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The Zen of Cooking, Burlington, VT (2026)

05/17/2026

Eggs in Purgatory (Italian Baked Eggs)

This has been one of my favorite weekend brunch dishes to make at home for years. It’s basically the Italian version of shakshuka. Served with toasted bread for scooping up those eggs and sauce. Super flavorful and comforting, and you just might already have everything you need in your fridge already.

What you’ll need for 2-3 servings:

1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano
3 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
6 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated

2 slices of toast per person

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400f.
2. Spread marinara sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish, sprinkling with the crushed red pepper, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper.
3. Use the back of a spoon to create small wells in the sauce for each egg.
4. Crack each egg into a ramekin and use the ramekin to pour each egg one at a time into the wells you created. This helps keep the egg whites relatively together.
5. Drizzle the cream and olive oil all over the top and then grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano all over the top. Season again with some salt, pepper, and more parsley if you wish.
6. Place baking dish into the oven and cook until the yolks are barely set, 10-12 minutes. I like a jammy yolk and 12 minutes was perfect for me. If you prefer runny yolks then pull it on the earlier side.
7. Serve with toast.

This is an easy one to make, and to love.

05/15/2026

Eventide’s Brown Butter Bao Milk Bun Lobster Sliders

In honor of an upcoming trip to Portland, Maine in a few weeks I thought I’d dig into my cookbook and try to make their famous bao bun lobster rolls. This is my second try. The first time the dough didn’t rise whatsoever so I chalked it up to dead yeast. So I went to a different store, bought a different ribbon of yeast packets and…same thing, lol. The flavor of these bao milk buns is on point, they’re just a little more dense than they should be. So maybe I’m just really unlucky and keep buying dead yeast. While I didn’t quite get the fluffiness I was expecting, this was still a delicious failure. And I’ll have a better basis for comparison when I get one from the source in a few weeks and then go back to the drawing board!

05/12/2026

White Wine Poached Halibut w/ Cannellini Beans, Asparagus and Peas

It was the opening weekend of the season for this past Saturday so I popped on by and picked up this nice piece of halibut from . Asparagus is popping off right now so I went with a beans and greens medley. The poaching liquid of fish stock and white wine was reduced down and then mounted with some cold butter and lemon juice to make a really nice silky and tangy broth.

What you’ll need for two servings:

1 shallot, sliced
2 halibut filets
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 cups fish stock
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, crushed
10 asparagus spears, cut into 1-2in pieces
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 14oz can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp dill, de-stemmed
4 tbsp cold butter, cubed
1 lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a high sided pan or saucier, placed your sliced shallots on the bottom and lay your halibut filets on top. Add the wine and enough fish stock to almost cover the fish. Add in peppercorns and garlic and place over medium heat and bring poaching liquid to temp of around 155f, not a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for about 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of your filets. Remove fish to a plate and keep warm.
2. Add asparagus, peas and beans to the poaching liquid and bring to a boil. After about 2 minutes use a spider skimmer to remove all the solid from the broth into a bowl and pick out the peppercorn and garlic and discard.
3. Continue to reduce the poaching liquid until you have about 1/2 cups left at which point you’ll turn off the heat and start whisking in your cubes of cold butter to emulsify. It will thicken slightly but should still be pretty loose. Whisk in the lemon juice. Add some of the chopped dill to the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add your beans and veggies back into the sauce to warm.
5. To plate, place a filet in a wide bowl or high-sided plate, spoon over sauce/bean/veggie mixture and garnish with more dill.

Happy poaching!

05/04/2026

Soft-Shell Crab :: Fingerling Potatoes :: Pea Shoots :: Curry Butter

It’s soft-shell crab season and had the hook-up. I dug up this old recipe from that sounded great. I’ve had soft-shell crab fried many times but I wanted to try a less heavy sautéed version instead so this is what I went with. Overall very delicious, though I think I would go a little heavier on the spices when making the recipe’s curry butter next time.

I’ll link to the recipe I used at the link in my bio.

05/03/2026

Bone-In Berkshire Pork Chop :: Apple Slaw :: Honey Mustard Demi-Glace

The difference between a well-cooked pork chop and an overcooked pork chop is night and day. I feel like pork chops are one of those things that a lot of people have a negative attitude towards because a lot of people overcook them. As long as you’re buying quality pork, you don’t have to worry about cooking it into oblivion. A little pink in the middle is a good thing!

Demi-glace is fantastic on its own, but this recipe cranks the flavor up to 11 with the addition of caramelized honey, whole grain mustard and fresh dill. Served with a fresh, cold apple slaw is the perfect contrast to the deep savoriness of the pork/demi.

For the slaw you’ll need:

1 head of cabbage, green or hispi, shredded
1/2 white onion, sliced thin
2 bulbs of fennel, sliced thin along with some of the fronds
2 Granny Smith apples, julienned
2 tbsp dill, chopped
2 tbsp tarragon, chopped
1/4-1/2 cup creme fraiche
Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Toss prepped slaw ingredients together in a bowl and set aside in the fridge while you prepare the pork chops and sauce.

For the demi you’ll need:

2 tbsp raw honey
1/2 cup beef stock
1 box of Savory Choice Beef Demi-Glace Concentrate, prepared
2 tbsp whole grain mustard
2 tbsp dill, chopped

Directions:

1. After you finish cooking your pork chops, while they rest prepare the sauce. Add the honey to the pan over medium and simmer it for a minute until it starts to smell a little toasted.
2. Add the stock to the pan to de-glaze the fond from the pan and reduce by half.
3. Add the prepared demi, mustard and dill and whisk until well combined.
4. Slice and plate your chops, top with the honey mustard demi, serve with the side of slaw and dig in!

This was my first time trying the Savory Choice Beef Demi-Glace concentrate and I have to say I am impressed! If you can’t be bothered to make demi from scratch which takes pounds and pounds of beef bones and several days, then give that concentrate a try. It’s pretty damn good and ready in just a few minutes.

05/01/2026

Swordfish w/ Chermoula

Stopped in to after work today not knowing what I wanted until I laid eyes on this beautiful swordfish steak. Paired with a simple chermoula (chimichurri’s cousin) it makes for a quick and super delicious dinner that can be done in under 30 minutes.

What you’ll need for the chermoula:

1 bunch Italian parsley
1 bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
10 saffron threads
2 tsp kosher salt
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 3 lemons (6ish tablespoons)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Toast your coriander seeds in a pan until fragrant and then grind them with a mortar and pestle.
2. Remove the large stalks from the parsley and cilantro.
3. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend for about 30 seconds until the parsley and cilantro are fairly small bits.

Marinate your swordfish (works well with many other kinds of fish as well, or even chicken) in the chermoula for about 15 minutes and then cook to your desired doneness, though I’d shoot for about 140f internal.

Devour.

04/28/2026

Beef & Lamb Köfte w/ Muhammara & Lemon-Garlic Yogurt Sauce

On my last trip to I picked up these kofte and now they’re getting their chance to shine. I paired them with a deeply savory and sweet muhammara, which is a popular Middle Eastern dip made from roasted red peppers, toasted walnuts, pomegranate molasses and a handful of other ingredients that requires very minimal cooking (if you use jarred roasted red peppers like I did here), just roasting some walnuts.

For the muhammara you’ll need:

1 cup roasted red pepper
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sumac
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

For the yogurt sauce you’ll need:

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, grated

Directions:

1. Toast walnuts in a small pan over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, moving frequently to prevent burning them.
2. Combine all muhammara ingredients in a large jar or bowl and use an immersion blender to blend all the ingredients until you have a homogeneous fairly thick dip.
3. For the yogurt sauce, combine ingredients in a bowl until the lemon juice and grated garlic are evenly incorporated.
4. Serve muhammara topped with more olive oil and a side of warm pita and/or köfte topped with the yogurt sauce.
5. Devour.

04/18/2026

Chicken Schnitzel w/ Shaved Fennel & Pear Salad

What you’ll need for 4 servings:

2 chicken breasts, halved to make four thinner cutlets
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups plain, fine bread crumbs
1 cup cooking oil of choice, divided
2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced with mandoline
1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced with mandoline
1 large pear, halved then sliced thin
2 cups baby arugula
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 lemon, juiced (about 2 tbsp)
2 tbsp champagne or apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set Aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine fennel, onion, pear, arugula and walnuts. Set aside.
3. Using a mallet or flat-bottomed pan, pound the cutlets to a thickness of about 1/2 inch.
4. Season chicken breast halves generously with salt and pepper.
5. Arrange three dishes in a line, one with flour, one with the beaten egg, one with the bread crumbs.
6. Working one half breast at a time: coat in flour, shaking off excess. Dredge in the egg wash to coat, again letting loose excess drip off. Now coat in bread crumbs and use your hands to press the bread crumbs onto the chicken to make sure it’s well coated.
7. Heat 1/2 the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and place two of the breaded cutlets in the oil and cook for about 5-7 minutes each side, then remove to a wire racked baking sheet and season with a little more salt. Repeat this step with the other two cutlets.
8. Combine the salad and dressing, mixing well to lightly coat the entire mix.
9. To plate, place a schnitzel down and top with a large handful of the salad. Serve with some lemon wedges.

Dig in!

04/15/2026

Creamy Caramelized Leek Pasta

When you’re craving pasta, but you also want to have something healthy, this recipe from should be on your radar. The green sauce is a simple puree of sautéed leeks, wilted spinach, basil, peas, lemon juice and some pasta water. Creamy, herbaceous and packed with tons of nutrients that we all probably aren’t getting enough of. It’s topped with some anchovy bread crumbs, parm, and whatever other garnishes you like. Really easy, really quick, really tasty.

I’ll link to her recipe in my bio if this speaks to you.

04/14/2026

Montreal, QC: Garde Manger

Tucked away in a beautiful and fairly nondescript building on one of the small side streets in the Old Port neighborhood of Montreal is , a small seafood-forward restaurant that has been going strong for 20 years. I’ve visited once before but that was 10 years ago and the details of my visit are very fuzzy. But as Maya Angelou said, “…people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” That is certainly true of Garde Manger. While I couldn’t tell you what I ate all those years ago, I can tell you that this place felt like a cozy hug.

The menu is overflowing with incredible-sounding seafood dishes so my SO and I were giddy with excitement. Between the two of us, we ordered 5 dishes and went in…

Snow Crab, Brown Butter: This was the most succulent and delicious crab I’ve had in a long, long time. Dipped in that brown butter. Squeeze of lemon. Perfect.

Octopus, Triple Fried Potatoes, Smoked Chili Mayo, ‘Nduja Butter: Savory, spicy, beautifully charred outside. Soft and creamy on the inside. Craaazy good. I wish I could eat this again right now. Fuuuh…

White Asparagus, Sauce Religieuse, Stuffed Morels, Bear’s Garlic: Normally this dish comes with ‘chicken crumbs’ which I imagine is fried chicken skin crushed up, but we had to omit it because their fryer is not celiac-safe. Ultimately I wasn’t a fan of this dish (other than the stuffed morels which were very good). Maybe the chicken crumbs would have added a necessary missing element because this one just fell a bit flat to me. The asparagus itself was a little stringy/fibrous. Oh well, on to our mains!

Swordfish, Caramelized Cauliflower, Green Peppercorn Sauce: We’re so back, baby. This was phenomenal. The swordfish was cooked perfectly. The peppercorn sauce was so good, but that caramelized cauliflower was even better. Deep, rich nuttiness that contrasted nicely with the creamy brightness of the sauce. Def recommend.

(Continued in comments)

The Zen of Cooking

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