Monday, May 12, 2025
Good afternoon!
Is this about cooking? No. But it’s about my favorite bagged snack and I was locked in reading it. [Eater]
The Paradox of the Restaurant Cookbook [Vittles]
Why Marcella Hazan Is Still Teaching Us How to Cook Italian [NYTimes, unlocked]
I had to take an extra-long walk this morning because it’s absolutely glorious outside — 72 degrees, low humidity, a light breeze, the sunlight dappling leafy patterns over the sidewalks, and all of your dogs are looking extra cute today. I spotted a half-full large pure vanilla extract bottle outside a Panda Express (I have so many questions), baby geese along Hudson River Park, and a copy Into the Taylor-Verse on Cornelia Street, and I’m already inventing excuses to run additional errands today because who knows what I’ll spot next. Can I pick up your dry cleaning for you, perhaps? Or maybe just a bundle each of asparagus and rhubarb, which are finally flooding the Greenmarkets. We wait impatiently all spring for their arrival, and my archives, too, have been impatient for their moment. Below, a few favorites from each category, hoping to inspire your cooking this week.
Plus, this week we have an interview with Diana Yen, whose new cookbook, Firepit Feast: Adventurous Recipes for Live-Fire Cooking, is out tomorrow. There’s also a new episode of The Recipe with Kenji and Deb all about one of our favorite brunch dishes. And there’s a new site recipe for a Challah French Toast, simple as can be, but with two finishes that make it centerpiece-worthy.
Cheers,
Deb
I’ve written three cookbooks and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Wondering what you might cook from Smitten Kitchen Keepers now that flowers are budding and the air is warming? I thought you’d never ask! Try the pea, feta, and mint fritters, toasted ricotta gnocchi with pistachio pesto, baked orzo and artichokes, and fettuccine with white ragù. To finish, I recommend the bee sting bars and the carrot cake with brown butter and no clutter. Were you looking for a list of all the recipes in each of my cookbooks? I’ve added these in a separate page and hope it makes it easier for you to find everything you want to cook.
challah french toast
New: A classic recipe for an impossible to mess up challah french toast plus two dreamy toppings — a quick berry sauce and whipped vanilla bean cottage cheese — that make it better than we can get at a fancy brunch this weekend.
“One of the winning elements of ‘The Recipe’ is that it’s not prescriptive — rather than settling on one universal ‘perfect’ recipe, the chefs explain their personal preferences, then give listeners the information they need to make their own adjustments. By breaking their recipes down ingredient-by-ingredient, digging into what each one is doing, they make the science of cooking approachable and fun.” — New York Times, 7 Podcasts to Inspire a New Hobby
“J. Kenji Lopez-Alt and Deb Perelman’s new podcast gets to not only the heart of how they make their recipes—but also the why behind each decision, too.”
The latest full episode of my podcast with J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, The Recipe with Kenji and Deb, is all about Eggs Benedict! You can listen to it anywhere you get your podcasts, such as Apple, Spotify, and more.
P.S. Did you catch a tiny cameo on The Simpsons [S36 E16] “Stew Lies” last Sunday night? We — but really, it was Kenji’s recipe — contributed the recipe for the top-secret Gewalteintopf Stew featured in the episode.
ribboned asparagus salad with lemon
With a peeler, a lemon, some pine nuts, parmesan and olive oil, you are minutes from turning your first bundle of asparagus stalks into a ribbony salad, and possibly questioning why you ever bothered cooking asparagus at all.
asparagus and egg salad with walnuts and mint
This is my favorite asparagus salad: fresh, green, crunchy, and bright. I add chopped medium-cooked eggs and eat it on toast, on matzo, or right out of the bowl. Repeat again tomorrow, or for as long as good asparagus lasts.
spring asparagus galette
This galette uses the simplest techniques (a quick dough, salted asparagus) and most impactful flavors (lemon, sharp cheese, and heat), to taste like a bright, flavorful nest of spring, so good for brunch, lunch, and picnics.
shaved asparagus pizza
Thinly shaved asparagus tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and piled onto a cheesy pizza is teeming with tangled grassy spring deliciousness (and extra-amazing with an egg on top, in case you were wondering).
spring asparagus pancetta hash
This potato hash has bits of pancetta and crisp-tender segments of asparagus, yielding a ton of flavor from only four (!) ingredients. Add an egg or two, then repeat again tomorrow.
snacky asparagus
Asparagus, the easy way: Perfectly cooked, crisp-tender, bright green asparagus doused in olive oil, lemon juice, crunchy salt, pepper flakes, and swooped through mayo (but you can use any dressing you like) is my favorite way to accidentally inhale a pound of spears. I can't stop making it, so I have to pass it on.
asparagus with chorizo and croutons
Did you know that Jacques Pépin has a recipe for a 6-minute one-pan sauté that makes a spring weeknight meal so gorgeous, I kind of want to paint it? Crunchy, spicy and colorful, this is my kind of fast food.
rhubarb upside-down spice cake
I have just the cake for a gorgeous spring day: lemony, pink on top, spiced and cozy underneath. Trust me, we want our kitchens to smell like this.
rhubarb snacking cake
Seeing rhubarb around and never know quite what to do with it? I vote for this: halfway between a buckle-y streusel cake and a crumb bar, this is to be eaten in small squares straight off a napkin, preferably outside somewhere.
almond rhubarb picnic bars
A buttery shortbread base + almond cream filling + and a tile of sweet-tart rhubarb on top = this is one of my favorite spring dessert bars, portable enough to go wherever you do.
rhubarb cordial
The rhubarb is here! Here's an old-fashioned but wonderfully refreshing use for it from David Lebovitz so you can be all ready for a summer of rhubarb gin-and-tonics (with a squeeze of lemon, please).
AN INTERVIEW WITH DIANA YEN
My shelves are full of wonderful cookbooks I don’t get to talk about enough, so I’ve added this section so you can get to know the cool people behind them. Today we're chatting with Diana Yen. Her new cookbook, Firepit Feast: Adventurous Recipes for Live-Fire Cooking, is out tomorrow, 5/13.
1. What inspired your cookbook?
Firepit Feast was inspired by the magic of cooking over an open flame—it's an interactive experience that makes gatherings unforgettable. I got into camping when I moved back to California and fell in love with cooking outdoors. There’s something special about sharing a meal outside, gathered around the warmth of a fire. It’s a style of cooking that teaches you to trust your instincts and be present.
2. What recipe are you the most proud of in the book, or felt the most triumphant when you got it right?
The recipe I’m most proud of is definitely my Smoky Spatchcocked Chicken. It was a real challenge to balance the intense heat of the fire without burning the skin or undercooking the meat. After a lot of trial and error, I developed a foil technique that shields the chicken just enough to let it cook through evenly while still soaking up all that delicious smoky flavor. The result is a perfectly tender bird with a fire-kissed taste that makes all the effort worth it.
3. What recipe is so low-effort, high-reward that it's worth cooking for dinner tonight, even if we're tired and don't want to cook?
My Cuban Pudgy Pie is the ultimate low-effort, high-reward recipe in Firepit Feast. It’s basically a campfire panini made in a pie iron—just layer the fillings, clamp it shut, and let the fire do the work. The crimped edges seal in all the melty, savory goodness, making every bite ridiculously satisfying. Pair it with some pickles and chips, and you've got an instant comfort meal with barely any work.
4. What's something you wish more people knew about your book?
I wish more people knew that fire pit cooking isn’t just for BBQ pros or seasoned campers—you don’t need fancy gear or expert skills to make something incredible over a fire. It’s a slow, intentional, romantic kind of cooking, where the flames guide you and teach you patience. It’s about being present, connecting with the process, and enjoying the outdoors. The experience is just as fulfilling as the food itself.
Thank you, Diana! You can preorder Firepit Feast right here.
grilled feta with asparagus chimichurri
shop my favorites
Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more than you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most — yes, including the the Smitten Kitchen x Staub Braiser (which is back in stock!). For each item, I've attempted to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.
What’s the Smitten Kitchen x Staub Braiser? It’s an 11-inch, 4-quart braiser — essentially a lower profile enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. Not a week has gone by in the decade I’ve had mine when I don’t use it at least three times. Looking for a Mother’s Day gift? We just got in a limited run of a stunning blue color for spring!
Your braiser purchase contains three new recipes (two savory, one sweet) by me that work perfectly in your new pot. If you’re looking for even more ideas, I created a category on the site to highlight some of my favorite dishes I make in mine.
See you next week!
