The smush trick

Grate to greater

Hello, it’s Friday and it’s NIBLETS Day!

Because we’re going to be baking together a bunch, I wanted you to have this terrific little trick in your culinary back pocket. I learned it from the French pastry chef, Pierre Hermé, when we worked together, and I thank him whenever I use it – which is always.

This is the technique to use when you’ve got sugar and citrus zest in a recipe – the citrus can be lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, whatever. Instead of just stirring the zest into the batter or dough, you grate the zest over the sugar, reach into the bowl and start smushing. Use your fingertips to press, mash, rub and, yes, smush the sugar and zest together until the mixture is moist and fragrant.