This is Amused Bouche, SAVEUR’s food questionnaire that explores the culinary curiosities of some of our favorite people. This interview series will dive deep into their food routines, including dinner party strategies, cherished cookbooks, and the memorable bites they’d hop on a flight for.

One of the most surprising sleeper hits in his expansive recipe vault is marjolaine, a layered and lightly sweet cake that he describes as “the first French cake I fell in love with.” His version swaps laborious buttercream for a simple crème fraîche-based icing that tempers the overall sweetness of the dessert. That icing (flavored with praline and vanilla) is layered with a nutty meringue, chocolate ganache, and more praline into a show-stopping centerpiece that’s perfect for the holidays—or any special occasion.

You’ll actually be baking alongside Lebovitz if you add marjolaine to your party menu. During our chat for this edition of Amused Bouche, he decided to make it for his Christmas celebration this year, which will be a feast of oysters and pasta with clams. “The best part about this cake is that it needs to be made ahead, so it’s one less thing to be panicking about during the holidays!” he says. 

Below, he shares an incredible meal that he flew to Jerusalem just to enjoy, a surprising after-dinner chartreuse and chocolate routine, a recipe he can’t seem to crack, and his chocolate soufflé origin story.

If you could only eat one thing 24/7/365, what would it be?

I love fried chicken a lot, in any form. The one I remember the most is Andy Ricker’s fish sauce wings at the now-closed Pok Pok in Portland, Oregon—I think his recipe has like two cups of fish sauce in it! It’s all about the crispy chicken skin, and the sauce makes it just so salty, spicy, and delicious. I miss his restaurant.

What’s the first thing you learned how to cook?

When my sister and I were old enough to be left alone, we would eat TV dinners most of the time, but one night when I was 15 or 16, I decided to make a chocolate soufflé from one of my mother’s cookbooks. It was called The Settlement Cookbook: The Way to a Man’s Heart—which I don’t think you could get away with saying now—and I can still remember the scent of the Baker’s chocolate, the very dark chocolate my mom bought that really didn’t taste or smell good.

How about your latest kitchen adventure?

I bought two shokupan pans when I was in Japan earlier this year, and I’ve been looking at milk bread recipes, and they’re all very involved. I might just buy it! I tried working at a bread bakery, and it was very hard work…so I never became a bread baker; I’m very admirative of bread bakers.

What’s your treat-yourself splurge?

The coffee merveilleux at Aux Merveilleux de Fred. It’s crisp meringues that are sandwiched with very stiffly whipped cream and then rolled in coffee crunchies made of crumbled meringues. I went in there to learn how to make them for my previous book, My Paris Kitchen, and they told me the cream needs to be whipped more than you think—basically a whipped butter that’s very rich; you should be able to taste the fat globules forming—and the meringue should be airy and crunchy. A lot of Americans come to Paris and think they don’t like meringue, but they’ll be watching as the pastry chefs make them in the window. I’ll stop them and say: “You need to go in and get one!” and they’re probably writing to their friends saying a crazy guy is harassing us about meringues on the street.

What’s your most cherished cookbook?

Chez Panisse Desserts. After working there for so many years, it really sums up the philosophy and the ethos of Alice Waters’ restaurant and pastry chef, Lindsey Shere, who laid the foundation for my life as a cook and a baker. Their philosophy was to find really good products—like the best oranges or chocolate—let them speak, and not mess them up. As far as favorites, there’s never been a better dessert than the Chez Panisse almond tart. Just thinking about it makes me smile. It’s so good!

Is there a cooking disaster that made you swear off a dish forever?

My biggest kitchen disaster is granola bars. There are great recipes out there, and I’ve tried to come up with my own for years. Once, I made the most amazing granola bars using peanut butter frosting leftover from making cupcakes. I just added some oats and baked it, and it turned into the best granola bar I’d ever had. I tried to repeat it four times and I couldn’t, so I gave up.

Which nostalgic foods from childhood bring you the most comfort?

My mom wasn’t much of a baker, but she would make tapioca pudding for dessert sometimes. She would put it in this red Pyrex bowl, and I’d sit around waiting for it to be cool so I could eat it. And then I realized…oh, you can eat it warm! That changed everything, and it remains one of my favorite desserts. I love both the flavor and the texture.

When you’re playing dinner party DJ, what’s spinning?

My mix is a blend of disco, Tom Tom Club, Lionel Richie, David Guetta, TLC, George Michael, Donna Summer, Green Day, Mike Chenery, Milli Vanilli, Dua Lipa, and Fine Young Cannibals.

What is your biggest entertaining flex to impress guests?

I like to bring out bottles of chartreuse after dinner and serve it with really good chocolate. There’s green chartreuse, which is very strong, and yellow chartreuse, which is lighter and a little sweeter. Both pair really well with chocolate and are best served freezer-cold or in chilled glasses. Yellow chartreuse and white chocolate are one of my favorite pairings.

Tell me about a meal so good you would hop on a flight to relive it.

My meal at chef Reem Kassis’ mother’s house is one of my favorite food experiences. Reem had written a great article about wanting people to know about Palestinian cooking and not just the conflicts. I loved it and reached out and said I’d love to meet her, and we became friends. She was visiting Jerusalem, where her family is from, and asked if I wanted to come visit because her mother wanted to make lunch for me. I couldn’t put the phone down fast enough to make plans to go. 

We had a beautiful day at Reem’s favorite market and bought bread where she used to get it as a kid and watched tahini milled in front of us. Then we had maqluba, an upside-down rice dish with lamb, and it was magical. When I asked for the recipe, Reem told me it’s her mother’s special spice blend, and something you could never, ever recreate. You don’t need the recipe—you just need to enjoy it. And that remains one of the greatest meals and food memories of my life.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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