I Think I've Found The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Plus 3 New Recipes to Cook this Week

Welcome to The Flavor Files, a newsletter that explores the intersection of science and food. You’ll receive a new recipe, links to more recipes, food and science news, and more each week.

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📗 My new cookbook, Veg-Table, is available to order wherever books are sold. You can get your copy here. The book focuses on the science of vegetables and includes 100 recipes for cooks at different skill levels, with several tips and tricks to make your cooking easier and fun.

If you own a copy of the book, please leave a review on Amazon (regardless of whether you bought it there). Reviews on Amazon make books more visible to people.

🙏🏾 I appreciate your support!

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Hello!

The strangest thing happened while I was working on this email. I heard a loud bang against the window in the hallway, and it sounded like something had fallen and broken. I went outside and looked and saw the bird's neck down, body up. I went outside to check and see if it was still alive, and the eyes were still blinking. I picked it up carefully, ensured the body was aligned properly, and sat nearby lest a hawk or something else came for it. The bird took some time to get its bearings together, and my heart kept pacing fast. Fortunately, within 30 minutes, it flapped its wings and flew away. I calmed down. It was the longest 30 minutes of my life. (Please excuse the backyard because we’re getting ready to redo it.)

I have a confession to make. I am not the biggest fan of chocolate chip cookies; for that, there is only one reason: I see them everywhere and all the time. From January to December, they’re everywhere. Even my local deli keeps one on its menu. I usually skip through the menu and opt for something else. At Christmas, it’s the cookie I avoid. As a recipe developer, I’ve made a few chocolate chip cookie recipes, all tweaked to suit my satisfaction. However, I might have finally found the perfect chocolate chip cookie, and it’s in L.A. For all the time I’ve spent in this city and shopped at Bristol Farms, I’ve somehow missed “The Cookie”. This is everything I want and look for in a chocolate chip cookie. The cookie is large and thick. You could probably share, but you might not want to. It’s buttery, gooey, and crispy in the right spots. Warm melted chunks of chocolate sit layered with walnuts inside the cookie dough, and this layering makes the experience of every bite even more magical. I also got the peanut butter cookie; Michael loved it; it’s a nice combination of sweet and salty. “The Cookie” is the chocolate chip cookie I could eat every day!

Have an amazing week,

xx

Nik

🥕🥕🥕 My NEW COOKBOOK, VEG-TABLE, is now named a Best Cookbook of 2023 and is available worldwide! Please check it out, and thank you for your support. If you have a moment to spare, please leave a review for Veg-Table on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones, or the many indie bookstores where you purchased the book. Thank you! 

Why do chefs and cooks insist on using freshly ground black pepper whenever possible?

It might come across as annoying, one of those pesky cheffy things we force people to do in recipes, but there is a reason why we ask people to freshly grind their black pepper and often use it towards the end of a recipe just before serving. Watch the video to learn why.

abrowntable

A post shared by @abrowntable

There was lots of enthusiasm around the quiz; stay tuned for the next one, but until then, here are the answers to last week’s quiz;

1. 57% got this incorrect and voted No. The correct answer is Yes; extra-virgin olive oil can be used for deep frying.

2. 91% voted no and got this right. Yellow and black mustard seeds are very different.

3. 96% got this right: sugar can be used to determine an oven’s accuracy because its melting point is close to 350F.

4. 52% got this right: fenugreek does have the same aroma as maple syrup and rum.

Two new recipes hit the blog this week: my pulled pork vindaloo sandwiches and sauce gribiche. I don’t really need an excuse to eat tater tots, but their hot and crispy texture against the spicy and sour flavor of the pork vindaloo is, as they say, a “chef’s kiss.” 😽 The second recipe is for the French classic sauce gribiche, which I love with seafood and as the spread in my veggie burgers.

This recipe for my Chicken Paprikash with Mushrooms is for my paid subscribers.

I’m a huge fan of stews, and while spring fluctuates between cool and warm temperatures, I cook a mix of different dishes at home. Last week, I made this brilliant, bright red version of chicken paprikash that I knew I had to share with you.