#35: Kunz Sister Cookbook Club
c/o Claire Saffitz, uniting sisters via dessert
Hello Pastry Pals,
Today I bring you behind the scenes of our Kunz Sister Cookbook Club. To give you a proper peek into how this all came about we must go back to 2019. This was probably the peak of the Bon Appétit Magazine YouTube channel and its, among many, infamous series Gourmet Makes starring pastry chef Claire Saffitz.
The premise of her show was that she would be given a nostalgic or classic treat/snack food and have to recreate a “gourmet” version. She would always start by trying the food and discussing what she liked/didn’t like about it. Then she would read the ingredients. I am almost always wary of people reading the ingredients because they will say something dumb like “if you can’t pronounce it, you shouldn’t eat it” *cue eye roll*, but because she has education in cooking she would explain what purpose each ingredient had in the food and think about how she would need to incorporate some sort of similar process in her own version. Then she would do research on the manufacturing methods and get to work on her own version. It was entertaining for several reasons: 1. She is just a very likable person. 2. watching someone demystify your favorite snacks is very cool. and 3. She was almost always very successful (her Pop-Tart recipe went viral and people around the world were making homemade Pop-Tarts). I wasn’t aware of just how many things can be dehydrated.
Then the floodgates opened at Bon Appétit. In June 2020, following the murder of George Floyd and the racial reckoning that ensued, their editor-in-chief, Adam Rapoport, was exposed for having done brown face and employees started coming forward to condemn his actions and shed light on the disparity in pay and treatment between the white and BIPOC employees at the magazine. Many of the YouTube personalities left the magazine in an act of solidarity and the YouTube channel as we knew it ceased to exist. They have since kept it going with other series, but I haven’t followed them very closely.
☝︎ one of my favorite of the Gourmet Makes videos.
In October 2020 Claire published her first cookbook called Dessert Person (and later launched her own YouTube channel called Claire Saffitz x Dessert Person where she makes recipes from her book). I got a copy, Portia got a copy, and Sylvie got a copy. I don’t remember whose idea it first was, but one day we got together on FaceTime and picked a recipe from the book that we wanted to make. We set a date for when we’d bake it and a time for when we’d get back on FaceTime to try it together.
We started with mint lime bars. They were made of a mint shortbread crust with a lime curd on top and they were GOOD. An important fact about the Kunz family is that when you say something has lemon or lime in it, it better show up. None of these vaguely lemony but mostly sweet lemon bars. We want to pucker, and Claire delivered. Her bars were delightfully tart and had the vibes of what I imagine a mojito is like. The bars also challenged us. While Sylvie is on her way to building a pastry empire, Portia and I are what you call home cooks. Had I ever tempered an egg mixture before? Absolutely not. So, making a homemade lime curd sounded a little daunting but was in fact not too bad! When the three of us met up to try our bars and discuss the process, we reveled in the fact that we were all three very successful. This kept the momentum going. We’ve done gooey butter cake, a pomegranate cranberry mousse pie, and mostly recently a ricotta cake with kumquat marmalade. We’ve mastered yeasted cakes, gelatin in mousse, and leavening a cake with whipped egg whites. We’ve also had to make do in kitchens void of many gadgets. I’ve learned during this process that there is little you can’t achieve with a trusty hand mixer by your side.
As often happens when sisters (and people broadly) get together for a specific purpose, you talk about the intended topic for 15-30-ish minutes and then get carried away talking about everything else. So yes, we are mastering new skills in the kitchen and eating great dessert, but more than that it’s been a fantastic way for us all to keep in touch and have consistent face time with each other at long distances. Of course we have our various group chats across social media platforms and text, but there is something nice of about actually seeing each other’s faces and hearing voices. I’ve really appreciated the dedicated time taken to meet up and seeing how each of us tackles recipes has been awesome. We’ve all taken liberties with recipes at times. I refused to put powdered sugar on my lime bars (I just don’t like it that much) and Portia and I both decided not to add the sugared cranberries to our pie. I think that’s part of the fun of cooking, making a recipe your own. And I think this is a great testament to Claire’s book that all three of us, with our varying levels of experience, have managed to create great outcomes.
Since this isn’t a one woman cookbook club I asked my sisters what their thoughts and perceptions of our endeavor are.
For me, I think I’ve been surprised at what the sister cookbook club has revealed to me about myself. I enjoy the motivation and accountability to get out of my comfort zone and try new recipes that I might not otherwise. Some of the things we’ve made have used techniques I’m not familiar with or dishes I don’t commonly make on my own (custard, yeast cake, cake in general, etc). I also love that we push each other to actually utilize our cookbooks since I have other cookbooks that I’ve barely opened. It’s also nice to set aside time to talk with my sisters since we’re all busy and I like carving out that intentional time to connect. I’ve been surprised at how self-conscious I can be about cooking on a deadline or knowing my work will be presented to other people. Even if those people are my sisters and it is low stakes! Truly my self-doubt and insecurities can show up strong in any situation. That has been most challenging for me. - Portia
I think it’s been a fun way for us to stay connected and participate in something together despite the distance. I’ve enjoyed making new things that I might not normally make and being able to see how each of us approaches the same recipes. So far we’ve all been successful with each recipe we’ve tried and we’ve been able to try a good variety of techniques and flavors. It’s been a great way to keep me baking at home while being busy with school and work, as well as a perfect opportunity for the three of us to catch up every couple of months. - Sylvie
I echo both of them. It’s always a highlight of my week to have a cookbook club meeting with them and then share what I made with friends after. I have pushed myself to use ingredients and make desserts that I probably wouldn’t have made otherwise. Branching out from chocolate cookies and boxed brownies has been refreshing. Since so many of us have long distance friends, siblings, partners, etc. I fully endorse the FaceTime club. It might not be baking for everyone but painting, knitting, flower arranging, anything can be adapted for a FaceTime meeting and I think any method of connectivity is a great use of our virtual world. Go forth and bake!
As always have a slice for me this week 🍕 and enjoy this song that will never not remind me of my sisters.