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Becky Krystal

@becky.krystal

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Recipes editor for @eatvoraciously/Washington Post Food. If I'm not eating, I'm thinking about eating. Also cooking, lots of cooking.

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SEPT 1: Join us for a special evening of conversation all about Award-winning author Leah Koenig’s newest cookbok, THE DESSERT TABLE: 100 Joyful Jewish Sweets!

ABOUT THE COOKBOOK
A celebration of classic and creative Jewish desserts from around the world by the author of Portico.

The dessert table is the star of any Jewish gathering: sprinkle cookies and honey cake, airy meringues and flaky rugelach, sweets brimming with tender apples and bright pops of pomegranate. Eager to bring a little extra sweetness to all our tables, Leah Koenig takes us on a delightful tour through the 2,000-year-old tradition of Jewish sweets. She shares recipes and stories from historic Jewish communities in Venice, Syria, and Curaçao; home bakers from Hungary and Poland; and up-and-coming diaspora bakeries across the United States. Her 100 all-new recipes include creative takes on familiar favorites, like Chai-Spiced Cheesecake or Chocolate Turtle Babka, and bring lesser-known gems to the conversation, such as a lush Orange and Almond Cake and Fluffy Apricot Jam Doughnuts inspired by Hungarian fánk. Beloved for her well-researched storytelling and clear, encouraging directions born from her own kitchen, Koenig energizes the dessert canon as no one else can.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leah Koenig is the author of seven previous cookbooks, including the IACP Award–winning Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen. Her writing and recipes have been published in Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, the New York Times, and more. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Becky Krystal is the recipes editor for Washington Post Food, following a six-year stint as a staff writer and recipe developer. After several years as a general assignment reporter in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, she came to The Washington Post in 2007 to work for TV Week and Sunday Source. Her time at The Post also includes five years in the Travel section. by @becky.krystal

New episode! @becky.krystal of @eatvoraciously joins us to talk about the “boiling water school” of food journalism, the joy of helping readers troubleshoot recipes, and why writers should stop using obscure culinary terms like “bias cut.” Plus: malted milk powder madness, tiny batch baking rage bait, saucy sauce, and Becky’s essential quesadilla tips.

This week’s recipe(s) of note: cornmeal waffles with blueberry compote! Find the recipes on pages 643 and 178 in the 2019 edition. by @becky.krystal

The last week and a half has been among the most difficult stretches of my entire life. The debilitating sadness, the survivor's guilt, the fear, the not knowing what comes next. But mostly, I am thinking about our departed colleagues and friends, and what a gaping loss they are leaving behind, both for our team and our readers. A while back, we envisioned a "Stew Week" package, anchored by recipes from @thehungryhutch, @olgamassov and @gdanielagalarza. Each one of them represents the best of these people I have gotten to know so well over the years. I hope you take the time to read a little more about them, which you can do via the link in my story. (📸: @laurenbulbin; styling: @lisacherkasky) by @becky.krystal

Here it is, @eatvoraciously holiday cookies in print! It's always amazing to see our many months of work from many people in the flesh. (And that wraparound cover!) Still a pinch-me moment for this self-taught baker to get to do this, so big thanks to everyone I have learned from over the years, as well as all the bakers who have contributed their special recipes and the readers who have made them! 🍪 by @becky.krystal

I've been waiting months to say this, but it's holiday cookie time!! I'm so thrilled to share The Washington Post's 21st annual collection of these beloved sweet treats, and what a lineup it is. Most can be stirred together by hand, no mixer required. We've got thumbprints. We've got crinkle cookies. We've got shortbread, sugar cookies and a no-bake dessert. There's chocolate, fruit, spice and tea. There are options for every single cookie if you are vegan or gluten-free. There is a whole lot of love that has been poured into this package from me and our team of editors, designers, photographers, food stylists, tasters and testers. And all of you who've been waiting for it. I'm in year 7 of compiling this longstanding tradition, which is truly my favorite thing I get to do. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. You'll find a gift link to the collection preview in my story, plus links to the individual recipes. Happy baking! (📸: @plaidphoto; food styling: @lisacherkasky) by @becky.krystal

The live weekly cooking chat I host with @thehungryhutch is one of my favorite parts of my job, and the day before Thanksgiving chat is one of my favorites all year. We will be taking your last-minute holiday questions for an expanded hour-and-a-half session, which will be all hands on deck with other members of the @eatvoraciously team. Let us -- and our lovely chat community -- help you out while having some fun, too. Find the link at washingtonpost.com/community, as well as in my story, where there is a special day pass offer for non-subscribers. See you then? I hope so! by @becky.krystal

How is this my job? How lucky am I to be working with every single member of and contributor to the @eatvoraciously team? And how fortunate that our readers trust us with their Thanksgiving menus, questions and more. I'm going full sappy right now, so I appreciate you all. Pick up this beauty in print TODAY. by @becky.krystal

Pies and I don't always get along. I'm not the greatest at the crust, and I almost always prefer cake. But. I might have been converted, at least for Thanksgiving. I knew we needed some fresh pie recipes for @eatvoraciously, and I knew I wanted @buttermilkbysam to develop them. Everything she posts makes me say YES. Sam did a delightful cookie recipe for me a few years ago, and she was really the only person I wanted for this job -- develop a trio of pies that could meet a variety of dietary needs. So she went to work and came back with the stunning lineup of Gluten-Free Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie, Vegan Spiced Apple Crumble Pie and Orange Cranberry Meringue Pie. None of them eat like you're missing anything, and all of them are adaptable to meet whatever needs you have (or don't!). Many tasters agreed the pumpkin may have been the best they've ever had. Get the free link to Sam's lovely column about these desserts over in my story, and find the recipes at washingtonpost.com/recipes. (📸: @laurenbulbin; styling: @lisacherkasky) by @becky.krystal

🍍 I don't exactly know what came over me when I decided it was an amazing idea to try to develop a Dole Whip dupe recipe amidst all our holiday production, but it was some combination of a) fond memories of trips to Disney World and Disneyland, especially with my son b) excitement about joining our Travel team for a Disney-themed live chat (fact: I was a Travel staffer for 5 years early on in my Post tenure) and c) I can't help myself. Anyway, many, many (frozen) pineapples later, I came up with a recipe that captures that tropical vibe and maybe a little of the magic of sitting in the Enchanted Tiki Room with a Dole Whip while watching a bunch of animatronic birds sing. Mine is a little more like sorbet than the theme park soft-serve, but like the OG, it's dairy-free and oh so refreshing. And it comes together in minutes in the blender. Bonus points if you attempt the swirl. Big thanks to tasters/testers @hannahbsampson of The Post and podcaster/theme-park wiz @len.testa of @touringplans, who gave me their expert thumbs-up. Find the recipe at washingtonpost.com/recipes and via the gift link in my story. (📸: @king_marvino; styling: @lisacherkasky) by @becky.krystal

A few weeks ago I found myself stranded at home with no car and not a lot of groceries. I scrounged around the freezer, fridge and pantry for some ingredients and pulled together a pretty good soup. I played around some more and came up with an even better one. This French Onion Chicken Noodle Soup I wrote for @eatvoraciously combines two classic recipes in a dish that only uses 8 ingredients (including oil, sugar and salt!). It's full of comforting, cozy flavors and honestly tastes way better than it should given the humble origins and pretty minimal effort. I loved this one, so give it a whirl now that we are in the midst of a chilly and busy holiday season. Free recipe link in my story, or check it out at washingtonpost.com/recipes. (📸: @king_marvino, styling: @lisacherkasky) by @becky.krystal

Some things are hard to admit out loud even if we know they're true, and one of mine is that while I have long loved to have people over and cook for them, I can rarely muster the energy, time or clean house for it. But I recently had a bit of a mind shift when I threw together a pasta salad for some friends that we then ate by the pool. It was a delight. We dined heartily and enjoyed each other's company. Now this was entertaining I could do!
Inspired by this success and another common poolside meal, I decided to come up with my own signature recipe: Pizza Pasta Salad. Packed with loads of crispy pepperoni, mozzarella pearls, tomatoes two ways (fresh and sun-dried) and creamy cheese tortellini, this is what I'll be making for myself and my friends all summer. Another secret: the dressing is made with the fat from the rendered pepperoni and the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes. I worked really hard on this recipe -- and faced my own insecurities about being a good host and friend -- so I hope you enjoy it. (Of course, such honesty was naturally repaid with some really unkind comments about myself and my food, but so it goes.) Gift link to the recipe and the column over in my story. (📸: @plaidphoto; styling: @lisacherkasky) by @becky.krystal

Nicole Rucker. Becky Krystal. London Fog Brownies by @roshrambles and Carrot and Olive Oil Load Cake slices by @dizzyordazzled.

FAT + FLOUR: The Art of a Simple Bake is happening next Thursday at 7pm and this is the sweetest Bold Fork Books event of April that you won’t want to miss!

To learn more about the book and buy tickets, check out our website and Eventbrite page! See you soon 🍰💗 by @becky.krystal