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Gracie Abrams Makes French-Braised Leeks and an Extra Dirty Martini, and Talks About Her New Album

Vogue · ▶ 12:26 · 7 min read
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Overview

In this episode of Vogue's Now Serving, Gracie Abrams cooks French-braised leeks and mixes an extra dirty gin martini. She calls it a "comfort drink, comfort dish" pairing. While she cooks, she talks about why cooking matters to her and what touring showed her about how people eat. She also describes making her new album with Aaron Dessner and shooting her first American Vogue cover. Abrams says up front that she has never cooked on camera before, and the session is loose and self-deprecating, with plenty of admitted mistakes along the way.

7 min read

Why Cooking Matters to Her

Abrams says that when her tour ended, she had access to a kitchen for the first time in a long while. That was "a big deal," because she has always loved to cook. Cooking, she says, puts her in "a meditative state."

The habit goes back to the COVID period, which she calls "a big shift" for her. She cooked for her family "pretty much" every night then and came to love "the practice of it." Comfort food also mattered while she recorded the new album during a winter in London. She describes the leek dish as the kind of thing that felt "delicious and warm and cozy" then.

She also shares a childhood memory. On some weekends her mother made a special omelette with goat cheese inside and thyme on top. Abrams says that seemed like "the height of adulthood," as if knowing to put thyme on your eggs was proof of being grown up. She adds that she should probably start making it herself.

1:44

The Leeks: Ingredients and Method

The recipe comes from Corre Larkin. Abrams lists the ingredients:

  • leeks
  • heavy cream
  • white wine
  • butter
  • anchovies
  • tarragon
  • thyme
  • salt and pepper
  • lemon zest

The finished leeks go over toasted, charred sourdough.

She admits she is cooking "in a terrible order" and backtracks more than once. First she cooks a component on the stove until it looks right, holds it up to the camera, and sets it aside. Then she lays the cleaned leeks in a buttered dish, working the butter in with her fingers. She remarks on how much butter there is and jokes that the amount won't inspire anyone to come over and eat her food. Next she tucks the leeks into the dish and remembers she needs to lay the tarragon on top "like a little blanket" before dotting everything with more butter. After that she pours the wine mixture over the dish. Then she realizes she skipped a step and tucks in three bay leaves, saying she "should have done that sooner, but that's life."

The dish goes into the oven twice. First it bakes covered with foil at 325 degrees for about 35 to 40 minutes, which she says keeps the leeks from crisping or burning. Then the foil comes off and the dish goes back in at 400 degrees for "another 30-ish" minutes. As the leeks cook down, she says, they absorb all the liquid, and she calls the result "the best tasting thing of all time." She admits she has probably never left them in for the full time. By then the house smells so good, and "you've maybe had your martini at that point, so anything's possible."

Nerves on Camera and the Credit to Jess

Abrams keeps pointing out her own awkwardness. She asks whether they are going to address "the anxiety of cooking in front of others." She says multitasking is hard. She describes the moment of becoming so self-conscious that you wonder whether you have "ever used [your] arms before." She also says this isn't her kitchen.

She repeatedly credits Jess, the food stylist and chef. Jess, she says, didn't want to be on camera. Abrams floats titles like "culinary wizard" and "producer, genius, brightest smile I've ever seen." She also thanks Jess for the chilled martini glasses.

What Touring Taught Her About Food

Abrams says that touring over the past couple of years has taken her to many "nuts places." She tries to eat out as much as she can on the road. Fans often bring her bags of local snacks or candies, and she calls them "generous listeners" who like to "spread the good word."

She finds this kind of access to how people eat "pretty inspiring" and "beautiful." She draws a parallel to music, which "does something similar." Still, she says, sitting around a table with strangers and people you love gives "a special feeling."

3:04

Shooting the American Vogue Cover

Abrams calls shooting her first American Vogue cover "such a trip." What she valued most, she says, was the group of people. The photographer, Larissa, was also shooting American Vogue for the first time. The shoot took place at an unopened museum she calls "insane," and part of it happened on the roof at sunset, overlooking the city. She says she still can't wrap her head around the fact that it happened, even though it's over and she was there.

Making the New Album with Aaron Dessner

Abrams says it has been a while since she had to wear the hat of talking about herself and her new music, and that it makes her nervous. But she finds it easy to talk about making this album, because she was able to be "really present" for it. She wasn't touring at the time.

She made the record with Aaron Dessner again. She calls him one of her closest friends. One lesson she credits to him is that "a big pivot isn't always necessary." She says there is something beautiful about "mining deeper" into your inherent sound and calling. She describes the album as a decision to "dig deeper" and to apply the lessons she has learned from her years on the road.

She mentions one productive week in passing. Three or four songs that ended up on the album came out of it, though at the time she didn't really know "what was what." She says the songs felt special, "and so they lasted." On the album's theme, Abrams says it explores what it is like to be in your 20s. She feels it captures "that in-between time" well, at least for her.

The Extra Dirty Martini

With the leeks in the oven, Abrams makes two extra dirty gin martinis. She uses vermouth, gin, olive brine, ice, and olives, with a shaker and chilled glasses. She says the drink makes her feel "alive and well." Her favorite martini memories are at home with friends, even when the drinks taste as bad as she suspects hers do.

She jokes about the gap between her shaking and the "super sexy bartenders" who do it well. She tastes as she goes and points out that it's literally noon. She also complains that the martinis don't look right, because hers normally come out foggy. Her fix is "more brine." She likes it to taste "like the ocean," like when you accidentally swallow seawater while swimming.

The Meal

When the oven dings, Abrams takes out the leeks and shows them to the camera. She tears the bread, piles on the leeks, and eats with the martini. She calls the dish "so good" and gives it "10 out of 10." She invites the crew to try it, and Jess finally comes on camera for a toast. Abrams calls it "one of the best days ever." She signs off joking about crumbs on her shirt and leeks in her teeth, and says Vogue will "never ask me back."

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