Short essays and notes on food, history, and the kitchen.
Where ideas live before they cool into a book.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Wiener Schnitzel
This classic Wiener Schnitzel features thin, breaded veal cutlets, perfectly fried for a golden, crispy finish.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 3 min
Zaalouk
Zaalouk is a delicious Moroccan eggplant-tomato salad seasoned with cumin and paprika, perfect as a make-ahead side.
- Recipe NoteMay 20, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Aglio e Olio
Aglio e Olio is a simple yet flavorful Italian pasta dish made with just four ingredients: spaghetti, garlic, olive oil, and chili flakes.
- Recipe NoteMay 20, 2026 · Recipes · 3 min
Baklava
This baklava recipe combines layers of flaky phyllo dough with a rich blend of nuts and honey for a decadent Middle Eastern treat.
- Recipe NoteMay 20, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Basque Burnt Cheesecake
Basque burnt cheesecake features a creamy interior and a deeply caramelized top, emphasizing moisture control and texture contrast.
- Recipe NoteMay 20, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Cauliflower Gratin
A creamy and cheesy cauliflower gratin that showcases the classic French technique of béchamel.
- Recipe NoteMay 20, 2026 · Recipes · 3 min
Cauliflower Cream Soup
A velvety cauliflower cream soup that highlights the vegetable's delicate flavor in a classic French style.
- Recipe NoteMay 20, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Cherry Clafoutis
Cherry clafoutis is a French dessert made by integrating cherries into a custard batter, then baking until set.
- Recipe NoteMay 20, 2026 · Recipes · 3 min
Chickpea Grain Bowl
Chickpea grain bowl combines cooked grains, chickpeas, and assorted vegetables, providing a balanced meal rich in plant protein and nutrients.
- Recipe NoteMay 20, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Chinese Eggplant Stir-Fry
This Chinese Eggplant Stir-Fry features tender eggplant sautéed to perfection in a flavorful sauce, embodying home-style Chinese cooking.
- Food HistoryMay 20, 2026 · Food History · 5 min
The Evolution of Japanese Dashi: A Thousand-Year Optimization
Heian aristocrats simmered fish bones into thin broths. Muromachi-era records are the earliest to document kombu and katsuobushi combined. Edo-period Osaka standardized the proportions. And in 1908 a Tokyo chemist named Kikunae Ikeda isolated the molecule responsible for the taste — and called it umami.
- Recipe NoteMay 20, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Fennel Stock
Fennel stock is a vegetable broth made by simmering fennel fronds, bulbs, and aromatics in water to extract flavor for plant-based dishes.
- Recipe NoteMay 20, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Financier
Financiers are small French almond cakes made with browned butter and almond flour, known for their moist texture and rich flavor.
- Recipe NoteMay 20, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
French Toast
French toast is made by soaking bread in a mixture of eggs and milk, then cooking it on a skillet until golden brown.
- Food HistoryMay 20, 2026 · Food History · 4 min
The Geography of Dairy: Why Some Cuisines Drink Milk and Others Don't
Roughly two-thirds of adults on Earth cannot digest fresh milk. The genetic mutation that lets the other third do so spread out of two specific regions — Northern Europe and the Eurasian steppe — within the last 9,000 years. The map of dairy is the map of a still-running evolutionary experiment.
- Recipe NoteMay 20, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Gnocchi with Sage Butter
Delight in this classic Italian gnocchi tossed in fragrant sage butter for a simple yet elegant main dish.
- Recipe NoteMay 20, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Green Herb Sauce
Green Herb Sauce is an emulsified condiment made with fresh herbs, oil, and acid, suitable for drizzling or dipping with various dishes.
- Recipe NoteMay 20, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Hainanese Chicken Rice
Experience the authentic taste of Hainanese Chicken Rice, a beloved Singaporean classic featuring succulent poached chicken and fragrant rice cooked in chicken fat.
- Food HistoryMay 20, 2026 · Food History · 4 min
A Short History of Salt: The Only Seasoning You Would Die Without
The word salary traces back to the Latin salarium and to salt — though the popular tale that Roman soldiers were paid in salt is more legend than established fact. Venice built an empire on it. The French Revolution was lit, in part, by a tax on it. The history of salt is the history of how civilizations bought time.
- Recipe NoteMay 20, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Iwashi Nanban-zuke
Iwashi Nanban-zuke is a Japanese home dish of crisp fried sardines briefly marinated in a tangy rice-vinegar sauce. Best eaten within 2–3 days, kept cold throughout.