Note: this was originally published for the Prospect Heights Patch news site here

150 Years of New York Times Recipes: Frank Bruni and Amanda Hesser Discuss New Book

Food writers discuss the making of “The Essential New York Times Cookbook” and the evolution of food and culture throughout American history.

At the last night, New York Times food writers Frank Bruni and Amanda Hesser , “The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century.”

But the discussion also ranged wide, covering such topics as Hesser’s path to food writing and what Americans ate for breakfast in the 1950s to more practical matters such as foolproof recipes and what to do when you spill sauce on your iPad.

Bruni, who recently came out with a book of his own, “Born Round: A Story of Family, Food, and a Ferocious Appetite,” asked Hesser what she thought about their shared vocation.

“You can’t complain about your job if you’re a food writer,” she said.

And though Hesser did not do any complaining about the enormous task she took on in 2004 — which was to assemble and edit about 1,100 of the best recipes the New York Times has published since its inception in 1851 — she certainly still had a lot to say.

Hesser took on the cookbook project in 2004, and for the next five years, she culled the archives of the Times for some of the best or, at least, most interesting recipes. Because the archives contained tens of thousands of options, she requested submissions of favorite recipes from readers. Both her inbox and mailbox were flooded with old Times recipes, some even passed down from mother to daughter, with personal hand-written notes. A recipe had to be submitted or recommended at least three times in order to make the cut and appear in the final book.

Finding herself with recipes spanning 150 years, Hesser was able to then examine the trends and find the patterns in the nation’s food history. What resulted was not just a book of recipes, but a chronicle of the evolution of food and culture throughout American history.

“I used to joke I would call the book ‘Chicken and Dessert,” she said.

But the oldest recipe to make the cut was neither.

Rather it was an 1856 recipe for café au lait. In those times, heavy, fat-laden breakfasts were customary, Hesser said.

“It was like dinner for breakfast,” she said. In an effort to lighten up their meals, Americans turned to the French. What resulted was a surge in popularity of this particular coffee drink.

But Hesser had to do more than sort through recipes, she also had to cook them.

With thousands of recipes to choose from, Hesser embarked on a massive cooking adventure, experimenting with everything from rib roast to purple plum torte, artichoke salad to “heavenly hots,” a blini-like pastry filled with sour cream. Hesser wanted to get to know the recipes she was featuring in order to write authentically and honestly about each of them.

She was up for the challenge in part because of her culinary background: after graduating from college, Hesser received a grant to study cooking in Europe, awarding her the chance to work in bakeries and restaurants in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France. Though cooking was her first passion, she found herself writing more and more about her time in Europe and the foods she was creating. Soon, her writing was picked up and she was hired by the Times as a columnist.

The authors also discussed the nature of cookbooks and their consistently popular role in kitchens despite an increasingly digital world. “Why do so many people still have a special affection for cookbooks?” he asked, admitting that when he cooked, he simply printed out recipes he found online. That way, he could spill sauce on them without worry.

“A great cookbook has a narrative, a point of view. You can’t get that from a diffusive set of recipes,” Hesser said. Still, she hopes that in the future an electronic version of her cookbook will be available, making the recipes more portable within the kitchen while also retaining their narrative.

“So you think people would be willing to risk setting their iPad next to a pot of boiling sauce?” Bruni asked.

“Sure,” Hesser said. “They could just wipe off the screen.”

The banter came to a close with a final question from an audience member who admitted that they were intimidated in the kitchen, and wanted a simple, delicious, confidence-boosting recipe.

Before Hesser could answer, Bruni jumped in, immediately sympathizing by admitting he was a terrible cook. He recommended a recipe for rack of lamb by fellow New York Times food writer Mark Bittman (whose recipes appear in Hesser’s cookbook).

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“You can’t ruin it,” Bruni promised. The recipe can be found here.