Serves 2-4

Ingredients

* 8 anchovies, finely chopped

* 2 garlic cloves, minced

* 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

* Zest and juice of 1 lemon

* ½ cup olive oil

* 2 cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 

* ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

* 2 bunches lacinato kale, stems removed, thinly sliced 

* 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted, optional

Directions

* Add the anchovies, garlic, mustard, and lemon zest and juice to a glass measuring cup and whisk to combine.

* While whisking, slowly add the olive oil until emulsified. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano  and black pepper and whisk to combine. 

* Add the kale to a salad bowl or serving plate and use your hands to massage until the kale begins to soften, about 1 minute.

* Add the dressing and toss to combine. Top with pine nuts, if using. Serve immediately. 

A few notes to consider:

* You can make an all pear or all apple crisp if you prefer. Just double the amount of the fruit called for (so 8 apples or 8 pears). 

* The joy of a crisp is that the size of the vessel doesn’t really matter. Depending on the size you’ll have more or less height to the crisp, but the cooking times should remain the same. You can use a 9x13-inch baking dish or 9x9-inch baking dish if you don’t have an oval dish.

* You can make this gluten free by using oat flour in place of all-purpose flour.

* Pro tip: Place the baking dish on a baking sheet before placing in the oven to catch any potential drips. 

Serves 8

Ingredients

Filling 

* ⅓ cup all-purpose flour

* ½ cup dark brown sugar

* ¼ cup sugar

* ½ teaspoon kosher salt

* 1-inch knob ginger, grated

* Zest and juice of 1 lemon

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

* 4 medium baking apples, such as Granny Smith, Cortland, or Honeycrisp, peeled, cored, diced

* 4 medium pears,  peeled, cored, diced

Topping

* ¾ cup all-purpose flour

* 1 cup old fashioned or rolled oats 

* ½ cup dark brown sugar

* 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

* ½ teaspoon kosher salt

* 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

* Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 8x12-inch oval baking dish. 

* In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, dark brown sugar, sugar, and salt, and whisk to combine. Add the ginger, lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract, and melted butter, and whisk until smooth. Add the apples and pears and use a spatula to combine until well coated. Transfer the filling to the greased baking dish.

* In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, cardamom, and salt.

* Add the butter and stir to combine until the oats and flour are completely covered in butter.

* Sprinkle the topping in an even layer over the filling. 

* Bake until the topping is golden brown, the apples and pears are bubbling, and the crumble is fragrant, about 50 minutes. 

* Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

* 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced

* 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

* Zest and juice of 2 limes

* ¼ teaspoon pimentón 

* ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

* 3 pieces sourdough, ciabatta, or bread of choice, roughly torn

* 3 ears corn, shucked and kernels removed

* 1 medium cucumber, peeled into ribbons with a vegetable peeler

* 1 small cantaloupe, seeded and chopped

* 8 ounces burrata

* ½ cup loosely packed basil leaves

Directions

* In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, add the shallot, 1 teaspoon of salt, lime zest and juice, and pimentón, and stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes, which will take the sharpness out of the shallots. Add ¼ cup of olive oil, whisking to combine. 

* Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the bread and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer the bread to a paper towel–lined plate and season with salt.

* In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred, about 3 minutes. Season with salt.

* Assemble the bread, corn, cucumber, and cantaloupe on a serving plate. Place the burrata on top and add the basil. Drizzle with the lime vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Makes One 9-inch cake, Serves 4-6

Ingredients

* ¾ cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter

* 2 large eggs

* 1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling

* Zest of 2 lemons

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 1 cup all-purpose flour

* 1 teaspoon baking powder

* ½ teaspoon kosher salt

* 3 stalks rhubarb

Directions

* Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.

* Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium-high heat, twirling the pan occasionally until the butter melts and becomes foamy. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until the butter is golden brown and smells nutty, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for at least 5 minutes before using.  

* In a large bowl, add the eggs and beat with a hand mixer. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. 

* Add the browned butter, lemon zest, and vanilla, and beat to combine. 

* Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and beat until just combined.

* On a cutting board, trim the rhubarb to fit the size of your springform pan. 

* Transfer the batter to the springform pan. Place the rhubarb stalks directly onto the batter and sprinkle with sugar. 

* Bake until golden brown and puffy, about 40 minutes. 

* Let the cake cool to room temperature before removing from the springform pan to enjoy.

A few things to consider:

* I used smoked trout, but you could use smoked salmon or another type of smoked fish. You could also flake a non-smoked fish, like the foolproof salmon from a few weeks ago. 

* I salt the fennel and radish before, but this is totally optional. I like that the salt makes the veg a bit more malleable, while still retaining some crunch. 

* If you don’t have leeks, you could swap in crispy shallots, or even toasted breadcrumbs. The point is to have some crunch. 

* If you don’t have watermelon radishes, you can use regular radishes. Use 3 regular radishes to one large watermelon radish as a swap. 

* Save your fennel fronds to top on the salad! 

Serves 4

Ingredients

Salad

* 1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced

* 1 watermelon radish, thinly sliced

* ½ teaspoon kosher salt 

* Greens of choice, to serve

* 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

* 1 pound smoked trout, flaked 

Crispy Leeks

* 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

* 3 leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced 

* Kosher salt, to taste

Dressing

* Zest and juice of 2 lemons

* 1 large garlic clove, grated

* 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

* 1 teaspoon honey

* 1 teaspoon hot sauce such as Tapitio or Tabasco 

* ½ teaspoon kosher salt

* ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

* ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

* Add the fennel and radish to a medium bowl with the salt and toss to combine. Let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. 

* Arrange the greens, beans, trout, fennel, and radish on a serving platter. 

* Make the crispy leeks: Heat the grapeseed oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the leeks and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the leeks to a paper towel–lined plate and season with salt. 

* Make the dressing: In a small bowl or measuring cup, add the lemon zest and juice, garlic, mustard, honey, hot sauce, salt, and pepper, and whisk to combine. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking until emulsified. 

* Drizzle the dressing over the salad and top with the crispy leeks. Serve immediately.

Listen to the audio to hear the story of pizza toast and get the recipe.

A gentle reminder while you’re here that there’s less than a month (!) left to pre-order signed copies of To the Last Bite. Get yours here from The Strand.

I thought I’d try out Substack’s audio feature for today’s post. Do you love it? Hate it? Feel ambivalent? I’d love to hear! I thought it might be a fun way to share recipes on the fly, but let me know how you feel about it in the comments below.

Check out my latest Then & Now video on Better Homes & Gardens. I swear the jumbo corn burger was better than it looks…