This week, Rose and Crystal sit down with Samantha Seneviratne — cookbook author, food stylist, and NYT recipe superstar — to talk about craft, curiosity, and the quiet joy of sweets that meet you where you are. From The Joys of Baking and The New Sugar and Spice to Simply Cake and Bake Smart, Sam shares what she’s learned about writing recipes that last and why her 2024 hit Microwave Chocolate Pudding Cake became the most popular dessert on The New York Times. The conversation winds through her inspirations — from Diana Henry and Dorie Greenspan to Zoe François, Yossi Arefi, and Jessie Sheehan — and lands, as always, in the kitchen, where tenderness meets technique.

Mentioned in this episode:

Diana Henry, “How to Eat a Peach: Menus, Stories and Places”

yolt.nyc

Regan Daley, “In the Sweet Kitchen: The Definitive Baker's Companion”

Yossi Arefi

Dorie Greenspan

Zoe Francois

Jessie Sheehan

-“How To Write A Cookbook” author unknown 

-Publisher’s Weekly

2024 most popular NY Times Recipe - Microwave Chocolate Pudding Cake, Samantha Seneviratne