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This is an incredible baking newsletter from a genius baker/recipe developer called Nicola Lamb. She walks you through all the phases of her recipe development so you get a proper education on the chemistry of each bake as she tries different fats/moisture levels/types of ingredients until she arrives at the finished product. You can skip all this and go straight to the recipe or you can linger over her tests (often there are GIFs!) as she makes her way there, but I love it and have made the best Rhum Baba and Burnt Basque Cheesecakes because of her tireless efforts. It's a Substack, there's a free version but if you have the means please pay for it because that’s the decent thing to do!
Jan 21, 2025
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been subscribed to this substack for a bit and she does not disappoint!! her recipes are nice mix of classic yet experimental and she also has a few really good cookbooks that are available in most bookstores
Sep 20, 2024
The recipes so far are for her more understated dishes that become sleeper hits at dinner parties.
Nov 21, 2024
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I’ve been loving Natasha Pickowicz’s DEMI chat, Never Ending Salon, for a myriad of reasons (and recipes), but by far the best takeaway so far has been this recipe divider. As you may know, Gaby and I are not always the best recipe followers; we substitute, halve, brown, and salt with reckless abandon. I’m a firm believer in experimentation, but this tool helps guarantee the things in the recipe that make it work (like leavinings, salt and seasoning levels, ratios of fat sources) stay the same, guaranteeing success no matter how sparse your cookware collection. Not only can you halve or third or quarter recipes (very pandemic-friendly if you’re cooking for a small pod), you can even adjust them to different pan sizes. No more wondering if it’s really a big deal if you only have a pie dish and a 9” springform but the recipe calls for two 6” cake pans, and no more raw centers (here’s lookin’ at you, Gab!)
Aug 10, 2021
Top Recs from @mackenzie-davis
I really believe in doing things with an intention and then attributing whatever good thing happens to that intention. For instance: quitting smoking. I said: I’m going to give up this thing I love so it will make room for other things that I might love even more. Or running. I just started training for a marathon, as a confirmed non-runner, do-not-want-to-run type of girl. And when I started I said: by investing in yourself in this unpleasant way, you are casting a spell of loving and believing in yourself that will bring those same things back to you. When I was 7 I threw a ring I loved out of a car window as we searched for my dog who had run away, as an act of sacrifice to get her back. Well, guess what? She came back. And I’m still doing little spells to this day 😈
Jan 21, 2025
This album is so good, I love it forever, it's utterly shocking that Paul McCartney made it and Monkberry Moon Delight is one of my favourite songs of all time. It rules.
Jan 21, 2025
I have a vivid memory of being 18 years old, my parents just moved me across the country into my dorm, and as I watched their car turn a corner away from view, I pulled out a pack of Gauloises and lit up. I was a woman now. I loved smoking, I was never a heavy smoker, but I always wanted to keep it light enough so that it could forever be in my life. Anyway, years later there was a pandemic/heart break/lots of life changes and the idea of long term planning (staying alive/having nice skin) flew out the window for me and cigarettes took a much bigger role in my life and that freaked me out. So I read the same stupid book that everyone does, I rolled my eyes the whole time thinking NO WAY and then I finished the book and was freed. Last page done = no desire for another cigarette again. Probably it’s a form of hypnosis, and an essential element is being ready to say goodbye, but if you ARE ready: The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr is some type of witchcraft. Also, Anthony Hopkins and Angelica Huston blurbed the edition I read, and I thought that was convincing evidence. They probably smoked a lot.
Jan 21, 2025