Amanda Interviews Noah, Our Newest Addition to the Test Kitchen

Welcome to the latest edition of Food52 Founder Amanda Hesser’s weekly newsletter, Hey There, It’s Amanda, packed with food, travel, and shopping tips, Food52 doings, and other matters that catch her eye. Get inspired—sign up here for her emails.

---

Happy mid-holidays!

I’m on my way to Whistler to go skiing. If any of you are there over the next week, let me know and we can plan a hot chocolate meet-up in the lodge. I’m at [email protected].

Also, if you haven’t yet had Host & Toast, the non-alcoholic beer we created with Athletic Brewing (pictured above), order some now before Dry January begins! I’m biased, of course, but I drink a lot of NA beer, and this one is bright and luscious and just extremely lovable. I love it, and I bet you’ll love it, too!

That I can start a kitchen fire if I’m not paying attention.

That I know how to put out a kitchen fire.

How to use a steamer. I love my steamer!

Finding out who’s behind the drones.

I sort-of restarted my video series, Amanda Messes Up. Last summer, I video’d two episodes on my own. Our editors didn’t think much of my camera skills and put off editing them. But the first one is now out, and I’m wearing shorts because it was August. There’s one more like this on its way, then you’ll see some professionally-filmed episodes starting in January. The recipes are all great, so tune in!

Last summer, we put a call out to our community for a new Test Kitchen Cook. More than 80 people applied. We pored over their recipes, interviewed a dozen candidates, then invited the final five in for a video test. A bunch of us gathered to watch the resulting videos and discuss the contenders, a la The Voice, and decided on our pick. I’m extremely happy to introduce you to our new Test Kitchen team member—please meet Noah Tanen!

I had some questions for Noah:

How did you become a food creator?

I had a short stint working in restaurants around Philly when I was just out of college, which taught me the basics of cooking. I got a job as a food stylist soon after and realized quickly that I was severely underqualified. I started making short-form videos at home, basically as practice, and people started watching them! It snowballed from there. Growing an audience at the same as I grew my ability to cook was a special experience.

What’s your favorite shape/size knife?

I have this 8-inch Chinese cleaver that I picked from a restaurant supply store that’s been my workhorse knife for years.

How often do you sharpen it?

I try to sharpen all my knives every couple of months, but I mostly go by feel. If cutting onions starts feeling like a chore, it is time to hit the whetstone.

What’s a recipe that has vexed you?

I can’t seem to nail croissants! I love to bake, especially bread and yeasted pastries. There is something about getting that perfect lamination that I haven’t gotten right yet.

Most underrated food?

I recently went on this big barbecue road tour, and I was surprised at the quality of the barbecue in St. Louis. It is all hickory smoked, with a super sweet and tangy sauce. The signature cut there is pork steak, a slow-smoked slab of pork shoulder. I think it is underrated, and should be in the conversation with Kansas City, Texas, Memphis, etc.

Hometown? Best food in your hometown?

My hometown is Rutland, Vermont, where the best food is probably the buttermilk pancakes at Sugar and Spice. That is a one-of-a-kind restaurant, nestled in a sugarbush just outside of town. They make their own maple syrup! My first restaurant job was actually as a dishwasher there. As a bonus, I do claim Philadelphia as a sort of second home, and the best thing I ever ate there was the Spaghetti and Crabs at Palizzi Social Club.

Thank you, Noah! I hope you’ll all enjoy one of his first recipes for Food52 – a fig tarte tatin with blood orange and his videos!

To cap off the year, I finally got into Le Veau d’Or, Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson’s revival of the vaunted French restaurant on the Upper East Side. They’ve managed to create a place where you feel you’ve stepped back in time, without any trace of Colonial Williamsburg-style reenactment. You should go if you can. We went with our friends Amor (check out his novels) and Maggie (check out her store), and one of our favorite dishes was the Île Flottante, a dessert that deserves its own revival. Below I’ve included a recipe for Snow Pudding, which is essentially the same dessert by another name. The recipe, first published in 1877, comes from my book, The Essential New York Times Cookbook.

Enjoy your snow pudding while I enjoy the snow powder!

Amanda