​The Flavor Brief​

A weekly letter about food, science, and why things taste the way they do

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Hi Reader,

I learned two things over the holiday weekend.

First, Ojai is absolutely worth the hour-and-a-half drive from Los Angeles. We escaped for a few days, slowed down, ate well, and came home feeling refreshed. I'll share my favorite spots and a new recipe inspired by the trip—in next week's newsletter.

Second, never blindly reach into a garden bed.

While clearing away dead annuals, I came within inches of grabbing a snake hiding beneath the plants. Thankfully, it was a young racer snake. It calmly emerged, stared me down for a moment, and then carried on with its day. I, on the other hand, needed a few minutes for my heart rate to recover.

One thing I love about quieter weeks is that they leave room for curiosity. I found myself reading about racer snakes after our encounter (they're surprisingly beneficial in the garden and have excellent vision), and it reminded me how often cooking starts the same way: with a simple question that leads down an unexpectedly fascinating rabbit hole.

That curiosity also sent me back to another subject I'd been missing for years: calculus. I've been reading a wonderful book about it lately, and I share it at the end of today's newsletter if you're looking for something completely different.

FUNDAMENTALS OF FLAVOR MAKES PUBLISHERS WEEKLY TOP 10

I was thrilled to learn that Fundamentals of Flavor was named one of Publishers Weekly's Top 10 Fall Cookbooks. Recognition like this matters long before a book reaches shelves, so if you've been thinking about preordering, this is a wonderful way to support the book. Preorder Now →

On screen this week

In The Test Kitchen In this episode, I go full cowboy (literally) and try out three new ways to cook this iconic classic. Watch now on Netflix →

THE RECIPEs

Summer has me craving simple recipes built around the season's best produce.

PEACH, CARDAMOM, AND SAFFRON CAKE Summer’s juiciest bright peaches are layered on top of a fragrant cake batter made with saffron and green cardamom. The cake is then painted with a rich layer of peach jam to give it a shiny glaze, boost that peach flavor, and lock in the moisture in those fresh peaches. Get the recipe →

BAKED EGGS WITH SHICHIMI TOGARASHI AND KIMCHI Crispy sesame-scented potatoes, tangy kimchi, jammy baked eggs, and a shower of shichimi togarashi make this the kind of brunch you'll crave long after the last bite. It's surprisingly simple to make but tastes like something you'd order at your favorite café. Get the recipe →

What I'm READING

As much as I loved calculus in college, I never really applied it to everyday life outside the lab. So I started wondering: was I actually using it without realizing? That question led me to Infinite Powers by Steven Strogatz (Amazon | Booksho), and it might be the best book I've read on the subject; clear, funny, and surprisingly approachable. I only wish I'd had a book like this when I was a student.

Thanks for reading, I hope something here makes it into your kitchen this week.