While Christina Tosi’s baking book, Momofuku Milk Bar, has been a smash hit as the October book in our Baking Club, it is one of those “recipes-within-a-recipe” books. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you know the type: flip around to this page for that component, flip around to that page for this component.
Our intrepid group of bakers has taken on the challenge gleefully, but even if you don’t have time to devote to one of Tosi’s decadent layer cakes or fudgy, chewy cookies, you can still make and use simple Momofuku Milk Bar components in your everyday cooking and baking. As member Bridget Laird says:
I am not that creative usually, but this book gives you the opportunity to use that organized component mindset to tap into the small creative part of my brain.
With that in mind, here are four of Tosi’s most commonly used recipe components and ideas for where they might find a home elsewhere in your kitchen.
Cereal Milk
Cereal milk is the lifeblood of Milk Bar’s bakery. It’s often included in Tosi’s ice cream bases, and you can even buy bottles of it straight. The addictive salty-sweet liquid isn’t difficult to make and can be used in any recipe where you would use regular milk, provided you don’t mind a touch of sweetness. Give it a try next time you make overnight oats or a breakfast smoothie.
The Crunch
Momofuku’s cornflake crunch and pretzel crunch make appearances throughout the book in cookies, pies, and plated desserts. For the latter, Tosi tosses crushed mini-pretzels with an aggressive blend of sugar, malt powder, and butter. More savory in nature than many other components, both crunches work well as a delicious solo snack or try tossing it into your homemade snack mix at your next cocktail party.
The Crumb
These candy-like pebbles are typically used to layer between Milk Bar’s famous naked cakes. They’re also sweet-salty (sensing a theme here?) and addictive as a snack on their own—Tosi herself admits to eating them by the handful. Should you find yourself with some extra, the crumbs would make great “edging” to jazz up store-bought ice cream sandwiches, or coating cake pops.
Liquid Cheesecake
Used in several of Tosi’s cakes and pies, the liquid cheesecake resembles more of a frosting in texture than its dessert namesake. This addictive spread can be used in any place of any sweet dip or frosting—try it next as a dip for churros or apple slices, or even icing for store-bought refrigerated cinnamon rolls.
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