Monday, August 19, 2024
Good morning!
I love TikTok’s cucumber boy and each creation looks more delicious than the last. [NYTimes, unlocked]
The buttery desserts of Brittany. [David Lebovitz]
I took a long walk this morning along Hudson River Park and while it’s always busy, I couldn’t help but notice it was … just a little less. Fewer runners, fewer strollers, and (sadly) fewer very cute dogs to pet means it’s the last two weeks of summer break in NYC and everyone seems to be elsewhere. We’re heading to Maine later this week and while our only agenda is to eat as much lobster as we can, I know that I’ll probably find a farmer’s market, show my typical lack of self-control and buy one of everything, and want to make dinner sometimes too. Below, a few favorite recipes from the archives that I’ve been able to pull off in a vacation rental. Most have shorter ingredient lists, which is key when you don’t know what you’ll be able to shop for, and are flexible if wherever you’re staying has about one bowl and one skillet.
I’ll probably not be able resist grabbing a few things from my kitchen before I go, regardless. I prefer to pack light just wing it, live in the moment! pretend I’m a super-chill person! but I know the annoyance of not having a sharp chef’s knife, decent paring knives, my favorite spatula (which I use for almost everything but fish), cutting board (just in case!), and tongs is probably not worth the temporary relief from extra weight in my luggage. [Links to all of my go-tos are on the smittenkitchen.com/shop page.]
Finally, this week we have an interview with the wonderful Kiano Moju, whose first cookbook, AfriCali: Recipes from My Jikoni is out right now. It’s stunning. I spotted it on an upcoming cookbook release list and couldn’t wait to dig in. I bet you’ll enjoy it too.
Cheers!
Deb
The Smitten Kitchen Classroom Wishlist Project 2024 is going strong! In the US, a tremendous number of teachers don’t get the funding they need to set their classrooms up for success. Most will end up paying out of their own pockets to buy educational materials, which is all wrong. I’ve asked teachers to send me their wishlists in hopes that we can help clear as many as possible, as we did the last two summers. Help out if you feel you’re able — you will unquestionably make a teacher’s (and their students) day! [Project information. Direct link to spreadsheet.]
Deb
blueberry bread and butter pudding
The blueberries are here! Let's sprinkle them with lemon sugar and scatter them between slices of buttered bread and pour a vanilla custard over it and bake it until the top is crisp and bronzed and the center is luxe, all in the name of extra-perfect weekend french toast. (Just tell me when to come over.)
huevos rancheros
I have never met an intersection of eggs, salsa, and tortillas that I didn't love, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this post from way back in 2008 in which I explained this weird little way I made, and still make, huevos rancheros at home, with an egg fried right onto a pan-crisped tortilla and then topped with everything wonderful. Is it breakfast? Is it dinner? All of the above, please, something I'm never not craving.
poolside sesame slaw
A colorful, crunchy salad with optional protein and the best miso-sesame dressing I know how to make, designed with portability in mind. It wants to tag along with you on the good life, lounging by a sparkling blue pool this weekend (just tell me what time to arrive) or wherever the warm weather takes you.
beach bean salad
This is my platonic ideal of a summer bean salad -- one that keeps well, getting better as it marinates, and travels fantastically to anyplace your sunny afternoon takes you.
lobster and potato salad
Potato salad gets posh and perfect. Plus, a salute to laziness and a little story about the time I was invited to Ina Garten's house and rooted through her cabinets and drawers. I'm sure that's why she hasn't called me since.
corn, bacon and parmesan pasta
An easy pasta angling to be a summer staple -- quick, kid-friendly, welcoming of adaptations, and leaving us more time to do more urgent summer things, like being absolutely, spectacularly lazy.
garlic wine and butter steamed clams
Small, sweet clams steamed open in wine, butter and garlic with a tumbler of cold wine and a side of grilled bread. It feels like you're in a restaurant overlooking a beach sunset, even if this isn't your current reality.
frico grilled cheese sandwiches
A riff on grilled cheese sandwiches that instead of saying "oops" when those bits of melted cheese run off into your skillet, increases them, and makes it intentional. Once you make grilled cheese like this and the smell of toasting and browning cheddar infiltrates the air, there's no going back.
espresso granita with whipped cream
Inspired by one of the best things I ate in Rome a decade ago, think of this like a reverse affogato: the espresso is frozen and lightly sweetened, the cream is not, and I'll never find a more refreshing afternoon pick-me-up on a hot day.
grilled peach splits
This is my favorite grilled dessert: peaches drizzled with salted bourbon caramel, sprinkled with pecan sandies crumbles then heaped with a belly-full of ice cream. No peaches where you are? Try with rings of pineapple.
two classic sangrias
It's not a late summer holiday weekend if I'm not thinking about sangria. Refreshing and forgiving, one version here is classic and uncluttered and the other is finished with a low-sugar orange soda (we've seen this often in Spain). Why choose? Make both.
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 for these warm summer days? I thought you’d never ask! Try the zucchini cornbread and tomato butter, two-bean salad with basil vinaigrette, spinach spiral bread, tomato and corn cobbler, and lamb skewers with crackly vinegar glaze. To finish, I recommend the big crumb pie bars, the blondie chipwich, and/or the strawberry summer stack cake. 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.
My podcast with J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, The Recipe with Kenji and Deb, launched this spring. Our tenth episode and season finale is the second of a two-part Mailbag episode where we answer as many of your questions as we can. You can listen to it anywhere you get your podcasts and I’ve set up a podcast tab/page where you can keep up on it here, too. I hope you’ve enjoyed listening along to season one — season two is coming very soon, and it’s going to be so much fun.
AN INTERVIEW WITH KIANO MOJU
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 Kiano Moju. Her cookbook AfriCali: Recipes from My Jikoni is out now.
1. What inspired your cookbook?
My cookbook, AfriCali, was inspired by my Kenyan and Nigerian roots, my love for California's food culture, and a desire to bring the vibrant flavors of Africa into everyday kitchens using ingredients that are accessible to everyone. African food is still relatively unknown to many in the U.S., and I wanted to showcase the beautiful flavors of my heritage and the foods I grew up with and discovered on my travels. Even though Africa is geographically on the other side of the world, tons of dishes can be made using ingredients you’re already familiar with. In AfriCali, I’ve curated these dishes and taken inspiration from tradition to help people find new ways to enjoy flavors they already know and love!
2. What recipe are you the most proud of in the book, or felt the most triumphant when you got it right?
I’m most proud of the CaliMess. I’ve always been annoyed when a recipe leaves you with extra ingredients you don’t know what to do with. My Passion Fruit & Lime Pie recipe left me with leftover egg whites and half a bag of frozen passion fruit pulp. So, I created the Cali Mess, a riff on the British dessert Eton Mess, which traditionally combines strawberries, whipped cream, and crushed meringue. My version gives it an AfriCali twist by turning it into a sundae with ice cream and passion fruit syrup, making delicious use of those leftover ingredients.
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 Koko's Cabbage recipe is a game-changer—minimal effort with maximum flavor. It's the perfect comfort food for those nights when you think you don’t want to cook but still want something nourishing.
4. What's something you wish more people knew about your book?
I wish more people knew that AfriCali challenges the misconception that foreign foods, particularly African cuisine, are inherently more difficult to cook. Just like any food culture, African cuisine ranges in complexity. In AfriCali, I’ve curated a collection of recipes that highlight the beautiful diversity of African flavors while also being approachable and accessible for everyday cooking. The recipes are crafted to fit seamlessly into your routine, using ingredients you can mostly find at your local grocery store. While African food can be as intricate or as straightforward as any other cuisine, AfriCali is designed to make it easy to explore and enjoy these flavors without sacrificing simplicity or flavor.
Thank you, Kiano! You can order AfriCali right here.
perfect blueberry muffin loaf
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.
See you next week!
