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I thought the first episode was pretty good. Kristin had enough presence to carry off the host role. She brought her own Top Chef experience to the fore rather than mostly swanning around in inappropriately glamorous clothing like someone else. Always hard to get a sense of the chefs when there are 15 of them to sort out in the first episode. Skipping the Quick Fire round and going straight into a challenge where they were divided up into 3 groups of 5 and competed individually within those groups at 3 tasks: soup, filled pasta and roast chicken, made it easier to keep track of 5 pastas or 5 chickens rather than 15 of something. I'd say most of the chefs came across as likable and the one that got axed was the least so. That's editing, of course, but it doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes is a real sweetheart that gets bounced first. I'll be curious to see if they can keep mixing things up enough to be interesting. Getting rid of the shared house drama during covid was a bonus but they otherwise stuck to the same playbook.Getting rid of the grocery store derby would be nice. Just let them order like chefs do. Or take their fancy BMWs to Restaurant Depot and bring parkas for the freezer section! I guess Whole Foods pays them nicely for those spots!

The first episode is scheduled to air tonight. Shot in various locations in Wisconsin with a Caribbean cruise ship finale I'm interested to see how Kristin Kish does replacing Padma as host. I like that they are no longer awarding any Quick Fire winners with immunity in the main challenges. I like that as the Quick Fires are so random, but giving those winners immunity added a random element that was sort of entertaining.

Grilled Baby Bok Choy with Miso-Gochujang Butter and Crispy Chickpeas from Tenderheart Excellent combination of textures and flavors. The chickpeas get dusted with chickpea flour, gochugaru, S & P and a drizzle of olive oil before baking until they are crispy.

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Garlicky Caper and Thyme Oil from Tenderheart I enjoyed eating each tender slice of sweet potato with a fork full of lentils but, as written, this needs a kick in the butt. I think diced, preserved lemon would do the trick. I tossed the lentils with some mustard vinaigrette I had in the fridge and it worked well.

I really like Jubilee. The amount of scholarship and research that went into it is truly impressive. I think you will enjoy reading it whether or not you cook from it. I love the extra light buttermilk cornbread, the shrimp & grits, salmon croquettes, gingerbread waffles and sweet potato biscuits. And a bunch of the cocktails, of course!

Awww, what a sweet comment to read on a Monday morning! I think I'm a decent editor but I'll never be an author! Today's breakfast was the last slice of the galette I made last week with a few olives and tomatoes:

Ah, that makes sense!

Moose farts…refreshing??? Clearly, I’ve been missing out! They sound sorta like 7-layer bars (minus the nuts and butterscotch chips) but rolled into balls instead of baked. I might need to add butterscotch chips and nuts if I try them!

A quick miso mussel chowder from Julia Turshen's Small Victories

Sláinte!

Yes, I've been getting them. Did you get the email titled, "Introducing the Modernist Bread School" on March 11? It contained a link to sign up for course 1, down at the bottom. Once I clicked through and signed up, I received another email titled, "Confirm Your Subscription." Check your spam/junk folder if you didn't get it after signing up. Once I clicked through on that one, I began receiving the course emails. They've been mostly just short notes about basic equipment so you haven't missed much. Yesterday, I got an email saying I'd completed course 1 and that course 2 would begin in early April. Edited to add that I still haven't purchased the book. Modernist Cuisine at Home rolled out at the same price and eventually dropped below $100. If the course starts to get interesting, it may lure me in before that happens. Until then, I'm holding on to my 💰

Yes. The recipes that led me to look for them were from UK authors or publications and usually called them hispi or sweetheart cabbages. Some of the farmers market vendors in my area started growing them a few years ago.

Charred Asian greens and farro with soy tahini from Tenderheart with seared ahi tuna

My plan was to make this Soy-Butter Bok Choy Pasta from Tenderheart and put a jammy egg on it but I got a surprise bag of mussels in my fish delivery yesterday and I needed to use them so mussels for breakfast...or brunch as it was around 10 when I ate.

I believe the pointy cabbage is officially Caraflex but may also be called conehead or arrowhead. In the recent NYT article that @weinoo linked to above, one of the chefs is pictured holding a few of them. I like the small size for when I don’t need a ton. Aside from being smaller, they taste and cook like regular green cabbage. Here's the spud story: An American’s guide to Irish potatoes: the best spuds to roast, boil and steam If you tap his byline name in those articles, you can pull up the other pieces Russ has written for the Irish Times since he left the LA Times and moved over there.

A very short and sweet little article by @russ parsons in The Irish Times on cabbagea: Ireland is a cabbage wonderland: take it from this blow-in chef Sadly, no recipes but a little tasting with some recommendations. He seems surprised at the pointy cabbages but they've been available around here for years.

Tatsoi and feta galette in a turmeric and black pepper pastry made in honor of Pi Day

I was going to make some pumpkin and gorgonzola tarts from a Diana Henry book but ended up going with this Choy Sum and Feta Galette from Tenderheart. Nice layers of flavor here with tumeric and black pepper in the pastry, green onion and garlic blended into the mascarpone layer, a big pile of Asian greens (I used tatsoi instead of choy sum), tangy feta and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

I'm making one today!

I riffed on a Roast Squash Salad with Lentils and Goat's Cheese from Roast Figs, Sugar Snow. Of course, I put an egg on it! Also greens underneath and tomato wedges on the side. And I used a punchy mustard vinaigrette I had leftover from a recipe in Grist.

I haven't tried them but a friend got a bundle of them for a gift. She adds shrimp and a lot of vegetables and said they were good for a quick meal when there's no time to cook.

Broiled miso-marinated black cod on rice noodles, steamed sugar snaps, cucumber & pickled ginger salad

In the words of sandwich shop owner and hilarious cookbook author, Max Halley, the secret to delicious is captured in six words: HOT, COLD, SWEET, SOUR, CRUNCHY, SOFT. He says that if all of those things are present in your sandwich (or any plate of food), you're good! I highly recommend his book, Max's Sandwich Book: The Ultimate Guide to Creating Perfection Between Two Slices of Bread and I'm looking forward to his new one out next month, Max's World of Sandwiches: A Guide to Amazing Sandwiches.

Is it this recipe for Instant Pot Cabbage Soup he posted in the Instant Pot topic?

For anyone curious about what the Modernist Cuisine online course is going to cover, here's an overview: Getting Started with Bread Basics—March 2024 Navigating Bread Making from Start to Finish—April 2024 Fitting Bread into Busy Schedules—May 2024 The Role of Different Bread Ingredients—June 2024 How to Start a Levain and Keep It Alive—July 2024 Mixing and Gluten Development—August 2024