A Casual Culinary Chat About Duck Eggs with Margaret Eby

Summary

The Joy of Cooking Podcast - Episode Summary

Episode Title: A Casual Culinary Chat About Duck Eggs with Margaret Eby
Release Date: April 16, 2025
Host: Shannon Larson, Megan Scott, Jon Becker
Guest: Margaret Eby

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1. Introduction

The episode opens with Megan Scott and Jon Becker engaging in their usual light-hearted banter, setting a relaxed and friendly tone for the discussion. Shannon Larson introduces herself as a longtime Joy of Cooking enthusiast with a penchant for eating shredded cheese straight out of the bag.

Shannon Larson (00:38):
“Hello and welcome to the Joy of Cooking podcast. Each week we set the table for a discussion about recipes and stories from the authors of the Joy of Cooking, kitchen victories and misadventures, and most importantly, what we are cooking and eating right now."

2. Weekly Cooking Updates

Megan shares her recent domestic adventures, humorously mentioning her avoidance of dish duty and the emotional support she derived from cleaning her water bottle.

Megan Scott (01:00):
“I avoid dish duty by night. And I cleaned my emotional support water bottle this week, so I'd like a round of applause. Yay."

Jon Becker contributes to the conversation by discussing his breakfast burritos and reflecting on changes in a favorite Lebanese restaurant's menu, specifically the reduction of French fries in their shawarma sandwiches.

Jon Becker (01:26):
“It’s like chop that up a little bit, throw it in there. But then it got me thinking about like one of our favorite Lebanese restaurants... they no longer pile it high with french fries..."

The hosts also delve into the cultural differences in sandwich compositions, comparing American and British variations involving chips and fries.

3. Guest Introduction: Margaret Eby

The hosts warmly welcome Margaret Eby, a journalist and critic who specializes in food writing. Margaret is the deputy food editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer and has an extensive background with Food52 and Food and Wine. Her latest work is the book You Gotta Eat: Real Life Strategies for Feeding Yourself When Cooking Feels Impossible.

Megan Scott (05:58):
“Well, I did have a couple things this week, but John's dad has been in town, so eating out more than normal. But I kind of wanted to just talk about this video I saw this week from Julia Child…”

4. Discussion on Margaret's Book "You Gotta Eat"

Megan and Shannon express their enthusiasm for Margaret's book, highlighting its accessibility and empathetic approach to cooking amidst low energy or emotional distress. Margaret explains the book's structure, which categorizes recipes based on the cook's energy levels, making it easier for readers to find suitable meals without feeling overwhelmed.

Margaret Eby (20:45):
“The elevator pitch is it's like how to cook things when you have no energy to cook things. Actually, I think my original pitch was what if a Cookbook for depressed people. Which is honestly where it came from.”

Megan appreciates the book's practical strategies, such as the "roll your own recipe" sections that help readers make decisions when they’re struggling to choose what to cook.

Megan Scott (22:25):
“I love that in this book, you have these pages that are like, roll your own recipe. So you can just use a die, and, like, that will decide what ingredients you put in your bean salad..."

5. Sandwiches Segment

Margaret discusses her advocacy for diverse sandwich creations, emphasizing bravery in ingredient combinations. She introduces the pineapple mayonnaise sandwich, likening its flavor balance to that of a classic tomato sandwich.

Margaret Eby (29:18):
“I love talking about a pineapple mayonnaise sandwich because it's so upsetting to people. Like, my editor was like, this is the most upsetting recipe in your entire book.”

The segment includes humorous reactions from listeners who express surprise and disapproval of unconventional sandwich ingredients, underscoring the polarizing nature of mayonnaise in culinary contexts.

6. Recipe Discussion: Previous and Current Week

The hosts recap last week's recipe—chermoula—and introduce this week's featured recipe: salted egg yolks from page 935 of the Joy of Cooking. They provide a brief overview of the process involved in making salted egg yolks, suggesting applications like grating over pasta, risotto, pizza, salad, and French fries.

Jon Becker (19:30):
“So please cook along with us and make Joy's salted egg yolks. That is on page 935."

7. Caller Questions: Duck Eggs

A listener named Dirk calls in with a query about utilizing surplus duck eggs, expressing a preference against consuming them scrambled or fried. The hosts and guest offer various recipe suggestions that make substantial use of eggs, such as quiches, Persian frittatas (cuckoo sabzi), soufflé cakes, and pickled eggs.

Jon Becker (37:36):
“Duck eggs are your typical. Like large egg is about 50 grams in weight. And farm eggs, of course, they vary quite a bit. 85 grams is what we average out duck eggs. You're gonna have to find a recipe that uses a lot, a lot of eggs."

Margaret Eby (42:20):
“When I have too many eggs, I like to make fruit curd. Specifically, I love a lemon curd... And then because you have extreme duck egg yolks, you will then have extreme duck egg whites. And then you can make those into meringue."

8. Recommendations and Shopping Tips

The conversation shifts to favorite ingredient suppliers and shopping strategies. The hosts give shout-outs to various specialty suppliers like Yunhai, 50 Hertz, Mala Market, Burlap & Barrel, and Diaspora Cove, praising their high-quality products. Shannon mentions finally obtaining a Costco membership, prompting discussions about bulk buying and supporting local producers amid tariff challenges.

Megan Scott (46:36):
"I just wanted to give a shout out to Yunhai where we get all of our toasted sesame oil... And then 50 Hertz, who does the really delicious Szechuan pepper oil..."

9. Closing Remarks

As the episode wraps up, the hosts encourage listeners to subscribe, leave reviews, and connect via social media. They remind listeners of the upcoming episode's topics, including tracking down a coconut milk cake and a split pea soup recipe. The team extends gratitude to their production crew, acknowledging their critical behind-the-scenes roles.

Shannon Larson (50:30):
"We could not do this without our fantastic team at the Joy of Creation production house. Thank you to Dave Dresky, our production coordinator, Haley Bowers, our audio engineer, and today it is Dirk Marshall, our producer."

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Notable Quotes

• Megan Scott (25:07):
  “For me, being in the kitchen can be a source of joy and experimentation and meditation. It can also be a Groundhog Day level nightmare to realize, oh, God, I have to make dinner again.”

• Jon Becker (17:01):
  “I think it's an important part of the green sauce canon... one of those green sauces is really important for anything grilled, but they're just so fresh and nice and lovely.”

• Shannon Larson (15:38):
  “I hated apples growing up for that reason. Like, I did not like them at all. And then I moved to the Pacific Northwest and realized there aren't just Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, and Granny Smith.”

Key Topics Covered

• Utilizing Surplus Eggs: Creative ways to incorporate duck eggs into various recipes.
• Guest Insights: Discussion on Margaret Eby's book offering strategies for low-energy cooking.
• Culinary Creativity: Embracing unconventional ingredient combinations, particularly in sandwich making.
• Recipe Highlights: Detailed walkthroughs of chermoula, salted egg yolks, and emergency mug cakes.
• Ingredient Sourcing: Recommendations for specialty suppliers supporting diverse culinary needs.
• Personal Stories: Hosts share their own cooking experiences, challenges, and triumphs.

Conclusion

This episode of The Joy of Cooking Podcast offers a rich blend of personal anecdotes, expert insights from Margaret Eby, and practical culinary advice. Whether tackling a surplus of duck eggs or seeking inspiration for low-effort yet satisfying meals, listeners are provided with a wealth of ideas to enhance their kitchen endeavors. The engaging dialogue, coupled with humorous and heartfelt exchanges, makes for an informative and enjoyable listening experience.

Transcript

[Megan Scott]

Sa.

[Shannon Larson]

Hello and welcome to the Joy of Cooking podcast. Each week we set the table for a discussion about recipes and stories from the authors of the Joy of Cooking, kitchen victories and misadventures, and most importantly, what we are cooking and eating right now. We're glad you've joined us at the table today. I'm Shannon Larson, home cook, ardent Joy of Cooking user and fan, and secretly eating shredded cheese straight out of the bag enthusiast.

[Megan Scott]

I'm Megan Scott, co Author of the 2019 edition of the Joy of Cooking. I'm a food editor by day and avoider of dish duty by night. And I cleaned my emotional support water bottle this week, so I'd like a round of applause. Yay.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Congratulations.

[Jon Becker]

I'm Jon Becker, 4th Generation Co author and steward of the Joy of Cooking, America's oldest family run cookbook. And I'm pretty sure that fried potato snacks belong in more of our sandwiches.

[Shannon Larson]

Good note.

[Megan Scott]

Go on.

[Jon Becker]

Oh, explain. I have to go on.

[Megan Scott]

Yes.

[Jon Becker]

I feel it's pretty much self explanatory. I made some breakfast burritos this morning for us before we got here and had those like slab hash brown. I don't know what to call them.

[Megan Scott]

It's like a puck.

[Jon Becker]

A puck? Yeah, you know, just like chop that up a little bit, throw it in there. But then it got me thinking about like one of our favorite Lebanese restaurants. Thankfully, they survived the pandemic just fine. They had to move to counter service and there were a few other changes they made to their menu, including the shawarma sandwich that they offer. They no longer pile it high with french fries and tomb in the center, which.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, that's sad. That's a little sad.

[Jon Becker]

It is a little sad.

[Megan Scott]

I'm glad they made it though.

[Jon Becker]

Yeah.

[Megan Scott]

No, but then, yeah. We were also thinking about potato chips on a sandwich.

[Shannon Larson]

Oh yeah.

[Megan Scott]

And that there's like an entire. You know, in the UK there is a just a sandwich that is bread, maybe butter and potato chips in the middle.

[Jon Becker]

French fries, I thought.

[Megan Scott]

Or french fries. Oh yeah.

[Shannon Larson]

Oh yeah, you're right.

[Megan Scott]

I think British chips. Yeah, sorry, I got confused. But yes, they do that.

[Jon Becker]

Not crisps.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, not. Not crisps. Right. That's right. What have you been up to this week, Shannon? What are you cooking?

[Shannon Larson]

I just wanted to do a shout out to you because you've inspired me. I finally got a freaking whiteboard for my refrigerator and I don't know why it took me so long to do that. But then what we are doing is writing down the things in our fridge or freezer. That we want to or need to use that week.

[Margaret Ebuy]

And.

[Shannon Larson]

And, like, crossing it off when we figure out a way to incorporate into our lunch or into our leftover dinner, you know, whatever it is. And it really was nice. So last Sunday, we spent hours making Marcella Hazan's bolognese because it's just so good. And then we had leftover, of course. Cause it's just me and my husband. And then we made, like, faux sloppy joe one day for lunch, which was so good.

[Megan Scott]

That sounds amazing.

[Shannon Larson]

So good. But it's been really nice to, like, use things up and cross it off of the list as we go down the list. And then I'm gonna, you know, erase it this, you know, today and start over fresh. But, yeah, that's been great. And then we also made, like, a homemade Hawaiian meal using that Bakkens, the. The Japanese barbecue sauce.

[Megan Scott]

Oh, I don't. I don't know actually how to pronounce it.

[Jon Becker]

Bachons.

[Shannon Larson]

But we had that sweet pineapple one that we got from them directly and made, like, chicken thighs with that and macaroni salad and white rice. And it was really fun. And, yeah, not great for me, but it was so fun to eat and so fun to make.

[Megan Scott]

It was delicious.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Yeah.

[Jon Becker]

Love a plate lunch.

[Shannon Larson]

It was so good.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah.

[Shannon Larson]

What about you, too?

[Megan Scott]

Well, I didn't really have. I mean, we made a couple things this week, but John's dad has been in town, so eating out more than normal. But I kind of wanted to just talk about this video I saw this week. It was from an episode of one of Julia Child's shows. I can't remember what the show was. Maybe it was baking with Julia. She has Nancy Silverton on Famous Pastry Chef, especially, like, in the 90s. And Nancy Silverton makes this beautiful dessert. I think it's like some kind of a brioche tart. It just looks gorgeous. But Julia Child takes a bite, and she doesn't say anything, but then she's like, starts to cry, and she just says, this is. It's a dessert to cry over. And she's just crying eating this dessert. And it's the most pure and beautiful thing I've seen in a long time. It kind of made me want to cry, but. Yeah, I just love that. Made me so happy to see that. And Julia was such a treasure.

[Shannon Larson]

So cute.

[Megan Scott]

What about you, John?

[Jon Becker]

What did I do?

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, what did you.

[Jon Becker]

I think I fed you some, like, chicken tinga tostadas.

[Megan Scott]

You did.

[Jon Becker]

With lots of shortcuts, I feel. You know, we. We usually Call for, like, broiling some Roma tomatoes and starting with some, like, dried chipotle. And I totally took some shortcuts on that with some canned. You know, the canned fire roasted, quote, unquote. I'd like to see the fire in the roasting process. Yeah. And chipotle San Adobo.

[Megan Scott]

And it was great. I love tostadas so much. Now I've just started putting stuff on tostadas, like whatever I have. Yesterday, I put tuna salad on it, and it was great. I have no regrets.

[Jon Becker]

Yeah, tostadas. I feel like that's a recent love affair.

[Megan Scott]

I love that you can just buy big bags of them.

[Shannon Larson]

I've never done that, and I don't know why.

[Megan Scott]

And so many things are good on the. I don't know. Now it's just a pantry staple.

[Shannon Larson]

Right.

[Megan Scott]

We can always make a tostada quick lunch idea.

[Shannon Larson]

Like, whatever is left over in your fridge, throw it on.

[Megan Scott]

Absolutely. Like a giant nacho.

[Jon Becker]

Yeah. I feel like the shrimp aguachile might have been, like, the gateway to a topping last summer.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, we did a lot of those. This week, we'd like to welcome our guest, Margaret Ebay to the table. Margaret is a journalist and critic who writes about books, movies, music, television, and cultural ephemera. She is currently deputy food editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Previously, she was editorial lead at Food52 and senior editor at Food and Wine. Margaret's latest book is you gotta Real Life Strategies for Feeding Yourself when Cooking Feels impossible. Margaret, welcome to the table.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Hi. Thank you so much for having me. And thank you for bringing me on a day when they were talking about chips and sandwiches, which is a strong interest of mine, I would say.

[Megan Scott]

Well, yeah, you have a whole ode in your book to putting chips on sandwiches, right?

[Margaret Ebuy]

I mean, yes, I find one delicious. Right. No one can deny, like, the first time that you saw. For me, I remember it so vividly. There was, like, a kid in my lunchroom who just, like, opened a sandwich and dumped Doritos on it and smashed it. And I was like, you can do that. And my life was never the same because, like, flavor component, texture component, and also, like, structurally, it helps the sandwich go together. It's funny, you were talking about that sandwich that's only butter and chips, because there's. My family is Irish. My mom is from Ireland. And in Ireland, whenever I visit, there's, like, a desperation sandwich, which they make with cheese and onion crisps, which are, like, an elite flavor. Why do we not have it in the States? I know why. But like, it's just bread, butter, chips smashed. Ugh. Beautiful.

[Megan Scott]

That sounds delightful. They do have really good chip flavors in other parts of the world. Like, why can't we have those here?

[Margaret Ebuy]

I'm saying it's terrible. Some of my friends have, like, an annual made up holiday called Christmas in.

[Megan Scott]

Which we just have to bring amazing.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Yeah, we just bring crisps from all different set. Like, I brought some from Thailand one time. Like, wherever you've been, whatever market you've been, if you find something that looks interesting, we all just bring a big thing of crisps. Because I agree, we have been barred from the excellent chip flavors. You know, even.

[Megan Scott]

Even ketchup chips. Like, it's right there. Canada is right. Why can't we have ketchup chips?

[Margaret Ebuy]

Right? Come on. Or all dressed. They're so good.

[Jon Becker]

So I wanted to say, like, all dressed is actually. I think they're making inroads into the US Market because Tim's Cascade, Pacific Northwest chip manufacturer of note. Yeah, they have all dressed now. It was very exciting.

[Margaret Ebuy]

That's beautiful. To me, they have not made it over to Philadelphia, but I'm going to be on the hunt. Like, it's going to be beautiful for me.

[Jon Becker]

Sometimes they do special edition flavors that don't hang around for very long. Hopefully this is not one of those.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, right. Margaret, what have you been cooking and eating this week that you've really loved?

[Margaret Ebuy]

Okay. I have recently become obsessed with frozen waffles. I had a baby two months ago.

[Megan Scott]

Congratulations.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Thank you so much. I am, first of all, absolutely ravenous all the time because it turns out when you're nursing, like, I have the metabolism right now of a teenage boy. Like, I cannot eat enough. I have to do things that I like just toast and are easy. And I just love frozen waffles so much. You crisp them up. You like, you know, classic with maple syrup as a. As like, basically an excuse to eat so much maple syrup. Can't argue. Smash an avocado on it. Do some, like, chili crisp. Obsessed with it. I did, like, sort of like dirt bag waffle nachos the other night where I was like, waffle cheese, sour cream salsa. Let's go. That has been like, a big obsession of mine. And also my friend Rebecca Fergser, who has a book coming out, I think this summer on galettes, had a recipe for chickpea piccata on her newsletter. And I was like, oh, this is so smart. My husband's a vegetarian, so we mostly eat vegetarian in my house. And I just, like, can't Stop making chickpea piccata. It's just like such a good idea. I don't know why that is a really good idea. So those are like heavy rotation frozen waffles and fried chickpeas. That's, that's the level over here.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. I was kind of curious how being a new parent has affected like how your, you know, your experience of food but also like what you're eating. Because I imagine you don't have a lot of time or maybe less time than you used to or maybe you're just tired, I don't know.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Yeah, no, I'm living. The amount of sleep I'm living on like a heretofore I did not think was possible. I'm like a submarine captain or something. No worries, I don't need it. It's interesting because we did a huge stockpile of frozen stuff before I became a parent. We, I, not even joking, made 11 lasagnas.

[Megan Scott]

Amazing.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Like, yeah, so many lasagnas. We love lasagna in my household. But even that I was like, maybe we should eat more than noodles. I don't know, like vat of lentil soup, all this stuff. And we've through that and that's been hugely helpful. But I've also found like in this period, I really love cooking. Like when I get the chance to like make something, it just feels so good and such a like creative outlet for me right now when I can like, you know, fend off half an hour to make something, which I wasn't expecting. I was, I was like, I, I assume I'll be living on microwave burritos, like shout out to microwave burritos like forever. I love a microwave burrito. But I have, I have been making a lot of like no knead bread because also I have so much like weird time at weird hours. I'm like, yeah, I can throw some flour together and like I'll definitely be awake in like 4 to 12 hours. Who can say? But it is like everyone says like you need to have a lot of one handed things, but I've been like very happy and excited about how much it's like been accessing the part of me that really loves cooking when I get a chance. Because it just feels like, you know, I'm caring for me and my little family and it's nice.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, that's so nice. Did you have any fun or weird cravings when you were pregnant?

[Margaret Ebuy]

You know what? Okay, I have found this impossible to answer because I always have fun, weird cravings. Like that's not New for pregnancy. Like, sometimes I'm just like, do you know key lime pie? And everyone's like, calm down. I'm like, I'm not going to calm down about key lime pie. We're going to eat key lime pie. This is key lime pie month. And I'll just, like, keep making it. And then everyone's like, okay. There was like a month where I was like, I did an interview for Bon Appetit about this website called Apple ratings dot com.

[Megan Scott]

I know and love Apple ratings dot com.

[Shannon Larson]

What is Apple ratings dot com?

[Margaret Ebuy]

My God, they are about to enter a dream world of magic. It is like a comedian who, like, very seriously ranks every kind of apple. And it's like, it's one of these things where it obviously started as a joke, but he is so invested in it that when I talk to him, I'm like, oh, no. You know so much about growing apples and, like, various flavor components, like mustaches. Like, you can't actually have a joke mustache. It just is a mustache at a certain point. And I think you can't have joke apple ratings. Like, he's just like, I have studied the blade and I care so much about apples. But when I did that interview with him, I suddenly was like, do you know what is the most perfect food on earth? Honey crisp apples. I love them so much. It was like, right around that time of year where they're, like, out in their peak and they're beautiful. And so I had one, I think every day for at least two months. But, yeah, it's very hard for me to tell whether that's a pregnancy craving or that's just quote, unquote, my personality, you know?

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, sure.

[Jon Becker]

I feel like he had some really harsh words for a cosmic crisp, you know? He did, yeah.

[Megan Scott]

It is a. It is a mid apple. Like, let's be real.

[Jon Becker]

Yeah, I guess that's what you get for trying to make it more commercially viable.

[Margaret Ebuy]

I mean, but also sometimes, like, those, you know, the circumstances in which you encounter an apple are so crucial. Right. Like, even the most mid tier kind of apple can really hit depending on, like, the situation. And you're like, ooh, it's a fall day. I'm at, like, a beautiful farmer's market. I get a Cosmic Crisps. Like, I defy you to say that's a mid apple. Whereas, like, you're at the YMCA and you grab a Red Delicious, that's like a cat. Like, that's a catastrophe. You're having a bad day no matter what. Like, you're just like, this is the mealiest piece of fruit I've ever put in my mouth.

[Jon Becker]

Yeah. Yeah. I feel like the Red Delicious, obviously not the best apple. Taste is subjective, et cetera. But, you know, I feel most people can probably agree that it's not the best, and yet it's really is kind of tied up with, you know, sack lunches at school and, you know, just having no choice. No choices available at all. You know, it's just like you eat what's in front of you and take your marching orders.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Yeah, no, that's really real. One of the things I feel like I love to know what we're in the golden era of. You know what I mean? And I do think we are in a golden era of apples. Like, apple access right now. It's so much like when I was a kid, right? You had. Your options were like the stoplight. You could have red, yellow, green apple. It was like some sort of red delicious. It was some sort of, like, usually a Granny Smith and some in between. And, like, none of them is quite correct. Too sour, too mealy. Too, like, weird. And now it's just like, wow, we can have any kind of apple anytime we want. This is like a beautiful time to be alive. Apple wise.

[Shannon Larson]

I hated apples growing up for that reason. Like, I did not like them at all. And then I moved to the Pacific Northwest and realized there aren't just Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, and Granny Smith. I was like, oh, they are good. It's like, the first time I had fresh carrots, I was like, oh, carrots actually have flavor. Oh, they're delicious.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, it's wild. It's wild. The context and also just having better choices. Yeah, it's. It's nice.

[Shannon Larson]

It is nice.

[Megan Scott]

I'm in favor. I'm for it. Okay, so before we move on to our. That wasn't the interview part of the show, Margaret. That was just. We were just getting warmed up.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Okay.

[Megan Scott]

So every week we have a recipe that we ask listeners to make based on kind of the theme of the show. And so last week's recipe was chermoula. John, since you made the chermoula, do you mind talking through just the ingredient, roughly the ingredients?

[Jon Becker]

Yeah. Cilantro, parsley, ground cumin.

[Megan Scott]

I think our recipe has coriander as well.

[Jon Becker]

Coriander, peppercorns, and red chili flakes. They'll get ground together. Oh, and saffron.

[Megan Scott]

Oh, yeah, A little bit of saffron.

[Jon Becker]

Yeah, a little bit of saffron. So it ends up being a green sauce that has, like, a lot of really nice, more complex spice profile or whatever. And you said profile. So must. You know, that's my.

[Megan Scott]

That's official.

[Jon Becker]

That's a sophisticated analysis right there.

[Megan Scott]

It's a thicker paste. Like, you can use it as a kind of a marinade, like a paste on meat or vegetables, or as a kind of condiment sauce after you've cooked something.

[Jon Becker]

Yeah, some recipes, including the one that we included enjoy in like 1997. That's when it first appeared. Calls for a ton of minced raw onion, which is not an option for us because you are deathly afraid of, like the merest crunch of raw onion.

[Megan Scott]

Can't do it.

[Jon Becker]

So, yeah, we kind of did more of a salsa verde thing with it. I think I ended up adding some chives and some green onions to it. And yeah, just used it as a condiment for a variety of things, including some pan roasted chicken. But, yeah, typically it's used for fish, both as a marinade seasoning for baking, and then also as a condiment.

[Megan Scott]

And I think it's an important part of the green sauce canon, which becomes more important as we get into the summer months, because I feel like we always have a green sauce of some kind on hand, especially with grilled things. So like salsa verde or zug or pesto or gremolata, like, one of those green sauces is really important for anything grilled, but they're just so fresh and nice and lovely.

[Jon Becker]

Oh, and forgot to mention that the whole reason why we asked people to make charmouli along with us was because we were talking about preserved lemon. So we did have a little bit of a substitution going on where instead of lemon juice, you know, you add like maybe a third as much of minced up preserved lemon peel.

[Megan Scott]

And that was really delicious. It gave it. You kind of have to watch the salt, the extra salt that you add because the preserved lemon is so salty. But I. I thought it was a really nice addition. And then this week's recipe, since we're talking about duck eggs today, we're giving everyone the homework of making salted egg yolks, which is on page 935. They're really fun to make. It's kind of like a science experiment, but you just take egg yolks and it kind of put them in a bed of kosher salt and then completely cover them with more salt and refrigerate them for about a week. And then after that, you brush off the salt and dry them on a rack in your oven at 200 degrees. Or you could probably use A dehydrator if you wanted, I would think. Oh yeah, yeah, for like 30, 45 minutes. And then you can grate them over things like pasta dishes, risotto, pizza, salad, french fries. French fries, yeah. Any. I feel like anything fried that would be really good on like onion rings. I don't know why onion rings come to mind.

[Jon Becker]

Yeah, calamari.

[Megan Scott]

Why not calamari? Yeah, totally. So, yeah, please cook along with us and make Joy's salted egg yolks. That is on page 935.

[Unknown]

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[Megan Scott]

Margaret, I really am excited to talk about your book. You gotta eat. I love it so much. The first time I laid eyes on it, I knew I was gonna love it. And then I read basically the whole thing and it's delightful. It's so well written. It's really human. Can you just like tell listeners what the book is about for folks who haven't heard of it?

[Margaret Ebuy]

Sure. The elevator pitch is it's like how to cook things when you have no energy to cook things. Actually, I think my original pitch was what if a Cookbook for depressed people. Which is honestly where it came from. I'm a person who has depression and anxiety and I think like a lot of people during the pandemic I was like, I'm a food person and I love food and I hate this. I can't believe I have to make lunch again. And I like, seriously, at some point I think I got an economy thing of bagel bites. And I was like, it's time for bagel bites. Like, what are we going to do? And so the idea is basically like really low lift ways to feed yourself when you don't have anything left in the tank. And it's like, easy recipes, but also easier than easy recipes. Because I think one of the things that recipes often don't take into account is, like, the energy of how many bowls you're going to use, the energy of, like, how much time it's going to take. The energy. What is your level and capacity for, like, coping with life, not just, like, what ingredients you have and what directions are? And so I wanted to be like, all right, when we say easy recipes, you know, as recipe people. Like, easy for who? Like, let's take three steps back. This book is organized by energy level. So it's just like, do you have the energy to open a bag or a can? Great. This chapter is for you. Do you feel like you can use a microwave? This chapter is for you. And, like, the last one is like, okay. Do you feel like you can use a stove today? If so, here we go. And if not, that's fine. Back up. You can make soup in a blender.

[Megan Scott]

No worries.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Like, you get dinner. That's an accomplishment and a victory, and, like, that's all we need.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. I think that what I love so much about the book is that even. Even easy recipes seem hard when nothing sounds good and you just can't. Like, you don't even know where to start or what you want, and you're struggling with that. And I love that in this. Like, in this book, you have these pages that are like, roll your own recipe. So you can just use a die, and, like, that will decide what ingredients you put in your bean salad, which is so helpful when you just really cannot even think of what you want to eat. But you're hungry.

[Shannon Larson]

Like that cast. I think there's the casserole part. Just list.

[Megan Scott]

Hey.

[Shannon Larson]

Here are options for the protein. Here are options for the cheese you're using. I suffer from the same thing where I just get, like, I cannot even think about what I want to have. Like, nothing sounds good. And I'm always like, I would love just a pill that would fill me up and give me my vitamins and minerals and not even think about it. But even there, like, you're breaking it down and telling me what options. Options I have makes it even easier. And I'm like, what do I have available? I'm just gonna put some dumplings in a pan and some broccoli.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Cool.

[Shannon Larson]

That's great.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Totally. Yeah. I think so much of this is also, like, what I'm trying to do is bring, like, galaxy brain recipe perspective to people, because I think, you know, that's that's one of the beauty of. If you study the blade of recipes, you're like, okay, this is just an acid, right? Like, you don't have lemon. That's fine. You got vinegar. We're good. Like, it functions the same way. And I think it's hard to, like, see a recipe like that if you have had a lot of practice. So an example, like a bean salad or a casserole, it does not matter if you do not have the quote, unquote, correct bean for a bean salad. Right? Like, what?

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, they're all correct.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Exactly. Like, there's no way that you can really mess it up. And I think, you know, one of the things that I ran into a lot when I was talking to people about this is, like, people feeling intimidated by recipes because they didn't have the equipment, didn't know what they were doing. And I just wanted to be like, actually, like, first of all, you know how to do this because you can just dump a bean in a bowl. It's not that serious. And second, what happens if you, quote, mess this up is that you have lunch. There's no way to mess it up. You know what I mean? Like, even if it doesn't sound like the exact thing I'm describing, and you eat it and you're like, well, that provided, like, nutrition so that my body and soul are entwined, you know, I will not exit this plane. That's it.

[Megan Scott]

That's all.

[Jon Becker]

It's really lowering the stakes. I love the organization, too. I mean, I feel like we will talk, at least amongst ourselves, about trying to meet people where they're at with joy, and that this is literally a much better way of doing it.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. Yeah. It really does that so well. I wanted to read just a couple sentences from the introduction of the book that really hit me. It says, for me, being in the kitchen can be a source of joy and experimentation and meditation. It can also be a Groundhog Day level nightmare to realize, oh, God, I have to make dinner again. Both things are true. Cooking is wonderful. Cooking is a pain. It's a spectrum. Because it's not about, like, do I like cooking? Do I not like cooking? It's more about sometimes you just really need to feed yourself. Like, you got it. You need energy, you need food, and it will make things worse if you don't eat something. So the priority is, like, fed is best. Fed is best.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Yes.

[Megan Scott]

Yes.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Yeah. The mantra in our household, as you might guess having a baby, is like, just eat whatever it is you eat. It doesn't matter. But I think that's true. It's like, fat is best for everyone. And I think, you know, it's so easy to get caught up on, like, there's like a mantra that I really hate where it's like, why would you waste a meal? And you're like, no, dude, it's not like that. Sometimes peanut butter is a meal. Like, we cannot be focused so much on like the maximization of our meals every time. Because sometimes it's like, yeah, I want to make a beautiful dinner. And sometimes I'm like, I need to eat before I go to sleep or I will wake up very hungry. Like, that's kind of it. Part of the mission of this book is communicating. That's true. Even if you're very invested in food, that's not just true because, like, you don't have some special skill set. Like, I think particularly for food people, when I start like talking about unhinged foods that I love to make, everyone's like, oh, hell yeah. Like, let's go. Like, I do peanut butter with Cheetos on it. You know what I mean? And it's like this. If you have like, enthusiasm about food, you also, like, understand very well these shortcuts and understand very well that like, not everything is a gorgeous six course dinner. Some things are chip sandwiches and that's equally as valid in the moment and also often very, very tasty.

[Shannon Larson]

I think that's the thing. Like sometimes I, I love to cook. I love to cook, you know, elaborate meals. It's great. But then we have what we call school lunch dinner. And those are my favorite meals. And it's boxed macaroni and cheese, peas, and usually frozen Ikea chicken meatballs that I always get a bag whenever I'm at Ikea. And John and I look forward to that meal whenever we're like, do you want to do school lunch dinner? And it's so exciting. And I just like cover everything in sriracha. And I'm so happy, like rewatching a show or something. It's also fun and it feels like being a kid again, sometimes doing that kind of a meal. And that just makes it exciting 100%.

[Margaret Ebuy]

I feel like we do this in my household. We have several occasions. One, we call anytime we dip for dinner the Super Bowl. So we have the super bowl, like multiple times. We're just like, is it time for the Super Bowl? And it's like, yeah. But part of it too is just like realizing that you can make up your own weird food holidays. Like, it just because someone says it's sandwich day today. First of all, I don't believe them. I celebrate sandwiches every day.

[Shannon Larson]

Every day.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Second, like, exactly that. You're like, oh, is it kid dinner day, or is it, you know, personally, macaroni and cheese plus peas. Hive, rise up. I love that stuff. That was also, like, a phase I went through in pregnancy. I'm like, that's all I can eat. That's all I want to eat. But I also think that there's some element of, like, especially when you're, like, in a phase where things are grueling and things are a grind, and it's just like, oh, God, I have to make dinner again and again. Doing exactly that framing, like, which I think is so smart. And just being like, actually, this is fun. We're adults, which means we make up the rules, and I say nachos for dinner night. Like, then rather it being like, oh, God, it's a compromise. You're like, no, this is a fun, festive occasion.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. There's intent. There's, like, an intent behind it, and it makes it more. Yeah. Just. It frames it in a different way. Totally.

[Margaret Ebuy]

And, like, also so many of the time, like, when you're at a party, the food you eat for dinner is, like, tiny little hot dogs and grapes and cheese. And somehow, like, you know, like, if people are like, oh, I made a plate of these, and now I'm defeated. I'm like, you're having a party?

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, it's a charcuterie board.

[Margaret Ebuy]

What are you talking about with that? It's just a little party.

[Megan Scott]

You mentioned sandwiches, and I did want to talk about sandwiches because you have a whole section in your book about sandwiches, and I love what you said. Anything can be a sandwich if you're not a coward. I just.

[Margaret Ebuy]

I believe that strongly. I believe it just. It just takes bravery and bread to make a sandwich.

[Megan Scott]

But there is a sandwich that you talk about in the book, the pineapple mayo sandwich. And that really caught my eye, because I grew up. My mom used to make. I don't. I'm assuming she still makes them, but she used to make banana mayo sandwiches. I grew up in the south, so I feel like I associate that as. That's like, a Southern thing. And the. I. I did not know about the pineapple version of that sandwich, so I was very intrigued. I've never actually tried that.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Oh, yeah. I mean, I've heard of the banana mayo one. I like the pineapple mayo one because it replicates a lot of the things that you love about A classic tomato sandwich, which is you have the fat from the mayo, you have the acid and the sweetness from the pineapple. And then usually it's like, you know, little salt and pepper, and it's all encased in the white bread that sort of traps the juices in. And like, ideally, you eat it over a sink because it's like a very sloppy sandwich. I love talking about a pineapple mayonnaise sandwich because it's so upsetting to people. Like, my editor was like, this is the most upsetting recipe in your entire book.

[Megan Scott]

It's like, but.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Sorry, sorry. I also really like it because I think there's some part of me that's just trolling people because they're like, oh, I love Southern food. And I'm like, oh, yeah, let's talk about the hot mayonnaise section of Southern food. You don't, do you? Yeah, like, just. Just getting people to Google, like, pear salad. The. When I wrote about that sandwich for Bon Appetit, the comments on it made me laugh so hard. My husband had to come and get me because he thought something was wrong. Many of them were like. Were like, this is a recession indicator.

[Megan Scott]

Yes.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Some of them were like, first amendment has gone too far. Unbelievable. So good. Like, people hate the idea of this sandwich, so I implore you to try it because it is actually incredibly delicious. Very budget sandwich. But it's like the kind of thing that is exactly, like, similar to Hawaiian pizza, which works for similar flavor reasons. People are just like, hard, no. Hard, hard, no. You are terrorizing me.

[Megan Scott]

What is that? Revulsion? What is that about? There are so many foods that are. I don't know that we don't have that reaction to. But why the. The pineapple mayo sandwich? Because you're right, it does make a certain sense if you think about the flavors. And even more sense than a banana mayo sandwich, because the banana doesn't have the acidity. So it's just kind of mush.

[Shannon Larson]

I would definitely eat a pineapple mayo sandwich over a banana mayo sandwich. Like, for the texture, texture wise.

[Megan Scott]

Texture.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Yeah, same. I like a banana, but the mayo, it's all mush. But, like, I respect it. I respect it.

[Megan Scott]

Right? Yeah, totally respect it.

[Margaret Ebuy]

I actually think the thing that's upsetting people is a mayonnaise because people get very upset with. About mayonnaise, one of those condiments that's weirdly polarizing. I think this also happens if you. If you have ever googled pear salad, which is a southern specialty that is mostly mayonnaise, or like, There was a recipe I think was when I was at my recipes of mayonnaise ice cream, and people absolutely freaked out about it. They were like, nab hard. No, get away from us. Like, the traffic did bananas. Because everyone hated it so much. And I think part of it is like, mayonnaise is this, like, mysterious and threatening substance. There's a lot of, you know, like, from your childhood days. There's, like, overuse of it. It can certainly go bad. It can be used in really horrible ways.

[Jon Becker]

Or like a tuna or chicken salad that just has way, way too much of the mayo to kind of like, stretch the cafeteria budget or whatever.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Yeah, I think cafeteria trauma probably has a lot to do with it, but that's fair. It's interesting to me because mayonnaise is such a useful ingredient because all it is is, like, eggs and oil. Right. And like, you can swap that in. It makes. It's great for cakes. It's great for all these situations. But, like, it's very hard for people to get past the mayonnaise. The mayonnaise barrier. I'm saying.

[Megan Scott]

Yes. It kind of. It's like ectoplasm. It kind of like jiggles when you, you know, you put a dollop on something. It, like, you know, has that. Yeah. Our producer is, like, shivering like mayonnaise. No, I love that so much. My grandmother actually uses mayonnaise in her cornbread. So instead of using eggs and oil, she just does a big spoonful of mayonnaise, which makes so much sense because it's like, that's what. That's what's in it. It's just eggs and oil. And her cornbread is delightful. It's very crunchy, has a nice golden exterior. So I. I think it's very versatile.

[Margaret Ebuy]

That sounds good. I definitely want to try that because I also. I use mayonnaise when I'm making, like, Caesar dressing because I'm like, I don't want to mess around with an egg yolk right now. It's, like, hard, but mayonnaise is available and right there.

[Jon Becker]

So, yeah, definitely confession time. I feel like maybe for three years now, we've just been doing, like, mayo based Caesars.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. I mean, we just.

[Shannon Larson]

We just started doing the same thing based on that parmesan crusted salmon recipe. I was like, this is delicious.

[Megan Scott]

Like, yeah, it's so easy.

[Shannon Larson]

Yeah.

[Jon Becker]

Yeah. It's a case of where, like, our experience of Caesar, like, just at restaurants and whatnot, kind of matches up more with, like, the mayo based version, with the starting from scratch version.

[Megan Scott]

Mm. Yeah. Moving away from mayonnaise a little bit.

[Shannon Larson]

Our producer's like shaking his head.

[Megan Scott]

Yes, I did want to talk about. So I made one of the recipes from your book yesterday, the two ingredient mug cake, because it's just melted ice cream and self rising flour, which is just kind of blew my mind. But it's so simple. And I did have pistachio ice cream and I just let that melt and then cooked it up with some flour. And then I, I did add some raspberries. I had some frozen raspberries that I threw in there. It was so good. It was delightful. And it took two minutes to make. It's just like emergency cake. It's perfect.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Exactly what it is. It's like break glass in case of emergency cake. Thank you. That was a recipe that I was so proud of myself for figuring out because I was like, ugh, like, if you require me to get out like flour and egg and whatever, why am I not just making normal cake?

[Megan Scott]

Yeah.

[Margaret Ebuy]

And then I was like, it's similar to the mayonnaise thing. I'm like, do you know what already has dairy and eggs and sugar in it? Ice cream.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Yes.

[Megan Scott]

It's perfect.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Yeah, it's beautiful. It's perfect. Sometimes you just real. And I know like people are like, well, you already had ice cream. I'm like, but sometimes you need cake. I personally am a person who just needs cake. You know, like ice cream will not do when you need cake.

[Megan Scott]

And then you can put a little ice cream on the cake, then you can have both. It's even better. Margaret, where can listeners follow you?

[Margaret Ebuy]

I am horrifically online, I would say. I'm on Instagram at Margaret Ebuy. I'm also on Bluesky at Margaret Ebuy. I'm on Twitter, but I don't use Twitter all that much. Or X, you know, whatever. And also I do publish occasionally at my newspaper home, the Philadelphia Inquirer.

[Megan Scott]

Awesome. And do check out Margaret's book, you gotta eat. It is only. It's like 20 bucks. It's going to be the best 20 bucks you spend all year. Probably because it's full of really awesome ideas for feeding yourself when you don't want to cook.

[Shannon Larson]

Also really good present idea. I have like a list of people I want to buy a copy for.

[Megan Scott]

Yes, personally. All right, so now we're going to get into our caller question from last week, which is about duck eggs. Dirk, can you read the question?

[Unknown]

I recently got three dozen duck eggs from my brother in law. He's given me some in the past. And I don't really like to eat them as scrambled, fried, or really by themselves. Are they better for baking or is like a quiche? Do you have any good recipes that use a lot of eggs?

[Jon Becker]

This is a really silly question to get at this point.

[Megan Scott]

Well, I mean, I'm just kind of like, just brag about it, why don't you?

[Jon Becker]

Yeah, the last thing I expected was like, I have too many eggs.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, really good problem right now.

[Jon Becker]

We came up with several options. I mean, so duck eggs are your typical. Like large egg is about 50 grams in weight. And farm eggs, of course, they vary quite a bit. 85 grams is what we average out duck eggs. You're gonna have to find a recipe that uses a lot, a lot of eggs. So, yeah, we actually went looking through the book for like the ones that use the most. I mean, quiches are a good idea just because you can freeze them. I mean, you could make several quiches, but, you know, you're probably going to have to up the ratio of egg to dairy.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. And quiche is pretty flexible. So you can do that. Like, you can do a more custardy quiche with fewer eggs or a more eggy one with more eggs. So it's adaptable. And then, yeah, you can freeze them before they're baked or even after they're baked and they're still going to be really delicious.

[Jon Becker]

And then, you know, we added a recipe for cuckoo sabzi, which is, you know, a Persian frittata, I guess it would be.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, it's so good. It's just like jam packed full of herbs. It's got cilantro, parsley and dill, I think are the three that are in our recipe, like optional toasted walnuts in there. It's. It's like bright green. It feels very springy to me. So it feels very appropriate for the season. But that's a delicious. I mean, I would eat that for dinner, you know.

[Jon Becker]

Oh, yeah. Artichoke frittata for a crowd that will use like a probably seven duck eggs. So, you know, that's putting a big dent in there. And then on baked goods there's this really interesting. I think we talked about it previously. It's. It's called Sour Cream Apple Souffle Cake Cockayne.

[Megan Scott]

It's a mouthful.

[Jon Becker]

Yeah, but it was. It's definitely like one of the oldest recipes in the book in that actually came from like Irma's grandmother.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, it's really funky the way it's made you saute apples and Then you whip together egg yolks and I forget what all there's sugar egg yolks. It's kind of like a custard almost, but I don't think there's any dairy in it. And then you add that to the apples in the skillet and kind of gently cook it until it thickens a little. And then you fold in whipped egg whites and put it in a baking dish and top it with almonds and breadcrumbs, like a little bit of breadcrumbs. And then bake it.

[Shannon Larson]

What is it called again?

[Megan Scott]

Sour cream apple souffle cake. Cocaine. Okay. Yeah.

[Jon Becker]

Irma did not know what to call it.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, it straddles a few different categories of dessert, so it makes sense that the name is a little odd, but that does use a lot of eggs, so that's a great option. And then there's also there's an eight yolk gold cake recipe, like a yellow cake, but it uses eight egg yolks. And then our pound cake recipe uses eight whole eggs.

[Jon Becker]

So that was five duck egg yolks. We have to think in duck.

[Megan Scott]

Right. In thinking. But those are all great options. I was also thinking about pickled eggs because I love a beet pickled egg. And I would think that the duck eggs, like the bright orange yolk would look really cool with the, the purple pink, you know, pickled eggs. So I, I would do some of those too.

[Jon Becker]

Yeah. Or you know, deviled eggs. But of course it's like instead of it being like a canape, it would be, I don't know, I guess you'd have to quarter them.

[Shannon Larson]

Yeah, they'd be large, like four bites instead of two.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jon Becker]

And let's see, what else? Oh yeah, Creme anglaise. Always a good thing to use up eggs if you're. Yeah. You know, I mean, it's like we're getting to strawberry season. Seems like creme anglaise, some strawberries. Good move.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. And I will just put. I know we're, we've just been talking about what you want to cook when you. What to cook when you don't want to cook. And this is like the opposite of that. But I advocate, I think everyone at some point in their life should make a souffle because they're so delightful to eat and so delicious and they're actually not that hard. And this, there's all this pressure cuz it's like, oh, it's going to collapse. What if it collapses? It's like, yeah, it's going to collapse no matter What, Even when the perfectly made souffle is going to collapse? Like, that's part of the drama of the souffle.

[Jon Becker]

Well, there's some life wisdom there, isn't there?

[Megan Scott]

Yes, there is some life wisdom there.

[Jon Becker]

Maybe a chocolate souffle.

[Megan Scott]

Chocolate. Or more forgiving.

[Jon Becker]

And then maybe pair that with some creme anglaise on the top.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, that's something we make at Christmas every year.

[Jon Becker]

So good.

[Megan Scott]

Chocolate souffle creme anglaise. Ridiculous. It's ridiculous. It's so good. And we make the creme anglaise with sous vide, so. With a immersion circulator, because then you don't have to stand over it. You can just chuck it in a jar, put it in the water, and let it go forever.

[Jon Becker]

Just shake it every now and then.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. Margaret, do you have any duck egg thoughts? What would you use a bunch of duck eggs for?

[Margaret Ebuy]

Okay. Wow. First of all, congrats to this person for being rich in egg. That is an incredible thing. Here's what I would do. When I have too many eggs, I like to make fruit curd. Specifically, I love a lemon curd. Or as discussed earlier, I became obsessed with key lime pie. So I just started making key lime curd and putting it on everything because, like, there are no rules. You can do it. And then because you have extreme duck egg yolks, you will then have extreme duck egg white. And then you can make those into meringue. And then you have these perfect little, like, meringue cups with, like, lemon or lime curd in them. And if you want a little whipped cream on top, and that is like a beautiful, perfect, like, Easter era dessert to me. I would make so much curd is what I would do.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. Curd is a really good one. And the recipe and joy of cooking actually uses whole eggs instead of separating the. The yolks, which is kind of nice.

[Margaret Ebuy]

That's actually so much nicer. Please do that recipe instead of.

[Jon Becker]

No, but I like the. I like the idea of doing like a, you know, gigantic Pavlova style type thing with some curd. That could be amazing.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Yeah, my. My friend Rachel is famous. Well, famous to me for the pie she makes, which is just lemon curd in a meringue crust. And it's like, oh, it's such a gorgeous. It's so perfect, too, because it's got that sweet, airy crust and then that sort of, like, deep, like, tangy, rich curd. Ooh. So I want to make it right now, actually, but I'm not rich in eggs, so someone else asked you.

[Jon Becker]

Well, yeah. So if you do have any leftover after, you know, going through some of those ideas, there's the salted duck egg yolks. So, you know, you could put em up for a while. Of course they have to be refrigerated. It's not shelf stable, but those are.

[Megan Scott]

You're making them small. You're making the problem smaller and last longer.

[Jon Becker]

True.

[Megan Scott]

That sounded bad, though. Like you're making it last longer. If you have a topic, ingredient or joy story to share, call our hotline at 503-395-8858. Leave us a message or send us a text. We'd love to hear from you. And next week's topic comes from our caller.

[Unknown]

My mom made many recipes from Joy of Cooking. I have no idea what edition, but I want to get the one she used growing up. I know there was a coconut milk cake and split pea soup recipe. Any ideas on which edition or would the 2019 do the trick?

[Megan Scott]

Great question. We'll answer that one next week. All right, what is everyone cooking this week? What are we planning on?

[Shannon Larson]

We're finally getting a Costco membership.

[Megan Scott]

Oh, heck yes.

[Shannon Larson]

Happening.

[Megan Scott]

Welcome to the club.

[Shannon Larson]

Thank you. We're going, we're, we're having a. Speaking of, like, ways to make things like little holidays, we're doing a Costco membership Monday date. So if you have any recommendations on we should get.

[Megan Scott]

It's a great day to go.

[Shannon Larson]

That's what we were thinking. I didn't want to go over the weekend, so I'm just gonna, I'm just excited to finally have room in a house where I can put a bunch of paper towels and things that I've never had the option of getting before. And then I have missed going to the farmer's market the past like two months because of travel and then sick and all of this stuff. So I'm going today after the recording and I'm just going to let the farmers market inspire me. That's really, it's, it's farmers market slash Costco inspiration week, I guess. I think it's a good pairing sounds.

[Jon Becker]

So you're, you're hitting two ends of a spectrum.

[Shannon Larson]

Exactly, exactly.

[Megan Scott]

We've been sort of stocking up on a lot of our favorite ingredients from some of our favorite producers or just folks who import really awesome things from other parts of the world just to support them, you know, amid the kind of tariff chaos and a couple of which have been sponsors of the show previously. So I just wanted to give a shout out to Yunhai where we get all of our toasted sesame oil. It's so good. And they also have delicious vinegars and dried fruits and all kinds of Taiwanese magic. And they have a little. A steamer appliance thing that I desperately want. I haven't. I haven't bought it yet. I've been holding out, but I really. I still really want it. And then 50 hertz, who does the really delicious Szechuan pepper oil, the green and red, and then the peppers that you can get from them. And their, their peanuts are also amazing.

[Shannon Larson]

So, gosh, everything they do is so.

[Megan Scott]

Everything they do is so good. But also Mala Market, which is where we get a lot of Sichuan ingredients. So the, the chili bean paste that we use in our Mapo tofu that we make almost every week. It's so great. And they sell a really delicious one. And then burlap and barrel, they have great spices and we just bought a ridiculous amount of spices from them.

[Shannon Larson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jon Becker]

It's more cardamom than we've ever had, I think.

[Megan Scott]

And then Diaspora Cove, which famously imports amazing turmeric, but also other spices and things. But yeah, I just wanted to give a shout out to those folks. It's a weird time and they're doing awesome work and I want them to thrive, so please buy your ingredients from them. But other than that, I am just watching my garden slowly grow and checking on it every five minutes. Like, is there lettuce yet? Are you ready? So I'm really excited to start eating out of the garden.

[Jon Becker]

I want to do something with the kale that's overwintered, so I feel like I'm going to put that on the to do list.

[Megan Scott]

It's sprouting, so you got to get on it.

[Jon Becker]

Okay.

[Megan Scott]

What about you, Margaret? What are you doing this week?

[Margaret Ebuy]

Oh, like you, I also extremely invested in the burlap and barrel tariff sale because burlap and barrel is so good. Their spices are just like life changingly good. So I have a bunch of interesting, fun things to play with. I got their Sri Lankan roasted curry mix, which I'm really excited to play around with. And also the savory herb from France, which I, like, have never really worked with. And I'm just gonna try some things and see what works and what doesn't. I also believe strongly in Costco, and in my house, it is a crisis if we run out of Kerrygold and Costco sells it in bulk and so legit. When the tariffs came down, my husband's like, all right, how much room do we have in the freezer. Can you just go? Can you just, like, buy. So we, like, bought a quantity that's like, verging on, like, upsetting of Kerrygold and also Nielsen Massey vanilla that they also sell at Costco.

[Shannon Larson]

Oh, nice hot tip.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Okay, so probably I should do something with those things, but actually the thing I really want to make is fried rice. Especially since you were just like, talking about, like, Szechuan Popricorns and I was like, what fun things can I do? So fried rice and I have some eggplants. I think I'm going to bank some Benganbarta eggplant.

[Shannon Larson]

It's like a. It comes up on almost every episode.

[Megan Scott]

Every episode?

[Margaret Ebuy]

Yeah.

[Shannon Larson]

We love it. And it drives John a little bit crazy.

[Margaret Ebuy]

It's a bingo card.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah.

[Jon Becker]

I mean, it doesn't drive. It's. It's continuity.

[Margaret Ebuy]

It's not even, like, good eggplant season. I don't even know why I just was like, let's get some eggplants in the house. And now I'm like, these are slowly dying. What do I do with them?

[Jon Becker]

By the way, shout out to your recommendation of Banner butter.

[Shannon Larson]

Oh, man.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Yes.

[Jon Becker]

You inspired us to order some and oh, my God, it's fantastic.

[Margaret Ebuy]

Good. We tasted like 30 something butters and we had literally Boardgate butter, which, as we all know, the queen of butters. But Banner was like such a heavy contender and is made in Atlanta that I swear, like, after they went home, five different people from that tasting ordered it immediately. It is so good.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, we. We ordered a slightly unhinged amount because it was like, you gotta get it overnight shipped. So it's. The shipping is expensive. You might as well get like £10. I don't know exactly.

[Margaret Ebuy]

What are you supposed to do messing around with a single butter? Like, what do you do? You'll use it up like it freezes.

[Megan Scott]

Totally. Yeah, we just throw it in the freezer. It's fine.

[Margaret Ebuy]

I'm thrilled to hear this. The Banner butter is so good. Like, really one of the superior domestic producers of butter, which is good in this time when we may all need that very soon.

[Megan Scott]

Thanks for listening to the Joy of Cooking podcast before we go. Show some love for your favorite podcast by subscribing to the show and leaving us a review on Apple podcasts and itunes. Follow us@the joyofcooking.substack.com and on Instagram @the joyofcooking. Stay tuned for next week where we will tackle tracking down a coconut milk cake and a lentil soup recipe.

[Jon Becker]

Split pea.

[Megan Scott]

Split pea.

[Shannon Larson]

The addition.

[Megan Scott]

Split pea. What edition it is. And don't forget to make this week's recipe. Salted egg yolks. Call in with questions, hopes, history, or where you find joy in the kitchen. Our number is 503-395-8858. That's 503-395-8858.

[Shannon Larson]

We could not do this without our fantastic team at the Joy of Creation production house. Thank you to Dave Dresky, our production coordinator, Haley Bowers, our audio engineer, and today it is Dirk Marshall, our producer.