In February of 2002, Norah Jones released Come Away With Me on Blue Note Records. A hybrid of three different recording periods, it was difficult to put a genre label on as it wasn’t really jazz or mainstream pop. In reality, it was intimacy in album form built of jazz piano and phrasing that sat beside country guitar, folk songwriting, blues, and understated pop. It debuted at #139 on the Billboard Music album charts, and eleven months later, in January of 2003, sat at #1. Come Away With Me spent 4 non-consecutive weeks at the top and lived a total of 164 weeks somewhere on the charts. That slow rise actually fits the album beautifully. It wasn’t an album engineered to sound like a blockbuster. People simply kept discovering it.
And discover it they did. Two words: Grammy Sweep. At the 2003 Grammys, Norah Jones personally won five in one night: Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Come Away With Me, Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Don’t Know Why,” and Best New Artist. Additionally, Jesse Harris won Song of the Year as the writer of “Don’t Know Why.” With the associated production and engineering honors included, it won eight total Grammys.
I first heard the album in 2005 when my girlfriend and I were house sitting for a friend. We were perusing the house CD collection, and randomly came across it. I recognized it only because I knew that Norah Jones was Ravi Shankar’s daughter and a Texas musician by way of New York. As soon as “Don’t Know Why” began, it felt like a familiar old friend. I could only describe the sound as what it feels like to be in sweet, deeply infatuated love. The unhurried keys, the slow brushes on the drums, and the soothing effortless vocals whispering in your ear delivered warmth and feeling incomparable to anything I had heard before. Truly a sublime recording.
All of these things are what make it perfect for cooking. The key to this pairing isn’t simply that Come Away With Me is relaxing background music. It’s that cooking and this album operate at roughly the same rhythm. Neither needs to be rushed.
You’re chopping herbs. Olive oil hits a warm pan. Garlic starts sizzling. Something is roasting in the oven. There’s a drink nearby. You’re tasting the sauce and adding a little salt. Meanwhile, Norah Jones’ voice is floating through the kitchen without ever demanding that you stop what you’re doing. The album gradually shifts from the inviting opening of “Don’t Know Why” through the warmer middle section and eventually into “The Long Day Is Over” and “The Nearness of You.” That’s practically the arc of making dinner. Prep → cook → pour → plate → sit down. And at roughly 45 minutes, it’s almost a built-in dinner timer.
Vibe Setup
TurntableVolume: This album deserves full analog warmth. Spin it on the turntable the way it was meant to be. Put the record on at a volume where it sounds like Norah Jones is in the room rather than performing in it.
Lighting: Warm kitchen lighting. A couple of lamps on in the adjoining room.
Atmosphere: I’d make this one an evening cooking session, not Sunday meal prep. Windows cracked if the weather cooperates.
No Distractions: Phones put away. Television off. Be in the moment.
Everything In Its Right Place: Do the mise en place before dropping the needle so you can actually enjoy the record rather than rummaging through cabinets during “Don’t Know Why.”
BeOne With The Record: Chopping, stirring, tasting, and building the dish gradually fits this record much better than throwing something into an air fryer and walking away.
Food Pairing
Lemon-Herb Chicken with Parmesan Risotto & Roasted Asparagus
This is a great date-night-but-still-comfort-food dinner, and the whole thing can comfortably come together during one spin of Come Away With Me. Get everything chopped, measured, and ready before dropping the needle though.
Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 35–40 minutes Serves: 4
Lemon-Herb Chicken
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 6 oz each
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
¼ cup dry white wine or chicken stock
1 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
Pat the chicken dry, and season both sides with salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, and half of the lemon zest.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, and cook for about 5–6 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until nicely golden and the center reaches 165°F. Remove it to a plate, and loosely cover.
Lower the heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon butter and the garlic to the same skillet. Cook for about 30 seconds.
Add the white wine, scraping up all those browned bits from the pan. Let it reduce for 1–2 minutes.
Add the remaining tablespoon of butter, lemon juice, and remaining zest. Return the chicken to the skillet, spoon the sauce over it, and finish with parsley.
Parmesan Risotto
Ingredients
1½ cups Arborio rice
5 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small shallot, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup dry white wine
¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
¼ cup heavy cream, optional
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Warm the chicken stock in a saucepan over low heat. Keep it hot but don’t let it boil.
In a wide saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon butter and the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot, and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, and cook another 30 seconds.
Add the Arborio rice. Stir constantly for about 2 minutes, lightly toasting the grains.
Pour in the white wine. Stir until it’s almost completely absorbed.
Now start adding the warm stock about ¾ cup at a time, stirring frequently. Wait until most of the liquid has been absorbed before adding more.
Continue for roughly 20–25 minutes. You’re looking for rice that’s tender but still has a slight bite, suspended in a creamy, flowing sauce.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter, Parmesan, optional cream, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Important: risotto should spread slightly when spooned onto the plate. If it’s standing in a stiff mound, stir in another splash of warm stock.
Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
1 lb asparagus, woody ends trimmed
1½ tbsp olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Zest of ½ lemon
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
Heat the oven to 425°F.
Toss the asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange it in a single layer on a sheet pan.
Roast for 9–12 minutes, depending on thickness.
As soon as it comes out, finish with lemon zest and Parmesan.
For plating, put a generous scoop of Parmesan risotto down first, slice the chicken on a slight diagonal and lay it across the risotto, then spoon that garlicky lemon-herb pan sauce over the top. Asparagus goes alongside. Finish the whole plate with a little Parmesan, cracked pepper, parsley, and a touch of lemon zest. Like Come Away With Me, it is warm, comforting, slightly elegant, and absolutely in no hurry.
Drink Pairing
Bourbon Honey Bee
2 oz bourbon
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz honey syrup
2 dashes orange bitters
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into old fashioned glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with a lemon peel.
Honey brings out the warmth of the album, lemon gives it enough brightness for cooking, and bourbon connects nicely with the subtle country and Southern elements running through the record.
Most importantly, it isn’t a cocktail that screams for attention. Neither is Come Away With Me.
HIGHLIGHTS
Don’t Know Why: The signature recording. Effortless, melancholy, intimate, and probably the best single demonstration of Norah Jones’ ability to do more by singing less.
Come Away With Me: The emotional heart of the album. Warm, romantic, and almost impossibly relaxed.
Cold Cold Heart: The track that best demonstrates the record’s genrelessness, turning Hank Williams into something simultaneously country, jazz, and soul.
I’ve Got to See You Again: The album after dark. Moody, hypnotic, and sensual.
The Nearness of You: The ideal closer. A reminder that beneath all the production and musicianship is a singer and piano player capable of completely owning a standard.
“My hi-fi is waiting for a new tune My glass is waiting for some fresh ice cubes I’m just sitting here waiting for you To come on home and turn me on”
-Norah Jones, “Turn Me On”
Pairs well with:
Stirring the pot, chopped herbs, the smell of stock simmering, sizzling garlic, roasting veggies, that special someone’s arms around your waist, soft kisses on the back of your neck, the smell of petrichor through the cracked window, well deserved decompression, stress falling off en masse, and mise en place
