Author: Chef M

Bouchon Bakery is well known for its cookies. We love our cookies, and we make them big. The chocolate chunk and chip recipe was one of our first. In most cooking or baking, varying textures is important, and cookies are no different. This is why we use both chocolate chunks and chocolate chips, which behave in the dough. The chunks melt, but the chips don’t. I’ve always believed that when you have a special, expensive ingredient- truffles, for instance, or foie gras—it’s important to offer it in abundance so that people know what the fuss is about. Chocolate falls into…

Chilaquiles is a bit of a “throw everything but the kitchen sink into the pan” sort of a meal, but it’s a snap if your fridge is stocked with basic Latin ingredients. Think of it as breakfast nachos. This is also a great way to use up leftover grilled chicken or chorizo; add them as a garnish when serving.

Piñon and pastelón are two variations of a similar casserole made with ripe plantains and ground beef. Depending on where in Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic you are, the names can be used interchangeably or even reversed. It can be confusing. One features ripe plantains cut into strips, fried and layered like lasagna. The other features mashed ripe plantains turned into a pie crust. In Milagros’s family, they call the plantain lasagna version pastelón, but other Puerto Ricans call it piñon. Either way, they are both delicious and perfect for feeding a crowd. The lasagna version is not AIP-friendly…

Most oatmeal cookies have one place of origin: Quaker’s Best Oatmeal Cookies recipe. But why are they ubiquitous when the result is usually dry, cakey, overly spiced rounds? We ran every variable through the wringer to achieve an oaty cookie with crisp edges and a dense, chewy middle. We took a big step in the right direction when we adjusted the fat content: Instead of using all butter, we introduced vegetable oil, an unsaturated fat that’s fluid at room temperature. The right combination of unsaturated and saturated fats results in chewy baked goods; a ratio of nearly 3 parts unsaturated…

While we love a simple bowl of oatmeal topped with dried fruits and nuts, we wanted to bring some variety to this morning mainstay while amping up the nutrition of the already fiber-packed oats. Carrots fit the bill perfectly. We infused the oats’ cooking liquid with vitamin A–rich carrot juice and milk and stirred in shredded carrot for texture, which lent a vibrant orange hue along with a subtle sweetness that was complemented by cinnamon and brown sugar. Using steel-cut oats offered the best flavor and texture, but we weren’t thrilled with their 40-minute cook time. We wanted a 10-minute…

With our busy lives, many of us tend to only have eggs on the weekend, and more often than not for us it’s scrambled eggs. Once you are confident with them, you can easily make them for a crowd if you need to. I have to admit I can’t make scrambled eggs without cream and a favourite way to make them special is to add the zest of an orange at the end of cooking. When cooking scrambled eggs for two you’ll need two pieces of equipment: a 22 cm non-stick frying pan (and yes I throw them away once…

This is a classic dessert that you can find in most pâtisserie shops in France. A ‘flan’ can best be describe as a set custard. Flan powder is traditionally used by pastry chefs and bakers but it’s quite hard to find in regular shops. I’ve replaced it with cornflour here for a very similar result.