“X” hits the spot — (Special thanks to my readers for your patience on my break from writing, as I closed one kitchen down and opened another. Glad to be back!) I think I should begin by creating an understanding of just how big a deal The Goonies was to me as a kid. The…

Summer becoming fall finds spices — and emotions — swirling in the air. — At no time of year is it easier for me to understand the word “bittersweet” than when the long, golden days of summer begin to shorten, and fall starts to nudge in. Summer is the fun season, for many of us a time of greater leisure and travel (in certain…

Is there a clinic for this? — Hi, my name’s Julian. “Hi, Julian.” I’m a harissa addict. In the event that you’re not familiar with harissa, I’m going to use a word I use very rarely, the “S” word: You should find some and explore it. This Moroccan condiment is a mixture of chiles, garlic, lemon (preserved…

Sometimes the messy answer is the truth. — When I first sat down to write, I knew I wanted to introduce you to my shallot tart. I call everything my favorite, I realize this; it’s somewhat the price of having deeply personal feelings about food — everything is my favorite. When I call this food “among my favorites,”…

Worthy of a fine marble counter — Earlier this year I quested to create the perfect cinnamon-walnut coffeecake. It wasn’t merely a flavor I was after, it was a luxurious, velvet crumb that held together cleanly when sliced, studded with just enough crunchy, cinnamon-crusted walnuts; a crumb topping that went from firm to liquid just a moment…

It’s easy to put together this perfect, iconic morning treat (Recipe originally published on Medium in “How to Get Better at Baking”) This blueberry muffin recipe is one I’ve been using for many years, which I further developed and refined at New York City’s Crosby Street Hotel as the pastry…

The answers were not where I expected to find them — Of all the cobblers I’ve ever baked, 65% of them happened over the past few weeks. As I prepared to teach a class for a Cornell alumni group, I researched and tested well over a dozen recipes, with different kinds of fruit, ultimately in pursuit of the perfect peach cobbler. …

Essential and affordable — I have a pretty functional kitchen at home, and I notice that I’m constantly reaching for 5 things that I don’t see very often in kitchens — home or otherwise. You might find some of these more commonly in the home kitchens of other countries, and some of them appear…

a fishy haunting — Here at the HQ of the Simple Foods for Simple Dudes movement (note: not a real thing), there’s a ghost that visits me, often, and tells me to get a hold of myself. The ghost reminds me that sometimes there are two voices in my head, duking it out. …