My Edible Life: the butter I can't eat enough of, a lovely bowl and a new use for harissa

Plus food memoirs that I love

Hello! I’m very happy to let you know that the format of Pen and Spoon has changed! I felt it was falling into a rut, so I’m trying something new for all our sakes and giving the newsletter a bit more shape. From now on, paid subscribers will receive My Edible Life every Friday morning. It’s a weekly dispatch of things I’ve cooked, eaten, thought about, read or stumbled across, all food-related in some way. I’ll still be sharing recipes, exploring ingredients and writing on single topics now and then. Bonus! There will be extra free newsletters: on Tuesday, The Weekly Gather (three seasonal ideas to cook or eat) and on Sundays, Shelf Life, one standout product, book or ingredient worth knowing about. Sound good?

Whipped brown butter: you will either curse me (it’s so good) or thank me (it’s so good)

This week’s edible moment?

Sitting in my sunny garden gobbling toast loaded with this whipped brown butter. I’d been meaning to make this ever since it arrived in a bread course at a fancy restaurant a while back - it almost derailed the whole meal because this bread serving was vast and we at it ALL. Fluffy, salty, slightly sweet and caramel-ish, it’s butter that’s dangerously easy to eat straight off the knife. Here’s my method for making it at home.