Chic Eats

How to Boil an Egg

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 14:42:00 -0800

Below is an excerpt from a previous newsletter that's graduating to the site. I added some extra Harold McGee wisdom for good measure.

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Filling the Void

If you are what you eat, then I am an egg.

In an episode of Italy Unpacked: Land of Many Treasures (Series 1, Episode 3, 2017), Giorgio Locatelli made some ragù and referred to the “bible” of Italian cooking, Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well (1891).

Artusi was passionate about science and food—a 19th-century Italian Harold McGee of sorts. Despite the cookbook being reprinted 13 times just in his lifetime, he initially couldn’t find a publisher (similar to the challenge Julia Child faced). I added the book to my library and flipped to the eggs section, the first recipe being #139: Uovo a Bere e Sode (Soft-boiled and Hard-boiled Eggs).

Digressing briefly…there's an abundance of content on how to boil and peel eggs. The usual suspects regularly update their methods, professing to have cracked the code with baking soda and other hacks. I excel at overthinking and overcomplicating matters, but sometimes the internet is just reinventing the wheel for the sake of filling the void.

That minor dig aside, let's unironically proceed with the rest of this post.

Spaghetti Pomodoro

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 16:52:59 -0700

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Bewildered

In my kitchen sat a bowl of tomatoes on the brink, as happens every summer, so I thumbed through old recipes looking for a way to honor their quiet excellence. It was Gjelina’s Spaghetti Pomodoro that grabbed my attention, mainly because the most recent edits dated back to 2017. I was properly bewildered—why hadn’t I enjoyed this dish recently, or at the very least written about it? I make Gjelina's Pomodoro Sauce like clockwork each year, yet I'd somehow drifted into using it for everything except the pasta it was intended for. This was an oversight in need of immediate fixing.

Spaghetti Pomodoro is an exercise in simplicity. Peak-season ingredients, gently coaxed, yield an intensity of acidity and sweetness that defies expectations, but never feels out of balance. It's like a chocolate chip cookie that pushes both sweet and savory without tipping off-kilter. I made this dish three times in the past couple of weeks and each bowl delivered. There's a specific kind of satisfaction when so few ingredients produce such exceptional flavor.

The process from stove to table is a low-effort affair, so I used the leftover bandwidth to look around for a new appetizer to try. I'm not sure what stars were aligned that day, but it was Gjelina's famed mushroom toast that resurfaced from my bottomless cooking to-do list. Like the pasta, it's outstanding and true to what's served at the restaurant—something I prize about the cookbook. These two recipes are now a permanent pair.

And this is why I love food—and cooking. A bowl of unassuming tomatoes can lead to meals and lessons I didn't know I was looking for. Spaghetti Pomodoro won't be slipping through the cracks again. For my mushroom redemption arc, see the toast post.

Gjelina's Mushroom Toast

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 16:17:56 -0700

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Stroganoff Vibes

I ate this toast at Gjelina well over six years ago, and it has been patiently waiting on my bottomless to-cook list ever since. Roll forward to this year's tomato season when I had some straggler tomatoes in need of use. My freezer supply of tomato water was just about depleted, so Gjelina's pasta pomodoro was the easy choice. As I was thumbing through my scribbles and bookmarks looking for a side, what should reappear on the scene but the long-lost mushroom recipe. You know that zing of excitement when you rediscover something delicious that you've wanted to make? I was zinged—a kismet pairing of two staples from the cookbook. But as they say, best-laid plans.

These are knife-and-fork mushroom toasts that give beef stroganoff vibes. To start, sourdough bread that's brushed with olive oil and cooked under high heat has smoky buttery notes that stand on their own. Add creamy seared mushrooms and—as two of us discovered—you can quickly lose yourself in the herb-soaked crumb. We polished off a serving meant for four people and ended up skipping the intended main course altogether. The eating experience reminds me of those last bites of a BLT, where juices have fully involved the bread but the crust still maintains enough texture to satisfy. In the cookbook, Travis Lett says he likes to eat this dish with a glass of red and call it a day.

I've said it many times, but Gjelina sits comfortably atop my VIP shelf. It doesn't hold the cook's hand, but the recipes are spot-on replicas of the restaurant dishes. That alone is worth its weight in morels.

As a postscript...A week later, I made a half portion of mushroom toast and finally paired it with the pasta pomodoro—a perfectly balanced summer or fall meal. All's well that ends well.

Charred Scallion Butter

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Mon, 12 May 2025 17:15:28 -0700

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Scratchpad

Like many cooks, I have countless recipes that come and go from the dinner table. I jot down just about everything that I make, but most of it never reaches Chic Eats before I squirrel off to the next thing. This assortment of dishes is a bit like life—always in a state of flux and fiddling.

"Scratchpad" will be the new series where I share relatively brief entries featuring some favorites from my trove of recipe scribbles. While I can't help turning posts into food novellas à la my Sourdough Focaccia and Sauerkraut, these will be more like recipe cards. Share your feedback in the comments or drop me an email.

I'm kicking things off with Charred Scallion Butter—a component that I've made several times and now have a steady supply of in the freezer.

The obvious challenge with this series is that brevity is not my strength when talking about food—and this post ended up being longer than expected. Baby steps.

Homemade Sweetened Coconut

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 12:09:07 -0800

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Gentle Fails

I tend to skip recipes that call for store-bought sweetened coconut since it's just not an ingredient I'm partial to. It wasn't until I absentmindedly agreed to a birthday request for coconut cream pie that this pantry gap presented a problem. The comically easy and supremely delicious solution deserves a post, so here we are.

Up until this point, the totality of my experience with coconut cream pie had involved making it once with unsweetened coconut. Most recipes call for the sweetened variety and, while I know better than to swap ingredients willy-nilly, hubris had taken the wheel. The resulting flavor was nothing special and the dry unsweetened coconut made for a distractingly gritty texture. That gentle fail had slipped my mind until, the day before the celebration, I looked at the recipe and was once again presented with the dilemma.

There were two choices: run to the store and become reacquainted with the sapphire blue bag of saccharine shreds or attempt to improvise. Creativity hadn't served me the last time around—true—but we are foolish creatures. Fortunately, homemade sweetened coconut turned out to be both simple and superb. With three ingredients and five minutes of effort (plus some passive air drying), I had the pure amplification of coconut and the pie's flavor was outstanding.

Now that sweetened coconut is in my life, the lingering question is what to make with it. Coconut Biscotti from Mozza, Butter Mochi from Pastry Love, and coconut cake from Flour have all joined the to-do list. But it was a 2011 recipe for French sables (v1.0 pictured above) that ultimately grabbed my attention. A post for those cookies is in the works.

In terms of the coconut cream pie, I adapted the Dahlia Bakery recipe by way of Smitten Kitchen. Main notes included: finely ground Demerara sugar instead of granulated, increased the custard's salt, a bit of rum went into the whipped cream instead of the custard, and I used my All-butter Flaky Pie Dough instead of the coconut crust.

Where to Buy Black Garlic & Recipe Inspiration

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 20:10:25 -0800

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On a Pedestal

Articulating the sensory delight of black garlic is difficult, akin to comprehending the vastness of the universe but through the language of flavor. After being held at a constant temperature of 140°F/60°C for several weeks, whole heads emerge entirely transformed—like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. The complexity is simultaneously sweet and deeply savory while having none of the sharpness of raw garlic. Other descriptions, like "sticky" and "notes of balsamic vinegar and molasses", begin to paint the picture.

This inky treasure sits with preserved limes on the pedestal of ingredients I prize. I could make a meal out of milk rolls swiped with black garlic compound butter, the latter being as simple as it is exceptional. Black garlic's ability to add an incredible depth to sourdough bread (as if sourdough bread isn't already wonderful) inspired me to find more ways to use it.

I started assembling a list of recipes to try when it struck me that it was worth sharing—so this post was born. Coincidentally, my local cheese shop stopped carrying black garlic, which gave me an opportunity to seek out smaller producers. That list is also included below and features farms and businesses in several countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Similar to my post, Where to Buy Local Flour (and Why), I hope to expand the list over time.

Sourdough Focaccia with Sun-dried Tomato, Rosemary & Basil Pesto

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 15:15:20 -0800

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Focaccia

Back in July, the table bread at NYC's Gramercy Tavern was a focaccia made with sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary, and then finished with herb oil baked on top. Maybe it was the great meal or memorable weather melting everything in my purse, but that bread ended up bookmarked in my mind.

When I arrived home to the West coast, the Tavern's combo turned into an instant favorite that I've made at least six times. Olive oil gives the bottom a buttery crispness which pairs perfectly with the airy crumb and bright umami of the sun-dried tomatoes (thoroughly roasted tomatoes also work). Basil pesto and rosemary contribute just enough herbaceousness to round out the flavor. The bread is outstanding plain but truly shines when topped with avocado, a runny fried egg, and dash of hot sauce for breakfast.

A bonus with this recipe is that it can be made with leftover dough. I wanted to make Roman-style pizza so I split the full Sourdough Sicilian Pizza recipe into two pieces, baking the smaller one in a 9" round or 8" square pan to get the results seen in this post. That said, I wrote the instructions with the assumption that some people will want to make focaccia but not pizza and may even have different pan sizes. A chart with several options is included below along with baker's percentages to help you scale.

And before we continue on, a brief digression to say that sun-dried tomatoes are criminally underrated. I recognize they were overused in the 80s/90s plus the oil-packed variety can be pretty disappointing. That said, dried tomatoes have more umami than their fresh counterparts which makes them a sweet and savory powerhouse. I intend to be the cheerleader nobody asked for—more on buying and hydrating below.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa with Preserved Lime

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 24 Aug 2024 15:30:53 -0700

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Tomatillo Salsa

Purple tomatillos (pictured above) have a similar flavor to green. They're slightly less tart but the two are interchangeable in this recipe.

Pairing the sweet-tart notes of roasted tomatillos with spicy peppers and the floral complexity of preserved limes is a marriage made in the cosmos. My original intent was to make hot sauce, but then things evolved into this Roasted Tomatillo Salsa with Preserved Lime. While salsa may not be the star of the show, I like to think of this version as an understated diva thanks to the depth it brings to any meal.

Tomatillo salsa is foundational to many Mexican dishes and thousands of recipes exist. That said, there does seem to be a standard formula. The typical lineup includes tomatillos—roasted, boiled, or raw—along with cilantro, spicy peppers, alliums like onions or shallots, garlic, lime, salt, and optional vinegar. I'm not the first person to add preserved limes but was surprised that none of the 15+ cookbooks I referenced included them. I realize it's not traditional, but that has never stopped cooks from being creative. Preserved lime is a superb partner for tomatillos and arguably provides the defining characteristic of this salsa.

On that note, I must declare that preserved key limes are a larder superstar. I went Instagram official with my love here. While preserved Meyer lemons deserve all of the praise they receive, I'm constantly inspired to find dishes to showcase the beautiful flavor of preserved key limes. I've added them to coleslaw, mango sorbet, various salsas, and black bean soup, among others. The twenty minutes it takes to salt and jar the limes is repaid many times over. Patience and preservation are both powerful tools in the kitchen.

March 2024 Newsletter

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 15:30:32 -0700

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.

With that housekeeping out of the way, welcome to Chic Eats. I'm Cynthia, the writer and photographer for the site. My inbox is always open so please don't hesitate to get in touch.

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.

Sauerkraut

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 14:57:03 -0700

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Magic Dust

Despite knowing how the story ends when making this recipe, I never cease to be amazed when the cabbage transitions rather abruptly from smelling fresh and briny to smelling like...sauerkraut. It's as if magic dust starts swirling around the jar -- like Cinderella's pumpkin turning into a carriage. Microbes possess a seemingly magical ability to transform humble ingredients into spectacular food so the analogy isn't too far off.

A handful of the cookbooks I consulted when beginning my preservation journey include The Art of Fermentation, Wildcrafted Fermentation, Fermented Vegetables, The Preservation Kitchen, and On Vegetables. Nary a batch of sauerkraut has failed me thanks to their collective wisdom. This post captures the lacto-fermentation knowledge I've synthesized including notes about salt quantity (plus a comparison chart), handling, general thoughts on types of salt (plus a comparison chart), and some recipe ideas. The process isn't overly complicated but there are ratios and steps to keep in mind for a productive and safe ferment.

If you have a clean jar, quality produce, and some salt you can make outstanding sauerkraut. Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo, as they say.

Low Sugar Jam (Strawberry, Peach, Raspberry, Greengage)

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 22 Oct 2023 13:25:07 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 6/13/25

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Summer's Bounty

Greengage plums...Looking at one cut open is like gazing into the depths of an emerald. - Andy's Orchard

Maybe it was those romantic descriptions or just the heaps of beauty at the farmers market, but I fell under the spell of summer's bounty. The absence of any reasonable restraint devolved quickly from one box of greengage plums to multiple boxes of Baby Crawford peaches, more plums, and all the berries. This included some Finley Farms strawberries that I stalked for a few weeks. My eyes were far bigger than my stomach which presented an opportunity to try new things.

Two of my preferred jam makers stopped production so experimenting with preserves was a good way to put a dent in the market haul. Given my weekly sourdough baking adventures, it feels like a personal oversight that I hadn't made fruit spread up until this point.

The process is straightforward and relatively quick (in terms of hands-on work), so with each box of fruit that walked through the door I cooked a new batch. The house is now fully stocked with strawberry, peach, greengage, olallieberry, and raspberry preserves. My toast + jam ambitions are unchained.

I went into the project with a couple of objectives: use less sugar than what's customarily in jam and skip the canning step seeing as I'm not (yet) a full-fledged preserver. This recipe is for folks who want a taste of warmer days in December but aren't planning to boil jars. You won't end up with a sealed product that can sit in the pantry for a year but you can certainly freeze it for that long. I froze the cooked spread in Ball jars. Safety notes under "Recipe Tips". Also, the refrigerated preserves have lasted for over a month without issue so even with less sugar they have staying power.

Sweet 100 Tomato "Jam"

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 15:45:24 -0700

I mentioned this Sweet 100 Tomato Jam while chatting up the folks at Munak Ranch and two other shoppers asked for details. Their enthusiasm was noted so I fast tracked this post since quality tomatoes are hanging around and sweet 100s can still be found.

Adapted from Nicole Rucker's Dappled and inspired by Mourad Lahlou's New Moroccan, this jam has a permanent parking spot in my freezer. It isn't technically jam given the relatively small amount of sugar. Sweet 100s are delicious raw, but when you roast them with a handful of well-suited inclusions the result is a true difference maker on the plate. Caramelization amplifies the already delicious tomatoes and concentrates the sugars while the honey, citrus, and touch of heat launch the flavor skyward. It's minimal effort relative to the payoff. Pairing ideas below.

Zuni Cafe's Orange-Currant Scones

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 10:00:43 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 9/14/25

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Fandom

When discussing the popularity of Zuni Café's Orange-Currant Scones, Chef Judy Rodgers wrote,

These scones always outsold sticky buns, fresh fruit turnovers, pain au chocolat, lemon coffee cake, and everything else the pastry department scrambled to bake. The Zuni scone is so well loved that we no longer bother making special pastries for Sunday brunch.

After making them several times, I feel deeply in touch with the fandom.

While there's no shortage of orange and dried fruit scone recipes, Chef Judy Rodgers' version dials up the zest, sweet Zante currants, and butter to pitch perfect heights. When topped with a crowning swipe of honey butter, I can't help but hope time will slow a bit for proper enjoyment.

My relationship with scones over the years hasn't always been this committed—it was more a summer romance. I would meet many fine breakfast pastries while on vacation but the scattered attempts to recreate the magic at home were forgettable. That is, until I couldn't sleep.

Counting Sheep

I have a habit of thinking about food when I'm lying awake and one night scones were the proverbial sheep to be counted. Maybe I was pondering flavor combos or shaping—the specifics escape me—but the effort to drift off was interrupted when I was struck by an idea. What about using an adapted version of my reliable all-butter pie dough technique for scones? It seemed too simple but made perfect sense. A textural marriage of pie dough and fluffy pastry, the steps and outcome predictable and dependable.

I gave the new method a go the next morning with Zuni Café's recipe and the scones turned out on the first try and on numerous occasions since. The repeatable process was on lock resulting in a crisp exterior, deeply browned bottom, and interior that rides the line between layered and fluffy. These scones fulfilled my ideal.

Below is the method paired with a gentle adaption that includes some whole grains and boost in the acidity.

To Each His Scone

One thought about texture before you go. Take a spin around the internet and you'll find a myriad of opinions about what constitutes a proper scone be it American or British. These include: a scone should not flake like a biscuit, should crumble but not be too dry, should have cream or no cream but also milk. Emotions run high in the way that adding sugar to cornbread can set some folk's hair on fire. I say make what you like just make a good version of it. This recipe is what I enjoy and has been quite popular with friends and family.

Oh, let us never, never doubt / What nobody is sure about. - Hilaire Belloc's, The Microbe (Lines 15-16) ...also borrowed by Willy Wonka

Whole Grain Roasted Banana Bread

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 16 May 2023 14:24:20 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 7/10/25

There's always a sense of anticipation when I'm spelunking through my freezer's odds and ends. I'm often just looking for inspiration and figure that whatever buried treasure I rediscover will become the constraints for a cooking adventure. Most recently, it was a cache of frozen bananas on the brink that sent me paging through Sarah Owens' Sourdough and Heirloom for ideas. Wasting such perfectly imperfect fruit that I patiently watched ripen -- like watching a pot of water boil -- was not an option. The subsequent bakes and detours that Sarah sent me on ultimately produced one of the most delightful whole grain banana quickbreads I've made.

Green Garlic Salt

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 14:05:46 -0700

"Hidden Larder" refers to components made with ingredients that are frequently discarded despite being delicious in their own right.

One of the many things I enjoy about food is how ideas can float across your path and introduce an unexpected detour. Such was the case when I ended up with two hidden larder gems: flavored salt or butter made with spring garlic greens. I was initially going to put both recipes in this post but that ended up being clunky plus the butter needs a tweak so...coming soon.

Inspiration to experiment with the greens came indirectly from one of Gillian Ferguson's segments on the Market Report. Chanterelles were the produce of the moment and the dish being discussed involved bathing said mushrooms in a green garlic butter sauce. Bathing things in butter is generally advisable so I picked up both ingredients the following week to see what I could make of them. I sautéed the mushrooms and garlic bulbs for a cheesy pasta -- adult mac & cheese -- and then found myself left with a fragrant pile of greens that wanted a second life (pictured above). Chanterelles have long outlived their short season on account of the parade of atmospheric rivers passing through California so some stands still has them available.

One of the simplest ways to upcycle aromatic odds and ends (aside from adding them to stock) is by making salt. It's the same easy method I use for tomato skins and requires nothing more than an oven, baking sheet, and a little grinding. Of my modest flavored salt endeavors, using green garlic tops is a true standout second only to celery leaves.

It took me a couple of batches to put a finger on exactly what was so wonderful about the salt. "Sweet umami" was the best I could do until one night while huffing the dried greens it hit me -- roasted garlic. There's some food alchemy at play that I'm unable to explain, but the smell and taste is distinctly of caramelized garlic cloves. It's simultaneously confusing and delightful which, frankly, is a first-rate mental state.

Spring garlic salt is endlessly versatile and a little goes a long way. Sprinkle it on all the things.

Gjelina's Braised Tuscan Kale (Cavolo Nero)

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 19:44:05 -0800

Last weekend we ventured down to Venice for a GTA breakfast sandwich. This was a regular trek that had, like so many things, drifted out of the routine over the last few years. The soft English muffin with bacon, harissa hot sauce, fried egg, Gruyère, and braised kale exceeded my every hope and dream for that day.

Food bliss has a way of jogging the memory and I remembered having a half-written version of this post in the drafts folder. Replicating GTA's sandwich has been on the to-do list for a long while but I never got around to finishing that project -- no time like the present. Braised Tuscan Kale from the Gjelina cookbook is an essential element in the sandwich so that's where my journey begins. The greens are simmered gently with chicken (or ham) stock, smoky paprika, aromatics, and tomatoes before the sauce is reduced to further concentrate the flavors. This dish can confidently stand on its own and people who profess to not like kale will eat a plateful.

Similar to A.O.C.s Long-Cooked Cavolo Nero, I freeze Gjelina's braised kale since it's the kind of component that can really pull a meal together. Bundle the servings up in a single container and you can grab what you need with ease. I've seen pairing suggestions that include sausage, roasted chicken or turkey, lentil soup, Spanish potato tortilla, a variety of egg dishes, and of course the reason this post exists -- a breakfast sandwich on an English muffin. Sourdough English Muffin recipe and all the nooks and crannies coming soon.

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

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 19:39:31 -0800

RECIPE UPDATED 5/15/25

I have a fondness for restaurant and bakery cookbooks. Perhaps it's the tried-and-true nature of recipes that have been tweaked and served hundreds if not thousands of times, but generally I find they are the most referenced books on my shelves. Zuni Cafe, Mozza, Gjelina, Tartine (updated edition linked - original is out of print), Roberta's, and Violet Bakery to name a few of many titles. A.O.C. is a restaurant we frequent yet somehow their cookbook had escaped my notice so I promptly remedied that oversight.

One of the first recipes to catch my eye was the minimalist dish Long-Cooked Cavolo Nero -- a favorite of Chef Suzanne Goin. Anchored by quality ingredients and a little patience, the finished kale is greens living their best life with the kick of heat, gently caramelized onions, and lovely texture. It defies the vegetable's reputation of being tough or bitter.

A.O.C.'s kale has become a star component in my kitchen thanks to its versatility and freezeability. There have been weeks where I find myself using it several days in a row for rice bowls, colcannon, eggs, breakfast sandwiches, or on its own as a side. I can get about 4 to 5 portions from the recipe below and just freeze the servings in bundles.

The quick lunch I often turn to is some variation of Koda Farms Kokuho Rose brown rice (also from the freezer), A.O.C. kale, Boon sauce, and a fried egg. Bachan's Japanese BBQ Sauce found its way into my stocking over the holidays so I've added that as well. Serve the kale with soba noodles, a poached egg, and chili crisp or it would be excellent in Farro & Black Rice With Kale & Pine Nuts which is another delicious dish from the cookbook. I could go on.

Spicy Pepper Soy Sauce

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 20:41:26 -0700

The best time to buy peppers was two months ago. The second best time is now. - Solanaceae Wisdom

Peppers are strongly associated with greater happiness so my aim is to add them to as many meals as possible. After picking up some galbi (Korean short ribs) from A Cut Above Butcher, my condiment quest led me to Korean Vegan’s Spicy Soy Sauce. It’s an umami bath that's chock-a-block with peppers, more peppers, and aromatics, and wants to be generously spooned over everything from herbed rice to meat.

Though I'm still green when it comes to Korean cuisine, Spicy Soy Sauce seems to be a mashup of soy pickled vegetables (jangajji) and a relatively common seasoning sauce. The latter generally includes soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame, gochugaru (Korean chile flakes), garlic, and scallions. The beauty of the union is that the soy sauce marinates the peppers and in return the peppers share their fruity notes and heat. The flavor improves with age and a batch can be frozen for when peppers wilt off into the sunset. Always sad to see chiles go but the thrill of anticipation will propel me into the 2023 season.

Tomato Water Sourdough Pita

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 10:03:40 -0700

Tomato Water Sourdough Pita is a sister recipe to the Sourdough Naan that has become a favorite for me and a number of readers. Adapted from Sarah Owens' Sourdough, I make the flatbread monthly and almost always have some in the freezer.

The inspiration to add tomato water came from Chef Jeremy Fox (Instagram is still good for something) and the results did not disappoint. The whole grains, touch of acidity from the sourdough starter, and hint of summertime make for a satisfying combination. You can dip the bread, serve it as a side, or use it for a sandwich. That said, there are times when I just want to sit quietly with pita and butter so I can take in all the nuance. Good bread has a way of insisting you give it your undivided attention.

The Pomodoro Sauce circle of no waste is now (unintentionally) complete. The skins are living a second life in Tomato Salt, Tomato Water made its way into this pita, and the rest is carrying on in sauce so good the smell makes your jaw tingle.

Tomato Water

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 16:23:33 -0700

This recipe post (though it's a stretch to call it a recipe) was inspired by Chef Jeremy Fox and his tomato water focaccia. Adding tomato water to bread is one of those ideas hiding in plain sight and I was jazzed to try it. Thankfully, the summer shoulder season means peppers and tomatoes are still available so I picked up a bag of Early Girls and Romas and hustled home to make some water. I would have been willing to go all in with a project but harvesting the pumpkin-hued liquid from my fruit turned out to be a quick task.

It was surprising to my bread-obsessed brain how few recipes involve adding tomato water to any kind of dough. There were even fewer recipes for making tomato water, most calling for puréeing and straining fresh tomatoes then discarding the pulp. I'm imperfect when it comes to minimizing waste but didn't love the idea of mashing up beautiful fruit just for its juice.

The solution came about almost by accident when I was making Gjelina's Pomodoro Sauce. That process involves simmering the sauce to evaporate excess liquid and thicken the texture. Rather than cooking for an extended time, I just drained a bit of the tomato water from the pomodoro tomatoes to use for bread. Making tomato water ended up being a 5-minute task that ultimately built an efficiency into my sauce prep.

My liquid treasure made its first appearance in a successful batch of Tomato Water Sourdough Pita. The whole grains, sourdough starter, and hint of summertime are so satisfying. The tomato water tastes fantastic on its own and there are a number of uses for it including vinaigrette, cocktails, and stock. At the moment however, I'm focused on bread. The next move is to add tomato water to Sourdough Sicilian Pizza and then follow that up with rosemary bread.

The Pomodoro Sauce circle of no waste is now (unintentionally) complete. The skins are living a second life in Tomato Salt, the water made its way into pita, and the rest is carrying on in sauce so good the smell makes your jaw tingle. If you aren't sure what to use tomato water for, freeze it in 1/4 to 1/2 cup portions for a later date.

Go forth and seek out all the tomatoes before winter comes.

Oatmeal Date Cookies

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 11:15:20 -0700

Oatmeal Date Cookies from Mother Grains made their first appearance on a recent Airstream trip. Maybe it was the altitude or that food tastes especially delicious after a hike, but the cookies were so well received that I ended up making a second batch at a different campsite. Driving snacks are an important matter and these delightful nuggets were qualified for the job.

Back in my non-wheeled kitchen, I experimented with inclusions that would compliment the sweet dates and amplify the nutty butterscotch notes. The gentle adaptation I settled on incorporates orange zest and a few subtle changes that otherwise leave the original cookie intact. Not only does the overall flavor sing, but the Mother Grains recipe is 100% whole grain which is sensible since there's not much reason for white flour in a dessert with a casual structure. Plus, sugar is much more satisfying when paired with whole grains.

Tomato Salt

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 04 Sep 2022 16:37:44 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 7/26/23

Summer tomatoes and peppers are piled high at the farmers market which means I'm in ongoing negotiations with my freezer for space. Tomatillos and mangoes already occupy a considerable amount of real estate and the queue of roasted jalapeños, sweet bells, and tomatoes is growing.

Gjelina’s Pomodoro Sauce is always on the agenda and a recent batch found me staring into a food mill filled with a tangle of tomato skins. The peak season smell and vibrant color got me thinking about how I could give those umami scraps a second life. A quick search brought up tomato powder which led me to this recipe for tomato salt. Say no more. The only real step is drying the skins and as mentioned in the Vegetarian Fish Sauce post, dried tomatoes have 3x the glutamate as fresh giving them extra umami. You can't go wrong making a flavored salt out of the stuff.

If you want to take an even simpler route, freeze the undried skins to use for stock. Both my Roasted Vegetable Stock and Roasted Chicken Stock call for tomatoes so I saved some skins in the freezer to use at a later date. Any strained broth that a tomato might compliment could be an opportunity to use the frozen skins. Never underestimate the power of subtle layers.

Tomato salt turned out to be a minimal effort project that adds a solid building block to the pantry. It smells sweet and savory but the flavor isn't overpowering which makes it an easy swap with regular salt. I sprinkle it over eggs, sauces, garlic bread, burgers, and anything with avocado. The bonus is that tomato salt reduces waste so pat yourself on the back for saving some trash and add it to all the things.

Washed Flour Wheat Gluten (Seitan/Mian Jin)

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 21:10:57 -0700

For the purposes of this post, wheat gluten, mian jin, and seitan are the same thing. Photo: Baked wheat gluten.

Wheat gluten and its culinary applications started knocking around in my head after watching Netflix's Flavorful Origins: Gansu Cuisine - Gluten. Gansu is a region extending from north-central to northwestern China and the series beautifully documents some of the local cuisine including the art of making cold skin noodles (liang pi).

To make the noodles, dough is slowly agitated in water with a large wooden paddle - similar to hand-washing laundry - until two components remain: a milky liquid (starchy water) and a stretchy mass of wheat gluten.

Gluten comes from the Latin word for glue or sticky. When you mix wheat flour and water, the naturally-occurring proteins in the flour (gliadin and glutenin) form a strong yet elastic substance that gives bread spring and chew.

Gluten is the extraordinary webbing that gives bread structure and conversely it's the strength you aim to tame when making pastries. Bakers spend considerable time pondering, discussing, coaxing, and generally obsessing about it. While the show's cinematography and lighting were stunning, what had my attention was the gluten that had been extracted from the dough. What was that blobfish-like mass destined to become?

As the process continued, the starchy liquid ultimately turned into slippery cold skin noodles that resembled raw calamari. Separately, the wheat gluten/seitan was steamed or baked into a mesmerizing honeycombed sponge that soaked up whatever sauce it was tossed in. Most seitan can generously be described as looking like the vegan child of meat and brain but the version on the screen was airy and translucent.

The first thing I did after watching the Gluten episode was watch it again. After that, I set out to find a washed dough formula that replicated the bouncy texture I saw on Flavorful Origins. The majority of recipes I came across were for the dense beige seitan that's often made with vital wheat gluten and turned into mock meat. One link led to another and I hit upon Xi'an Famous Foods which made the dream a reality. While the cookbook calls wheat gluten "seitan", a few sites identify what I made as mian jin. Instructions are at the bottom.

I added the springy cubes to a cucumber salad also from Xi'an Famous Foods though you could probably try any number of spicy cucumber salads and just make some extra dressing to toss the wheat gluten in. Other uses include braising as well as fried gluten balls. Making washed flour seitan is just a neat exercise in food science so have some fun with it.

But first...

The documentary unlocked a queue of questions in my mind. The most obvious curiosity was the fact that wheat gluten is simultaneously a valued source of protein (having more per serving than tofu) and the "G" in GF aka gluten free. You could say wheat gluten is the OG that nobody seems to want in their food nowadays. "Nobody" largely being in North America as it comprises a solid share of the multi-billion GF market. Much more on this in the Around The Dinner Table section below.

Preserved Lemons, Limes, and Kumquats

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 24 Jul 2022 15:30:47 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 4/14/23

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Larder Superstar

Lemon is one of my first considerations when a dish feels flat, sometimes even before salt (though the two often go hand in hand). As one of lemon's biggest fans, it's a wonder that this is the first time I tried to preserve them. This is especially true considering that cookbook after cookbook waxes poetic about the complex flavor and multitude of uses of said fruit. Another motivating factor was that preserved lemons and limes are essential to a number of North African and Mediterranean recipes on the to-make list. Preserved kumquats joined the party mainly because I enjoy having candied kumquats around and figured why not try a savory approach.

Vegetarian Fish Sauce

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Mon, 16 May 2022 23:30:29 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 4/2/23

East Asian and Southeast Asian are very broad terms for cuisine. With that acknowledged, it's fair to say that fish sauce is an ingredient commonly found in dishes throughout those regions. The production and trade of fermented fish as a salty, savory seasoning (known as garum) goes back to Roman times with some suggesting it was the ketchup of its day. Since garum seems to be trending in the food world lately, it's worth noting that all fish sauce is not garum but garum is one of a myriad of different kinds of condiments made from fish bits.

From the protein content to briny complexity, intellectually I understand why fish sauce has been a pantry staple for so many cultures over thousands of years. The challenge I've encountered in the kitchen is that every time I make a recipe with fish sauce my palate zeroes in on that ingredient and just doesn't care for it. Perhaps I haven't had quality fermented ocean dwellers? We'll get to that.

My relationship with fish sauce - both vegetarian and real - took a positive turn while listening to KCRW Good Food. Joanne Lee Molinaro, author of Korean Vegan, was discussing the cookbook's "Fishy Sauce" recipe and mentioned that her mom likes it more than the real thing. Since everything people say whilst on a book tour must be true, I bought the book and then did a little research for context.

Fish sauce's funky umami is foundational to so many cuisines that I wondered what (if anything) gets lost in translation when it's converted to a plant-based version. A positive take might be: What makes vegetarian fish sauce work? See Around the Dinner Table below for more on this.

Korean Vegan's Fishy Sauce has a salty depth that tastes of the sea but isn't fishy in the way I perceive fish sauce to be. Fishy Sauce is such a versatile ingredient that it graduated to my Airstream's core pantry which is a tough ticket to get given the limited space. I add it to chili, finishing sauces, pad Thai, and occasionally use it in place of soy sauce.

But before publishing the post...

I wanted to give fish sauce another go and ended up trying Haku Iwashi Whiskey Barrel Aged Fish Sauce and Red Boat, the latter being one of the most widely suggested brands. Of the two I prefer the Haku Iwashi but plan to use both.

The verdict is that the original premise of this post still partially holds true. While I have a new appreciation for fish sauce and have used it in several dishes, I'm still The Princess and the Pea with quantities. When I follow recipes to the letter the fish sauce tends to jump out at me but a 50/50 blend of vegetarian and the real deal strikes a good balance. The same approach applies with anchovies in that I like to leverage their savory qualities but stop short of adding so much that I can taste the individual ingredient.

A happy ending.

Airstream Pantry & Food Packing

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 22:37:07 -0800

Through a few years of trial and error, I've refined my Airstream's kitchen packing list to a core set of cooking needs. Needs are obviously relative. This post focuses on the food side of things and includes many of the same ingredients I use in my non-wheeled kitchen. The Airstream's pantry is pared down for the limited space but could certainly be repurposed for a weekend or vacation home.

While a number of the items listed can be purchased at the destination, I bring them in order to minimize errands plus I have an affection for certain ingredients. With that said, the fun of road trips is the opportunity to build upon your core pantry with local culinary finds. Out last cross-country adventure included peach habanero jam from Nashville Jam Company (great in a grilled cheese), Virginia country ham, small-batch cheeses, Epic Pickles, and more.

The purpose of this post is both to share The Silver Lining's staples and force myself to document what I take since, well, a few things were forgotten on a previous trip. A happy camper I am not when it's 20°F outside, the grocery store isn't close, and a key ingredient didn't make it onto to the coach.

A customizable checklist is linked at the bottom.

French Apple Cake

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 21:15:03 -0800

A few years ago, one of my flour shipments from Grist & Toll included a relatively simple recipe for whole grain French Apple Cake. The G&T version was adapted from David Lebovitz who it turns out credited Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Around My French Table. That's a solid lineage.

French Apple Cake is a roughly 1 to 4 ratio of flour to apples so the perfume of autumn is soaked into every bit of crumb. It's an ideal showcase for apples at their most beautiful and I've already made a gently adapted version several times this season. A bonus is that it works as a make ahead dessert since the flavor is even better on day two.

In terms of my version, I stuck with Grist & Toll's addition of whole grain. Using 100% all-purpose flour leaves a flavor gap where you need a bridge between the cake's three major components. A touch of lemon zest was also folded in because citrus plus butter and apples is cookery magic. Additional notes under Original vs. Adapted.

Scallion Oil Noodles

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 14:50:24 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 7/5/23

Garlic, leeks, and especially green onions - my affection for spring/summer alliums runs deep. Scallions on all the things is a life motto worth living.

I came across scallion oil a while back and promptly bookmarked it in my brain. Frying naked green onions while infusing the oil with their greatness was a brilliant idea. But what to do with this treasure? A quick search produced several recipes for what is apparently an "essential" Shanghai street food - Scallion Oil Noodles. Most of the dishes are similar with slight (but important) variations when it comes to heat and acid. The version in this post isn't original as much as the ingredient ratios are dialed in to my liking.

While fried scallions are excellent on their own, intertwining them with chili crisp and umami-soaked noodles hits every note. The play of the buckwheat in the soba noodles gives the meal an earthy anchor. Soba noodles aren't the traditional choice but they soak up the sauce nicely and I've been inspired to use them in part thanks to Sonoko Sakai's Japanese Home Cooking and Betty Liu's "My Shanghai". It's fair to say that I'm a rude dinner date when a plate of Scallion Oil Noodles is placed before me. Head down and focused, each flavorful bite compelling the next.

The process is easy with a bonus interlude of mindful prep. Slicing the green onions is pleasantly slow and deliberate (a great podcast-listening opportunity) and then the dish comes together in a few effortless steps once the initial work is done.

Make this recipe so that you, too, can sit down for a meal and ignore someone you love.

Where to Buy Local Flour (and Why)

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 16:00:40 -0700

POST UPDATED 12/27/24

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Whole Grains

With the move to industrial mills and refined wheat around 1900, flour shifted from being a flavor component to simply being a vehicle for flavor. It became a blank canvas rather than an ingredient worthy of consideration.

I often beat the drum that quality whole grains make food taste better. The nutrition is important, no doubt, but it's the aroma and depth of flavor that changed the way I cook. When I swap some whole grain flour into a 100% all-purpose recipe, it never fails to make me pause and appreciate how much more satisfying and delicious the results are.

As Roxana Jullapat writes in her cookbook, Mother Grains:

To date, I haven’t encountered a recipe that doesn’t benefit from the addition of whole-grain flour. From pasta and bread, to pies and doughnuts, even a small amount can make a difference in flavor and texture.

For the purposes of this article, "whole grains" primarily refers to flour varieties such as Sonora, Spelt, Red Fife, Buckwheat, Einkorn, Rouge de Bourdeux, Wit Wolkoring, Star Hard White - there are many more. Honorary mentions to Floriani Red Flint Cornmeal, Appalachian Blue Cornmeal, and others in the corn family. A diversity of grains that are bred, grown, and milled in a way that preserves their nutty, buttery, and unique qualities. It’s a symphony for the nose and palate when you marry those characteristics with other ingredients. These grains and flours also broaden what is planted in fields around the country, focusing more energy and resources on local and regional economies.

This brings me to the point of this post - Where to Buy Local Flour (and Why). I was curious about what whole grain products were available in the United States and ended up poking around the Internet in search of regional growers and millers. One thing led to another and I found myself down a rabbit hole of cookbooks, grain alliances, medical journals, and history lessons. The information was piling up in my brain like a plate of spaghetti and needed a home so here we are - this resource list was born.

Fresh Ginger Cake with Honey Whipped Cream & Candied Kumquats

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 22:10:00 -0700

This showstopping Fresh Ginger Cake is gently adapted from David Lebovitz's Ready For Dessert and Samin Nosrat's Salt Fat Acid Heat. The addition of honey whipped cream and candied kumquats was inspired by two restaurants that I visit regularly - Milo & Olive and Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica. The former toasts vanilla pound cake in a wood-fire oven until the edges are crispy and then tops it with the honey whipped cream. One of these days I'll make that entire dessert.

The whipped cream compliments the fresh ginger's spice while the candied kumquats bring some welcome brightness. I also incorporated 30% whole grain flour into the ginger cake for added depth. The incredibly light texture belies the rich molasses-spiked notes. I eat it in the morning, as a snack with coffee, and for dessert. A small piece satisfies any time of the day.

While the picture above is a slice of joy, my Fresh Ginger Cake had a rough start in life. I miscalculated the recipe measurements the first time, broke a glass right next to the finished (perfect-looking) cake the second, but third time's a charm and here we are. It is outstanding.

Candied Kumquats

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 29 May 2021 12:03:39 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 4/16/2024

Candied kumquats jumped onto my cooking wishlist after having them with a dessert at Rustic Canyon. I flipped open a few cookbooks and was happy to find a straightforward recipe in the original Tartine. The book is unfortunately out of print but if you can find a copy I highly recommend adding it to your baking library. The new copies still floating around are a bit pricey but there are plenty of used options. Tartine Revisited doesn't include candied kumquats but is also a good resource.

If you're like me and new to candied fruit, Tartine's recipe is an excellent starting point. You don't have to fuss with extra boiling and draining steps and the cooking time is about 25 minutes. The result is an intensely fragrant dessert component with floral notes and a balanced citrusy sweet flavor. Add it to pastries or ice cream and be sure to use up any leftover syrup. Fresh Ginger Cake with Honey Whipped Cream wouldn't be the same without candied kumquats.

Lilia's Mafaldine with Pink Peppercorns

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 21 May 2021 10:00:36 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 3/31/2025

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West Coast Rendition

I miss warm nights and cool wine at Lilia's in Brooklyn and often have a taste for their Mafaldine Pasta with Pink Peppercorns. The dish is essentially cacio e pepe with pink peppercorns in lieu of black pepper, the bright and fruity spice of the pink berries perfectly complimenting the umami-rich cheese. I usually serve the pasta with a simple salad and find the meal is a satisfying fallback when I don't know what else to make.

The following recipe is lightly adapted from Chef Missy Robbins' version that is scattered around the Internet. There are only 5 ingredients but quality products and a little technique go a long way. The mafaldine I use isn’t homemade and though that can be a significant difference in a spare dish, it's not a deal breaker. I’m not ready to invest in an extruder (yet), but Lilia's hypnotic scratch noodle videos certainly tempt me. This West Coast rendition tastes pretty close to my flavor memory plus it's quick and comforting so you can't go wrong.

Don't let the length of this post throw you, I went off on a cheese tangent. The instructions to make the pasta are relatively short.

Barbecue Sunchoke Chips

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 20:04:04 -0800

Kinetic energy states that a body in motion stays in motion. Turns out the same is true for your hand when it's scooping these crispy delights into your mouth. Taking some artistic liberties with physics here. Plain sunchoke chips are mighty good, but combine their sweet nuttiness with a dusting of Vegetable Kingdom's barbecue seasoning and the flavor is something special.

Last Minute Sourdough Biscuits

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 14:13:29 -0800

I call these "Last Minute" Sourdough Biscuits because they come together faster than the oven heats. This neat and tidy process came in handy one New Year's Day when I liked the sound of butter and carbs but didn't want a multi-step undertaking. The Google presented me with Cook's Illustrated's 2007 recipe for Quick Drop Biscuits and I was sold.

What grabbed my attention with this recipe was the combination of warm melted butter and cold buttermilk. The contrasting temperatures cause the butter to clump giving the biscuit's texture a boost. The end result is a rugged exterior with a light scone-like interior. They're the perfect delivery vehicle for all the Katz Farm preserves you can pile on. I've adapted the formula over the years to include 35% whole grains and sourdough starter discard - expanded notes below.

A bonus for bread bakers is that you can slip in a batch of these little nuggets while the oven is heating. When making a Sourdough Country Loaf, I place my empty Lodge double cooker on a lower rack and then bake the biscuits on the middle rack. Carbs on carbs on carbs.

Quick Pickled Peppers

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 21 Nov 2020 14:29:03 -0800

These quick pickled Fresno chiles ended up being so versatile that I used the same adapted Gjelina recipe for banana peppers. Both were excellent but the latter was a real star. When peppers are given time to luxuriate in brine, the heat mellows and subtle flavor notes are enhanced which allowed the banana peppers to shine. I added these pickled condiments to sandwiches, pizzas, leafy greens, and cucumber salads. It's the layer of acid I didn't know I needed in seemingly every dish.

The peppers went fast which left me with brine that was too flavorful to throw away. I cut some straggler carrots into sticks and packed them in the respective jars - a snappy snack. Next time around, I'll probably combine the spicy Fresno chile brine with carrot ribbons for sandwiches or other pairings. They packed a punch in terms of heat.

This mild brine takes less than 20 minutes to make and is adaptable to onions, garlic, cucumbers, green beans, and no doubt many other types of produce. Pickle all the things.

Sourdough Sicilian Pizza

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 17:04:59 -0800

RECIPE UPDATED 1/10/25

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Sourdough Sicilian Pizza

This Sourdough Sicilian Pizza began as a birthday dinner and evolved into a quest for excellence. I wanted to make thick-cut pizza as good as anything I could fly across the country for. After gently tinkering with a recipe from Perfect Pan Pizza, I'm pleased to say the pictured New York-style Sicilian meets expectations and has become a Friday tradition.

My ideal Sicilian pizza has a buttery and deeply golden crust, springy crumb, absolutely no soggy bits, and a punchy herby sauce. After several iterations, I've managed to check all of these qualities off the list. You can make this recipe using a hybrid leaven (sourdough starter plus commercial yeast) or with just sourdough starter. I prefer the flavor of naturally-leavened dough but commercial yeast is a solid insurance policy since it gives the dough an extra boost. Included are notes for both approaches.

Honey Roasted Applesauce

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 22:22:23 -0800

RECIPE UPDATED 11/17/2025

It was only in the last several years that I jumped on the homemade applesauce train and had my personal "duh" moment. The flavor and texture blow store-bought versions away, it's easy to make, and you can load up your freezer with the stuff.

Recipe Tips

Skip the Sugar

Many applesauce recipes call for sugar and/or some sort of juice such as apple cider. When buying fruit at peak season it needs little help from us humans so I humbly suggest that you skip the granulated sugar or other boosters. For a little natural sweetness, honey is the perfect pairing and you won't need much.

Mix it Up

A mix of apple varieties - both tart and sweet - will yield the best balance.

Roasting vs. Stovetop

Pickled Onions & Garlic

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 16:28:20 -0700

I made Chef Jeremy Fox's dill pickles from his cookbook, On Vegetables, and found myself fishing around for every last bit of onion well before the cucumbers were used up. Constraints are the mother of adaptation so Pickled Onions & Garlic were born.

The brine is almost the same as Chef Fox's pickles with a small nod to a favorite Gjelina recipe. I use this vinegary condiment for dressings, sandwiches, and cucumber salads. Pickled Onions & Garlic are quick to make and can stay in the fridge for a yet-to-be-determined number of weeks since I always polish off the jar before things go south. My childhood moniker is alive and well. Hey, Pickle.

Pickled Onions & Garlic are part of my Recipe Card series and are a building block for Smashed Cucumbers With Feta & Dill Pickle Dressing. Posts are shorter in nature and offer an opportunity to feature simpler dishes that I plan to reference down the road.

Smashed Cucumbers With Feta & Dill Pickle Dressing

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 10:48:54 -0700

My interest in dill pickle dressing is thanks to a small plate at Birdie G's that I've enjoyed more times than I can count. The feta gradually incorporates into the dill pickle dressing and then the pickled onions and crisp cucumbers luxuriate in the creamy mixture. It's a perfect summer side.

Dill pickles are in Chef Jeremy Fox's cookbook, On Vegetables, so that was the first order of business. I made the pickles, waited several days, and then dialed in the dressing's flavor. I also tried substituting the brine from Gjelina's Spicy Sweet Pickles and thought both versions were excellent. There's flexibility in terms of either making your own pickles or using what you have from the grocery store. The key is that the pickle liquid is dilly and delicious with solid acidity.

I've made this salad every Saturday for several weeks now and expect that trend to continue until Persian cucumbers bid farewell for the season.

Pizza Sauce

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 11:40:38 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 8/9/24

Punchy and herby pizzeria-style tomato sauce is the anchor of any respectable thick-crust or New York-style slice. In order to fulfill my quest to make an ideal Sourdough Sicilian Pizza, I had to begin with the sauce.

Adapted from Perfect Pan Pizza, this recipe is more of a marinara and combines canned tomatoes, herbs, and acid in the form of lemon juice and red wine vinegar. The assumption may be that those last ingredients would add too much bite, but layering acid actually pops and sweetens the tomato flavor when paired with the right amount of salt. The smell alone transports me to the best NYC slice shops. Acid is the sauce's secret.

Pizza Tomato Sauce is part of my Recipe Card series. Posts are shorter in nature and offer an opportunity to feature simpler dishes that I plan to reference down the road. Stay tuned for my Sourdough Sicilian Pizza recipe.

Borracho (Drunken) Beans

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 23 May 2020 12:39:47 -0700

I have tagged what feels like every other page in Chef Josef Centeno's cookbook, Amá. Approachable Tex-Mex seems to have my number right now. I'm 4 for 4 with dishes from the book including cilantro pesto, an excellent flour tortilla recipe, and the pictured Borracho (Drunken) Beans.

The first order of business after flipping through the book was to try my hand at some breakfast tacos. Eggs, avocado, and cheese are nice but relatively unremarkable - you need an anchor to bring it all together and that's where Amá's Borracho Beans come in. The texture of the beans, slight edge of beer, and overall depth of flavor stitches everything together and transforms the dish. These beans are fantastic in a taco or as a side and they love a good hot sauce.

This recipe also makes great refried beans that are perfect for nachos or a burrito. Those instructions included below.

How to Make Naturally-leavened Sourdough Bread

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 03 May 2020 10:20:59 -0700

Loaf 149 - Central Milling Flour: 50% T85 / 30% ABC Malted / 20% High Mountain

Photo Note: Each loaf of bread pictured was made using the basic process laid out in this post, sometimes with slight changes in timing and the % of leaven in the dough (1-2% for the latter). I've noted the various blends of flour under each image. I would pay money for any of this bread. That's not a pat on the back, it's a suggestion to have fun with the process because what you bake will almost certainly be enjoyable. The magic of making bread can, at times, feel like a superpower.

Sourdough in its purest form - flour, water, and salt - is remarkable in both its simplicity and complexity. Working these humble ingredients together with my hands and then pulling a mahogany beauty out of the oven continues to be one of the most fascinating and joyful cooking experiences I've ever had.

Now, it goes without saying (but I'll say it) that the following formula and set of instructions are not the "right" way to make a country sourdough loaf. This post is my approach based on techniques picked up through conversations with fellow bakers, bedtime cookbook reading, and repetition. Some steps or particular habits are what I like to do and you may choose a different approach with similar or even better results. I offer this information up for folks to enjoy and hopefully improve upon. It's also important to keep in mind that my environment (ambient temperature, humidity, etc.) and starter are different than yours and these factors play a role in how the final dough behaves.

With those qualifications out of the way, this sourdough bread recipe is specific enough that it will likely result in something delicious if you have a healthy starter. A vibrant starter, or natural leavening agent that helps your bread rise, is at the heart of any great slice of bread. My post on building and maintaining a sourdough starter is here with a secondary post on Dave Miller's Starter Maintenance here. The latter is great for people who bake infrequently or want long-term storage with less feedings.

Included below are a number of tips, video links, my note-taking spreadsheet (customize it as you wish), and detailed instructions. While sourdough bread and food science are an exciting duo, how the craft continues to evolve through community and knowledge sharing is what makes it special. Please feel free to leave a comment if you have additional questions, need clarifications, or have some wisdom of your own to share. Part of slow bread's appeal is learning from the bakers that embrace it.

Then we all held hands and sang around the campfire.

Gjelina's Chickpea Stew

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 12:29:20 -0800

RECIPE UPDATED 2/28/23

Travis Lett’s chickpea stew from his cookbook, Gjelina, is spiked with harissa and cooled by spiced yogurt in perfect proportions. One of the many things I appreciate about this recipe is that it tastes as intensely layered and satisfying as something you might order at the restaurant -- it's not dialed back. I also appreciate that this recipe's components can stand on their own if you don't want to make the stew. Ceci (cooked chickpeas) is great for chopped salad or hummus and the herbed yogurt pairs well with kebabs, roasted vegetables, or potatoes. As is always the case with Lett's dishes, this Chickpea Stew is on the money from a salt and acid standpoint.

Speaking of salt and acid, that's a hot topic these days for good reason. One (or both) of those ingredients is often to blame when a dish lacks spunk. As an experiment, a guest on the Bon Appétit podcast suggested incrementally salting a small portion of whatever you're cooking until it's too salty. This exercise helps a cook understand how to find the sweet spot. While butter may contribute to restaurant food being delicious, it’s more likely that chefs know how to push the boundary of salt and acid to pop the flavors.

Gjelina offers recipes for both the harissa and spiced yogurt. I opted to make the yogurt and use jarred harissa since there are excellent options available for the latter. Additional recipes from the cookbook are here.

My Favorite Cooking Tools

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 14 Nov 2019 13:53:58 -0800

I have owned most of my cooking tools for years and several have siblings on our Airstream. Since relevant equipment is mentioned in each post, it seemed worthwhile to gather the gear I regularly use into one place. Lucky me that the process of putting this list together turned into a kitchen organization party. On that note, I recommend having everything in its place from whisks to ingredients since an orderly space makes for a more enjoyable cooking experience. Mise en place for life.

This page will be a living document so I'm kicking things off with my top 50 60 (give or take) divided into 7 sections. Jump links are included below and the exact product is listed unless otherwise indicated. There are a number of tools missing but constraints were necessary if this post was ever going to see the light of day. I'll add to the inventory over time.

Measure All the Things Baking & Sourdough Coffee A Watched Pot (or Pan) Shimmy, Shake, & Strain Slice, Dice, & Juice Odds & Ends

Superiority Burger's Sloppy Dave

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 18:05:00 -0800

Superiority Burger has become a regular lunch spot when I'm in New York. The space and seating are no-nonsense and the food is unfussy but always creative and delicious. Their menu also happens to be vegetarian and in many cases "accidentally vegan". I picked up the cookbook after my first visit and went right for the Sloppy Dave recipe. It's essentially meatless sloppy joes that Superiority named after one of their regular customers.

Superiority Burger's Sloppy Dave is 21st century comfort food. There's some sweetness from the lightly caramelized vegetables, a bit of heat from the Korean chili flakes (substitution options offered), and the pile of frizzled onions brings it all home. I've made the recipe numerous times since buying the book and enjoy the leftovers for days.

When it comes to tofu, it would be generous to say that I'm a novice. I asked The Google some tofu 101 questions and this post includes a brief overview about what I learned. Also, don't be dissuaded by the idea of frying onions. It's not a hot mess of a project when done right. It took me a few attempts to dial things in but now I feel like a frizzle master. Including tips and cues below.

Last but not least, it's worth emphasizing how excellent this dish is for any tofu-fearing friends or loved ones in your life. The Sloppy Dave isn't "good for being vegan", it's excellent because the recipe was thoughtfully developed. Also frizzled onions.

30 Clove Pasta Sauce

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 16:01:20 -0700

Lilia is one of my favorite restaurants in New York so I was happy to discover that the chef and owner, Missy Robbins, has a cookbook. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner...Life is a collection of recipes from her home kitchen making it a fun mix of ideas and inspiration.

This 30 Clove Pasta Sauce is the first dish I made and it's already a weeknight regular. The sauce is basically garlic confit (i.e. sweet and savory excellence) mashed together with a few well-chosen ingredients. The recipe is straightforward to make, tastes even better on day 2, and can be frozen.

If you want a little protein, I include an optional (but not necessary) addition of Calabrese sausage. This 30 Clove Pasta Sauce would also be great to freeze for an Airstream trip. Throw it in the cooler with a box of pasta for a post-hike dinner that's several steps up from jarred sauce.

Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 18:07:44 -0700

Salt and/or acid are often that "missing something" when a dish isn't quite right. This is the case for both savory and sweet recipes, pie dough being a sweet example that suffers without enough salt.

Since picking up Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, I've become even more mindful of a dish's balance. This Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip is a recipe that I published quite a while back and happened to make recently. The flavor was good but flat and it didn't take long for me to notice a glaring hole in the ingredient list - acid. There are only four main ingredients so that's quite a miss on my part.

I added 2 1/2 teaspoons of pomegranate vinegar and just that small change took the dip from good to excellent. It's a rich and balanced summertime side that's great to scoop up or add to a wrap.

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat are words to cook by.

Eleven Madison Park's Granola

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 27 Jul 2019 15:43:51 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 3/27/25

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Hiking Snacks

My typical hiking lunch includes homemade sourdough with PB&J, pretzels or chips, granola, and farmers market fruit. It hits all the right notes from flavor to much needed salt and energy. I've experimented with several different granola recipes over the years but never found anything so delicious I couldn't put it down. Enter Eleven Madison Park.

Eleven Madison Park's granola inconspicuously occupies the last few inches on the last page of EMP's cookbook. It's better than a deconstructed cookie and I'm inclined to ruin my dinner if there's a bag of the stuff laying around. This granola has become my go-to travel snack thanks to its shelf life and ideal balance of crunchy, salty, and sweet.

The recipe calls for dried sour cherries but I generally use dried Bing cherries. Other fruit that has worked in a pinch includes dried plums or pluots (chopped) since they have a nice balance of sweet and tart. Though there's flexibility with the inclusions, I'm not inclined to mess with the oil, sugar, and salt ratios. This sodium lover thinks the balance is just right.

Full disclosure is that I haven't yet made anything else from my EMP cookbook. That being said, it's lovely and full of inspiration.

Thai Spicy Pork & Basil

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 18:53:19 -0700

I make Thai Spicy Pork & Basil a couple of times a year, roughly between May and September when the smell of basil permeates the farmers market. I whipped up the first spicy pork of 2019 last week and realized the recipe wasn't on the blog which felt like an oversight. So here we are.

Thai Spicy Pork & Basil is adapted from Cook's Illustrated's The Best International Recipe. The original is made with ground chicken but at some point along the way I switched to pork as the protein. The flavor of this dish is an ideal balance of umami, fresh herbs, and heat, and the leftovers are excellent. In addition to being delicious, the cooking process is neat and tidy. You can prep the ingredients while the rice is cooking and then bring things together in short order while the rice is still hot in the pot.

Sourdough Naan (No Commercial Yeast)

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 17:18:46 -0700

Yes, it looks like pita bread. This is explained below.

RECIPE UPDATED 10/31/22

I refresh my sourdough starter twice a day and feel some guilt when throwing away the leftovers. I perform small feedings to minimize waste but am always on the lookout for ways to use up all of the Moomin bits. Moomin the Starter being my food pet.

I was reworking a roasted red pepper dip last year and figured it was about time to make my own flatbread for scooping. I pulled out a few cookbooks and landed on Sarah Owens' excellent and approachable naan recipe in her aptly-titled, Sourdough. I've since made Sarah's naan more times than I can count with varying percentages of whole grain (the recipe posted here is 20%).

There's something about this flatbread's smell that really does it for me - slightly sweet with a contrasting note of sourdough. It's a delicious and chewy pillow that doesn't even need a dip, just eat it plain or with a swipe of salted butter. The naan is naturally-leavened, straightforward, and can be mixed and baked the same day with great results. I generally prefer to cold fermented the dough overnight which offers additional schedule flexibility and depth of flavor. Instructions for both options are included below.

Stinging Nettle, Garlic Confit, and Fried Egg Sourdough Pizza

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 14:51:05 -0700

I make quite a bit of pizza but haven't been great about documenting successful combinations here on the blog. Better late than never so I'm going to start with this Stinging Nettle, Garlic Confit, and Fried Egg number. This is a wonderfully balanced pizza with the perfect amount of acidity thanks to the goat feta. Drizzle a little chili oil on top and you're set.

Though the nettle season is almost over, you can substitute Bloomsdale spinach since this recipe is basically a riff on the spinach pizza from Gjelina. Spinach will have a heartier texture but the flavor profile is similar. With that said, nettles have a particularly unique flavor and are worth trying if you can find them.

I usually mix my Naturally-leavened (Sourdough) Pizza Dough on Friday night and then put it in the fridge for a Sunday bake. Using this spreadhseet, I can plug and play my way to a perfectly timed dinner. It feels pretty effortless once you get into the rhythm. Nancy Silverton's Pizza Dough from The Mozza Cookbook is also an excellent make-ahead recipe.

Chimichurri

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 21:51:48 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 8/20/2023

This chimichurri sauce is adapted from the Baco and Gjelina cookbooks. What is chimichurri? It's a heap of fresh herbs combined with olive oil, a little heat, acid, and salt. Like most simple dishes, the art is ensuring the proportions are balanced.

In addition to being delicious, the beauty of chimichurri is that there's no need to get too hung up on the exact herbs. Don't have oregano? No problem, add some extra basil, parsley, and cilantro. Does cilantro disagree with your taste buds? Add in oregano and then increase the basil and parsley. Having fish? Swap in some lemon juice for the red wine vinegar. Chimichurri can readily adapt to your protein and taste.

Fresh Ricotta

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 10 Mar 2019 15:44:14 -0700

Of all the fresh ricotta recipes I've made, Chef Jeremy Fox's version from On Vegetables is the winner. The yield is good, the texture is incredibly tender, and the fat, acid, and salt are perfectly balanced. It will ruin you for the white plastic cups of ricotta available at the grocery store.

The three things that distinguish Chef Fox's recipe are a slow gentle cooking method, buttermilk as the acid, and an appropriate and specific amount of salt added at the beginning of the cooking process. Other recipes from equally noteworthy cookbooks push quickly to the target temperature, use lemon juice or vinegar as the acid, and suggest that you "salt to taste" after the ricotta is made. The results from those attempts were edible but lacking in both mouthfeel and flavor.

This also happens to be a no-waste recipe. The byproduct of making fresh ricotta is whey, which is the secret to fantastic polenta. Fox picked up this approach from a chef he worked with and is now passing the wisdom on in his cookbook. Whey can be used to make caramel, polenta, and more. Just freeze it if you're unsure and need to consult with The Google for inspiration.

Included in the post are step-by-step instructions as well as temperature and visual cues. This recipe is easy relatively speaking, you just have to plan ahead a little.

Butternut Squash (Pumpkin) Bolognese

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 17:14:21 -0800

I didn't fully appreciate the affection squash has for freshly ground pepper until making this Butternut Squash (Pumpkin) Bolognese from Six Seasons. Though the dish visually under promises (as many plates of Bolognese do), layers of satisfying flavors reveal themselves once you take a bite. The two pounds of squash are roasted and then further reduced, ultimately standing in for tomato paste and nicely rounding out the sauce. In terms of texture, it's what I think of as a "true" Bolognese in that almost every bit clings perfectly to the pasta. Not only is Butternut Squash Bolognese a delicious make-ahead dinner, but it's freezer-friendly and has become a favorite meal for our Airstream trips.

Circling back to the pepper. The key to this recipe is ensuring that you adequately season as you go rather than at the end, otherwise the flavor can be flat. I've included a number of additional notes in the post along with specific measurements. Ultimately, your taste buds are the best gauge.

Sourdough Pancakes

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 16 Jan 2019 19:36:30 -0800

RECIPE UPDATED 7/18/2025

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Bronzed Beauties

I have been refining my sourdough pancake recipe for years and this updated version is the most delicious to date. Beautiful color, airy texture, and a satisfying depth of flavor thanks to the whole grains and sourdough starter. I will be so bold as to say these are some of the better pancakes I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy. When visiting my mother-in-law, she often asks if Moomin the Starter is coming along on the trip to make her breakfast (and bread). Seems clear who the favorite in the family is.

Naturally-leavened (Sourdough) Pizza Dough

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 01 Dec 2018 21:32:15 -0800

RECIPE UPDATED 7/20/2025

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Love Language

This naturally-leavened pizza dough recipe is the cousin of my sourdough country loaf. The fermentation time and inoculation (amount of levain or starter) were inspired by a conversation I had with Pizzicletta's chef/owner, Caleb Schiff. Other than that, I winged it and got lucky. The pizzas have been consistent from a flavor and texture standpoint so the formula feels ready for prime time.

Similar to my Flaky All-butter Pie or Galette Dough, this pizza dough recipe includes specific (sometimes quirky) steps and observations since I always aim for a repeatable process. In order to maintain a cohesive set of updates and conversation threads, this will be the only pizza dough recipe that I publish containing 90% or more type 00 flour. I've also included a public version of my pizza spreadsheet (spreadsheets are my love language) that has a handy feeding calculator. Repetition and note-taking are an excellent way to dial in your dough and easily set a dinner time. Please don't hesitate to leave a comment if you have questions or need clarification.

Tartine's Zucchini and Orange Marmalade Tea Cake

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 28 Oct 2018 14:50:44 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 9/6/22

Elisabeth Prueitt's cookbook, Tartine, is usually my first stop when searching for baked goods. I found her Zucchini and Orange Marmalade Tea Cake a while back when some beautiful zucchini from The Garden Of needed a home. As is always the case with recipes in Tartine, this quick bread is spot on. The cookbook describes the zucchini flavor as "barely discernable" which is true but not an issue. The tea cake lasts for days, has a balanced flavor, and everything comes together in a relatively fast and unfussy process.

Zucchini's high water content can create a gummy situation so this post includes tips that will ensure your quick bread has a light and even texture throughout. A bonus is that my gently adapted version is 25% Grist & Toll whole grain spelt which adds nutty notes while still retaining the lovely crumb you see above. I didn't alter the recipe to accommodate the whole grains so if you want to use 100% all-purpose flour no changes are needed.

Publishing this post in October feels a little late, but it's going to be 80° this week and I still have SoCal zucchini in the fridge. Mother Nature has chosen to remain on summer break so I'm rolling with it.

Steak Tacos with Mojo de Ajo

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 16:26:25 -0700

My mind was set on making tacos one Saturday so I bought the meat and tortillas and figured whatever produce was in the kitchen would suffice for toppings. I then went sauce hunting through my cookbooks and hit upon Alex Stupak’s Steak Tacos with Mojo de Ajo in his aptly named book, Tacos. After adding some scratch Pico de Gallo to the mix, dinner was sorted.

Mojo de Ajo is basically finely chopped Garlic Confit hopped up on spices and citrus juice with a little tomato thrown in for good measure. It's extremely versatile and, as it turns out, can really make a dish. Little did I know that Mojo de Ajo was the missing ingredient for my Calabrian sausage, onion, and green pepper pizza. I’ve already squirreled some of this new-to-me liquid gold away in the freezer to ensure that it's always on hand.

Included in this post are detailed instructions as well as an extended section on the difference between hanger, flank, and skirt steak (the former being used in the recipe). Know your meat. The tacos are pictured without Pico de Gallo so if you need a visual just check out that recipe.

It's mid-October and 80°F here in Santa Monica so might as well keep grilling. Fall weather and scarves are so 1900s.

Rosemary Infused Peperonata

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 19:31:45 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 9/3/2025

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Planetary Conjunction

The current pepper and tomato supply at the Santa Monica Farmers Market is the produce equivalent of a planetary conjunction. It's the best time of the food year when Three Tomato Panzanella and Rosemary Infused Peperonata are in regular rotation.

I published a peperonata recipe a while back but wanted to tweak the ratios and incorporate a couple of techniques that I've picked up since that first posting. The stewy marriage of late season tomatoes, red peppers so vibrant they seem unreal, melting garlic, and hints of rosemary is magic. The intense flavor is everything that's excellent about simple cooking with peak ingredients.

Gjelina's Spicy Sweet Pickles

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 14:45:01 -0700

If folks still addressed me by my childhood nickname, "Pickle", I probably wouldn't mind. I'm a forever fangirl when it comes to briny cucumbers. Why it took me this long to try Gjelina's Spicy Sweet Pickles is a mystery but they're definitely a new favorite.

These pickles are a touch sweet with a mellow vinegar flavor that allows the delicate cucumber to peek through. You can throw in a couple of fresh cayenne or Fresno chiles for some heat and then repurpose those peppers as a pizza topping. I've used Gjelina's Spicy Sweet Pickles on pulled pork sandwiches and patty melts, as a small side dish, and have been known to just stand at the counter with a fork and the jar. They would also be great paired with turkey, avocado, and red onion, similar to a sandwich GTA serves. I have it on good authority that the restaurant uses this brine (or something very similar) for a number of vegetables so it's adaptable.

Overnight Sourdough Waffles

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 27 Jul 2018 11:34:15 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 3/20/2024

I started making sourdough pancakes a couple weekends ago when a sudden craving for waffles hijacked my brain. Since the pancakes were already a work in progress, I flipped through a few cookbooks to see if it was possible to transition the ingredients. Nancy Silverton's "Overnight Sourdough Waffles" in Breads from the La Brea Bakery called for 9 ounces of ripe starter which happened to be the exact amount I had already prepared. The food moons were aligned.

These waffles are so satisfying -- buttery yet crisp with the perfect structure to handle a healthy drizzle of syrup. The nutty sweetness of the whole grains and slight acidity from the sourdough starter lend a wonderful depth of flavor. In terms of adjustments, I swapped out half of the white flour for whole grain and increased the hydration accordingly. Detailed instructions and temperature notes are included in the post. If you don't have a sourdough starter, my post How to Build and Maintain a Sourdough Starter can help. If you're worried about the maintenance involved with a starter, check out Dave Miller's Sourdough Starter Maintenance which reduces feedings and minimizes waste. The joy of food pet ownership can be yours.

Thick, Sweet, & Spicy BBQ Sauce

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 17:20:43 -0700

I stopped by the farmers market on July 4th to support the growers who had made the trip. After picking up some Peads & Barnetts ribs and Finley Farms potatoes for our holiday dinner, the question of sauce arose. I started flipping through my cookbooks and came across the "Sweet Barbecue Sauce" recipe in Chef Joe Carroll's Feeding the Fire. This is a Kansas City style sauce in that it's thick and slightly sweet, but I want to emphasize "slightly". The added sugar isn't nearly as high as I've seen in many KC recipes which was a bonus.

Dave Miller's Sourdough Starter Maintenance

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 23:25:00 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 7/17/23

A while back, I had the privilege of attending Dave Miller's bread class at Grist & Toll and came away inspired. This post is focused on conversations the group had about Dave's starter maintenance.

Though I've spent a lot of my sourdough journey pondering the minutia from strengthening to pre-shaping, the key to making a great loaf of bread is ultimately the vitality of your food pet. Dave's routine got my brain wheels spinning about ways I could improve the health and performance of Moomin the Starter. My original instructions, "How to Build and Maintain a Sourdough Starter", are still on point so this post is simply an extension of that information.

Destination Pizza

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 13:59:35 -0700

In anticipation of eating at my four favorite pizza spots over the next few months, I wanted to give them a proper feature. Diavola, Pizzicletta, Roberta's, and Gjelina serve fantastic food in destination-worthy locations and are an important part of what makes their respective communities and local food scenes special. How a restaurant embraces its surroundings, especially the locally grown and crafted goods, is the not-so-secret secret of what makes for a delicious meal and excellent experience.

Before jumping in, it's worth mentioning that two of the four restaurants have cookbooks and I recommend them both. Each includes recipes for some of the "favorites" listed below.

Rustic Bean Stew

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 17 Feb 2018 18:54:39 -0800

Rob and I have been planning some trips with the Airstream and a few are a bit more remote with little access to restaurants and stores. You could say we're starting to "camp" more than before.Camping is relative. Soups and stews are a great food for the coach but my repertoire is thin so I've been on the hunt.

When I picked up Jeremy Fox's cookbook On Vegetables a few months ago, the Rustic Bean Stew immediately went onto the recipe planning board. Fox is a Santa Monica chef as well as a solid supporter of Southern California growers. Not only is his bean stew travel friendly, but virtually every ingredient comes from either the farmers market or a local business. This intensely flavored meal has pressing notes of rosemary, complementary textures of silky kale and creamy beans, and also happens to be all the things - dairy free, vegan, and vegetarian. I am none of those things but appreciate a delicious dish that is.

Relevant Revelation: Hemicellulose

Kabocha, Olive Oil, and Bittersweet Chocolate Cake

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 15:23:23 -0800

Gjelina's Kabocha, Olive Oil, and Bittersweet Chocolate Cake had been sitting on my impractically long "To Make" list for a while. After picking up some kabocha squash from Jimenez Family Farm, I made this recipe over the holidays and it promptly became my coffee's best friend. The texture is surprisingly tender and the balance of sweet roasted squash, fruity olive oil, and bittersweet chocolate is wonderful. The recipe in the Gjelina cookbook uses a 9x5 loaf pan, so for my second attempt I made mini cakes. I have a soft spot for individual servings which made the little bundts a happy 3-bite treat. You can't go wrong with either size and bonus that the shelf life is excellent. Makes for an especially delicious road or camping trip treat. I also made 3x5 loaves but didn't get a picture. Bake times included below for each of the pans I used.

Spicy Pork Stew with Butternut Squash and Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 22:52:35 -0800

RECIPE UPDATED 11/1/2022

Spicy Pork Stew with Butternut Squash and Tomatillo Salsa is from Chef Nancy Silverton's most recent cookbook, Mozza at Home. I didn't set out to make this stew, in fact I hadn't noticed it until I started searching for a dish that could use up my tomatillo haul. After scanning the recipe several Saturdays ago, I realized that just about every ingredient was in my kitchen including a large container of "use it or lose it" homemade stock that was discovered during a pre-holiday freezer purge. The stew moons were aligned.

Rosemary Olive Oil Madeleines

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 15:22:32 -0700

In the interest of full disclosure, I previously posted Mozza's Rosemary Olive Oil Cakes using the smaller shape that the restaurant serves. However, the madeleine's ratio of tender sweet and savory center to slightly crisp exterior is in a category unto itself and deserves a solo post. And though "easy" is not necessarily a selling point for me when it comes to food, this batter comes together in about 15 minutes without a machine and can be made 1-2 days ahead of time (minus the zest and rosemary). Pair the Rosemary Olive Oil Madeleine's knock-out flavor with coffee or serve with gelato for dessert...or just stand at the cooling rack and curse your inability to stop eating them.

Tartine's Tomato, Shelling Beans, and Cucumber Salad

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 15:53:21 -0700

As if the autumn equinox was a light switch, the Interwebs has collectively decided that its all things fall food all the time. Tomatoes have been forsaken for pumpkins, apples, and stews. I can certainly understand the excitement that comes with boots and spiced everything, but let's slow our roll. From NYC to LA, tomatoes, shelling beans, and cucumbers are still available at the farmers markets which makes Tartine All Day's salad a great seasonal transition dish.

Not only is this recipe delicious, but the act of shelling beans is basically a series of happy little surprises. Christmas lima and cranberry pods pop open to reveal varying shades of how-does-mother-nature-do-that color. Even more fun is how the ugliest pods contain the most vibrant legumes. I had a few that appeared to be teetering on the edge of moldy and yet the beans inside were both pristine and the most beautiful of them all. As Lori from Two Peas in a Pod has taught me, shelling beans are the poster food for "don't judge a book by its cover".

Violet Bakery's Banana Bread

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 09 Sep 2017 20:59:50 -0700

Bananas are back at the Santa Monica Farmers Market and I've already consumed my weight in Dwarf Brazilians and Rajapuris. Even when the Brazilians are extremely ripe, their intensely sweet flavor still maintains a backbone of acidity while the texture retains a structured creaminess. As a snack, on pancakes or oatmeal, or in baked goods, this fruit elevates the game of any dish. I feel a twinge of angst each week when I look for Vista Punta Gorda Ranch's stand since they disappeared last year without a trace. Never leave us again, Farmer Andy...or I'll come find you. Andy left again...and I have not found him.

I happened to have some very ripe Dwarf Brazilian bananas on the counter and had to decide what recipe would do them justice. I pulled out a few of my go-to baking books, assessed the ingredients, and ultimately went with The Violet Bakery's Banana Bread. I've had success with Claire Ptak's recipes and the combination of buttermilk and dark rum sounded like an excellent match for my banana haul. Turns out that was a good assessment. This bread smells so caramely and intense when it comes out of the oven that it was hard to stop myself from eating it right away. It also has a perfectly tender texture as well as an excellent balance of supporting flavors that allow the fruit to shine.

Garlic Confit

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 13:44:34 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 8/5/2025

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Ode to Garlic Confit

I'm not sure if anyone has written an ode to garlic confit, but if I was a poet, I might just pen one.

Garlic confit is sweet, savory, spreadable, and subtly rich. As a flavor component, the magic is in how garlic confit is able to play a supporting role where its brash raw sibling would be overpowering. Pizza, roasted vegetables, pasta, dressings - the applications for both the cloves and cooking oil are endless. You will almost always find a container of garlic confit in my refrigerator or freezer.

Homemade Charcoal Wheat Pasta Dough

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 16:31:02 -0700

Making pasta is the ultimate in food therapy. The rhythmic process gently focuses your brain while it simultaneously empties out the clutter, and at the end of it all there are carbs on your plate. Similar to naturally-leavened bread, you only need a few ingredients to create something delicious and worthy of an enthusiastic "I made that!" pat on the back.

But before I go any further, please don't look at the ensuing word avalanche and think that scratch pasta is complicated. It's not - it's actually very easy. That being said, I like understanding how the components in a recipe fit together since it makes me a better cook. What I've found through trial and error is that there's not a "right" formula for pasta dough, but rather there's a "right" formula for your taste and the shape of pasta that you plan to make. Do you like melt-in-your mouth noodles or a bit more chewiness? Are you shaping garganelli or rolling out tissue-thin ravioli? These are all considerations when choosing your dough recipe.

Grilled Little Gems with Scratch Blue Cheese Dressing, Cherry Tomatoes, and Bacon

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 18 Jun 2017 06:01:49 -0700

When blue cheese dressing is good, it's lick-the-plate-dunk-the-wings good. When the flavor or texture is off, it can really drag a dish down. The challenge is that most of us don't make scratch blue cheese dressing regularly so it can be tough to dial in a recipe. Hopefully my experimenting will take the guesswork out of things for you.

Homemade blue cheese dressing recipes often suggest using a food processor to blend the ingredients. I tried this method a few times and found that the texture wasn't ever thick enough. The dressing didn't cling - it dribbled. I puréed various percentages of the dressing but couldn't hit upon the right consistency. The other issue was that the dressing was too salty on the first try. Quality Roquefort is delicious but can really crank up the sodium content. After some trial and error, I finally ended up with a Goldilocks recipe and the method was even easier than expected - one of the easiest recipes I've posted to date. Similar to Scratch Mayonnaise and Homemade Applesauce, I haven't tasted anything better out of a bottle and you can pronounce all of the ingredients.

Nachos and The Silver Lining

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 31 May 2017 16:10:41 -0700

Rob and I recently purchased a 23" Airstream International, dubbed The Silver Lining, and decided to take it to Flagstaff, Arizona, for the first big trip. As a surprise for Rob's birthday, I smuggled the ingredients for his favorite Beef Nachos with Fresh Tomato and Jalapeño Salsa onto the coach. I stashed the cookware under the bed, buried pre-made ingredients and toppings in a cooler, and the precious tomatoes and avocados were stowed in an Amazon box so as to not look suspicious. A covert operation. Thankfully, we had so much stuff with us that Rob never had a clue until I busted out the tomatoes one morning and announced I'd be making salsa.

Sycamore Kitchen's Chocolate Chip Rye Cookies

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 09 May 2017 16:38:02 -0700

One of the first thoughts that popped into my head the other morning was, “What can I bake with rye flour and chocolate?” I frequently lay in bed and ponder my pantry’s potential in the way that many people think about what they’re going to wear. How can I mix and match ingredients to make the most of what I have?

I asked The Google for some recommendations and the third recipe that came up was Sycamore Kitchen’s Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies. It turns out this cookie is on a number of “Best in Los Angeles” lists so I gave it a try. The verdict? You can occasionally believe what you read on the Interwebs because these are some of the best chocolate chip cookies I have baked. Lightly crisped around the edge, fantastic flavor, and just generally excellent.

How to Make and Store Almond Milk

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 03:53:48 -0700

A recipe that's irresistible, ready in under 10 minutes, and lasts for weeks? This nut is sold.

Most of the almond milk recipes I've seen involve soaking the nuts overnight, having a food processor or blender with "Will It Blend" strength, and then a warning that the big bottle of milk you've just produced must be consumed within 2-3 days. The process and shelf life left me somewhat disinterested. I'm not a lazy cook, I simply didn't care much about nut milk. That is, until I went to the Santa Monica Farmers Market and discussed almond milk with the fine folks at Fat Uncle Farms. Fat Uncle Farms is an almond grower in California that has been "goin' nuts since 1963."

It turns out that using almond meal (instead of whole nuts) doesn't require soaking and eliminates the task of cleaning a food processor or blender. Just toss some water, meal, and any desired sweeteners into a bowl, whip it up with an easy-to-clean immersion stick, then strain and boom you're done. The short shelf life was still an issue so I asked The Google for some help on that. The answer? Freeze it! Almond milk freezes perfectly without any negative effect on flavor or texture. I don't see this storage method mentioned very often and can't figure out why. Perhaps I didn't Google hard enough.

Mozza's Burrata with Braised Leeks and Mustard Bread Crumbs

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 15:45:41 -0800

For New Year's Eve, I made two dishes from The Mozza Cookbook: Burrata with Braised Leeks and Mustard Breadcrumbs along with Grilled Beef Tagliata. Both recipes are spot on, but Nancy's impossibly tender leeks stole the show. The leeks are braised in the oven for about two hours yielding a buttery texture that's surrounded by a glazed and slightly caramelized exterior. This perfect balance of sweet and savory makes it hard to resist eating them right out of the pan. Similar to Gjelina's Pomodoro Sauce, the magic of a few ingredients and some time never ceases to amaze me. The other great thing about this recipe is that it plates beautifully and everything can be made in advance. It's a no-brainer recipe for dinner parties.

Useless Facts

Mozzarella, Stracciatella, Panna, and Burrata

A quick breakdown that feels a little like a geometry proof.

Ceci (Cooked Chickpeas)

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 17:39:58 -0800

RECIPE UPDATED 5/12/25

I originally made ceci (cooked chickpeas) as part of Nancy Silverton's chopped salad recipe from The Mozza Cookbook. The resulting beans are full of flavor and creamy - entirely unlike the canned variety you might buy in the store. Not only is Nancy's ceci fantastic, but the cooking liquid can be frozen for future use as a base for soup or sautéed veggies. Think of it like a rich vegetable stock.

Ceci is the second entry in my Recipe Card series. Posts are shorter in nature and offer an opportunity to feature simpler dishes that I plan to reference down the road.

Recipe Tips

Chickpeas and Garbanzo Beans

I use these words interchangeably but am referring to the same type of bean.

Cooking Time

Gjelina's Pan-Roasted Romanesco with Golden Raisins, Tahini, and Sumac

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 21:04:38 -0800

Romanesco is my veggie muse. It affords me the opportunity to ask The Google about fractals, is delicious, and also happens to be stunning. You can eat it raw, roast it hot and fast with olive oil, or fancy it up with some golden raisins, tahini dressing, and sumac. It's a fast and healthy winter treat that helps "every cell in your body" according to the Interwebs.

Speaking of delicious, this recipe is spot on. The process is easy and everything can be made ahead and served at room temperature. Find yourself some Romanesco and get to it. Also, as my posts here, here, and here suggest, the Gjelina cookbook should be on your shelf.

As I was writing up this recipe, my husband said, "If you cook it over an open flame, you can say, 'Romanesco's burning'". Amusing given the times.

Lazy Sundays: What's Cooking on My TV

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 30 Oct 2016 16:35:48 -0700

I don't often watch TV, but when I do, it involves food. Below are some brief reviews of the shows and documentaries that have been playing on our TV.

Lazy Sundays is a series where I feature random tips and curious things that I come across in my food journey.

Recommended

Chef's Table

If I watch this show while eating, my fork will hang suspended in the air as I fixate on the TV, mouth slightly agape. The visuals alone make Chef's Table a must watch. Netflix, when are we getting more episodes!? The editors are occasionally heavy-handed when trying to emotionally move the viewer, but overall this is one of my favorite food programs since it's chock-full of inspiration.

Cooked

Gjelina's Pomodoro Sauce

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 01 Oct 2016 15:00:44 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 9/3/25

I am often mesmerized by minimalist recipes. The dishes don't usually seem like much on paper, but then the magic of food science transforms them into something special. (This probably explains my fixation on naturally leavened bread.) Though it only has 5 ingredients, Gjelina's Pomodoro Sauce is absolutely delicious and perfect to have on hand for a quick weeknight meal or something more involved like homemade pizza. The sauce develops a wonderful sweetness while it reduces and the fruity olive oil rounds out the flavor and mouthfeel.

Cooking Wish List 2.0

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 23 Sep 2016 15:50:58 -0700

As has been mentioned several times on this blog, I'm a big fan of Gjelina, GTA, and Gjusta (posts here, here, and here). Cooking Wish List 2.0 is inspired by one of my favorite lunch items at GTA - the pork meatball sandwich. The impossibly tender meatballs are coated in a perfectly sweet/savory tomato sauce and then topped with a vibrant pesto. All of that gloriousness is served on a brioche bun with fontina. It's as fantastic as it looks. You want to eat the screen, right?

Next door to GTA, Gjelina serves the meatballs naked with some crusty bread. That dish alone is a worthwhile endeavor.

Pickled Red Onions

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 18:35:46 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 2/18/23

I am a serious hoarder when it comes to recipes and food photos. This is partially because I started taking pictures of food for myself and to learn the craft of photography. It's a fun hobby and the intent wasn't originally to publish. Though I really enjoy putting together the content for Chic Eats. Then there's the high curiosity quotient. When I'm writing these posts, The Google ends up devouring my time like The Nothing and things get a little wordy. Food science, nutrition, techniques - so much to learn, so little time.

How to Make Mayonnaise from Scratch (with Video)

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 17:10:02 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 5/16/25

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Mayonnaise

Homemade mayonnaise is delicious, healthy (relatively speaking), and takes about 5 minutes to make with ingredients you almost certainly have in your kitchen. Not only is mayo quick to whip up, but the hand-mixer method has never failed me and requires minimal cleanup.

Tartine's Apple-Walnut Tea Cake

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 27 Aug 2016 19:21:46 -0700

Apples are popping up at the farmers market so it seemed like a good time to post the Apple-Walnut Tea Cake from Tartine Book 3. I have made this bread several times and would say it's practically foolproof. Though the tea cake can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to three days, I challenge you to keep it that long. The spices are nicely balanced and it's 100% whole grain spelt which is one of the best flours to bake with. For those who are interested, I wrote a longer section about spelt flour and gluten in my Sugar-free Banana Bread Post. There are always useless facts in the banana stand.

Lazy Sundays: How to Store and Hydroponically Root Basil

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 17:55:01 -0700

'Tis the season for hoarding way more herbs than you can cook with. I heard through the farmers market grapevine that basil can be stored in a glass of water and it will not only last longer, but the stems will grow roots. I gave this approach a try with some basil from Peacock Family Farms and it has been a hydroponic champ going on two weeks a month now. I'm able to simply pick off what I need for each meal until the bunch is eventually all gone. This is much smarter than stocking the freezer with an end-of-times supply of spicy pesto.

Lazy Sundays is a series where I will feature random tips and curious things that I come across in my food journey.

Herb Storage Tips

Basil

Salsa Mexicana (Pico de Gallo)

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 02 Jul 2016 18:11:56 -0700

Over the July 4th weekend, I made a few recipes from Chef Alex Stupak's cookbook, Tacos, and ended up with leftovers that were destined to become breakfast. It's a crime to waste a single bite of red chorizo made with Peads & Barnetts pork, toasted guajillo chiles, and freshly ground spices. It's also a crime to not make enough for the freezer...note to self. I decided to fry a few corn tortillas and top them with chorizo, potatoes, avocado, cotija cheese, cilantro, and a fried egg. What really brought the dish together though was a last-minute addition of Salsa Mexicana (aka pico de gallo). The brightness and acidity woke all of the flavors up and balanced out the richness of the other ingredients.

Aglio e Olio with Fresh Tomatoes (Pasta with Garlic and Oil)

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 26 Jun 2016 18:51:50 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 7/16/2024

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Aglio e Olio

Gjelina's Asparagus Pizza With Fontina, Garlic Confit, and a Fried Egg

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 11 May 2016 16:04:34 -0700

Potato Hash with Asparagus, Fava Beans, and Green Garlic

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 13:33:35 -0700

If you want to show someone you love them, do it with food. Specifically, shell a few pounds of fava beans and they'll know you really mean it.

This recipe is a vegetarian remix of some potato hash I made a while back. Aside from the delicious flavor, my favorite thing about this meal is that it's 100% Cali (minus the butter and spices) and features some of the beautiful spring ingredients that are currently at the farmers market. And just look at the color of that yolk! Not only does Farmer Bob Polito hand-wash his eggs, but he has been known to organize the blues and browns into their own respective rows. As Bob often likes to say, “It’s a labor of love." My inner Monica Geller can't help but smile when opening up a perfectly organized carton of eggs. Simple does it when it comes to joy and food.

Gjelina's Tomato Confit

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 10 Apr 2016 19:43:31 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 8/27/24

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Tomato Confit

As an enormous fan of Gjelina, GTA, and Gjusta, I venture down to Venice several times a month to see what Chef Travis Lett is putting on the table. My butter mochi and summertime pizza posts were both inspired by the seasonal creations that I’ve had the pleasure to enjoy. The Gjelina cookbook is beautiful and packed with a number of favorites, so I plan to post some of them here as I work my way through the recipes.

Murray's Cheese Shop Classic Mac & Cheese

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 17:19:19 -0800

Rob and I were in New York for a month last year and ate just about everything - 43 coffee shops, restaurants, and bakeries to be exact. Murray's Cheese Bar is one of the spots we tried and would recommend. Fun vibe and location, excellent service, and all of the dishes from fried kale to the burger left us satisfied. The macaroni & cheese was especially delicious so I googled around for a recipe and happened upon the Murray's Cheese Shop blog which features their Classic Mac & Cheese. Yes, please! Not only is the recipe excellent, but Murray's method for infusing the milk with flavor is a brilliant and endlessly adaptable step.

This post includes some background information on alpine cheeses and how to substitute if you can't find the exact types listed in the recipe.

But first, cheese.

What's an alpine cheese?

Sugar-free Banana Bread With Spelt Flour and Walnuts

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 16:24:38 -0800

This recipe does not use refined sugar but honey, applesauce, and bananas do have sugar and are included in the bread.

I mentioned to my husband that I was going to make sugar-free banana bread with spelt flour and his enthusiastic response was...crickets. Since trying said bread? He wants it for dessert.

I can't give my husband too much grief. Not long ago, I would have turned my nose up at a sugar-free recipe made with whole grains. Countless eating experiences had wired my brain to equate sugar free and whole wheat with food that tasted fine for "healthy" but couldn't be truly delicious. Since beginning my sourdough journey, I've learned that those notions were incorrect. This bread is perfectly sweet, lets the banana flavor shine, and plays well with coffee.

In this post, I cover background information on spelt, gluten sensitivity vs. wheat sensitivity as it relates to ancient grains, tips for substitutions, and some useless facts for good measure.

How to Consistently Make a Flaky All-butter Pie or Galette Crust

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 19:36:30 -0800

RECIPE UPDATED 7/4/25

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Quest

Last year Years ago, I set out on a quest to make consistently excellent pie and galette crust. It had to be flaky and fork-tender while also having enough structure for roasted butternut squash "pumpkin" pie and the juice explosion that is peach season. In terms of process, I wanted to skip any equipment and keep it simple with just a rolling pin, pastry scraper, and my counter. I also wanted to get away from the "add water until it comes together" instructions. Meticulously measuring grams of flour only to add an indeterminate amount of water doesn't work well for me nor does it make sense. Pastry is the scientific interplay of fat, gluten, and moisture so my technique needed to reflect that.

Tartine Bakery's Morning Buns

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:36:30 -0700

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Classic

Morning buns are basically kouign amanns on steroids. The sugar mixture, spiked with orange zest and cinnamon, caramelizes to perfection on the bottom of the bun while the laminated dough becomes crackly on the outside and tender as a pillow on the inside. Elisabeth Pruiett was kind enough to share her morning bun recipe with the Internet so I'm posting it here with my own instructions.

Bread Class: Thoughts and Notes

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 12:57:22 -0700

Loaf 30

I will happily get lost for hours in all things related to technology and cooking. As I sat in a recent bread class, it occurred to me how similar the two fields are. Am I going to code my way to a better sourdough loaf? Not really, no. But once you understand the fundamentals of baking and technology - the basic building blocks and rules - you can create anything. It's incredibly empowering and rewarding.

The bread class I attended was at Grist and Toll, an urban flour mill in Pasadena, and this post is basically a brain dump of thoughts and notes from that session. Graison Gill led the group and did a fantastic job of sharing his passion for the process. After the class, I approached loaves 51 and 52 with a deeper understanding of how to connect with my dough and bring out the best in it. Yes, I'm in a loving and committed relationship with Moomin the Starter. We're quite happy together.

Before I dive into the bread nerd zone, it's worth highlighting the work that Nan Kohler is doing at Grist & Toll. I use their wheat berries and flour and can't say enough about the incredible flavor it brings to my bread and cookies. And when I say flour, I don't mean your basic white or wheat. I'm talking about meticulously sourced Spelt, Edison, Sonora, Rye, and Red Fife. The newest addition to my pantry is Grist & Toll's Charcoal flour which I can't wait to experiment with.

Corn Salad with Chili Butter, Peppers, and Feta

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 20:36:30 -0700

This simple corn salad is inspired by a dish I ordered from Milo & Olive several weeks back. Similar to my Rosemary-Infused Peperonata, the ingredient list is minimal so that the freshness of summer can shine. Not only is there big flavor, but sautéed corn with chili butter and peppers is super versatile. I've used it as a side, on pizza, and in a breakfast burrito...all in one week. It's that delicious.

When I googled for "corn and chili butter", I came across a Mexican street corn salad called esquites. According to Wikipedia, esquites is the Nahuatl word for "toasted corn". My recipe doesn't have mayonnaise as is common with Mexican street corn but otherwise it's similar. I also found some recipes that suggest boiling the corn before toasting the kernels. I suggest that you skip the boil step since it will result in corn that's overcooked.

Tools

As with Blistered Shishito or Padron Peppers, I recommend using a cast-iron pan. A non-stick pan will also work, but be sure to adjust the heat as needed to avoid damaging the coating. In terms of brands, I really like my Lodge Cast-iron Combo Cooker and use it frequently for everything from dinner to baking bread. You can't beat the price of $25-30 for such a versatile piece of kitchen gear. Not sponsored, just a fan.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes With Thyme and Garlic

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 20:36:30 -0700

If I had a Top 5 list of foods that I enjoy making and eating, slow roasted tomatoes would definitely be on it. The smell of thyme and tomatoes drifting from room to room for hours - it's summertime magic. So far this year, I've roasted Cherokee, beef, cherry, and Sun Gold and used them for everything from pizza toppings to sauce and avocado toast.

This recipe isn't complicated but since I plan to reference slow roasted tomatoes in the future, it seemed time to devote a post to my wrinkly favorites.

Useless Facts

There is a widely held belief that cooking your fruits and vegetables makes them less healthy by degrading the nutrients. Turns out that's not the case with tomatoes (sort of). Though roasting does decrease a tomato's vitamin C, it also significantly boosts the cancer-fighting compounds. What does this mean? It means that a piece of naturally leavened sourdough topped with roasted tomatoes, basil, avocado, and a drizzle of olive oil will give you superpowers. It's true. All of the sciencey nutrition details are here.

Squash Blossom, Cherry Tomato, Zucchini, Caciocavallo, and Fried Egg Pizza

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 14:41:48 -0700

Earlier this week, Rob and I stopped by Gjelina Take Away and had the breakfast pizza you see above. It was so well balanced. The cherry tomatoes, squash blossoms, and zucchini were bright and fresh while the crust was airy and perfectly charred. The kicker though was the caciocavallo cheese. It had a mild flavor that brought everything together without dominating - a diplomat in the ingredient world. Put an egg on it and you have a summer breakfast pizza that I'd like another slice of.

Since caciocavallo is new to me, I did some Googling and have included what I learned below along with the "Ingredient Inspiration" rundown. The more I read, the more interesting the dairy knowledge got.

How to Make Butter Mochi

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 20:36:30 -0700

I stopped into Gjusta several weeks back and ended up buying a piece of butter mochi garnished with pomelo. I had no idea what butter mochi was, but the friendly girl behind the counter told me she "loved it!" so I was sold. When it comes to baked goods, I'll put just about anything in my face.

I got into the car and pushed my new discovery under Rob's nose with an enthusiastic "butter mochi!" I confessed to having no clue what the cake was but felt that we should try it. "It's like those mochi ice cream treats you get at sushi restaurants," I said, "but it's a...pastry?" Good guess, but incorrect. The cake was spongy and slightly dense as I split it, and we both agreed that it was interesting and pretty good. The texture was definitely the most curious part.

Once we got home, I asked The Google, "What is butter mochi?", "How do I make butter mochi?", and while we're at it, "What is mochi?" Always a 3-year-old when it comes to food. Speaking of 3-year-olds, this recipe would be great to make with kids since there isn't anything tricky about the technique or equipment.

Useless Facts

What is Mochi?

Individual Mixed Berry Cobbler With a Buttermilk Biscuit

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 13 Jun 2015 20:36:30 -0700

A few nights ago, I wanted to make a cobbler for dessert (have you seen the berries??) but didn't have enough fruit or mouths for my original recipe. I decided to cut the ingredients down to an individual portion size - basically by a 1/4. It's the perfect serving for two and is incredibly easy to assemble.

The recipe notes and useless facts are pulled from my previous cobbler post. The ingredient ratios and instructions have been updated for the new size.

Useless Facts

Beet, Carrot, Orange, and Cherry Juice

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 20:36:30 -0700

I was craving juice over the weekend and decided to dig around in the fridge and use whatever I found. The resulting combination was beet, carrot, orange, and spinach. The flavor was fine but I had been hoping for a little more sweetness. Yesterday, I swapped in a handful of cherries for the spinach and thought the balance of flavors was much better. Carrots, beets, and oranges are great ingredients to keep on hand for juicing since they seem to last forever in the refrigerator.

Now, there are those who will read the above "food combination" of fruits and vegetables and clutch their yoga mats in dismay. For the record, I own a yoga mat and clutch it often. Some brief thoughts on the subject.

Food Combining

To avoid any controversy (controversy is relative), I'd like to address a widely held "food combining" belief that you shouldn't mix fruits and vegetables when juicing or eating. Apparently it can confuse your stomach enzymes, cause digestive problems, and so forth. I Googled for some articles on the subject and found a number of sites quoting the same stomach enzyme argument. Then I found several articles that said there's no "true" scientific research to support separating vegetables and fruit in your diet. Interesting.

Tarragon Chicken Salad with Preserved Lemon

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 06 Jun 2015 20:36:30 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 6/30/24

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Chicken Salad

Cooking Wish List 1.0

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 14 May 2015 15:02:11 -0700

I've decided to start a Cooking Wish List. It's a goal-setting exercise of sorts, something to help my brain focus while I teach myself the techniques I frequently admire when eating out. This first list is relatively short and made up of baked goods. Just trying to keep things manageable so that I can actually reach the finish line.

The pastry that finally pushed me to get serious was Tartine's morning bun (pictured above). Believe any hype that you've heard. First off, Tartine's croissants are fantastic. The wizards behind the aprons then take their 100-layer dough and create a hybrid croissant/kouign-amann that is the morning bun. When you eat this golden goodness, your flaky-caramel-dreams are realized. To top things off, my best girl texted me the other day with a picture of a croissant loaf and captioned it, "Make me this!!!"

Yes. I will make all the buttery things.

Bread

I'll give myself a handicap and put homemade sourdough on the list. After reaching #40, I feel that I can bake a solid country loaf. My bread goal at this point will include:

New varieties of bread. I've tried olive, whole wheat, and various combinations of home-milled flour. A world of bread awaits. Working with freshly milled flour. Super excited about buying a mill for the house. Bought a KoMo mill and have been making whole wheat loaves, pancakes, and cookies with the home-milled flour...still super excited.

You can find all of my bread notes here, or check out How to Make and Maintain a Sourdough Starter.

Potato Hash with Fava Beans, Green Garlic, and Leftover Short Rib

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 07 May 2015 20:36:30 -0700

Full disclosure - This egg was fried a little too long. Though it was still runny, you generally don't want it to look quite this "cooked".

About a month ago, Rob and I went out for dinner and ended up with a box of leftover porcini-rubbed steak. Letting something that delicious go to waste would be a crime punishable by a year of bad coffee , so the next day I sifted through my random assortment of ingredients in the hopes of assembling a meal. I had the basics - potatoes, onions, eggs - and decided to go with an easy potato hash.

Irish Soda Bread Revisited + How to Make a Cake Flour Substitute

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 20:36:30 -0700

While we were lazing around on Sunday, my half-Irish husband talked me into making Irish Soda Bread a couple of days early. Unfortunately, I didn't have cake flour and wasn't interested in going to the store since the LA Marathon finish line was in our neighborhood. I asked The Google for a solution and discovered that you can replicate cake flour with a mixture of corn starch and all-purpose flour. As luck would have it...I didn't have corn starch either. What's up with these pantry deficiencies?? I finally managed to locate some potato starch that I had recently used in a stir fry. Several people on the Internets actually suggest that potato starch has a cleaner flavor than its corn cousin. Good to know.

I incorporated the cake flour substitute into an old recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated and also changed my kneading method to ensure that the dough wasn't overworked (notes below). Since starting my sourdough journey, I'm more in tune with gluten development and how it can help or hurt a recipe. With Irish Soda Bread and flaky pastry, you want to work the dough as little as possible so the gluten doesn't develop and toughen up the final product. On the other hand, sourdough bread benefits from stretching, folding, slapping and the like. Food science at its best - be one with the gluten.

Thai Chicken Soup

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 19:36:30 -0800

We had a few days of rain recently and the temperature was in the 50s. I quickly partook in all winter activities - wore boots and a jacket, two scarves (at once), lit a fire, and made 5 different kinds of soup and chili. Winter-adjacent weather lasts for approximately 72 hours in Southern California so you need to make the most of it. East Coast folks who happen to visit during a "cold spell" have likely looked around and thought, "Are these people nuts? Who needs a beanie when it's 60?" Yes, we're definitely crazy (sweaty) hipsters.  

This Thai Chicken Soup is adapted from Cook's Illustrated's The Best International Recipe. As with most soups, the key to tying all the flavors together is homemade stock. I highly recommend making a batch of chicken or vegetable stock for the freezer since you can throw just about any ingredients into a rich broth and it will taste fantastic.    

Ingredients

Soup

Cranberry Sauce

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 19:36:30 -0800

When Rob and I were dating, I didn't know much about cooking which was definitely to his benefit. I recall being quite impressed that he knew how to make cranberry sauce and even added orange juice to the dish. He could read a package and boil water but I thought it was a legitimately creative move. Flash-forward a handful of years and it turns out that was the extent of his culinary mastery.

As everyone but my 20-something self knows, cranberry sauce is easy. The key is to find the right balance of sweet and tart to suit your palate. The challenge I've had over the years is that sweetening cranberry sauce exclusively with sugar leaves a flavor gap - the sauce is either distinctly tart or too sweet without anything in the middle to round things out. After several experiments, I've come up with a recipe that compliments the turkey without clubbing you over the head with a sugar cube. I consider this "base level" sweetness that can be adjusted up to suit your needs.

Tools

The sauce and popping berries can occasionally "spit". I like to use a splatter guard so that there aren't cranberry surprises around the kitchen for weeks after making a batch.

How to Buy, Cook, and Reduce the Bitterness of Brussels Sprouts

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 15 Nov 2014 19:36:30 -0800

I prefer the flavor of roasted or fried brussels sprouts over braised since the former are firm, caramelized, and nutty rather than bitter. I decided to ask The Google if there was some food science behind my preference. As it turns out, human genetics, crop breeding, and cooking technique all play a role in our palate's response to brussels sprouts. I pulled together some interesting useless facts for this post along with a simple roasting recipe.

Brussels sprouts are part of the Thanksgiving timeline as noted at the bottom of this post.

Useless Facts

Sprouts, The Next Generation

Over the last twenty years, farmers have mellowed the "unpleasant" flavor of brussels sprouts by breeding a vegetable that contains fewer bitter compounds or glucosinolates. So, brussels sprouts just taste better than they used to when we were kids. The rub is that glucosinolates help protect sprouts against pests. By improving the flavor, farmers are also lowering the plant's natural defenses.

How to Roast Chestnuts

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 19:36:30 -0800

Chestnuts from Root's Country Market - Lancaster, PA

Over the weekend I decided to cook a full turkey dinner with all the fixings. I called it "Thanksgiving planning" as a thinly veiled excuse to eat copious amounts of carbohydrates and butter. That being said, it definitely helps to assess and organize the turkey day timeline. In the interest of being a mise en place rockstar, I'm going to try and document my make-ahead recipes and day-by-day breakdown here on the blog. My cooking schedule will be at the bottom of the next few posts to maintain continuity and updates (several older recipes are linked below).

First up, chestnuts. Step away from the jarred stuff.

Songs were written about chestnuts roasting on an open fire for a reason. Nothing can compare to the meaty and sweet texture of fresh chestnuts right out of the oven. While the hassle of scoring and shelling this holiday treat deters people, I'm happy to say that there's an easy solution.

Tools

Pilgrimage to Tartine Bakery

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 16:38:04 -0700

I'm a big fan of Tartine Bakery along with the the affiliated cookbooks (here and here). I happened to be in Palo Alto last week and decided to drive into the city for a quick visit to carbohydrate heaven. The main mission: To purchase the OG country loaf that inspired my fixation on baking bread.

The key to buying a country loaf from Tartine is to pre-order it 24-72 hours in advance. They only make a limited amount of bread each day so there's no guarantee for walk-ins. Since loaves come out of the oven around 4:30pm, I went early and ate/bought pretty much everything in the bakery while I waited. My game knows no shame.

I started with the "Spicy Turkey" which is peppered turkey, provolone, and broccoli rabe pesto on Tartine's country loaf. The crispy and buttery texture of the bread was just right with the melted cheese and spicy bite of the pesto.

Sliced Refrigerator Pickles with Onion and Red Pepper

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 20:36:30 -0700

This recipe is a spin on my Sriracha and Red Pepper Refrigerator Pickles. I originally made the sliced version to serve with barbecue pulled pork, but you could just as soon use these pickles as a side salad or add them to a variety of sandwiches. Maybe a fresh crusty roll with turkey, salami, swiss, pickles, roasted red peppers, and Italian dressing. Yum.

Useless Facts

While verifying the name of my red peppers (pictured above), I came to learn that there are over 15 different kinds of habanero peppers. How did I not know this? For a list with expanded information check out the page here. Apparently the peppers I used, hot paper lanterns, are 300,000-450,000 on the Scoville scale. That's scary spicy in my book. I didn't feel the pickles had that much heat but there was definitely a nice kick at the end. Ignorance is bliss.

Tools

How to Make and Maintain a Sourdough Starter (aka Levain)

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 20:36:30 -0700

UPDATE: I finally posted How Make a Naturally-leavened Sourdough Bread. Included are tips, video links, a copy of my note-taking spreadsheet, and detailed instructions.

I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but somewhere along the way I discovered and fixated on baking bread. Specifically, I'm referring to bread made in its purest form using only flour, water, and salt. I never cease to be in awe of how three humble ingredients can transform into one of the most delicious and comforting foods. In the interest of being overly dramatic, the fact that I made these with my own two hands is pretty magical.

"Slow bread" requires a sourdough starter (or levain) so that was my first project. Levain is a mixture of water and flour that has been converted into a leavening agent through the process of fermentation. Not only is microbiology+food fun, but you need to "feed" the starter regularly and it's apparently bad luck if you don't name it. So basically it's a food pet. (My starters are named "Moomin" and "NYoomin".)

Homemade Roasted Chicken Stock

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 20:36:30 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 12/20/2022

Ever since posting my Roasted Vegetable Stock, I've been meaning to follow it up with a chicken stock recipe. The ingredients are similar but chicken broth requires a few more considerations because of the fat and bones.

I had several questions before making my first batch of chicken stock. Should I leave the skin on the chicken? Does celery really make the stock bitter? Does good stock have to be gelatinous? Much of what I learned is included in this post.

Onions at The Garden Of // Santa Monica Farmers Market

Recipe Tips

Chicken Feet (Optional)

Sriracha and Red Pepper Refrigerator Pickles

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 20:36:30 -0700

I frequently consumed my weight in pickles as a child, which probably explains why my father's side of the family gave me the nickname "Pickle". My love for vinegary vegetables even extends to our Christmas tree in the form of an adorable tin pickle ornament. I'm just your everyday pickle fangirl.

As much as I enjoy pickles, I haven't had much luck making them over the last couple of years. The recipes always seem relatively simple and yet the results are kind of flat and/or too vinegary. After having the Sriracha Pickles at Plan Check, I realized it was time I get it together and nail down my own version of brined cucumbers.

It took me a few tries to get the flavor balance right but Rob says he likes these even better than Plan Check's version. This compliment is coming from a man who's stuck with me for eternity so take it with a grain of salt. Speaking of Plan Check, if you live in Los Angeles or plan to visit, I highly recommend the Chef's Favorite burger. It's umami-bacon-goodness that shouldn't be missed.

Blistered Padrón or Shishito Peppers with Chorizo and Smoked Sea Salt

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 20:36:30 -0700

The idea to pair blistered Padrón peppers with chorizo came from Willi's Wine Bar in Santa Rosa. Rob and I stumbled across Willi's about 10 years ago and it has been one of our favorite restaurants ever since. The seasonal menu never disappoints and we always discover great new-to-us wineries on their tasting list. The meal we had at Willi's a few weeks ago was one of the best yet. I've already replicated the macaroni and cheese (yum!) and plan to post that recipe soon.

We were talking with our server, JC, during dinner and discovered that he actually grew the Padrón peppers we were eating. JC and his wife lease a small parcel of land from a larger farm and grow various crops in limited quantities. It makes me love Willi's even more knowing that they support the up and coming local farmers in Sonoma.

Useless Facts

Got Milk?

How to Peel, Roast, and Candy Hazelnuts

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 20:36:30 -0700

I tried to make candied hazelnuts a couple of years ago and it didn't go very well. The skins wouldn't come off and the finished product had a sandpaper texture and cloudy color. That hot mess was enough to make me abandon candy recipes altogether.

While the nuts were a sad affair, the ice cream dessert that they went with was delicious (post for the latter coming soon). Over the weekend, I decided to ask The Google for advice so I could give the candy process another go. I'm happy to say that this attempt was a big success thanks to some help from Julia. These candied hazelnuts are perfectly caramelized, crunchy, and glossy. I took notes as I went through the process and have included all of that info below.

Useless Facts

Roasted Jalapeño and Heirloom Tomato Salsa - Method 4

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 09 Aug 2014 16:57:12 -0700

My original salsa recipe already has three preparation methods, but a couple of months ago I decided to try a different approach for reducing the watery consistency that's inevitable with fresh tomatoes. Not only is this new salsa a success, but the flavor gets rave reviews. I still use the other three methods with a variety of dishes, but for beef nachos I'm sticking with method 4.

The original recipe is here, Roasted Jalapeño and Heirloom Tomato Salsa, but if you're already familiar with it I'm including the new method below.

Three-tomato Panzanella (Bread) Salad

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 20:36:30 -0700

Panzanella salad is without question one of my favorite dishes to make during the summer. The key is to wait patiently until heirloom tomatoes, herbs, and peppers all come into season at the same time. Two weeks ago, a rainbow of peppers started arriving at the Santa Monica Farmers Market so I knew it was go time.

Not only does panzanella perfectly capture the brightness of the season, but the variety of ingredients and flavors make every bite uniquely excellent. Basically, each bite of panzanella salad is a summertime snowflake.

Useless Facts

Sugar-free Homemade Granola with Roasted Strawberries and Greek Yogurt

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 20:36:30 -0700

I wrote this post a week ago and then decided to shelve it. The granola I've been making for the last couple of years is good, but something was missing from the flavor/texture and I couldn't put my finger on it.

When it comes to ingredients, I'm not anti-sugar but have always liked sweetening my granola exclusively with honey. I decided to give The Google another spin yesterday and noticed that Sylvie's recipe on Gourmande in the Kitchen includes fruit purée. Interesting. Then I came across David Lebovitz's granola which includes applesauce. Like Cher in Clueless, I suddenly realized that the answer to my sugar-free granola dreams had just hit me upside the head.

(Rob and I drove by that fountain over the weekend - for the 100th time - and it was the first occasion where I actually connected it with the movie. I've lost all of my LA cred.)

Recipe

Crunch Factor

Summer at the Santa Monica Farmers Market

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 17:11:07 -0700

The quiet of an early morning is something I truly value. The air smells like fresh coffee while the empty streets await all of us little humans. Early mornings are especially nice at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. It's officially(!!) that time of year when there aren't enough days in the week to cook all of the incredible eats that California has to offer. The other day Rob sent me this image, and I'd say it's quite accurate in both tone and message. Memes are the truth-tellers of our generation.

I've been arriving at the market about 45 minutes before it opens so I can see what's new prior to my favorite stands become trading pits. Market mornings have also been helping me learn how to use the manual setting on my camera...100 photos of broccolini at a time.

Below is some of what's currently in season at the Santa Monica Farmers Market, all of which is on our counter or in the refrigerator. (Info about the farmers and food at the bottom.)

Roasted Apricot BBQ Sauce

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 20:36:30 -0700

This week I learned that barbecue sauce is easy to make, open to interpretation, and freezes beautifully. Similar to applesauce, there's just no reason to eat the store-bought stuff when homemade tastes so much better. With that said, the first and only time I tried to make BBQ sauce was a couple of years ago and it was a solid fail. The process felt like it took forever and the end product didn't taste very good (looking back at my notes I can see why). I'm probably sending mixed messages here but stick with me.

To celebrate the long weekend, I decided to give BBQ sauce another go. With my previous failure in mind, it seemed like a sensible idea to use some gorgeous stone fruit I had picked up at the farmers market. No potential for heartbreaking waste in that scenario. Fortunately I'm older and wiser and the sauce turned out to be really delicious. I put it on my favorite crust for the 4th of July since nothing says "Happy Birthday, America" like BBQ chicken pizza.

Recipe

Experiment

Nancy Silverton's Pizza Dough Recipe with Peperonata, Salumi, and Pepperoni

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 20:36:30 -0700

Last week was our 7-year wedding anniversary so I decided to make dinner for a relaxed date night. Rob had been saving a bottle of wine from the year we met and since pizza is our love language the menu was a no-brainer.

In terms of toppings, I already had a peperonata recipe but the last batch of pizza dough I tried was pale and, as they say in Kansas, flatter than a pancake. Since Nancy Silverton's Rosemary Olive Oil Cakes were a big success, I figured it was worth trying her dough from The Mozza Cookbook.

Results? Awesome. Beautiful air pockets throughout the outer rim (or cornicione) and the crust's exterior was crispy while the interior was stretchy and chewy. When I ran the pizza wheel through the crust it made the most satisfying "crunch" sound. This may be the birth of a pizza series on Chic Eats.

Osteria Mozza's Rosemary Olive Oil Cakes

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 14 Jun 2014 20:36:30 -0700

Osteria Mozza is one of our favorite Los Angeles restaurants. The service is on point, the space is beautiful with sage walls, high ceilings, and dark wood, and the food is excellent. We had dinner at Mozza last Sunday and tried the Rosemary Olive Oil Cakes with Olio Verde (olive oil) Gelato for dessert. On paper that combination might make you say, "Hmm, interesting," in a noncommittal sort of way. I would like to strongly suggest that you commit to filling your belly with these tea cakes.

My girlfriend had given me the Mozza Cookbook a while back so I immediately looked for the recipe when we got home. Not only are the tea cakes included, but the preparation is a no-machine affair and the batter can be made in advance (great for dinner parties). To top it all off they are so good.

I've adapted the recipe and added some additional notes for prepping and working with the mini molds.

Recipe

How to Make Fresh Pasta

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 20:36:30 -0700

Homemade pasta dough is incredibly forgiving and has only 4 basic ingredients. That being said, up until a couple of years ago I always figured pasta would be too complicated for my amateur skills. Turns out that's just crazy talk...sort of. It takes a couple of times to get a feel for the dough and process, but generally speaking homemade pasta is easy to make and the end result is 100% worth the effort.

More importantly, when you sit down to eat said pasta, try not to sprain your shoulder while patting yourself on the back. Step-by-step instructions below.

Recipe

Once you get a feel for your dough, the recipe is almost secondary. Many of the videos I watched use very loose measurements (handfuls of flour rather than cups) and the chef simply mixes the flour and eggs by hand until he/she reaches the right consistency. That being said, I measured everything for this recipe right down to the dough ball and have included those notes. I like having a repeatable process that gets me to the same consistency without too much fussing.

The rule of thumb for basic dough is 95-100g (or roughly 1cup) of flour to 1 large-xlarge egg. Humidity, air temperature, and egg size will all impact how much or little flour you ultimately need.

Fresh Cherry, Orange, Carrot, and Cucumber Juice

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 20:36:30 -0700

Most of the fresh juice that I drink is a mixture of "leftovers". When my greens or fruit are looking tired I throw them in the juicer with any base ingredients that are on hand (oranges, carrots, apples, etc.) Sometimes these experiments are a stroke of flavor genius and other times I choke the stuff down in the name of health.

The juice I made this morning was pretty tasty so I figured it was worth a quick post. Will I be able to get Rob to try this? Perhaps ... if I bribe him with pizza for dinner.

Recipe

Being that I'm new to the world of cherries, I asked The Google for advice on how to pick and store the fruit. That post is here along with the usual useless facts.

Weight measurements are included since my three carrots may be the equivalent of your single carrot. That being said, juice recipes aren't a science and I expect most people will tweak this to their liking.

I recommend refrigerating the oranges the night before since your carrots, cherries, and cucumber will (should) already be chillin'.

Cherries: Picking, Storage, and Other Useless Facts

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 29 May 2014 17:36:42 -0700

Fresh cherries at Regier Family Farms - Santa Monica Farmers Market

I was driving back from the Santa Monica Farmers Market yesterday when NPR did a segment on California's 2014 cherry crop. Farmer Andy Mariani was explaining how this year's harvest is both earlier and thinner than normal. The season only runs from mid-May to the end of June so it's already pretty short. Perhaps this is cause for panic? Perhaps.

In a nutshell, the trees didn't have enough time to chillax during the winter (they literally need to chill in order to hibernate) so the plants aren't as productive. It's the equivalent, Farmer Mariani said, to a person falling asleep at 11pm and then being woken up at 1am for a full day of work. I'm pretty sure we can all relate to California's tired cherry trees.

Climate and Cherries

Fashionable Mixed Berry Cobbler with Buttermilk Biscuits

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 18 May 2014 20:36:30 -0700

I recently learned that the state of Alaska is a berry-growing machine. Wild cranberries, blackberries, salmonberries, lingonberries, raspberries, and bog blueberries are everywhere. When the annual picking season rolls around in August and September it's "all everyone seems to talk about". Add in the aurora borealis and world's largest chocolate waterfall and I'd say Alaska sounds like a pretty magical place.

Speaking of magic, spring and summer fruit is starting to swing into gear at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Granted, I don't get to frolic in the mountains picking a basket full of berries, but I also don't need to use "good bear safety practices" when stocking up on ingredients for my cobbler. Seems like a fair tradeoff.

Here's to Alaska and her bears and berries.

Useless Facts

Classic Guacamole with 7 Variation Ideas

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Mon, 12 May 2014 20:36:30 -0700

After posting my Scratch Margarita Recipe, it seemed fitting to throw in some guacamole for good measure. A margarita without guacamole, or vice versa? That's not a balanced meal.

Avocados are available virtually year-round at the Santa Monica Farmers Market but they're extra special in the spring and summer. Currently I'm hoarding some beautiful Fuerte alligator pears in our refrigerator. If you happen to come across this magical fruit, I recommend you elbow the other shoppers out of the way and grab every last one. #likeaHass

Useless Facts

Chicken or Portobello Skewers with Nobu's Teriyaki Sauce

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 03 May 2014 20:36:30 -0700

Teriyaki was a food fixation when I was a small person. From New York to LA, the only thing I would order at restaurants was chicken teriyaki with an extra side of sauce, white rice preferred, vegetables optional. Sally is my soul sister.

After coming across Alexandra's take on Nobu's Chicken Teriyaki, I immediately pinned it and announced to Rob that I'd be bringing teriyaki into our life. Pretty sure my irrational exuberance made him nervous. Would we be eating teriyaki with every meal? Is my wife still 7? Perhaps.

Recipe Notes

Margarita Recipe from Scratch

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 01 May 2014 20:36:30 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 10/5/2022

This has been my go-to margarita recipe ever since I scribbled it down on the cooking notes for my nachos. The flavors are well-balanced with just a hint of sweetness from the orange juice and agave. After finding key limes at the Santa Monica Farmers Market a few weeks ago, I knew it was time to break out the cocktails. Clementine oranges also happen to be in season so I switched things up a little and subbed them in for Valencias. Delicious.

As Tom and Donna would say, "Treat yo' self."

Clementines at Polito Family Farms - Santa Monica Farmers Market

Useless Facts

Eggless Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 20:36:30 -0700

While walking through the Santa Monica Farmers Market on Wednesday, I could smell the sweet strawberries well before I could see them. We're almost to that period in spring when you can cut into a perfectly firm strawberry and find a deep red color throughout. It's a thing of beauty.

Let's get this berry party started.

I think the key to making ice cream with a great mouthfeel is finding the right balance of sugar and water. Since water content in fruit can vary greatly, the roasting method helps control for texture while also concentrating the flavor. I discuss the science behind ice cream and ice crystals in this post so I won't duplicate all that content here.

Useless Facts

Spicy Basil Pesto

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 20:36:30 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 7/24/2024

Newsletter

Pesto

Basil pesto is a spring/summer staple that I always look forward to making. The original version of this recipe included a blanching step (to keep the basil bright green), but I've adopted a new method and no longer blanch. The pesto is always bright and beautiful and the process is a bit less fussy. More on that below.

Around the Dinner Table

Tartine Bakery's Pumpkin Tea Cake

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 20:36:30 -0700

This post has been updated with new images and expanded notes.

Since originally publishing Tartine's Pumpkin Tea Cake, my approach to baking has changed in that I usually substitute at least 20% whole grains when all-purpose flour is called for. It's not a health thing, quality whole grains just taste better. For this gently adapted version of Elisabeth Prueitt's already excellent Pumpkin Bread, I subbed roasted butternut squash for canned pumpkin in addition to using 20% Grist & Toll spelt. This updated tea cake has an added depth of flavor that is outstanding and the texture is just right. Roasted squash freezes beautifully so you can squirrel a big batch away for all of your fall baking needs. x

With all of the above being said, don't hesitate to use white flour and canned pumpkin if that's what you have on hand. The original recipe is on just about every "best of" list so you won't be disappointed. Instructions for all options plus additional notes and visual cues included below. This recipe is also very dependable - you almost can't tell the photos are of two different bakes.

Cookbook note...

Why do eggs need to be room temperature when baking?

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 13:25:43 -0700

Eggs at JF Organic Farms - Santa Monica Farmers Market

My culinary training involves cookbooks in bed, mistakes in the kitchen, and lots of time with The Google. The Internets and I are tight. I tend to Google my way down the proverbial rabbit hole, searching for bits of food intel that are helpful and/or just interesting. I'm basically a 3-year-old in the kitchen. Why does over-kneading make certain baked goods tough? Why is 160 degrees the magic number for poultry...and is that really the best number? Why?

This will be my first "Things I Googled" post. I imagine much of this information is common knowledge for trained cooks and chefs, but it's news to me so here you go.

I was making Tartine Bakery's Pumpkin Tea Cake last weekend, and as I set the eggs out it got me thinking. Why do the eggs have to be room temperature? What's the benefit? Tell me, Internets.

This is what I found.

How to Store Eggs

Chili Oil

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 20:36:30 -0700

Several restaurants I frequent (and used to frequent...RIP, Scopa) serve chili oil with their pizza and it's excellent. Chili oil adds a wonderful lip-tingling heat without the distracting flavor of condiments like Tabasco. This recipe is straightforward and can be used for everything from pizza to vegetables thanks to the olive oil base.

This oil has a solid kick but it's not so hot that it ruins the food. With that said, a little goes a long way.

Heirloom Garlic from Milliken Family Farms - Santa Monica Farmers Market

Tools

Gruyère, Cheddar, and Melted Leek Macaroni and Cheese

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 20:36:30 -0700

When I was big enough to use an oven (then through college and my first real job), some of my go-to foods were Kraft's stovetop mac and cheese and Stouffer's frozen macaroni and cheese. A chef in the making. The fact that Kraft's mac turned into a plastic lump when cool was of little concern. I'd pick up that blob of neon orange and enjoy it like the "cheese" ball that it was. Then there was Stouffer's, oh those crispy edges. I bet the plastic containers added an extra level of nutrition, too. As the saying goes, a dose of BPA keeps the doctor away.

My somewhat (but not really) related point is that I don't always add bread crumbs to my scratch macaroni and cheese. The idea is to develop a handful of those crispy little brown spots on top. That being said, I'm including instructions for bread crumbs since sometimes I get fancy and want an extra layer of flavor.

Recipe

Macaroni and cheese is an incredibly simple recipe which makes it hard to mess up but easy to experiment with. Once you have settled on a formula, go macrazy and plug in whatever flavors suit your taste buds. I'm 98.9% certain you'll end up with something creamy, comforting, and delicious. The ratios below are what I've been using recently, though a recipe of such great importance is like a work of art in that it's never truly finished.

American-style and Classic Irish Soda Bread

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 12:07:33 -0700

Rob is half Irish so St. Patrick's Day is his second favorite food holiday after Thanksgiving. I've made Guinness beef stew a few times, but it's mainly the Irish soda bread that he looks forward to. Since I'm not crazy about the American style with caraway seeds, every year I add in a Classic loaf for myself.

Throwing together Irish soda bread is a no fuss, no small appliances affair. Just whisk, mush, knead a few times, and then bake your lumpy creation to golden perfection. I happen to have a warm slice with Harry's Berries jam sitting beside me as I type this post. Delicious.

Useless Facts

Farro Salad with Dates and Pomegranate Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 11:57:11 -0800

Farro seems to be everywhere these days, from veggie burgers to soups and salads. It's a trendy food, if by "trendy" I'm referring to the fact that it came onto the scene approximately 8000 years before the Ancient Olympic Games. While I had never made a dish with farro prior to this recipe (and didn't know exactly what it was), I've eaten it more times than I can count at Huckleberry in Santa Monica. Know what you eat...or don't.

A couple of weeks ago I tried the latest version of Huckleberry's farro salad and loved how the chef combined sweet dates with a vinegar-based dressing. I made a mental note of the flavors and finally got around to experimenting with my own creation. And though I'm no expert, I do have some thoughts on how to cook farro.

Recipe

The individual ingredients can be prepared a day ahead (stored separately), but the texture of farro is best the day it's made.

How to Make Melted Leeks

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 13:26:33 -0800

RECIPE UPDATED 11/21/22

Newsletter

Sign up at the bottom of this page for the free Chic Eats newsletter. It includes new recipes along with a grab bag of curated content that was interesting enough to share around the dinner table.

Happy Accidents

I have attempted to make melted leeks on a number of occasions but the texture always ended up being slightly tough. This isn't a complicated dish so I just figured my amateur status in the kitchen was to blame. It wasn't until I forgot about my pan on the stove that the leeks finally crossed over to the melt-in-your-mouth zone. Happy cooking accidents are the best.

Around the Dinner Table

Roasted Jalapeño and Fresh Tomato Salsa

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 22:06:45 -0800

Homemade salsa is very forgiving so I frequently tweak the ingredients based on what's in our refrigerator. This particular salsa recipe was developed for my nachos. As is always the case, managing the watery consistency of a fresh tomato dish requires some consideration.

Recipe

There are four different methods that I use to deal with watery salsa and each approach creates a different flavor profile (see Instructions). In all cases, several hours in the refrigerator help with melding.

Tools

Beef Nachos with Fresh Tomato and Jalapeño Salsa

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 13:54:58 -0800

RECIPE UPDATED 10/12/25

I meant to post this recipe before the Super Bowl, but our trip to South America got the best of my schedule so making nachos had to wait. And from what I've been told, waiting for nachos is one of life's great challenges.

Useless Facts

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 22:36:17 -0800

Butternut squash is on my Top 5 Foods I Procrastinate About list. I buy squash when I'm feeling particularly ambitious and in love with all things fall. Crisp mornings, apples spilling out of every market stand, shoppers exchanging holiday recipe tips. But once I get home, the high wears off and my fall haul ends up sitting in the kitchen for days (months?), glaring at me as I reach for the fruit and veggies that aren't a workout to chop. I had three beautiful but unloved squash from Weiser Farms on the counter so I kicked into Thanksgiving gear and decided to make some soup.

Useless Facts

Homemade Roasted Vegetable Stock

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 22:46:01 -0700

RECIPE UPDATED 12/20/22

I finally decided to make some roasted butternut squash soup and as I pondered the recipe it occurred to me that I didn't love last year's version. I seem to recall picking up a distracting chicken flavor from the stock. Granted, many butternut squash soup recipes that aren't vegetarian call for chicken stock. That being said, I wanted to go full veggie this time around to see if I could get a cleaner flavor. Butternut squash soup shines when simply prepared and since vegetable stock is such a big component it seemed worthwhile to try my hand at the homemade stuff.

Around the Dinner Table

On Trend

Umami isn't just a trendy food word, it's actually the 5th flavor after sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Umami is often described as imparting a savory or meaty flavor on the palate. Foods such as mushrooms and tomatoes possess this delightful power which makes sense when you consider how a mushroom veggie burger has an almost "meaty" taste. More umami-rich foods can be found here.

Bell Peppers Stuffed With Italian Sausage or Turkey

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 20:02:01 -0700

I have big love for peppers. Jalapeño, shishito, piquillo, bell, Anaheim, Hungarian - bring 'em on. A huge bonus with peppers is you can roast and freeze them for enjoyment well after the season has passed. One of my quick omelet recipes includes egg whites, roasted jalapeños (previously frozen - seeds and ribs removed), a custom blend of Hook's 1-year cheddar and jack, and then sliced avocado to top it off. Easy and delicious.

I realized that stuffed peppers were still on the to-do list and decided it was time to change that.

Useless Facts

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Marinara Sauce

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 16:38:04 -0700

Marinara sauce falls squarely into the DIY category. There's no reason to buy blah sauce from the store when it's so easy to preserve the fresh flavors of summer in your freezer.

Recipe Notes

Cincinnati Chili

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 00:40:20 -0700

I was looking around the Internets for a chili recipe and stumbled upon Cincinnati Chili. Chili and cheese over pasta (or fries ... any form of carbohydrates really) is my kind of food. I printed out a few recipes and then cobbled the ingredients together on paper until it looked promising. According to Rob, the cobbling was a success.

Useless Facts

Overnight Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Roasted Peaches and Strawberries

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 15:55:13 -0700

A few weeks ago I came across this gorgeous photo of steel-cut oatmeal with roasted blackberries. How delicious does that look? I felt inspired and decided to roast some peaches and strawberries to use for both breakfast and dessert. The moral of this very short story is that roasted fruit is simple and amazing. The end.

Useless Facts

Avocado Pesto and Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sat, 17 Aug 2013 16:20:18 -0700

When it comes to food I'm on team carnivore, but during the summer months when the farmers market is overflowing with good eats I can't help but focus on veggies, fruit, and herbs. I put this pasta recipe together last week and have since made it two additional times. Did I mention that tomatoes are crazy good right now? That they are the candy of summer? It's true.

Useless Facts

Fresh Corn Cornbread with Roasted Jalapeños

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 16:14:25 -0700

Last weekend we celebrated porkapalooza. I roasted a large shoulder low and slow and then we ate pulled pork sandwiches 3 days in a row, finishing it off with a peach pie. Cornbread is a must-have side for this dish and Cook's Illustrated happened to have a recipe in the July issue. I decided to give it a try.

Since it was my first cornbread adventure (and Cook's Illustrated is almost always a solid starting point), I decided to follow their recipe pretty closely. My first attempt was with sweet white corn, the second with yellow corn, and both times I threw in some roasted jalapeños for good measure.

Review

The Cook's recipe makes respectable cornbread. Rob and I ate the bread fresh and out of the freezer (fresh is preferable), and neither of us felt compelled to chuck it on the floor. That being said, this dish falls into the "remix" category for me. I've already tweaked the "Ingredients" section and plan to make a couple additional changes in the coming weeks. I'll be sure to link back in future posts when I update the notes.

Recipe

Farm to Juicer - August

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 15:44:10 -0700

After a good deal of research, we finally bought a juicer and it has been one of the best kitchen investments to date. When Rob and I need a fast and healthy breakfast or snack we almost always hit the juice. One caveat is that I probably wouldn't have gone with the dual disk had I known we weren't going to use the smoothie feature. Two excellent single-disk options (also less expensive) are here and here.

Roasted Heirloom Tomato and Goat Cheese Pizza

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Sun, 28 Jul 2013 15:15:32 -0700

Roasting is a great way to introduce the sweet element into a sweet and savory dish. By cooking vegetables or fruit low and slow, you're caramelizing the juices and extracting moisture, thus concentrating the flavor.

Tomatoes are fanastic right now. Let me repeat, tomatoes are the candy of summer and you should find all opportunities to put them in your mouth.

A couple of weeks ago, I had some beautiful tomatoes sitting on the counter that were close to their demise. In such situations my solution is to roast the food and then figure out a recipe later. The great thing about roasted vegetables and fruit is they can usually be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. On this occasion, I added a head of garlic and three red onions figuring I would make pizza of some sort.

Recipe

Eggless Peach Ice Cream

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 20:36:30 -0700

I have had an ice cream maker on the wishlist for several years, so last summer when this Cuisinart model went on sale (add to that some coaxing from Rob) I finally bought one. I've made about 5 batches of ice cream and have to say that it's a great machine for the price.

When researching ice cream, one of the ingredients I wanted to skip was eggs. The custard intimidated me and genetically speaking I can do without the extra cholesterol. The Google refers to eggless ice cream as "Philadelphia style", so naturally I wanted to know where that name came from.

Apparently Philly became the center of all things ice cream in the 19th century, and the predominant version was eggless (American) rather than custard based (French). Rob grew up in PA and has never heard of "Philadelphia-style" ice cream which made the whole thing even more intriguing.

Useless Facts

Cherry Pie

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 20:36:30 -0700

When trying something new I generally reference my Cook's Illustrated books or CI's online recipes to get a basic idea of how a dish is made. My next step is to browse around the Interwebs looking for different ingredient ideas and ratios so that I can tweak the recipe. Sometimes these Frankenstein meals are a disaster (looking at you fresh pea and goat cheese ravioli), sometimes they're delicious. Rob is a good sport.

Useless Facts

While conducting my research I learned that cherry pie is the signature dish for Michigan. Upon further Googling I also learned that I'm relatively ignorant when it comes to state foods ... as well as where states are located on a map. The latter is shameful. Perhaps if I cook my way across America I won't be so geographically illiterate.

What's life without useless facts? Probably productive. Here's more Michigan cherry trivia:

Hello, World

cynthia@chiceats.com (Cynthia Brown) — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 20:24:59 -0700

This is the time of year when I wish Mother Nature would slow down and spread the fruit wealth around a little. Strawberries, peaches, berries, cherries, and melons have all hit the Farmers Market at once turning me into a fruit hoarder. What can be dried? Made into jam? How many pies is too many in one week? Big life questions. Looking forward to sharing some food posts with the Interwebs. Read more about Chic Eats here.