zucchini and berry paradise
plus: two baking demos
Monday, August 14, 2023
Good morning!
The biggest names in food are just regular people on TikTok [Vox]
How cooking videos took over the world [NYTimes, unlocked]
I just returned from two weeks in Italy — yes, just like everyone else! — and I actually love getting back to NYC right when it empties out the most. It was surprisingly quiet on my morning walk today and there was even no line for a draft oat latte at La Colombe, a rare indulgence. It also means I hope a little more elbow room when I get to my local greenmarket this week (now a cover star, too), so I can peacefully load up on everything in peak season right now, like zucchini/summer squash and all the bright berries. Below, several of my favorite things to make with each. I’ve got my eye on those Zucchini Fritters tonight; I made a big bowl of tzatziki last night and I think they’d be great together. And I’ve yet to make a cobbler this summer, which feels tragic. I’ll get to fixing it right away. Hope you get to, as well.
Cheers,
Deb
P.S. Two new baking demos! Flaky Chocolate Cake [Recipe, Reel, TikTok] and Raspberry Streusel Muffins [Recipe, Reel, TikTok] — these are even better with frozen berries!
The Smitten Kitchen Classroom Wishlist Project 2023 is now live! 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 last summer. 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.]
I’ve written three cookbooks and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. I’m thrilled that this warmer weather means you might be able to cook some of my summery favorites from my most recent cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Keepers, such as: zucchini cornbread and tomato butter, clam chowder with bacon croutons, zucchini and pesto lasagna, and raspberry crostata, strawberry summer stack cake, and the blondie chipwiches. Were you looking for a list of all the recipes in each of my cookbooks? I added these a new, separate page and hope it makes it easier for you to find everything you want to cook.
grilled zucchini ribbons with pesto and white beans
Ribbons of grilled lemony zucchini wind around white beans that have been rolled in a pesto vinaigrette, then finished with a blanket of grated parmesan is basically all I want to eat right now.
zucchini fritters
A little baking powder, minced scallions, and just the right amount of seasoning turn a pile of shredded zucchini into gorgeous fritters that just lift off the pan as they crisp. Dollop with a garlickly lemon yogurt and give yourself a pat on the back for passing pancakes off as dinner.
summer squash gratin with salsa verde
Are you suspicious of summer squash and zucchini casseroles? This preparation converts everyone: crunchy, complex with herbs and seasoning galore, then just enough cheese to pull it together.
summer squash pizza
One of the best pizzas I have *ever* made, this is the very best kind of dinner: it has five ingredients including the ones to make the pizza dough. It’s seasonal and it doesn’t care what else you had planned; it wants to be moved to the front of your cooking queue.
ultimate zucchini bread
This is it, the best zucchini bread I've ever made and I hope the last recipe you'll ever need. It's tall with a craggy, crunchy top, has a significant amount of zucchini inside, can be mixed in one bowl (with a fork, no less) and even tells you how to store and when to eat it for Peak Zucchini Bread Bliss. It's a thing, or we're going to make it one.
very blueberry scones
Good morning! I'd like one order of an excess of blueberries buried in a nest of butter, sugar, and whole wheat flour, threaded with lemon zest and baked until the berries collapse. Who's in?
perfect blueberry muffins
My favorite blueberry muffins are tall, almost equal parts berry and muffin, and have the crunchiest bronzed lid on top, perfect for lifting off in a satisfying shell and swiping with salted butter. Have you made them yet? Your friends and neighbors are hoping that you will.
triple berry summer buttermilk bundt
This is the happiest summer cake — bronzed with a faint crunch at the edges, tender to the point of pudding-ness in the center, dotted with jammy berries, and welcome wherever you get to share it.
peach blueberry cobbler
Peaches and blueberries baked together in a loose, jammy filling that's sopped up dreamily by cornmeal drop biscuits. Quick to make; even quicker to disappear.
vanilla custards with roasted blueberries
A dead-simple pastry cream you can use as a foundation for something more elaborate or, as we do here, a tiny cup of pudding. The roasted blueberries are really here to show off.
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. I recently added several new favorites I’ve bought in the last year. 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!
