Selected Recipe Development

Photo by Johnny Miller. Food styling by Laurie Ellen Pellicano.

Photo by Johnny Miller. Food styling by Laurie Ellen Pellicano.

The New York Times

October 1, 2019

How to Make Sourdough Bread

Perhaps you’ve seen them on social media — sourdough loaves with burnished, intricately scored crusts and expansive, holey interiors — and wondered if you too could make this kind of bread. The answer is yes, you absolutely can. The method below will walk you through all the key steps and core concepts a first-time sourdough baker needs to bake naturally leavened bread at home with good, even great, results. You’ll need to invest in some essential equipment, find a starter, and set aside three days (though only the second requires serious tending — you can start on Friday to have loaves on Sunday). But for those dedicated to learning an age-old craft, it’s the start of a deeply rewarding journey. Your first loaves won't be perfect, and that’s fine. Any sourdough bread made by your hand will still be delicious.

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Photo by Alex Lau. Food styling by Sue Li.

Photo by Alex Lau. Food styling by Sue Li.

Bon Appétit

June 2019

Cherry Biscuit Cobbler

Cherries make an ideal filling for cobbler because they take longer than other fruits (peaches, for example) to release their juices. This gives the biscuits a helpful head-start so they actually bake all the way through rather than steam in soupy filling. While it’s always recommended to handle biscuit dough as little as possible, this recipe is pretty forgiving due to the combination of butter and heavy cream. All that dairy fat coats the flour, preventing gluten development for biscuits that are anything but tough.

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Bon Appétit

March 2018

The Project: Cassoulet

I have made cassoulet more times than is advisable—first in culinary school, once with a friend for a dinner party, and at least half a dozen times in the BA Test Kitchen. The famed French peasant dish of white beans, silky duck confit, and rich ragout topped with a golden breadcrumb crust can take three days and nearly half a dozen pork products to make. It’s an occasion to break out the biggest pot you own, and I can’t think of another recipe that’s more fun to share with family and friends. Our classic version takes no shortcuts and requires a little planning, but every step is totally doable, even if you’re not a pro…

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Photo by Alex Lau

Photo by Alex Lau

 
Photos by Kelsey McClellan

Photos by Kelsey McClellan

Bon Appétit

December 2017

Smart Cookies: Seven Holiday Cookie Recipes that are a Piece of Cake

Two years ago, I found myself standing in my kitchen beside a sink full of dishes, exhausted, covered in powdered sugar and extremely late to a holiday party. I had just spent hours showing off my food editor skills hunched over sugar-cookie snowmen and snowflakes, piping lines of royal icing, placing expensive silver dragées with pinpoint accuracy, and painting swirls of sparkly luster dust. I eventually made it to the party, but was it worth the effort? Highly debatable…


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