Bienvenue and greetings! We hope the holiday season brought good tidings and cheer, and that you spent New Year's stuffing something tasty down your gullet. On the other hand, if shitty Christmas cookies or a dry ass turkey clouded your break, come on and vent about it (send us a DM!) Either way, we’re in the middle of cooking you some special stuff for 2025. We plan to deliver another year of stories about food, with the the hopes of exploring all things fun, weird, and tasty, while continuing to leave our best offerings at the altar of Lady Delish. A shout-out to illustrator Alison Dubois1 for bringing our goddess to life!
In 2024, we served up 95 stories and over 50 original illustrations. We’re so thankful for your readership and all the support we received in our first year, and we hope to keep it hot and fresh in 2025. If you like what we've brought to the table, we’re asking for your consideration in becoming a paid subscriber. For less than the price of a whole milk cortado, you can help support the work that goes into making this newsletter every week.
We’re continuing to keep all of our content free, but paid subscribers will receive a few extras every month. One of the paid features we’re introducing is called The Slop Bucket. While we are in the business of memorable meals, we must acknowledge that some of the most unforgettable and haunting is the food that leaves you gagging or racing to the shitter.
We’ve also spent the latter half of last year working on some merch that you can take to the grocery store, a dinner party or spill sauce on at the next chili cookoff. It’s coming out of the oven in Q1, so be on the lookout!
Our first full story of the year is cold, hot AND wet and will be out next Thursday. In the meantime, a few little appetizers from over the break:
Basque-ing in the Glow
By Kitty
This year I was tasked with providing a gluten-free dessert to grace the holiday spread. Apple crisp is my specialty, but in the weeks leading up to Christmas, I was swayed by the algorithm and a push from my friend Herberto. It seemed nobody could shut the fuck up about Basque cheesecake. I perused for recipes that came highly rated while remaining straightforward—landing on this one from the New York Times. I ran the menu change by my mother-in-law, who excitedly reported that her gastroenterologist just recommended that she bake this exact cake. A strong referral if you ask me.
Since Herb had a couple of Basque cheesecakes bakes under his belt, I called to inquire about the level of difficulty. He simply stated, “Any asshole can make one.” I whipped out my hand mixer and got to work. The custard-y, souffle-like cheesecake came out almost exactly as pictured and received rave reviews. The New York Times described this bake as "a low-effort, high-reward dessert." A motto that's now on my 2025 vision board.
Three Cheers
By Greg
My friend and Gullet Guest, Danny, whipped out this showstopper at the end of his New Year’s Eve dinner and, my god, was it a fireworks finale. A recipe from Dorie Greenspan, this cake's backstory charmed Danny enough to feed into the fantasy. This wasn’t your standard flourless chocolate cake. This confection had something to say. Upon looking at its gleaming chocolate mousse top layer, one would imagine a death-by-chocolate experience. Heavy, indulgent, and rich. It was anything but. Light as an angel feather, with enough body to remain grounded.
In a surprise move, I had the good fortune of trying Guest Gulletier, Todd Clayton’s best bite of 2024, which was his friend Bo’s salad dressing, only available at Bo’s apartment. I somehow slithered in and can corroborate the claim that this dressing was cosmic. A Wonkaesque concoction, I swear I could taste the entire course of a dinner from the savory cut of an appetizer to the sweet notes of dessert. Do yourself a favor and do whatever it takes to get yourself on Bo's guest list.
Apologies to everyone, but I begged my husband to make Antoni Porowski’s meatloaf from episode 9 of the new season of Queer Eye. I’m usually immune to Antoni’s creations (artful arrangements of vegetables) so maybe the fact that this one had some heft to it, reeled me in. It was, unfortunately, incredible. A big honkin’ block of cheddar cheese housed in the middle of ground bison (we used turkey) laced with coriander and Worcestershire sauce.
As a reminder, the invitation to share your food stories with The Gullet still stands! Feelings, failures, and detailed descriptions of your favorite casserole are all welcome additions to our menu. Send us a message at putitinthegullet@gmail.com
Alison Dubois is a California-based artist working in Art Direction, Production Design and Visual Development for animation. She most recently worked as Art Director for Adult Swim's Tuca and Bertie.