APÉRITIF:
The temperatures are sweltering, my flyaways are forming a halo of frizz around my face like I’m some kind of humidity angel, and the bops and bops are rolling in to contend for Song of the Summer. Each night the golden hour light hits my face a little later in the day, making my top lip sweat glisten in a way that’s somehow both beautiful and upsetting. Summer baby!!! Plump, ruby red strawberries are arriving by the bushel and I, for one, am ecstatic. There’s simply not much in this world better than summer fruit. Juices running down your face, fingers sticky, the strange sensuality of twisting a stone fruit in half with just your hands. Why yes, I was deeply affected by the peach scene in CMBYN. This week’s newsletter has recipes highlighting juicy strawberries plus Dinner Plans from our most beloved guest yet—you! Yes, we’ve got a whole menu from apps to ‘zerts from none other than our dear Sifters. Remember, you can always submit your favorite recipe(s) in this form—so stop holding out on us and send those links!
ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:
YOUR(!) DINNER PLANS
Hummus: This recipe. I add extra lemon. Also use canned chickpeas cuz lazy but boil them with baking soda to make them soft. Dip anything in it—I like carrots or Back to Nature Crispy wheat crackers (side note from Court: gotta love a Wheat Thin dupe) Hits every time. -Emma Jacobson
Creamy Fennel Orecchiette: I wouldn't say I HATE fennel, but this recipe might have converted me to a fennel lover, at least if it's cooked down with lots of spring onions (I also used some green garlic) and cream. I didn't use bacon because I was cooking for a vegetarian and I didn't even miss it. -Emily Cohen
Turkey Meatballs: I don’t often believe recipes that are touted as “quick” and “weeknight friendly,” but I found this recipe to be both of those things, plus actually quite sophisticated and not just another boring turkey meatball. I made a whole batch and ate it all week. Yes, I was sick of it by the end of the week like I would be of anything else, but I will definitely revisit this recipe in the future and recommend it to others! -Kaely Gallagher
Orange Snack Cake: Snack cakes are 100% my favorite kind of cakes to make- they’re simple, straightforward, adaptable, & can be eaten for dessert, breakfast, or any time in between. This recipe calls for a whole orange—peel & all—blended with milk as part of the batter. It’s bright, fresh, & tastes like literal sunshine. It’s a perfect recipe as is, but I also can’t wait to try IT with other types of citrus... ruby red grapefruit would be stellar. -Megan Pearson
SO YOU’VE GOT APPROX. 24 HOURS TO USE UP ALL THOSE STRAWBERRIES
Popovers with Strawberry Butter: When I was young, special occasion brunches meant one thing: popovers. While Neiman Marcus had them, the best came from the Popover Café—an Upper West Side staple that sadly closed a few years back. While the food was perfectly passable, you came for the fluffy, misshapen eggy wonders. The best part? The sweet and salty, tangy strawberry compound butter that arrived in a little ramekin on the side. I still dream about the pale pink butter melting into pockets of eggy batter. Luckily-- they’re super easy to recreate at home and we often still do for extra-special brunches. Here’s the Popover Cafe’s actual recipe, but I’ve been known to use Mark Bittman’s recipe (paywall-free here.) As for that glorious butter, it’s a perfect vessel for less-than-perfect a.k.a. any-older-than-the-first-day berries.
Strawberry Shortcakes: My sweet friend and neighbor Jane texted me last week to say I was welcome to stop by for some leftover strawberry shortcake cobbler she had just made. I promptly showed up at her door for a sweet, jammy mess of crushed strawberries topped with a fluffy, flaky, delicate shortcake and a dollop of something tangy, creamy and whipped. The shortcake blew my mind — glossy on top, soft and buttery on the inside with a salty, crunchy bite from a little cornmeal in the dough. When I make these myself, I'll likely deconstruct the recipe a little (are you surprised?) by baking the shortcake rounds on a sheet pan before topping each one with a little heavy cream whipped with coconut sugar until it's thick and a sweet, syrupy spoonful of chopped strawberries, lemon zest and a tiny bit more coconut sugar.
Strawberry Spoon Cake: The ultimate summer dessert, there is no better way to end a meal, a dinner party, or a warm, breezy, June-July-or-August night than with this soft, strawberry-studded cake. The cake's gooey, pudding-like texture, which feels like a mashup of this fluffy plum torte and this creamy rhubarb custard cake is covered in a sweet but tart pool of macerated strawberries. It's one of those things that comes together quickly and easily, but is an impressive thing to set down in front of friends. I like to serve not slices, but huge, warm spoonfuls of it with a scoop of cold vanilla bean ice cream.
BBOTW (BEST BITES OF THE WEEK):
Gab: It's hard not to feel like you're in an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond when your boyfriend is constantly talking about how good his mom's lasagna is. He insisted on making it for a dinner party we had this week, and unfortunately, I now understand why he never shut ups about it. Unlike lasagna recipes with crumbled sausage or ground beef (too heavy) or ones that require making a béchamel sauce (too hard), this one layers crushed tomatoes, wilted spinach and sautéed mushrooms with noodles and lots of shredded mozzarella. Alarmingly easy and disgustingly delicious, it's the best bite of my week and of his life.
Court: Last week I moved back to Brooklyn permanently after almost 15 months of bouncing around. I missed so many things: the people, the energy, the ability to get strawberry Pocky from the bodega at any hour of the day or night. Most of all, I missed living within walking distance of impeccable bakeries like Winner. It’s a dangerously short walk from my apartment and my first taste of their offerings was nothing short of perfect. At the recommendation of Gab (I would never dare to order without her guidance and neither should you) I got the coffee-coffee cake and the sourdough croissant. The coffee cake was perfectly moist with little nibs of crunchy espresso beans mixed into the streusel, and the croissant had perfect structure with the gorgeously tangy aftertaste of sourdough starter. It was the perfect welcome back to Brooklyn, and one I will probably be welcoming into my mouth on a weekly, if not daily, basis.