PARLEZ-VOUS FRANÇAIS? These Chefs are Speaking the Love Language of Giving Back
As expected, Chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr are in the midst of another tight fall schedule - but when it comes to making time for Chefs for Kids’ Cancer New York City, both agreed, “We just wouldn’t miss it!”
On October 8th, this celebrated duo will again serve up the bold French flavors they’re known for, inspired by their James Beard award-winner Frenchette, their midtown showstopper, Le Rock, located at the heart of famed Rockefeller Center, not one but two celebrated bakeries and a recently reborn classic locale.
A Full Plate
With so much on their plate, why do they share their time and talent with Cookies for Kids’ Cancer? Lee’s commitment is recognizable to any parent, “Cancer is one of the most serious things we face and when it affects children, it can’t get any worse.” Riad concurs, adding, “To be able to raise funds for such an important cause alongside our friends and colleagues, it’s humbling and leaves me in awe.”
Kids Helping Kids
It started with a bake sale. Hanson shares, “I learned about Cookies for Kids’ Cancer from my daughters. My girls would bake with their friends for summer bake sales at Pink Chicken in Amagansett Square on Long Island, N.Y. It was a great way for the kids to be together and get involved in helping other kids.” Their go-to recipe? “They loved making Rice Krispie Sushi Rolls - always a hit!”
New Openings and Cookies for Breakfast
This summer, Hanson and Nasr unveiled their newest spot: An Upper East Side NYC revival of classic bistro Le Veau d’Or. In late 2023, downtown NYC found the pair launching their flagship Frenchette Bakery at the Whitney Museum (overseen by bread guru Peter Edris and pastry queen Michelle Palazzo). We’re in mad love with Frenchette Bakery’s popular Breakfast Cookie (gluten-free, customizable, and possibly even…healthy?) and can’t resist the newest location’s museum inspired format.
Luckily now everyone can get in on the a.m. inspired cookie as ‘all day treat’. Bake sale hosts take note...breakfast is now served.
Frenchette’s Breakfast Cookie
This version appeared in the New York Times, adapted by Melissa Clark.
Ingredients
¾ cup smooth almond butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing pan
1 large egg, beaten, at room temperature
1 egg white, at room temperature
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ⅔cups rolled oats
¾ teaspoon baking soda
⅓ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
¼ cup dried cherries (or another soft, plump dried fruit)
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 tablespoons shelled sunflower seeds
1½ tablespoons flax seeds
1½ tablespoons sesame seeds
Instructions
Lightly grease a metal 9-inch square baking pan with butter and line it with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches to hang over 2 sides of the pan and use as handles later. Grease the parchment paper as well.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld mixer and a large bowl, cream almond butter, granulated and brown sugars, and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add egg, egg white, salt and vanilla, and mix until well incorporated, occasionally scraping the side and bottom of bowl, about 1 minute longer.
Put oats in a small bowl, sift the baking soda over them, and beat into almond butter mixture. With the mixer on low speed, stir in coconut flakes, cherries and seeds until thoroughly mixed.
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About the author: Kathryn Kellinger is the author of six cookbooks and has written about food and travel for print and online publications including Epicurious and Salon. Her food life began at Vogue Magazine where she was mentored on dough structure, the nuances of French butchering techniques, and precise sentences. Kathryn is a New Yorker, a parent, a wife to an always-working chef, news-consuming, tennis playing, 3-time New York City marathoner who is endlessly fascinated by nearly everything.
