Three Things

Two easy sheet-pan dinners, an egg trick, a killer coffee subscription

Greetings friends! Hope you all had a nice weekend. We watched a lot of soccer and had dinner out with friends (at this UWS institution) outside, under heat lamps, separated from other tables by plexiglass. It was the first time in over a year and I think I’ll be on a high from it all week. Here are your Three Things…

1. Sheet Pan Dinners

Without fail, every time I post a photo of something roasted on one of my caked-up, I mean, patina’d sheet pans, someone will comment “I love how ‘real’ you are.” (Either that or “Get that girl some Bar Keeper’s Friend.”) I guess not being super thorough with a scouring sponge is a sign of being down-to-earth, so I’ll take it, but my college friend Jenn and I have a theory: The more horrifying your sheet pan looks, the better a cook you are. I speak for both of us when I say we will take no follow-up questions.

I bring this up because sheet pans seem to be having a moment right now. My instagram feed is flooded with one-pan dinners, and last week there was a story in the Times about how it was Martha Stewart who popularized the sheets as household workhorses, teaching millions of people what caterers and restaurant workers had long known: how indispensable they can be, not just for one-pan dinners, but for general organizing and transferring. (Above: Controlling the controllable, my soufflé mise en place sits on a half sheet.) All this to say, I thought now was as good a time as any to showcase two of the sheet pan meals I make the most frequently in my house: This Roast Chicken with Carrots, a mash-up of a Diana Henry recipe and my mom’s old mustard chicken, and the following salmon dinner, so easy it should be illegal:

Salmon and Brussels Sprouts with Ginger-Scallion Sauce
Serves 4

4 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 pound salmon filet, sliced into 4 pieces
Ginger-scallion sauce (below)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place sprouts on a foil-lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast for 10 minutes, tossing half way through. While it roasts, make ginger-scallion sauce. Turn heat to 450°F. Nestle salmon filets among the sprouts, brush with a little more oil, and roast another 10 minutes until salmon pieces are golden and firm to the touch with out being rock hard. Serve salmon and Brussels sprouts drizzled with sauce.

Ginger Scallion Sauce (adapted from the Momofuku cookbook)
Combine the following in a small bowl: 1 large bunch scallions (light green and white parts), chopped; 1 tablespoon finely minced peeled fresh ginger; 2 tablespoons oil (preferably neutral like canola or grapeseed); 1 tablespoon soy sauce; a drop or two of fish sauce (optional); 2 tablespoons sherry or rice wine vinegar; a little chopped mint, a drop or two of hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

2. Egg Shell Trick

I don’t know about you, but I was well into my thirties before I found out that you can easily remove a wayward shell shard from your cracked egg by scooping it with the half shell itself. It’s a fine line between absurd and genius, I know. You’re welcome!

3. A Coffee Subscription

As I’ve mentioned multiples times: This pandemic has kicked our morning coffee routine into high gear. Or, maybe I should say, it’s kicked Andy’s routine into high gear. The last thing I would ever call my husband is a gadget guy, but in addition to our pour-over apparatus, he has now ordered two milk frothers (the first wasn’t cutting it), then a Buick-sized burr grinder, after I made the mistake of grinding some cloves and cardamom in our compact little Krups. (Whoops!) And don’t get me started on the mugs. He seems forever in search of one that is the right size (large) and possesses the right lip (thin) and width (needs to work with ceramic coffee dripper). I don’t begrudge him any of this because that first cup, as he’s fond of saying…“It’s the best part of the day.” I agree, especially if it’s post-workout, post-shower when one good cup can make you feel like some sort of superhero. This is a long way of saying that this past Christmas felt like the right year to gift him a subscription to Yonder Coffee, the company that partners with roasters around the world, and sends you a different, very special bag of fresh, whole, single origin beans every month. So far we’ve gotten coffee from Australia and (my favorite) from Mame in Zurich. (That packaging!) You can choose any length of time (ours is six months) or purchase by the bag, but the fun of it is in the surprise delivery. Here’s where you can find out more.

Housekeeping!

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Also: I wanted to remind you that every recipe you read about in this newsletter lives permanently in my searchable archive. Or, if you can’t find a recipe, feel free to get in touch: Jenny AT dinneralovestory DOT com. You can also find me on instagram.

Thank you, as always, for your support.

See you in a few days!

Jenny