She's My Cherry Pie

Hosted by Jessie Sheehan
Produced by Kerry Diamond and Catherine Baker
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Recorded at CityVox Studios

Melissa Clark is one of the most prolific recipe developers around, with dozens of cookbooks to her name and a weekly cooking column in The New York Times. She joins host Jessie Sheehan to demystify the recipe development process and share what goes into both creating unique recipes and collaborating with chefs to translate their recipes for home cooks. 

Melissa also explains why she swears by weighing ingredients, how sugar is about sweetness and structure, the importance of being transparent about your process, whether vanilla extract adds any flavor, and why wisdom and confidence are key. In the second half of the show, Melissa and Jessie do a deep dive into the chocolate coconut cake recipe from Melissa’s most recent book, Dinner In One: Exceptional & Easy One-Pan Meals.

Want to bake along? Here is Melissa’s Tender Chocolate Coconut Cake recipe. 

Thank you to Plugra Premium European butter for supporting our show. 

She’s My Cherry Pie is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. For past episodes and transcripts, click here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

More on Melissa: Instagram, website, Dinner in One cookbook, NYT Cooking recipes
More on Jessie: Instagram, her Snackable Bakes cookbook

Subscribe to Cherry Bombe Magazine here

Hosted by Jessie Sheehan
Produced by Kerry Diamond and Catherine Baker
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Recorded at CityVox Studios

Dianna Daoheung wasn’t raised in a bagel-loving household, but she still managed to become one of the most respected bagel makers in New York, of all places. The round chewy baked good is one of the city’s most iconic foods, and seemingly everyone has an opinion about where to get the best one. Thanks to Dianna, the answer for many folks is Black Seed Bagels, the artisanal bagel company where she’s the culinary director and founding baker. 

Dianna joins host Jessie Sheehan to explain just how bagels are made. She chats about the difference between NYC and Montreal bagels (Black Seeds’ are a hybrid); talks rolling, boiling, and baking; and shares her secret for never burning the everything bagel topping. (Minds will be blown.) 

Thank you to Plugra Premium European butter for supporting our show. 

She’s My Cherry Pie is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. For past episodes and transcripts, click here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

More on Dianna: Instagram, Black Seed Bagels
More on Jessie: Instagram, her Snackable Bakes cookbook

Subscribe to Cherry Bombe Magazine here

Hosted by Jessie Sheehan
Produced by Kerry Diamond and Catherine Baker
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Recorded at CityVox Studios

Blogger and cookbook author Abi Balingit of The Dusky Kitchen is known for her flavorful, fun desserts, inspired by her American upbringing and Filipino heritage. She channels all of this in her debut cookbook, Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed, which came out earlier this year. Abi joins host Jessie Sheehan to talk about her horchata bibingka recipe from the book, including how she came up with her unique twist on the traditional savory Filipino dessert. 

The duo also chat about Abi’s career path, landing her book deal through social media, and the pasalubong treat boxes that she started baking in 2020.

Thank you to Plugra Premium European butter for supporting our show. 

She’s My Cherry Pie is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. For past episodes and transcripts, click here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

More on Abi: Instagram, Mayumu cookbook, website
More on Jessie: Instagram, her Snackable Bakes cookbook

Hosted by Jessie Sheehan
Produced by Kerry Diamond and Catherine Baker
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Recorded at CityVox Studios

A leader in the gluten-free baking space, Aran Goyoaga knows her way around the intricacies of alternative baked goods. Diagnosed with a genetic gluten intolerance as an adult, Aran has used her classic pastry training and extensive knowledge about alternative ingredients to create delicious cakes, cookies, tarts, breads, pies, and more. 

Aran shares her gluten-free flour preferences; the importance of potato starch, psyllium, and steam; choosing the right cookware, and her number-one tip for gluten-free baking. 

Want to bake along? Here is Aran’s recipe for her Quick Crusty Boule.

Thank you to Plugra Premium European butter for supporting our show. 

She’s My Cherry Pie is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. For past episodes and transcripts, click here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

More on Aran: Instagram, Cannelle Et Vanille Bakes Simple cookbook, website
More on Jessie: Instagram, her Snackable Bakes cookbook

Hosted by Jessie Sheehan
Produced by Kerry Diamond and Catherine Baker
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Recorded at CityVox Studios 

Self-taught pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz is known for her unique take on cake baking and decorating, and she’s built a cult following for her minimalist creations with maximum flavor. Natasha joins host Jessie Sheehan to talk about her approach, which she outlines in her debut book, More Than Cake: 100 Baking Recipes Built for Pleasure and Community, out Tuesday, April 11th. They also talk about the Planned Parenthood bake sales that Natasha organized in New York for several years. (She just announced her latest bake sale, happening Sunday, April 16th, in Brooklyn.) 

Natasha shares her soak secrets, love of textured fillings, thoughts on sheet pans and cake stands, frosting philosophy, preferred egg-separating technique, and her belief that time is a crucial ingredient.  

Want to bake along? Here is Natasha’s passion fruit, coconut & tequila layered cake recipe. 

Thank you to Le Creuset and California Prunes for supporting our show. 

She’s My Cherry Pie is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. For past episodes and transcripts, click here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

For Jubilee tickets, click here. 

More on Natasha: Instagram, More Than Cake cookbook, website
More on Jessie: Instagram, her Snackable Bakes cookbook

Hosted by Jessie Sheehan
Produced by Kerry Diamond and Catherine Baker
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Recorded at CityVox Studios 

In the summer of 2020, pastry chef Paola Velez co-founded Bakers Against Racism with Willa Pelini and Rob Rubba. Little did they know, their efforts would galvanize the baker community around the world and help raise more than $2.5 million for organizations fighting racism. Paola joins host Jessie Sheehan to talk about Bakers Against Racism and shares advice on how to host your own bake sale. 

Paola also talks about the early days of her career, trying to find her place in the restaurant world. She also shares some of the secrets behind two of her most loved baked goods: plantain sticky buns and chocolate rum cake. They talk layers of flavor, pan caramel, Paola’s love of nutmeg, and just what Guy Fieri has to do with Paola’s baking. 

At the end of the episode, we have a special treat. It’s Paola at the Cherry Bombe Jubilee conference in Manhattan from last year, reading “The Summer Day,” a beautiful poem by Mary Oliver.

Thank you to Le Creuset and California Prunes for supporting our show. 

She’s My Cherry Pie is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. For past episodes and transcripts, click here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Get your back issues of Cherry Bombe here. 
Get your Jubilee tickets here.

More on Paola: Instagram, Bakers Against Racism, website
More on Jessie: Instagram, her Snackable Bakes cookbook

Hosted by Jessie Sheehan
Produced by Kerry Diamond and Catherine Baker
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Recorded at CityVox Studios 

As the talent behind the Zoë Bakes Instagram account, Magnolia television show, and cookbook, Zoë François makes a lot of beautiful baked goods, but the one she’s known for in particular is her airy, delicate pavlova in the shape of a tutu. Zoë came up with the specific shape as an homage to the dessert’s namesake, legendary ballerina Anna Pavlova.

Zoë joins host Jessie Sheehan to share her tips and tricks for making the meringue confection, from weighing your egg whites, choosing the right kind of bowl and spatula, to making your own superfine sugar and vanilla extract. They also go through Zoë’s suggestions for filling the pavlova, the recipe for her low & slow whipped cream that stays stable for days, and whether to use a hand or a stand mixer.

Want to bake along? Here is Zoë’s recipe for pavlova. 

Thank you to Le Creuset and California Prunes for supporting our show. 

She’s My Cherry Pie is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. For past episodes and transcripts, click here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

For Jubilee tickets, click here. 

More on Zoë: Instagram, Zoë Bakes Cakes cookbook, website
More on Jessie: Instagram, her Snackable Bakes cookbook

Hosted by Jessie Sheehan
Produced by Kerry Diamond and Catherine Baker
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Recorded at CityVox Studios 

Amanda Mack is Baltimore’s queen of the hand pie. A self-taught baker, or grandmother-taught, as she likes to say, Amanda has perfected her recipe for these delightful packets of crust and filling over the years. Customers of her bakery business, Crust by Mack, have come to love her sweet and savory hand pies, from cranberry to spinach & cheese to crabmeat. 

Amanda takes host Jessie Sheehan through the steps for making her signature hand pies, and covers everything from making your own buttermilk to moisturizing your dough, using vanilla bean paste, and stirring up a slurry. Our fave fact? Amanda uses her grandmother’s rolling pin. Whatever you do, says Amanda, do not compromise the integrity of your crust! 

Thank you to Le Creuset and California Prunes for supporting our show. 

She’s My Cherry Pie is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. For past episodes and transcripts, click here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

For Jubilee tickets, click here. 

More on Amanda: Instagram, Crust By Mack, website
More on Jessie: Instagram, her Snackable Bakes cookbook

Hosted by Jessie Sheehan
Produced by Kerry Diamond and Catherine Baker
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Recorded at CityVox Studios 

You will never look at macarons—or macaron makers—the same way after today’s episode. As you’re about to learn, the chic little cookie takes a lot of work and technique. Host Jessie is joined by Christina Ha, co-founder and head baker at Macaron Parlour in Manhattan, who shares all the specifics required to make the French treats. 

Christina also talks about her other career as the co-founder of Meow Parlour, New York’s first cat cafe, which has helped more than 1,200 cats find homes. So get ready for cats & cookies! 

Want to bake along? Here is Christina’s recipe for macarons.

Thank you to Le Creuset and California Prunes for supporting our show. 

She’s My Cherry Pie is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. For past episodes and transcripts, click here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

For Jubilee tickets, click here. 

More on Christina: Instagram, Meow Parlour, Macaron Parlour
More on Jessie: Instagram, her Snackable Bakes cookbook

Hosted by Jessie Sheehan
Produced by Kerry Diamond and Catherine Baker
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Recorded at CityVox Studios 

The magical baker and author Dorie Greenspan joins us to talk about an equally magical dough, pâte à choux, also known as choux pastry, which can be turned into cream puffs, eclairs, gougères, even homemade Pocky sticks. She and Jessie talk scooping choux pastry versus piping it, their shared love for vanilla, the return of the hand mixer, and what the craquelin craze is all about. 

Want to bake along? Here is Dorie’s recipe for cream puffs from her latest book, Baking with Dorie. 

Thank you to Le Creuset and California Prunes for supporting our show. 

She’s My Cherry Pie is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. For past episodes and transcripts, click here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

For Jubilee tickets, click here. 

More on Dorie: Instagram, Baking With Dorie, her newsletters Tuesdays with Dorie and XOXO Dorie
More on Jessie: Instagram, her Snackable Bakes cookbook