One hot summer evening, my friend Jason and I decided to stay in the AC and watch Werner Herzog’s documentary about the internet. I had gone to the Japanese grocery store earlier that day and had bought ume shiso salt (a salty, tangy, sour-tart MSG sprinkle made from shiso and plum), and he brought over … Read more
Step 1 Cut the ends of 1 small, ripe cantaloupe so it has two flat surfaces. While it’s on one of its flat surfaces, cut the rind off the melon, trying to lose as little flesh as possible. Cut the melon in half, scoop out the seeds. Cut in half again, and thinly slice. Step … Read more
These no-bake cookies aren’t your average stovetop chocolate oat drops. For one thing, they don’t have any peanut butter (they call for almond butter instead). Next, they get crunchy toasted almonds for amped-up flavor and texture. Third, they get chewy dried cherries for a burst of acidity that complements the fruit notes in the chocolate … Read more
If this isn’t the world’s best potato salad recipe, it’s certainly a strong contender. Created by legendary New Orleans chef Leah Chase, the dish gets its subtle kick from white rather than black pepper. The type of potato you choose will have the biggest effect on your potato salad: Russet potatoes will break down a … Read more
Every morning, when my mom was a child, my Lolo and Lola would pack produce from the farm into large woven baskets, load them onto tricycles—sometimes one, sometimes three, depending on the harvest—and wheel off toward the market in Paniqui, spinning dust into the air. Together they’d sell the day’s goods, keeping an eye out … Read more
In the 1960s, a young woman named Soledad Pahud left the US and returned to her hometown, Laguna, with the goal of opening a bakeshop. She attempted to re-create the American apple pie, which she learned to make during her time abroad, but to no avail. Apples, not native to the Philippines, were hard to … Read more
This simple tomato and cherry quinoa recipe—a seriously good celebration of high summer—deserves the very best tomatoes you can find. A mix of size, color and flavor works really well, but if you have a bowlful of one excellent variety such as Gardeners’ Delight or Honeycomb, don’t hesitate. The quick-pickled shallots are a wonderful thing: … Read more
When asked my favorite way to serve slicer tomatoes, I always reply, “with brown butter, black pepper, and salt.” There is something about the nuttiness of brown butter that takes peak-season tomatoes to a whole new level. Our favorite tomatoes to serve this way are classified as brown tomatoes, which tend to have a meatier, … Read more
There are as many styles of cobbler as there are cooks: ones topped with pie crust or biscuits, others dotted with floury dumplings. This old-fashioned blackberry cobbler recipe takes an easier route. To make it, you melt a stick of butter in a cast-iron skillet, pour a quick batter into the hot pan, and then … Read more
Every year, there’s a flood of new cookbooks in the fall, as publishers anticipate the holiday (and cookbook award) season. But if you’re in need of fresh recipe inspiration, or you’re looking for a good gift idea for a home cook, baker, or cocktail-maker who already has last year’s best cookbooks in their collection, we … Read more