how to…with claire ptak

I’m American, but last year I became a British citizen too. My family is from northern California, and I definitely identify with that place – the rolling golden hills, the farm stands and markets, driving long distances on open roads playing Larry June or Tupac. Catching the occasional Ghost Rider in San Francisco or Oakland never disappoints. I miss the air out there. Living in London I use public transport, admire the ugly Brutalist architecture like a good east Londoner, and of course complain about the weather. So, I guess you can say I’ve earned my citizenship. I started my business here and my daughter was born here, so it’s home. I actually love how people don’t smile at you on the street and how people just “get on with it”, which I really noticed during the pandemic. I’m not convinced about the pseudo-politeness, but I have fully embraced taking the entire month of August off – although actually that might be a hangover from the EU days.

I’ve been baking professionally since I was 15 years old. I needed a Saturday job growing up so that I could support my clothing habit. Mostly I was dreaming about the Esprit catalogue and saving up for trips to their outlet store in San Francisco. 

My mom is an expert second-hand shopper. She epitomises the chic Coastal Grandmother look, with crushed linen and cashmere all purchased for less than $20. I like to find 1990s styles, like my XXXL Tupac T-shirt. The camo pants in the photos are from my favourite streetwear brand, Corteiz.

Thrift store shopping can be so hit or miss. I have a basic approach which is to go straight to the books section to warm up. I look at the cookbooks section first, because 99 percent of the time I find a winner. My favourite books to find are the Good Cook series or Foods of the World, both from Time-Life Books, published from the 1960s-1980s. The photos are amazing, and the editors are all famous food writers of that era, like Richard Olney, Waverly Root (what I would name my next child), Paula Peck and MFK Fisher. If I find a good book it sets me up for the T-shirt rack and the menswear section, which can otherwise feel overwhelming. 

With T-shirts I’m going for the feel of the fabric first, but I hope to find silkscreens of old cars and trucks mostly. Tyre companies and dealerships used to make good ones. Next, I scour the men’s racks for jeans or cargo pants. The cuts that are the most oversized are my favourites. The great thing about thrifting is that just when you think there is nothing, you discover a treasure. 

My parents have always taught me about the importance of taking care of our environment and not giving in to the temptations of mass consumerism. They have been talking about the concerns of global warming and the ozone layer my entire life. So a visit to a good garage sale or second-hand shop can really ease your guilt.

When I was writing my latest cookbook, Love is a Pink Cake, I had to include this cookie that I developed at Violet. It came out of a mishap, which is where some of the best recipes are born. A new baker made an enormous batch of granola but added the dried fruit to the mixture while the toasted granola was still warm. The result was a soft granola rather than a crunchy one. So rather than throw it away and waste all that hard work and all those good ingredients, we turned it into what has become my new favourite cookie. It was a great reminder of how mistakes can become triumphs and are always a learning experience. The name comes from one of my favourite places in California, the coastal town of Big Sur which, for whatever reason, I associate with granola.

150g wholemeal flour 

140g plain flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp fine sea salt 

225g unsalted butter, softened 

135g soft light brown sugar 

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g white chocolate, chopped into chunks

400g granola (store-bought or homemade) 

Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

1.Whisk the flours, baking powder and salt together and set aside. 

2. Cream the butter and brown sugar just until smooth and combined – but do not aerate or make fluffy. 

3. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix well, then mix in the flour until just combined. 

4. Add the white chocolate and granola and mix again, just until it all comes together. 

5. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with baking paper, then use an ice-cream scoop to portion out 18 balls of cookie dough onto the baking sheets. Chill for 30 minutes, then flatten to a thickness of 1.5cm and freeze. 

6. Preheat the oven to 170°C fan/190°C/gas mark 5. 

7. Defrost the cookies for 5-10 minutes before baking. Sprinkle with the flaky sea salt and bake for 7-10 minutes. They should be just starting to colour, but still soft in the centre. 

Bake with what’s in season. Bake more often, bake for those you love. Less is more, more or less.