Cabbage, Cassoulet, and a Little Citrus
February’s Chef’s Kisses
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Hello friends! I hope you had a lovely, cozy February! One quick update: moving forward, the Chef’s Kisses newsletter (aka my favorite food-adjacent moments from the month) will be for subscribers only (free and paid). I’ll be putting this one behind the paywall after a couple of days. To have access to future Chef’s Kisses newsletters, please do sign up as a free subscriber to receive them in your inbox.
This newsletter is coming to you from my cozy setup: on the couch under my giant Brooklinen blanket wearing what my husband calls my “fuzzy suit” (a fleece sweatsuit from the 2019 JW Anderson x Uniqlo collab) and my fuzzy socks. For more cozy end-of-winter vibes there’s lots more below:
Bite-Sized
Citrus for breakfast brought a bit of brightness to these chilly mornings. Try my honey-ed kumquat recipe from my J.Crew collab.
Maximizing coziness with cabbage: a giant slice in quiche, choux farci, cabbage salads, and more.
This big blizzard called for a giant pot of cassoulet.
My favorite bites from Soosanghan BBQ and Soup Dumpling Plus – can’t wait to go back to both.
And some sweet cozy dishes from the month: Chocolate Mousse Cake + soufflés: Vanilla and Chocolate, Molten Hot Chocolate, and Coffee and Tea
A Little Citrus
Despite leaning into so much coziness below, there were some bright, citrusy moments to battle winter blues, thank you to J.Crew for inspiring and sponsoring this little bit of late winter sunshine.
I tried to start my mornings off with brightness by investing in a bulk package of Sumo citrus. I had it for breakfast along with my morning coffee and homemade almond milk. 10/10 would recommend.
Jules Tie Shirt paired with the Painter Pant and Sophie Ballet Flat for a very cute and very comfortable look.
If you’re looking for a more substantial citrus breakfast/lunch, here’s a honey-ed kumquat marmalade recipe thanks to J.Crew. It tastes like super-bright late-winter sunshine: it has a zing that is so bright it makes you want to squint, with sweetness and notes of early spring floral-ness to soften. The marmalade can be made in under an hour, meaning you can make it for breakfast that day, plus leftovers for future sunshine-y breakfasts. Théo and I have had it on a baguette with butter and a croissant, both picked up from my favorite NYC baguette/croissant baker (Théo said it was the ideal spread for a croissant because of the bitter-sweet duality balancing out the rich-buttery flake). I also think it would be delicious on a bostock, brushing the brioche with extra gooey, honeyed liquid before adding the frangipane and candied kumquats on top.
I had some for lunch as well, making a bright salad with chopped candied kumquats and leftover fresh ones. For a dressing, I added the marmalade juice, champagne vinegar, and Sumo Citrus Flavored Olive Oil from Brightland. I also sliced some beets, and some kale that had been dry-roasted in a pan with chili flakes and sesame. This was so good I made it twice this week.
Speaking of the Sumo Olive Oil, I ate it in many preparations at the Gem Home launch dinner. Tara Thomas had the fantastic idea to put it in an olive oil cake served with a bay leaf or tea mousse yum.
Cabbage
You’ve probably heard, but 2026 has been dubbed the year of the cabbage. Jokes aside, cabbage is indeed very delicious, and I love how easy it is to incorporate into meals. It holds up well when seared and roasted, sliced and sautéed, or stuck in a stew. Perfect for winter cooking.
While cabbage was routinely added to dinners in this manner, I’m highlighting dishes that really showcase cabbage as the star it is.
Cabbage + Crust:
