March 2024 Newsletter

Welcome to Chic Eats. I'm Cynthia, the writer and photographer for the site.

The newsletter is free but only available via email. Subscribing is easy -- just scroll to the bottom of this page. And since it's nice to know what you're signing up for, below is one of the newsletters for you to read through.

My inbox is always open so please don't hesitate to get in touch. And with that...

Hello

The newsletter went on a hiatus but returns bearing gifts of buttery breakfast pastries, a secret sauce recipe (exclusive to the newsletter), dazzling fermented cabbage, whole grain sourdough banana bread, jam sessions, and kale. Together we'll travel the spectrum of balance. I also reorganized things to make it easier to browse from sweet to savory.

If you received the Chic Eats newsletter because a friend forwarded it, welcome. Feel free to subscribe at the bottom of this page (it's free). On that note, please forward this email to anyone who you think might enjoy it. Readership grows in large part thanks to word of mouth.

Derivative

Jane Grigson was a well-known food writer who had a decades-long column in The Observer. When she adapted Claudia Roden's recipes and added an acknowledgment, the editor would sometimes keep the recipes but remove the acknowledgments because they were "appearing too often". As the story goes, Ms. Grigson apologized to Ms. Roden for this.

Whatever the reason at the time, the end result for the column's readers was an illusion of originality. That matters because the audience missed out on a good detour -- an opportunity to learn about Claudia Roden and her cookbook (if they weren't already familiar). She has a number of cookbooks -- the two that currently sit in my library are Arabesque and The New Book of Middle Eastern Food. There's a nice interview with her on The Splendid Table.

It's not a stretch to suggest that most recipes are just a riff on something that came before. That said, my bone to pick with food media is not that I'm a member of the attribution police. It's that there's so much to learn about food -- history, authors, cultural context -- and a lot seems to get lost in the push to publish, grab clicks, or come off as original (intentionally or otherwise).

Judy Rodgers, of Zuni Cafe fame (a VIP cookbook on my shelf), wrote about originality this way:

Everything, I am very proud to say, is derivative. I cannot make a dish without trying to conjure where it came from, and where I first had it, or read about it, or who made it, or taught me to make it. And who grew the vegetables, raised the chickens, or made the cheese, and where. In this way, the simplest dish can recall a community of ideas and people.

That's it in a nutshell. Good cooking arises out of the collaborative genius of community, with the added bonus that every recipe is an opportunity to learn something beyond the actual dish.

This long walk is just me thinking out loud about Chic Eats. Even if you don't make a particular recipe on the site, my hope is that the thought process, cookbook inspiration, or other rabbit hole wanderings that the platform affords me will offer you a satisfying detour to another interesting topic.

And with that, much of today's somewhat long newsletter is derivative. It includes great recipes I've recently made and food tips I've picked up thanks to knowledge shared and gained.

Whole Grain Sourdough Banana Bread

Sweet

My baking PSA is to rub sugar with lemon or orange zest for as many baked goods as will tolerate it. Partly because the brightness makes things taste exponentially better, but equally important is the pleasure. I like the feeling of the sugar rolling between my fingers -- like playing in a sandbox -- and there’s a sensory reward when the citrus oils start to meld with the sugar.

The caveat with this sugar joy is that baking soda neutralizes acids and seems to dampen citrus' flavor -- even making it a little muddy. I actually ended up taking orange zest out of the banana bread (linked below).

These are some of the sweets currently rotating through my freezer.

Scones

Zuni Cafe's Orange-Currant Scones (pictured at the top) are one of the most requested breakfast pastries that I make. A process epiphany finally gave me the breakthrough I needed for a consistent texture and Zuni gifted everyone the flavor and ratios. Don't skimp on that orange zest.

The scones have proven adaptable, a favorite version being raspberry and hazelnut. I also successfully used the method to make The Cheese Board Collective's Irish Soda Scones (subbing some Zante currants in for 1/3 of the golden raisins).

The Cheese Board Collective was published in 2003 but is new to my library. Sourdough breads, pizza, morning baked goods -- there's a lot to jump into. Alice Waters wrote that her affection for The Cheese Board restaurant is part of the reason she chose North Berkeley for Chez Panisse.

Whole Grain Roasted Banana Bread

It might be suggested that there are enough banana bread recipes in the world, but then couldn't you say there are also enough rainbows? Do we really need to see another fleeting ribbon of color in the sky? Of course we do. Whole Grain Roasted Banana Bread as exciting as a rainbow is what I'm overselling here.

Perhaps it's not quite that magical but it is delicious and moves into the top spot of the versions that I've made. Sarah Owens and her lovely cookbooks (here and here) consistently push my inspiration buttons.

Low-Sugar Jam (No Canning)

This is one to bookmark for the upcoming bounty of spring and summer. The recipe doesn't require canning and I store the jam in the freezer without any noticeable change to quality. Last week I pulled a 2023 strawberry jar out and it was excellent.

Gjelina's Braised Tuscan Kale (Cavolo Nero)

Savory

Spring and summer’s abundance is hard to compete with considering that peppers are my true veggie love. That said, winter's gradients of green, burgundy, and orange have had my full attention over the last few months. The brussels sprouts are like butter and last week's blanched kale is so sweetly fragrant I almost mistook it for Bloomsdale spinach. Then there's the dazzling cabbage -- conehead and Copenhagen being favorites since they're ideal to grill and make sauerkraut with. Maybe the best season is always the present.

Cabbage, brussels sprouts, and kale are all part of the genus brassica and become their best self in winter. Now is the time to stock up -- preserve, ferment, cook, or blanch and freeze. Yes, kale is a ubiquitous and trendy "superfood" that some culinary thought leaders suggest is only fit for cows. To that I say, moo.

A few components to stash away and get you through the long sunny days of summer.

A.O.C.s Long-Cooked Cavolo Nero (Black Kale)

I've made this kale dish many times. It's served as a side at A.O.C. but I usually keep it in the freezer for grain bowls. If there's an egg, Koda Farms brown rice, and hot sauce, there's a meal.

Gjelina's Braised Tuscan Kale (Cavolo Nero)

This is a smokier take on braised kale that freezes well. The recipe can stand on its own as a side or play a strong supporting role in grain bowls and breakfast egg sandwiches.

Sauerkraut

Everything I've learned to date about lacto-fermentation is in this recipe along with the excellent cookbooks that educated me. If sauerkraut isn't on your to-do list, at least take this salt volume by weight chart as a parting gift (below).

Using salt effectively is essential to good cooking and many recipes list "flaky salt" or "kosher salt" without clarification (I'm guilty of this). The vagueness can make or break certain dishes when you look at how different the amount of salt is per teaspoon. The "On Salt” section of the post is worth skimming for context and expanded notes.

Secret Sauce

Secret Sauce

Gochujang Comeback

This recipe is currently exclusive to the newsletter. From smash burgers to turkey burgers, it's the sauce that always pulls things together no matter what other loose ends I've assembled for toppings.

I previously mentioned how Korean Vegan turned me on to gochujang which is a fermented red pepper condiment. One of many ways I use it is to mix a bit with homemade mayonnaise for tacos, burgers, and BLTs. From there it was an easy jump to adding ketchup, pickles, and garlic for a cross between thousand island and comeback sauce (referenced in Carla Hall's Soul Food).

Here's my working recipe:

• 120 grams (4 ounces) Homemade Mayonnaise -- In a pinch, I use Duke's and dress it up with some of the homemade mayo ingredients -- a few grates of fresh garlic, Dijon, etc.
• 30 grams (1 ounce) Heinz ketchup
• 60 grams (2 ounce) chopped dill pickle
• 8 grams (approximately 2 teaspoons) gochujang -- My brand is Jookjangyeon which is an investment but lasts for a long time in the refrigerator -- some sites suggest up to two years.
• 1 teaspoon pickled red onion brine -- Pickle juice or pickled pepper brine would also work so play around with it. The idea is to brighten the sauce with an acid.
• A pinch of flaky sea salt (or Diamond kosher) and several cranks of freshly ground pepper.

Combine the above ingredients and mix thoroughly. The only adjustment I make (if needed) is to add more acid by way of chopped pickles, brine, or both. There's usually enough salt but if you aren't getting the punch you want with more acid, give the sauce another pinch of sodium. I've used my Gochujang Comeback on day 1 but find the flavor is more dynamic after a night in the refrigerator. Highly recommend making it ahead.

Sourdough Pancakes with Blueberries

News To Me

Coriander + Blueberry

Kitchen Projects newsletter (no paywall for that link) turned me on to the concept of enhancing the flavor of blueberries with coriander. Niki Segnit expands on the science in The Flavor Thesaurus:

Coriander seeds can contain up to 85 percent linalool, a flavor compound with a woody, floral, slightly citrus quality that’s a key component of synthesized blueberry flavor. Freshly ground, they can lend a fragrant background note to your home-baked blueberry muffins.

I'm thinking a fun way to try this combination would be blueberry scones with coriander using the Zuni base . Blueberry coriander jam or compote for sourdough pancakes and waffles would also be great.

The Flavor Bible (2008) and The Flavor Thesaurus (2012) are both books I own and reference often. They're fantastic when you have an ingredient and want some creative cooking inspiration.

Blind Baking

I was frustrated with my tart and pie dough over the holidays and decided to rethink the approach. It was mainly the inconsistency and fussiness of the par baking step that I wanted to fix. Reputable voices such as Stella Parks and Nancy Silverton advocate for blind baking pie or tart dough at 350°F/177°C (lower than many recipes) with the weights and foil in place until the shell is golden brown. No fussing, no docking, no puffing bottom, and it takes about 45 minutes to an hour. This one was big -- a pie and tart game changer.

Note: I place a layer of parchment under the foil but have otherwise found the method doesn't fail for both pie and tart dough. After the filling is added and the pie is baking, you may find the need to tent the crust's edge.

Black Garlic Everything Bread (Coming Soon)

Around the Dinner Table

MSG

MSG and eggs had a rough time in the 80s and 90s. I appreciated Andrea Nguyen's deep dive on the subject -- the first and second entries in the series aren't behind a paywall. One notable cooking tip is how a small bit of MSG tastes saltier than salt, enhancing umami and complexity while reducing the sodium needed in a dish.

Spice Adulteration

Apparently we should be afraid of everything these days, but fake spices really do keep me up at night. From The Food Chain, Is the food you're eating what you think it is? (Of course not.)

Toast

Being that toast is important, this is a twofer.

Neil deGrasse Tyson talked about the science of toast on his Star Talk podcast - YouTube clip linked or full podcast here. It's widely applicable in cooking and the paper cup example is a great visual demonstration. If you tow or care about vehicle weight, listen to the tire pressure section in the podcast for the hack. I had no idea...does that work?

Things You Should Know dedicated an entire episode to toast, the hottest food item during the Victorian Era. I'm now on the hunt for a vintage toast stand because it just makes sense and I take my bread seriously.

Smell Therapy

Smell has an especially intimate relationship with the brain because odors tap directly into the regions that relate to emotion and memory. This explains the near universal experience of a smell evoking emotions ranging from excited and happy to nostalgic. A recent study leverages this connection and suggests that aromatherapy may be the new superfood for our brain. Smelling essential oils for just a couple of hours a night apparently improved cognition by 226%.

Zero G Coffee

Coffee, outer space, and cool dinnerware design are a match made in...well, space. Liquids are a no go in in zero gravity but where there's a will and jonesing for coffee, there's a mesmerizing way. And here's a short interview with the astronaut inventor explaining how it works.

Power Nap

As an aspiring amateur birder, I feel obligated to include the new-to-me fact that chinstrap penguins survive by taking 10,000+ micronaps a day. Keep those dreams short and sweet, folks.

Overnight Sourdough Waffles

Recipe Updates

Overnight Sourdough Waffles

I'm always game for a fussy recipe but when things can be simplified you don't fight it. There's also the matter of being tired and just wanting waffles to appear. I streamlined the process by removing the whipped egg whites so that the batter is done on day 1. On day 2, just set the bowl out at room temperature and let the mixture wake up with you. I also did some more testing with frozen leftovers and found they reheat well in the toaster. Outstanding with some salted butter and jam.

Housekeeping

It was a pleasure receiving notes from readers after the last newsletter. Always happy to answer questions or discuss a food fixation so feel free to contact me here.

Surround yourself with people that support your dreams and like toast.