More than 20 years ago, long before farm-to-table became a catchphrase, there was John Shields, who traveled up and down the Chesapeake Bay meeting with oystermen, fishermen, and growers, and helped define modern-day Mid-Atlantic cuisine.

With the release of his latest cookbook, The New Chesapeake Kitchen, the veteran author and owner of the newly named Gertrude’s Chesapeake Kitchen is once again reimagining regional fare, not only because the bay has changed, but because he has changed.

“Seven years ago, I had a heart attack,” say Shields. “I had to be really mindful of what I was eating. That got me thinking about how we’ve eaten for thousands of years, and it has been primarily a plant-forward diet.”

To that end, he calls the recipes in his new book both “bay- and body-friendly.” We sat down with Shields to talk about his latest venture, how he got his start in the field, and keeping company with John Waters.

Why did you want to write this book?
The idea for The New Chesapeake Kitchen came about 10 or 12 years ago. I started making notes of what I was eating and where I bought it, and I asked myself if what I was purchasing was benefiting the community. Also, I don’t want to sound morose, but it’s the thing I want to leave—it’s my legacy.

Where did the book’s name come from?
I looked at what went wrong and where we are and what could possibly be a vision for the 21st century. We have to keep one foot in the past to see our way forward, but we need to have a whole new look at the way we eat—a lot of the fish that we used to have in the bay aren’t here. Some of the protein is so precious that we can’t eat it the way we used to. Then we have some species that weren’t here before. We have to take a snapshot of now.

How do you want people to use the book?
It’s a cookbook, and there are a lot of fun recipes, but I also hope that they notice the way it’s put together. I’ve separated the recipes by cooking techniques because I think it takes us back to the idea of plant forward. The idea is to stretch the protein. If we made crab cakes, that could be $60 a pound right now, which would feed three people. But if you turn it into soup, you could make something that is quintessentially Chesapeake and feeds eight to 10 people. It’s bay- and body-friendly.

Why did you thank your cardiologist, Sonia Baker, in the dedication to the book?
There were some not-great things happening with my heart, and I was having a hard time finishing the book. She said to me, ‘Now, listen, it’s a book. How many of these have you done? Just finish it up—you know how to write a cookbook.’

Why did you want to be a chef?
I was working at some clubs in Cape Cod playing the piano. I was with John Waters’ repertory company—we are still friends. A friend of mine, who was a sous chef at the Provincetown Inn, broke his ankle. He said, ‘Hon, you have to go up and cook tonight.’ They brought out these big mesh bags of garlic. I had never seen a whole head of garlic in my life—I was Catholic. That’s really how I started cooking. There was no thought at all.

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Recipe: Crispy Rockfish Tacos

This is some of the Chesapeake’s plant-forward eating at its best. A whole slew of wonderful vegetables coming together, all wrapped in a warm corn tortilla, with crispy pieces of the Bay’s favorite finfish, the rock—a.k.a. striped—bass. This dish works well for a party if you set up a taco station with all the ingredients, allowing guests to make their own. Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 1 pound rockfish filet
• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Oil for frying
• 8 fresh small corn tortillas

Lime-Jicama Slaw

• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• ½ cup shredded jicama
• ¼ cup chopped green onion
• ¼ cup julienned carrots
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• Juice of 1 lime

Avocado Cream

• 2 ripe avocados
• ½ cup sour cream
• Juice of ½ lime
• Pinch of ground cumin
• Salt, to taste

Directions

In a bowl, combine the cabbage, jicama, green onion, carrots, and cilantro. In another small bowl, combine the mayo and lime juice. Pour over the top of the vegetable mixture, tossing to coat well. Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Cut the rockfish filets into 1½-inch chunks. In a bowl, mix the flour with the salt, cumin, garlic powder, chipotle powder, paprika, cayenne, and black pepper and blend well. Heat oil to a depth of 1½ inches until quite hot. Dust the rockfish pieces with the flour mixture and shake off excess. In batches, fry fish until golden brown and cooked through. Remove the pieces of fish with a slotted utensil and allow to drain on paper towels.

While cooking fish, heat a dry (not oiled) cast-iron skillet and warm the tortillas for about 30 seconds on each side. Wrap tortillas in a damp towel and keep warm while heating the rest of the tortillas. To assemble the tacos, place a spoonful of slaw in the center of each tortilla, followed by several pieces of fish and a dollop of Avocado Cream. Remove the skin and pit from the avocados and place the flesh a bowl. Mash the avocado and then add the remaining ingredients.

Garnish with a teaspoon of salsa, plus radish. Serve lime wedges on the side.

This excerpt is taken from The New Chesapeake Kitchen by John Shields. Published by Johns Hopkins University Press © 2018. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

If you’re officially in panic mode trying to find the perfect presents before the holiday weekend approaches, we can relate but also we are here for you. There is still one, big holiday market left (more on that below) and plenty of local stores to go visit without having to obsessively track your package. So take a deep breath and let these creative, Baltimore products inspire your gift list. 

Lavender spray from PriyaMeansLove
We guarantee that anyone on your list can use a stress cure. That’s why we love this organic lavender spray from PriyaMeansLove, which can be used to spray on skin, linens, or hair. Proved to have a calming effect, the spray contains a lavender tincture with a bit of earthy vetiver oil. Priya’s products are available at B. Willow. 

The Food Market cookbook 
We’ve all wondered how we can possibly recreate that beer-cheese that comes with the soft pretzels at The Food Market in Hampden. Well now we can find out. The restaurant’s chef/owner Chad Gauss came out with a cookbook filled with countless recipes for brunch, dinner, and drinks. Available at Trohv during the day and The Food Market at night.

Jerseys and gear from Sassy Cyclist.
We all have at least one member of the family or coworker at the office who is really into biking. So why not browse the products of Sassy Cyclist, which makes cycling jerseys, headbands, and gear with a feminine touch. Their line, and tons of other goods (like these chocolate crabs!), will be available at the Made in Baltimore holiday store open through Christmas Eve.

Earrings from Elyse by Nicole
If you’re tired of having the same jewelry as everyone else who shops at chain stores, check out the unique designs of Elyse by Nicole. From tassels to champagne glass, her materials make for sturdy yet pretty pieces. Her jewelry is available at a pop-up shop at Cross Keys until December 31. 

Creative King tees and hats
Some dudes are notoriously hard to shop for and that’s why we love the neutral, cool styles of Creative King. The graphic art on all of their products is modern with just the right amount of edge and would fit right in with any wardrobe. Many items available at Double Dutch Boutique in Hampden.

Swag from Diamondback Beer
This Locust Point brewery has some of the best graphic designs around (thanks to creatives at Gilah Press) so why not show it off on hoodies, t-shirts, and pint glasses to take home? We are particular fans of Diamondback‘s tulip glass with signature turtle shell pattern. Available in their taproom, where you might just have to have a beer. 

Candle-making kit from Knits, Soy, and Metal
We loved the idea of candle-making classes at Knits, Soy, and Metal‘s Mt. Vernon location, which they share with Keepers Vintage. With this kit, you can gift that experience to anybody and choose from four scents: lemongrass, pumpkin, patchouli, and blue spruce (the latter sounds particularly festive). Available at the shop or at their last holiday pop-up at Bird in Hand. 

Yoga mat from Prosper Wellness
The gyms and studios will be crowded in January, so why not bring your a-game to yoga class with the journey mat from Prosper Wellness. We’ve tested these out and the cork material makes them lightweight and super slip resistant—even in the most stifling of hot yoga classes. Available at M.Power yoga studio in Brewer’s Hill.

Give the gift of pizza
This honestly requires no explanation because pizza is the ultimate comfort food. But we found the packaging on the &pizza gift cards particularly adorable, as they are housed inside mini versions of their rectangular pizza boxes. All your recipient has to do is pick the toppings. Available at the Federal Hill location.

Cards and wrapping paper from Rowhouse 14
Once you get the gifts, you have to worry about making them look pretty. Local stationary makers Rowhouse 14 feel your pain and offer cute Baltimore-themed cards and even taco(!) wrapping paper. Visit their stand at Last Stop Hops & Shop, the final holiday market of the season, at Peabody Heights on December 21.

In a country that feels increasingly divided, writer Gabrielle Langholtz feels that food is still one of our strongest uniting forces. She should know. Her America: The Cookbook (published by Phaidon last month), features recipes from every region of the country, with essays from some of the most influential voices in food from each state, including John Shields of Gertrude’s and Gaithersburg-born Jeremiah Stone of New York’s Contra.

“People think of American cooking as roast chicken, mashed potatoes, strawberry shortcake, and peach pie,” says Langholtz. “I have roast chicken and fried chicken in the book, for sure—they belong, but so do Oregon hazelnuts, Missouri black walnuts, and shrimp in the Gulf.” And, of course, crab cakes, hot milk cake, and oyster pan roast in Maryland. 

What was your method in compiling these recipes?
I got tons of books on eBay, tons of out-of-print books. . . . Some  [recipes] we all knew were going to be in there, like Texas brisket and Tennessee corn pudding and Maine lobster roll. But I could have gone another 10 years just learning more about the unusual, interesting things that people really still do eat.

What was one of the most unusual recipes you discovered? 
Crispy snoot from Missouri was a really interesting one. They have a tradition of whole hog barbecue, and part of the whole hog includes the nose and the tail. So in the barbecue there, that’s a thing—you can get the snout.

What’s your favorite Baltimore recipe?
My best friend lives in Baltimore, and for 20 years I’ve been visiting. I know that’s so cliché to say that I had amazing crab cakes in Baltimore. But I had incredible crab cakes.  

What did you enjoy most about the project? 
Discovering  America’s amazing vitality and regionalism, including foods like boiled peanuts and fried pickles and fried cheese curds and fried alligator. There is incredible regionalism, diversity, roots, tradition, and also innovation. We all come together at the table. 

Can you say a few words about the recipe for persimmon pudding in the book? 
It’s surprisingly unknown for something that grows wild in a lot of states [including Maryland] and is delicious. It looks like an orange tomato. I really enjoyed cooking that pudding. It reminded me of a sticky toffee pudding. If people are new to persimmon, that’s exactly my hope for this book, that they’ll discover America. We look so often in America to other cuisines and other cultures, and I love those foods, too, but we have deep roots, deep traditions, and delicious ingredients that we should also know and cook and love and share and be proud of.

Can you say a few words about our state dessert, the Smith Island Cake—which women made for their husbands when they went off to harvest oysters—that’s featured in the book? 
I hired an incredible woman to research cakes. This one has a very special history [along the Chesapeake Bay]—and that’s the kind of recipe that we wanted to shine the spotlight on.

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Recipe: Smith Island Cake

Preparation Time: 25 minutes, plus cooling time. Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes, plus cooling time. Serves: 8-10

Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 eggs, at room
  temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 can evaporated milk

Frosting

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 can evaporated milk
• 1 ½ sticks unsalted
  butter, cut into pieces
• 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375° F. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. 

For the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Alternately add the flour mixture and evaporated milk, beginning and ending with the flour. 

Spread ⅔ cup batter in each prepared pan. Bake until a skewer inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, 10-15 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wash and dry the cake pans, butter and flour them, and repeat with the remaining batter— there will be 10 cake layers in total. 

Meanwhile, for the frosting: In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, evaporated milk, and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. Stir in the chocolate until melted. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the icing is the consistency of hot fudge, about 10 minutes. (The frosting will thicken as it cools.)

Place a cake layer on a cake stand and spread about 4 tablespoons of the frosting in the center of the layer. Repeat the process with the remaining cake layers (reheating the frosting over low heat if necessary), leaving the top layer bare. Pour the remaining frosting over the top and spread around the sides of the cake. (If the cake layers slip as they are stacked, readjust within a few minutes to avoid the frosting setting the cake askew.)

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Recipe: Persimmon Pudding

Preparation Time: 10 minutes. Cooking Time: 1 hour. Serves: 4-6.

• 2 cups Amerian persimmon pulp, from 6-8 persimmons
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 4 tablespoons pure maple sryup
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup corn flour (very finely ground cornmeal)
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325° F. Grease an 8-inch springform pan. 

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the persimmon pulp to even the pulp out. Add the sugar and the eggs and beat until lighter and smooth. Beat in the maple syrup. Both flours, the cinnamon, allspice, and salt, adding some of the milk if the batter becomes too thick to mix easily. Add the baking soda and baking powder and the remaining milk.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Serve warm, with whipped cream. 

Copyright © by Phaidaon Press Ltd

a note from the editor

This recipe collection was inspired by a simple question: What do chefs cook once they’ve doffed their toques?

For the men and women in white, it turns out that there’s no such thing as leaving work at the office. Whether they’re assisted by sous chefs and line cooks over an eight-burner Vulcan range or feeding family and friends from the comfort of their home range, they cook because it fuels them.

We’ve asked five beloved Baltimore chefs to design menus that reflect the way they like to eat at home, then photographed them in their own kitchens, from Michel Tersiguel’s cozy space in Ellicott City (his Great Dane named Gale kept at bay during the mouthwatering photo shoot) to Cindy Wolf’s gleaming new personal (yet highly professional) kitchen in Sparks. (Her scrambled eggs were the best we’ve ever eaten.)

We watched as they blowtorched meringue, pounded chicken breasts, and braised a pork shoulder. And we were wowed as they showed incredible grace under pressure, whipping up gorgeous, multi-course meals in a matter of minutes, despite the crowding—as is often the case in every home’s heart—in their kitchens.

So whether you mull these menus for fun, or decide to throw an impromptu party, we hope these pages inspire you to roll up your sleeves, preheat the oven, and pull out those pots and pans. No matter how great our ever-expanding food scene, there’s still nothing like a meal that’s cooked in your own kitchen.

Jane Marion
Managing Editor

Cindy Wolf

Co-Owner, chef / Charleston

Cindy Wolf fell hard for the four-bedroom ranch-style home on a picturesque 15-acre parcel of land in Sparks. It had a long allée of trees and rolling farmland reminiscent of the French countryside. When she moved in last October, the James-Beard-Award-nominated chef and co-owner of Charleston and five other restaurants welcomed the opportunity to renovate the kitchen and realize her design dreams. With a set of copper pots swinging from a wrought-iron pot rack on the ceiling, a stainless steel La Cornue range with copper fittings, and an industrial sink good for both gardening and washing her French porcelain plates, the kitchen is what Wolf desired for decades. “I wanted this to be as much like work as possible,” explains Wolf. “In fact, I’ve always wanted for all my kitchens to be that way, but this is the first one that really is. There are no cabinets at all and everything is very open, with plenty of workspace.”

Even when she’s not at work, Wolf is most content cooking for others and throwing dinner parties. “I’ve always cooked pretty similarly at home as the restaurant,” she says, “but it’s very different cooking for four people than between 60 and 150. That means I can do a whole chicken—I’m not serving portion by portion. I’m cooking for one group and no one after that—and that’s what I love.”

Another dream come true? Wolf built vegetable and herb gardens filled with squash, tomatoes, tarragon, and more. “As a chef, I’ve always dreamed of having gardens on the property,” she says. “To have a farm and a small garden to pick from and have that inspiration each day as I do a daily menu is incredible.”

She-Crab Soup

INGREDIENTS
1 ¼ cups crab stock
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ Spanish or Vidalia onion, small dice
2 shallots, small dice
1 rib celery, small dice
1 carrot, small dice
6 tablespoons flour
3 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch freshly ground nutmeg
½ cup Manzanilla sherry
Kosher salt to taste
4 ounces jumbo lump picked crab meat (traditionally using female crabs, prized for their flavor)
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

INSTRUCTIONS
In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup stock to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. In a large, heavy soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and shallots and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and sauté 1 minute. Sprinkle in flour and stir the flour-butter mixture until it turns a light golden brown (this is called a blond roux), about 4 minutes. Whisk in the reduced stock, cream, tomato paste, both types of pepper, and the nutmeg. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the soup is thick and has lost any floury taste, about 30 minutes. Add sherry (you needn’t use it all——just as much as you like). If soup is too thick, thin with a little of the remaining stock. Salt to taste. To serve, spoon 1 ounce crabmeat into each of 4 bowls. Pour in hot soup. Scatter with chives.

Scrambled Eggs

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 large fresh eggs
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon grated Gruyère

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a stainless steel sauté pan on high, then turn down to low before adding butter. Whisk eggs with salt and pepper, then pour into pan, moving and shaking the pan the entire time and using a fork to help break up the curd. Just before eggs are cooked through, add cream and Gruyère. Spoon onto plate. Eat right away, preferably with brioche toast.

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Goat Cheese & Mâche Salad

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 round slices cut from a baguette, each ½-inch-thick
2 tablespoons high-quality red-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon creamy Dijon mustard, preferably Maille
½ cup high-quality, extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 bunches of mâche (aka lamb’s leaf lettuce) washed and dried
1 head radicchio, leaves stacked and sliced
1 head frisée, tough leaves and stems discarded, tender leaves washed and dried ½ cup Vermont goat cheese, crumbled
¼ cup (total) coarsely chopped fresh basil, mint, tarragon, and chervil

INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the bread and toast golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. To make dressing, in a small bowl whisk together vinegar and mustard. Drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Toss all the greens with dressing. (You may not need all the dressing.) Divide salad onto 4 plates. Scatter each with goat cheese and 1 tablespoon herbs. Set 2 toasts on each plate.

Linwood Dame

Co-Owner, chef / Linwood’s

Linwood Dame is a big believer in practice makes perfect. “One of the golden rules when it comes to entertaining is to practice the dish before you serve it to a crowd,” says Dame. “Don’t try something new when you’re having a dinner party.”

When he’s not working at his fine-dining restaurant in Owings Mills, Linwood is fond of throwing gatherings in his Cockeysville home—though his dining directive is to keep things easy. “When we entertain, it’s never over-the-top,” he says. “It’s always about simplicity. The product is always good, but I don’t want to spend a ton of time in the kitchen.”

Dame’s dinner party menu was inspired by a spontaneous get-together he had while on a vacation visit to his Nantucket cottage last summer. “We were out that day and ran into some people,” he recalls. “And I said, ‘Hey, what are you doing tonight? Come on over, let’s have dinner.’ But by the time I was done inviting a few couples, I was like, ‘Oh boy, now I have to whip up dinner on the fly. And I only have a few hours to shop, prep, and cook.’

So I whipped up this whole meal in two hours, and although I have a recipe for lemon pound cake here, I bought a pound cake from the farm bakery that looked pretty good, sliced it, buttered it, toasted it under the broiler, and served it with warm berries and ice cream.”

Citrus Chicken

INGREDIENTS
6 skin-on boneless chicken breasts (½- to ¾-inch thick)

3 lemons

2 oranges

½ cup olive oil

5 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes

Sweet and savory grapes (recipe below)

FOR GRAPES2 tablespoons mustard seed

1 cup white-wine vinegar
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
2 tablespoons ground chipotle chili pepper
½ pound green (or green and red) seedless grapes

INSTRUCTIONS

Place 1 chicken breast on a cutting board. Cover with plastic wrap. Use a kitchen mallet to pound to an even thickness. Repeat with remaining chicken. Zest and juice lemons and oranges. Choose a wide pan (such as a 13-x-9-inch baking pan) to marinate chicken. Alternatively, you can pour marinade into 2 gallon sized zip-top bags.

Combine oil, red pepper flakes, both kinds of zest and both kinds of juice. Add chicken. Cover (or zip) and chill. Let marinate 1 to 5 hours, turning chicken (or bag) once. Heat grill to medium-hot. Grill chicken over direct heat, skin-side down, until skin is crispy, about 6 minutes. Flip and cook over indirect heat until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 8 minutes. Garnish with grapes.

For grapes: Add mustard seed to a medium saucepan. Set over medium heat and toast, shaking pan now and then, until darkened and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except grapes. Bring to a boil. Stir until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Let this pickling brine cool. Cut grapes in half and add to the brine. Let rest 30 minutes to 3 hours. Drain. Discard brine. Garnish citrus chicken with grapes before serving.

Potato Tart

INGREDIENTS
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
3 Idaho potatoes, peeled
Salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
Stir together butter and thyme. Brush a little across the bottom and sides of a 9- or 10-inch round Pyrex pie plate. Using a mandoline or food processor fitted with a slicing disc, slice potatoes thinly (¼-inch thick).

Fan out potato slices, overlapping just a little, across the bottom of the pie plate in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush with thyme butter. Repeat, building layers of seasoned potatoes and butter, using all the potatoes, and finishing with the butter. Cover with plastic wrap. Place another pie plate on top to press layers together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Lift off top plate and plastic. Bake 375 degrees for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out easily.

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Lemon Pound Cake

INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE
½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup vegetable oil
1½ cups sugar
3 eggs
1½ cups flour
½ cup milk
2 lemons, zested and juiced

FOR LEMON GLAZE
½ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup water

FOR FRESH FRUIT SYRUP
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
5 ounces fresh raspberries
1 pint blueberries (or plums, strawberries, or just about any summer fruit)

INSTRUCTIONS
For cake: Butter a 9-inch loaf pan. Line with parchment paper, leaving some overhang. Set aside. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or standard mixer), beat butter until soft and fluffy. Gradually pour in oil, beating until blended. Add sugar and continue beating, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down sides of bowl. Add flour to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Add zest and juice, beating until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 300 degrees in convection oven for 25 minutes (325 for a standard oven). Reduce temperature to 275 (300 for a standard oven) and continue baking until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 more minutes. Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes. Pull cake out of pan (use the parchment overhang as handles). Set on rack.

For lemon glaze: Combine glaze ingredients, stirring until sugar dissolves. Brush glaze over top and sides of the loaf. Cool.

For fruit syrup: Bring sugar and water to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in fruit. Set aside.

Donna Crivello

Concept Director, Cosima / Former chef and co-owner, Donna’s

Though there are chefs who prefer to go it alone when entertaining at home, Donna Crivello loves company in the kitchen. Her “more-the-merrier” philosophy stems not only from her Sicilian roots (making large batches of ravioli and cannoli was a family affair), but from teaching cooking classes throughout her 25-year career. “It’s always good to have an extra hand to stir or ladle something in, and, for me, it really enhances the experience,” says Crivello, the concept director at Cosima who ran the beloved Donna’s Cafe in Cross Keys for 19 years before it closed in 2018. “Especially if you’re around people you don’t get to see often, it’s great to chat about the food and share stories together.”

One of Crivello’s favorite stories is the tale behind her saffron risotto, a recipe inspired by many trips to Venice with her husband, Peter. “That’s where I really got the risotto down,” she says. “It’s a great foundation for vegetables and seafood, and I love the idea of transforming it from such a basic stage. It’s just a little bag of raw rice, but once you add stock and saffron it changes color and volume. I love how it’s transformed into a rich, creamy dish.”

Whether preparing for dinner service at the restaurants or hosting a get-together at home, Crivello says that the key to success is staying organized. “When I’m cooking at home for family, it’s definitely a different pace, but I still have a lot of that same energy.”

Roasted Pear and Gorgonzola Salad

INGREDIENTS
Canola oil
3 firm pears
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
3 cups greens (a mix of baby kale, arugula, and spinach)
Apple-cider vinaigrette (recipe follows)
6 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
¼ cup toasted (or candied) walnuts or pecans
2 tablespoons dried cherries or cranberries

FOR APPLE-CIDER VINAIGRETTE
6 tablespoons light olive oil
3 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey

INSTRUCTIONS
Lightly oil a sheet pan. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Halve the pears the long way, but leave core, seeds, and stem intact. Sprinkle cut sides of fruit with cinnamon and allspice. Place pears, cut side down, on the prepared pan. Bake until just tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool. Use a small scoop or teaspoon to carve out (and discard) core and seeds. Toss greens with vinaigrette. (You may not need all the vinaigrette.)

Divide greens on to 6 salad plates. Return pears to pan, cut side up. Crumble Gorgonzola on to pears. Set pan under broiler just until cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Set 1 pear on each salad plate. Sprinkle the pears and greens with the nuts and dried fruit. For vinaigrette: Place all ingredients in a jar. Seal tightly. Shake.

Saffron Risotto

INGREDIENTS
8 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
1 small stalk leek, washed, dried, and thinly sliced
2 cups Arborio rice
¼ teaspoon crumbled saffron
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup fresh peas (or substitute diced zucchini, diagonally cut asparagus, or cooked and sliced artichoke hearts)
⅔ cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
¼ cup chopped fresh basil

INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare broth (if making your own). Pour finished broth into a saucepan and keep hot over low heat. Pour the oil into a wide skillet with high sides. Set over medium high heat. Add the 3 tablespoons butter. When the butter begins to bubble, add the onion and leek. Cook until just tender, about 8 minutes. Turn down heat under skillet to medium. Add rice and stir to coat. Add saffron and wine. Stir until rice absorbs all the liquid, about 5 minutes. Ladle about ½ cup hot broth into rice.

Stir until rice has absorbed the liquid. Keep adding broth, ½ cup at a time, and stirring until it has been absorbed, until rice is nearly done, about 20 to 25 minutes (taste to check). Add the peas, stir until just cooked, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes. Add more broth if needed. Stir until everything is hot. Stir in the cheese, butter cubes, and basil.

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Panna Cotta

INGREDIENTS
Pan coating spray
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
3 cups heavy cream
⅓ cup plus 4 tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries)
1 tablespoon Sicilian Moscato Passito wine
Optional: 6 mint leaves, ground vanilla bean (or seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean)

INSTRUCTIONS
Spray 6 ramekins with pan coating. Set on sheet pan. In a saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand 1 minute to soften. Heat over low heat until gelatin has dissolved. Remove pan from heat. In large saucepan set over medium heat, bring cream and ⅓ cup sugar just to a boil. Remove pan from heat. Stir in gelatin mixture and vanilla. Pour into ramekins.

Let panna cottas cool to room temperature. Press some plastic wrap against each panna cotta. Refrigerate 4 to 24 hours. One hour before serving, prepare fruit: Leave raspberries and blueberries whole. Hull and slice strawberries. Toss all fruit with 2 tablespoons sugar and the wine. Cover. Let rest.

To unmold panna cottas, dip ramekins, 1 at a time, into bowl of warm water for 3 seconds. Run a thin knife around edge of each ramekin. Cover ramekin with a plate and, holding tightly together, invert—dropping panna cotta neatly on to plate. Stir fruit and juices. Scoop fruit on to each plate. Scoop remaining two tablespoons of sugar into a sieve and tapping on the side of the sieve, sprinkle sugar on to fruit. Garnish each plate with a mint leaf and vanilla seeds, if you like.

Michel Tersiguel

Owner, chef / Tersiguel’s French Country Restaurant

Just before dinnertime at his Ellicott City home, Michel Tersiguel takes a blowtorch to a hulled-out pineapple filled with peaks of meringue. “This was the first dish I ever made when I was 12 years old,” recalls Tersiguel, executive chef and second-generation-owner of Tersiguel’s French Country Restaurant in Ellicott City—which recently reopened after sustaining damage in the historic flood that devastated Main Street last July.

The Culinary Institute of America grad was introduced to
the pineapple dessert on a childhood trip to his parents’ native Brittany, France. “I remember coming home and making it on the third floor of my parents’ restaurant for my father to sell to special tables,” he recalls. “We had a tiny, old-fashioned oven up there and a little hand mixer, and we had to bake it because, back then, there were no blowtorches. But I just remember it being such a proud moment.”

Though he once dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player, ultimately the pull of the family business was too strong. For Tersiguel, whether cooking at the restaurant or whipping up a meal for wife Angie and their two young sons, food is all about the memories that it evokes. “Cooking is such a large part of us all,” he says. “It was always a connection that I had with my parents, getting stuff from the garden and cooking at home with them. And I love serving dishes that bring people back to that happy place from when they were younger. It’s what I like to call ‘the Ratatouille moment.’ It’s very emotional.”

Beet Soup

INGREDIENTS
6 large beets
¼ cup mild cooking oil (olive or canola)
1 stalk celery, medium dice
½ leek, white part only, medium dice
½ cup diced yellow onions
½ cup carrots, medium dice
4 cups vegetable broth (homemade or purchased)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar (or fresh lemon juice)
4 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper
Optional garnishes: cucumber, seeds discarded, finely diced; goat cheese, crumbled
INSTRUCTIONS
Scrub beets. Trim away all but 1 inch of stems. Leave roots intact. Place beets in large pot. Fill with cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook until beets are tender when poked with a knife, about 45 minutes. Allow beets to cool in water, then peel and dice. Heat cooking oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced celery, leek, onion, and carrot. Cook until onion looks transparent, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Add diced beets and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Use a stick blender to purée the soup smooth (or let soup cool, then use standard blender). Strain soup through a large-holed sieve. Allow soup to cool to room temperature, then cover and chill. To finish, stir in extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, leave soup cold or reheat over low heat. Ladle into bowls. Garnish.

Halibut with Oven-Dried Grapes

INGREDIENTS
4 6-ounce halibut fillets, about 2 inches thick, bones and skins removed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
¼ cup whole almonds, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons verjus (or Champagne vinegar or lemon juice)
¼ cup vegetable broth (homemade or store-bought)
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
28 oven-dried grapes (recipe below)

FOR OVEN-DRIED GRAPES
28 red seedless grapes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Pat fillets dry and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Choose an oven-safe sauté pan big enough to hold fillets in single layer with at least ½ inch space between them. You may need 2 pans. Heat pan(s) over high heat. Add enough olive oil (about 1 tablespoon per pan) to slick bottom. Place halibut in pan(s), flesh side down. Brown for 2 minutes on flesh side only. Move pan to oven and roast until fish is just done, about 10 minutes. Remove pan(s) from oven. Cover the pan(s) loosely with foil to keep fish warm while preparing sauce. Place butter in a sauté pan, melt over medium heat. Add shallots. Cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. As shallots cook, butter should brown. Add almonds and thyme. Thyme should “pop” in the pan. Carefully add verjus, scraping pan and then add vegetable broth. Bring to boil. Add parsley and grapes. Remove from heat. Lift fish onto plates, turning brown side up. Ladle sauce on fish. Serve immediately.

For oven-dried grapes: Heat oven to 200 degrees. Toss grapes with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Spread grapes on rimmed sheet pan and bake until shriveled, checking every hour. It can take up to 4 hours.

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Pineapple Surprise

INGREDIENTS
1 whole fresh ripe pineapple
1 tablespoon kirsch
1 quart vanilla ice cream (or blackberry sorbet)
6 egg whites
1 pinch cream of tartar (optional)
6 tablespoons sugar

INSTRUCTIONS
Halve the pineapple the long way, leaving the stem attached. Using a melon baller, carve out the tough core and discard. Carve out the pineapple flesh, reserving it in a bowl. Now you’ve got 2 hollow pineapple boats and a bowl of pineapple flesh. Toss kirsch with pineapple flesh and set aside. Set pineapple boats on a sheet pan. Fill each with 3 scoops of ice cream. Spoon pineapple flesh over ice cream. Freeze filled boats at least 30 minutes. To make meringue, set egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add cream of tartar, if using. (It helps the meringue keep its shape.) Whip with the whisk attachment to soft peaks. Slowly add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue whipping until meringue forms sturdy peaks.

Use a soft spatula to pile the meringue into a pastry bag (if you’ve got one) or a gallonsized zip-top plastic bag. Snip 1 corner of plastic bag. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove pineapple boats from freezer. (If you took them off sheet pan to freeze, put them back on sheet pan.) Pipe meringue to cover the surface of pineapple. Set the pan in the oven and let the meringue turn golden brown (or use blowtorch to brown, if you have one on hand), about 5 minutes.

Zack Mills

Executive chef / True Chesapeake Oyster Co.

When Zack Mills landed the executive chef gig at Wit & Wisdom in 2013, he and his wife, Alexandra, ditched their D.C. digs and started house hunting in Maryland. Mill’s only requirement: a gas stove. “I can’t cook on electric,” he says with a laugh. “If I walked into a house and saw an electric stove, I just turned around and walked out.”

In addition to a gas stove, his Annapolis kitchen is equipped with all of the essentials, including blenders, food processors, scales, and an impressive collection of cookbooks penned by the likes of the late Michel Richard and his mentor, Michael Mina. “Our house is very food-centric and it always will be,” says Mills, who also shares his space with his Boston Terrier, Pickles. “Whenever I get ideas in my head, if I can’t wait to work on them at the restaurant, I like to play around at home. I have to make sure that I have enough tools so I can almost treat it like a commercial kitchen.”

Mills’s love of experimentation comes in handy when it’s his turn to prepare Sunday dinner, a family tradition that has stuck since childhood. “All family gatherings revolved around food, so as far back as I can remember, the two things have always gone hand in hand,” he says. “I remember my grandmother used to say, ‘If you don’t have an appetite, you must not be happy.’” Though choosing one menu to satisfy upward of 14 people can be tricky, Mills says that these dishes are definite crowd-pleasers. “There has to be an hors d’oeuvre, that’s just a thing in my house,” he says. “The soup is as traditional as it gets, and the braised pork pasta is a really comforting, easy, one-pot thing.”

Cream of Crab Soup

INGREDIENTS
½ cup butter (1 stick) butter
¾ cup flour, sifted
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup sherry, plus a bit extra for the side
1 pound picked crab meat
1 ½ tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
2 teaspoons salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Melt butter in a large saucepan set over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in flour, whisking constantly, to a thick paste, called a roux. Switch to a wooden spoon. Cook roux, stirring constantly, until it gives off a nutty fragrance, about 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk and heavy cream until smooth and thick. Simmer for about 15 minutes (more if you like your soup thicker). Add sherry, crab meat, Old Bay, and salt. Cook until crab is warmed and flavors meld, about 5 minutes. Serve with extra sherry on the side

Smoked Salmon Crostini

INGREDIENTS
1 red onion, thinly shaved
6 slices crusty country bread, ¼-inch-thick
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup crème fraîche
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
½ pound smoked salmon
¼ cup capers, drained and patted dry
1 bunch dill sprigs
3 tablespoons salmon roe

INSTRUCTIONS
Cover onion slices with ice water. Let soak 30 minutes. Drain. Pat dry. Brush each bread slice with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill bread directly over a medium-hot fire (or under the boiler) until grill marks (or a nice golden brown) appear, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Let cool to room temperature. Whisk together crème fraîche, juice, and zest. Spread each slice of grilled and cooled bread with lemon crème fraîche. Top with (in order): smoked salmon, capers, dill sprigs, red onion, and salmon roe.

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Pappardelle & Braised Pork

INGREDIENTS
1 pound boneless pork shoulder cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
¼ cup finely chopped carrots
¼ cup finely chopped celery
¼ cup finely chopped fennel
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
¾ cup red wine
1 14-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig oregano
1 bay leaf
5 tablespoons butter, divided
¼ pound assorted wild mushrooms
1 bunch lacinato “dinosaur” kale, stems removed, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
1 pound pappardelle pasta
½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus about 6 tablespoons for serving

INSTRUCTIONS
Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat ½ cup canola oil in a Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Add pork cubes and sear on all sides until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Reduce heat under pot to medium. Add onion, carrots, celery, fennel. Season with salt and pepper and cook until vegetables begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook, 1 minute. Deglaze pot with wine, scraping up browned bits. Add tomatoes (along with their juices) and crush with a spoon.

Add pork back to pot. Wrap rosemary, oregano, and bay leaf in cheesecloth, tie with twine and add to pot. Add enough water to just cover pork and bring to a simmer. Place a lid on pot and place pot in a 375-degree oven. Cook until meat is falling apart, about 2 hours. Remove from oven, remove lid, and place back on stove over medium heat. Using a spoon, break up pork until a thick ragu sauce forms. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in sauté pan set over medium heat. Add mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and cook mushrooms until they are golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Add mushrooms to the pork ragu. Add kale to the ragu. Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Drop in pasta and cook until al dente. Scoop out 1 cup pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain pasta and add to ragu. Add some cooking water, if needed. Add remaining 4 tablespoons butter, chopped herbs, and ¾ cup Parmesan cheese. Scoop pasta into serving bowls. Sprinkle with additional cheese.

Illustration by Danielle Dernoga

Whether preparing a dinner for two, or a holiday feast for the masses, it’s important to have a carefully curated cupboard. To find out which ingredients are absolutely essential, we turned to chef Jerry Pellegrino, co-owner of Schola cooking school in Mount Vernon. “A smartly stocked pantry allows you the ability to whip up meals without much planning on any given night, add some excitement to standard recipes, or just make a quick snack in between meals,” says Pellegrino. Salt and pepper aside, here are the items that no home cook should go without.

Spice Blend

“Choose one depending on what you like or try a new one each month,” says Pellegrino. “But whether it’s herbes de Provence, garam masala, Creole Seasoning, or Italian herbs, having one of these in the cupboard allows you to add instant excitement to any dish.”

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Garlic and Onion Powder

“So many dishes start out with onions and garlic,” says Pellegrino, “but keeping the fresh ones around can be a challenge. Although not as good, these two powders get you pretty close to the real thing.”

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Honey

“Vinaigrettes, stocks, soups, stews—they all can benefit from a little sweetness to balance them out,” says Pellegrino. “You could just keep sugar on hand, but honey provides an added complexity to foods. And since it is the only natural product that never goes bad, it’s perfect for the pantry.”

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Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

“We pour this on everything,” says Pellegrino. “Although it’s not the ideal oil to cook with, buying a price-conscious brand like our local Pompeian makes you feel good about it. Drizzle it on bread, cheeses, and salads, or sauté anything to make a quick meal.”

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Dried Pasta

“One big and one small shape—pasta is the perfect foil for anything you have left in the fridge; chop it up, sauté it, and toss with cooked pasta—easy meal,” says Pellegrino. “For the big version, we prefer bucatini or penne. For the little version, it is hard to beat the delicious taste and texture of Israeli couscous.”

Yellow Cornmeal

“Maybe you’re not in the mood for pasta but need to get rid of leftovers,” says Pellegrino. “Making polenta can fix that. But cornmeal has other uses. Make a batch of skillet cornbread, [or make a] cornmeal crust and fry anything from oysters to onion rings.”

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Balsamic Vinegar

“Vinegars are good to have on hand, but balsamic is king,” says Pellegrino. “It adds dimension to sauces, makes the perfect vinaigrette, and can be reduced to a syrup served with fruit and whipped cream.”

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Canned Fish

“Use these in a pinch to add protein to salad or pasta, puréed to make dip, or mix with simple ingredients for a sandwich,” says Pellegrino. “There’s tuna, King Oscar sardines, Double ‘Q’ wild caught Alaskan salmon, and Trader Joe’s has a great proprietary smoked canned trout.”

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Dijon Mustard

“Dijon’s acidic, sharp taste adds great flavor,” says Pellegrino. “Start with honey and Dijon mustard vinaigrette, then move onto using it to glaze hams, add it to pan sauces, mix it into potato dishes, and rub it on lamb as the ‘glue’ to hold on an herb crust.”

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Your Favorite Hot Sauce

“Whether it’s Tabasco or Sriracha or Louisiana, there’s always the need to provide heat to certain dishes,” says Pellegrino. “They also provide heat to sauces where pepper just won’t work; hollandaise, cheese sauces, béchamel. We also stir them with mashed potatoes and add them to marinades.”

Several years back, when Seton Rossini was working as an associate design director at Food & Wine, she started a blog, Pixel Whisk, chronicling her adventures in baking. Then, one day, out of the blue, prestige publisher W.W. Norton came calling.

“One of the editors said to me, ‘I love your blog,’” recounts the Annapolis resident. “‘What do you want to write for us?’”

The result is Sweet Envy: Deceptively Easy Desserts, Designed to Steal the Show, Rossini’s love letter to sugary stuff, from Limoncello Tarts to Irish Cream Marshmallows. Her dedication to desserts started early on.

“I come from a family of five,” explains Rossini, who wrote, designed, photographed, and illustrated the book. “My mom made a hot meal every night, but she wasn’t into sweets.”

Her mother, did, however, give her daughter free rein in the kitchen. “I would bake anything I wanted, whenever I wanted,” Rossini recalls.

And while the Parsons School of Design grad’s creations might look difficult to duplicate, baking neophytes should give it a go.

“These recipes do not require double boilers or candy thermometers,” she explains. “I’ve tried to make the techniques as simple as possible. You should never spend an entire day slaving away in the kitchen. Most of these recipes are the fastest possible route to the most beautiful desserts.”

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Tips & Tricks

Follow Rossini’s simple tips for confectionary conquest.

1. Ugly cake still tastes great: “This tip came from celebrating my mother’s birthday,” says Rossini. “She spent forever making the cake and it fell on its way to the table. She scraped it off the ground, cut away the part that touched the floor, then cut it into slices and used more icing before serving. Each person was served an individual slice. No one ever knew. People only saw a pretty slice on the plate.”

2. Measure for measure: “Liquid measuring cups are different than dry measuring cups,” says Rossini. “Know the difference. It will make a big difference in the success of your project.”

3. You can’t sew a silk purse . . . “The most important thing in baking is using good ingredients,” says Rossini, “especially full-fat butter. The fewer ingredients, the more important it is that they are high-quality.”

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Recipe: Rocky Road Cookies

These flourless, gluten-free goodies can be concocted in 10 (or less) minutes. “They have very few ingredients and they’re easy and delicious,” Rossini says.

• 2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 3 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
• ¾ cup chopped walnuts
• 6 large marshmallows, cut in half with kitchen scissors

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with liners or parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk or sift together the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, salt, and espresso powder. Mix in the egg whites and vanilla until smooth and no lumps remain. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts, stirring until fully incorporated and dough is gooey. Use a cookie scoop to drop round balls of dough on the baking sheets. Leave about 2 inches between cookies. Press a marshmallow half firmly into the top of each dough ball. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the marshmallows are nice and toasty on top. The cookies will look shiny and cracked. Cool slightly before eating. Makes one dozen cookies.

Photos from Sweet Envy: Deceptively Easy Desserts, Designed to Steal the Show by Seton Rossini. Copyright © 2015 by Seton Rossini. Reprinted by permission of W.W. Norton & Company.

Long before he became famous for his sculptural specialties on the Food Network’s Ace of Cakes, Duff Goldman made muffins and baked biscuits at Cindy Wolf’s Savannah in Fells Point. And though the celebrity chef had only fast-food experience at the time, he credits Wolf—now one-half of Foreman Wolf—as the person who helped him break into baking.

“I didn’t even know what a pastry chef was,” Goldman says. “Thanks to Cindy, I started to understand baking fundamentals.” Clearly, Goldman was a star student. These days, he runs a bicoastal bakery business in Baltimore and Los Angeles and has appeared on the Food Network’s Duff Till Dawn. In addition to designing the cake for Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux’s wedding, his latest project is Duff Bakes: Think and Bake Like a Pro at Home. Recently, we caught up with Goldman to talk about the art of baking—and graffiti.

What was your goal in writing this book?
Most cookbooks have big, beautiful pictures that intimidate and scare people. But you don’t have to be so serious when you bake. The book is full of science and technique fundamentals, but it’s also very funny. I really want people to read this book. I wanted to write it in a way that it wouldn’t be over anyone’s head. Baking is viewed as this mysterious alchemy that only the fortunate few can do, but that’s not true.

What appeals to you about baking?
I’m obviously artistic and think mathematically, too. I minored in philosophy [at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County] and am very introspective. I enjoy the thought process that goes into baking and all the things that you have to consider like temperature, altitude, the brand of the oven . . .

What’s your advice to someone who wants to go pro?
Anyone who wants to be a chef should work at McDonald’s. It teaches you consistency. Every burger has to be exactly the same every time.

What do you make of your success?
I was a graffiti artist at 13. I was breaking into train yards, spray-painting in subway tunnels, and climbing buildings to get that one spot that people would see from the street. Because I conquered a lot of fear when I was so young, that fearlessness stuck with me. When I was first put on camera for the Food Network, I wasn’t afraid to look stupid.

You dedicated your book to chef Cindy Wolf. Why?
She changed my life. If I hadn’t met her, who knows where I’d be right now? Cindy is 100 percent directly responsible for my success, though I don’t think she’d want me in her kitchen now.

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Recipe: Duff’s Cornbread

My first fine-dining job was working for Chef Cindy Wolf in Baltimore. She took a chance on me when I really didn’t know how to cook, like, at all. She made me bake the cornbread for the restaurant, and it taught me that no matter what you’re doing, do it the best you can. She’ll tell you that I made the best damn cornbread in the state. This is my adaptation of Chef Cindy Wolf’s recipe, but to be honest, every time I open the oven, I’m doing something that Cindy taught me how to do.

Bake these as soon as they’re mixed, because the acid in the buttermilk will set off the baking soda and you want to get the most lift out of your leavening agent. And make your mouth happy and serve with homemade honey butter—roughly a 2:1 ratio of butter to honey, whipped until soft and awesome. —Duff

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Big pinch of kosher salt
• 2 extra-large eggs plus
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or cake pan, or a 12-cup muffin tin.
2. In a big bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and buttermilk to a uniform color.
4. Quickly but gently fold the liquid mixture into the dry mixture. It should be a loose batter, not a dough. If not, add some more buttermilk or even some cream, but just a tad; these ratios are right.
5. Pour the batter into the pan or divide it among muffin cups and bake for about 22 minutes (15 to 18 minutes for muffins), or until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out somewhat clean. Let cool for 7 minutes, then turn them out upside-down so they develop a nice thin crust on the baked edge.

From Duff Bakes by Duff Goldman and Sara Gonzales. Copyright © 2015 by Duff Goldman. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.