Essential Elements: Three Recipes From a Book That’s Making Waves

Every year hundreds, if not thousands, of cookbooks are released. Beautifully bound, rarely do these tomes truly aim to teach. But now a new book in the tradition of The Joy of Cooking is doing exactly that. Covered on NPR and in The Atlantic, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat spells out Samin Nosrat's theory on the essential elements that every meal takes. Nosrat, a veteran of Chez Panisse, comes to the cookbook scene with her own sterling recommendation. Her former boss Alice Waters once called Nosrat “America’s next great cooking teacher.” And if this publication is any indication, Waters appears to be correct. Below, Nosrat selects three recipes to share with Vogue and explains exactly why she likes each one.

Vietnamese Cucumber Salad

“I live for cucumbers, and all summer long I live for simple, cold dishes. This sweet-and-tangy recipe is inspired by the cucumber pickles I get at my favorite Vietnamese noodle restaurant. I love making a big batch and serving it along grilled meats, over chilled noodles, and just eating it as an afternoon snack.”

Serves 4 to 6

2 pounds (about 8) Persian or Japanese cucumbers, stripey peeled 1 large jalapeño, seeds and veins removed if desired, thinly sliced 3 scallions, finely sliced 1 garlic clove, finely grated or pounded with a pinch of salt .5 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves 16 large mint leaves, coarsely chopped .5 cup toasted peanuts, coarsely chopped .25 cup neutral-tasting oil 4 to 5 tablespoons lime juice 4 teaspoons seasoned rice wine vinegar 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 teaspoon sugar Pinch of salt

Using either a Japanese mandoline or a sharp knife, thinly slice the cucumbers into coins, discarding the ends. In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, jalapeno, scallions, garlic, cilantro, mint, and peanuts. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, 4 tablespoons lime juice, the vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, and a small pinch of salt. Dress the salad with the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and more lime juice as needed. Serve immediately.

Cherry Tomato Confit

“Other than just popping one in your mouth, this is my favorite way to use up cherry tomatoes. One batch of confit yields enough tomatoes for a big pasta, a topping for fried or scrambled eggs, and abundant flavored oil to use in vinaigrettes.”

Makes about 4 cups

At the height of summer, make cherry tomato confit once a week and use it as a quick pasta sauce, spoon it over grilled fish or chicken, or serve it alongside fresh ricotta and grilled croutons rubbed with garlic. Use the sweetest, most flavorful tomatoes you can find—they’ll explode on your tongue. Strain, save, and reuse the confit oil for a second batch, or use it to make Tomato Vinaigrette.

4 cups cherry tomatoes, stemmed (about 1. dry pints) Small handful basil leaves or stems (the stems are packed with flavor!) 4 garlic cloves, peeled Salt 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Lay the cherry tomatoes in a single layer into a shallow roasting dish over a bed of basil leaves and/or stems and garlic cloves. Cover with about 2 cups of olive oil. While the tomatoes don’t have to be totally submerged, they should all be in contact with the oil. Season them liberally with salt, give them a stir, and then stick them in the oven for about 35 to 40 minutes. At no time should the dish ever boil—a simmer, at most, is fine.

You’ll know they’re done when they are tender all the way through when pierced with a skewer and the first skins start to split. Pull them from the oven and let them cool a bit. Discard the basil before using.

Serve warm, or at room temperature. Keep tomatoes refrigerated, in their oil, for up to 5 days.

Lori’s Chocolate Midnight Cake

“Summer or not, this is my favorite cake to bake. It‘s simple, deeply chocolaty, and extraordinarily moist. Dust with powdered sugar or cocoa powder if you don’t feel like whipping cream to top it with, then serve it to your friends and family, who will be utterly delighted.”

Makes two 8-inch cakes

Here’s the recipe for the cake that changed everything for me. By age 20, I’d given up on the idea that I’d ever encounter a chocolate cake recipe that yielded the flavorful bite I’d always dreamed of. After all, I came of age in the 1990s, the golden age of flourless chocolate cake. But all I’d ever wanted was a recipe for a cake that rivaled the moistness of cake mix cakes, yet offered that fancy-bakery flavor. A few months after I began bussing tables at Chez Panisse, my friend Lori Pedraza brought in a Midnight Cake, topped with Vanilla Cream, to celebrate another cook’s birthday. Though I’d given up on ever finding my ideal cake, I still took a slice. Who was I to turn down chocolate cake? One bite and I was sunk. I didn’t know why it was so much better than any cake I’d ever tasted, nor did I care. Only months later did I realize that the cake is so moist because it’s made with oil, rather than butter—just like the cake mix cakes I’d always loved!

.5 cup (2 ounces) Dutch-process cocoa powder, preferably Valrhona

1. cups (10. ounces) sugar 2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 1.75 cups (9. ounces) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons vanilla extract .5 cup neutral-tasting oil 1.5 cups boiling water or freshly brewed strong coffee 2 large eggs at room temperature, lightly whisked 2 cups Vanilla Cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set a rack in the upper third of the oven.

Grease two 8-inch cake pans, then line with parchment paper. Grease and sprinkle generously with flour, tap out the excess, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, salt, flour, and baking soda, then sift into a large bowl.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and gradually whisk in the water-oil mixture until incorporated. Gradually whisk in the eggs and stir until smooth. The batter will be thin.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Drop the pan onto the counter from a height of 3 inches a couple of times to release any air bubbles that may have formed.

Bake in the upper third of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cakes spring back from the touch and just pull away from the edges of the pan. An inserted toothpick should come out clean.

Cool the cakes completely on a wire rack before unmolding them from the pan and peeling off the parchment paper. To serve, place one layer down on a cake plate. Spread 1 cup Vanilla Cream in the center of the cake and gently place the second layer atop it. Spread the remaining cream onto the center of the top layer and chill for up to 2 hours before serving.

Alternatively, top with cream cheese frosting, serve with ice cream, or simply dust cakes with cocoa powder or powdered sugar. The batter also makes for fantastic cupcakes!

Tightly wrapped, this cake will keep for 4 days at room temperature, or for 2 months in the freezer.