Congratulations to this week's winners!
Sara won the contest for Your Best Strawberry Recipe with Strawberries with Lavender Biscuits.
naomi won the contest for Your Best Burger with Lamb Burgers with Cilantro Yogurt.
We asked them both to answer a few questions about cooking and eating.
Who is your culinary hero?
Alice Waters and Michael Pollan
Describe a food memory that has influenced the way you cook or think about food.
My mom used to make this disgusting Minute Rice, Mushroom and Frozen French Bean dish that she got off the box- Chicken Continental. We all hated it! So finally, I had enough and made dinner for the family one night - meatloaf. Thus was born my love/need to experiment in the kitchen. (Disclaimer: other than that dish, my mom is an excellent cook!)
What is the kitchen activity that's most cathartic for you? Least cathartic?
Most - chopping, least - picking leaves off fresh thyme
Is there an ingredient you're really into right now?
Dandelion Greens
What taste do you crave most often? a) Sweet, b) Salty, c) Sour, d)Bitter, e) Umami
D. Bitter
You whip cream: a) by hand, old-school style, b) using a mixer, of course!
Can live with either.
Given the choice you would rather have: a) more pantry space, b) a chest freezer
A kitchen that fits more than one person at a time?
Your stove is: a) gas, b) electric
A. gas
When it comes to tidying up, you prefer to: a) clean as you cook, b) do all the dishes once you've finished cooking, c) leave the kitchen a shambles for your spouse/roommate/kids to clean
A. clean as you cook
Who is your culinary hero?
My friend Patrick who makes the simplest things grand and taught me my favorite party trick: casually slipping back into the kitchen during an effervescent dinner party, after the meals seems long done and whipping up a batch of brownies while chatting back to everyone over one's shoulder. Big wow factor.
Describe a food memory that has influenced the way you cook or think about food.
See above.
What's your favorite recipe from a cookbook?
Ginger/Molasses Skillet Cake from Great Desserts by Mardee Haidin Regan.
What is the kitchen activity that's most cathartic for you? Least cathartic?
Most - using leftovers to make a new meal unrelated to the first. Least - washing lettuce.
Is there an ingredient you're really into right now?
Lemon - always - so long as it's for savory and not sweet.
What taste do you crave most often? a) Sweet, b) Salty, c) Sour, d)Bitter, e) Umami
C. Sour
You whip cream: a) by hand, old-school style, b) using a mixer, of course!
A. (Passed around the table for everyone to take a turn while I wash dishes and then help too.)
Given the choice you would rather have: a) more pantry space, b) a chest freezer
A. more pantry space
Your stove is: a) gas, b) electric
A. gas
When it comes to tidying up, you prefer to: a) clean as you cook, b) do all the dishes once you've finished cooking, c) leave the kitchen a shambles for your spouse/roommate/kids to clean
A. clean as you cook
See what other Food52 readers are saying.