, glossy syrup that hugs every piece of rind. The sauce is ready when you drag your spatula across the pan and it leaves a bit of a trail before creeping back together.

Turn off the heat and stir in ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

Transfer the topping to a covered container to keep it warm and wipe the pan clean.

Separate 2 large eggs, putting the yolks in one medium mixing bowl and the whites in another. Try not to get any yolk in those whites, they’re about to do some heavy lifting.

Add ¼ cup of water to the egg yolks and beat until loose. Add ½ cup complete pancake mix, ¼ teaspoon lemon zest, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, and a heavy pinch of sea salt. Whisk just until everything comes together. Lumps are totally fine.

Let the batter hang out for 10 minutes.

Beat the egg whites on medium until they become foamy, like the head of a beer. Continue beating and add ½ teaspoon lemon juice, until the bubbles become smaller. Slowly add in 1 tablespoon of sugar, a little at a time, and beat until incorporated. Now whip it real good, increase the speed to medium-high until a thick and smooth meringue has formed. When you stop the beaters and lift them straight up, stiff peaks should form, with the tiniest curl.

Add about ⅓ of the meringue to the pancake batter and gently fold it in, just enough to loosen the mixture. Then fold together the remaining egg whites and batter, gently, until just combined.

Warm the same nonstick skillet over a medium low heat, closer to low than medium, with ½ teaspoon of oil. Then wipe it around with a paper towel, leaving only a thin coating behind.

Heat the pan for a few minutes.

Spoon or pipe a mound of batter into the pan. Let it cook uncovered for about a minute, until the bottom edges look set and slightly matte, but the top is still wet. Then add more batter to each mound, cooking for another minute. Then repeat one more time, adding 1 tablespoon of water in between the pancakes and cover immediately.

Reduce the heat to low and let them cook in their pancake sauna for about 5 minutes.

Once the bottoms are golden and the pancakes are set enough to move, gently work a spatula underneath each one and flip. Take your time. These are super fluffy pancakes, not burgers. No diner-style drama required.

Cover the pan again and cook for another 3 minutes, or until the bottom side is golden. No need for a second sauna.

Whatever you do, do not press them down with a spatula. We worked way too hard for that fluff.

Transfer the souffle pancakes to a plate and serve them right away with the whipped cream and spoonfuls of the watermelon rind "apple pie" topping. Dust with pumpkin pie spice.

Then start wearing your underwear on the outside because you are a food waste superhero. You just made apple pie out of something most people throw away.

Enjoy!