Courtesy of Phaidon

Raw vegetables by Rene Redzepi; Photograph by Pers-Anders Jorgensen (courtesy of Phaidon)

Hansei by David Chang; Photograph by Erik Olsson (courtesy of Phaidon)

Inori/ Prayer by Yoshihiro Narisawa; Photograph by Erik Olsson (courtesy of Phaidon)

This is not a cookbook. No, rather, Cook it Raw (Phaidon) is an art tome of the finest order, wherein the subject is food and the chefs around the world who are elevating it. And specifically the cutting-edge yearly event, birthed in 2009 by Alessandro Porcelli (the book’s editor) and Andrea Petrini, from which the book takes its name, and, up until now, which the public rarely got a glimpse behind the scenes of. The gorgeous coffee-table-ready-collectible documents four Cook it Raw events (in Denmark, the Lapland region of Finland, northern Italy and Iskikiawa Japan) with stunning images (of both the food and the chefs themselves at work) and essays by culinary world luminaries like Jeffrey Steingarten and Anthony Bourdain. The exclusive events, which invite esteemed chefs like Magnus Nilsson, Rene Redzepi, Albert Adria, and David Chang to dream up a meal that takes its cues from the chosen surroundings are, as Bourdain writes in his essay, a chance for them “to learn, to explore, to exchange ideas, and, most interestingly, to fail, gloriously, by creating dishes that have never been attempted before.” And since the chances of scoring an invite to an actual Cook it Raw event remain but a far-off dream for us regular folks, this stunning scrapbook of the occasions will certainly suffice. FIORELLA V.

Available at phaidon.com and amazon.com

It’s a miserable rainy day in New York which means I want to do nothing more than hibernate in my apartment with a plate of cheese and crackers, a glass of wine, and something funny to make me forget about the grim forecast. I’ve watched this clip about a dozen times since it premiered on Saturday Night Live and it still cracks me up. Enjoy! FIORELLA V.

Image courtesy of Abrams

Image courtesy of Abrams

Just as the arrival of warmer months heralds shifts in our wardrobes, so too does it affect what’s on our plates. When the temperature rises I certainly tend to cook less, and differently—that usually means absolutely no recipes that require excessive laboring over a hot stove, or, for that matter, much effort at all. And there is much that fits that low-fi warm weather culinary approach in Modern Mediterranean (Abrams), the excellent new cookbook by Melia Marden, chef at New York’s The Smile. Marden’s formula has always been simple and stellar: the freshest ingredients available thrown together in an easy-breezy fashion with Mediterranean influences a plenty. In the book that translates to recipes like a tomato water and caper berry martini, seared fennel wedges that get a touch of sweet brightness from fresh squeezed orange juice and zest, penne with sugar snap peas and ricotta, a pounded chicken paillard with Kalamata olives, capers and lemon, a cleverly concevived-of pomegranate, thyme and goat cheese pizza and an intensely flavorful beet and watermelon radish salad with creamy mozzarella that I fell in love with upon tasting at last weekend’s Food Book Fair party. With instructions straightforward enough for even the most novice kitchen dwellers to heed, and a slew of inventive recipe ideas (Never thought grapes would work in roasted potatoes? Think again.), Modern Mediterranean has as much easy, offbeat grace as Marden herself. FIORELLA V.

Last summer while road-tripping (and, frankly, eating my way) through Portugal and Northern Spain I made countless food and drink discoveries. Like, for instance, it’s never too early for a plate of Serrano ham. That there is a particular joy that comes with sitting down to a lengthy dinner at 10 pm. That sea urchin makes everything better. And, while in Asturias, that Spanish cider is pretty darn delicious. Until then, my hard cider knowledge was, I will admit, limited to the Mike’s version. Shameful, I know. So it was a pleasure to discover just what I’d been missing. And just as much a pleasure to see my beloved Spanish ciders on the menu at Hillside in Vinegar Hill. Here, William Fitch, wine director at Hillside and Vinegar Hill House, answers our cider questions. FIORELLA V.

How are Spanish ciders different from American hard ciders?

Spanish ciders in general are not as sweet. They have a savory tang that
simultaneously creates and quenches thirst. American Ciders, and this is
of course an extreme generalization, are fruitier and prettier and, in my
opinion, however lovely to drink on their own, pair less well with a wide
range of foods.

Can you tell me about some of the different varieties of Spanish cider?

The varieties of Spanish cider with which I am familiar are from Asturias
and from the Basque region (hence not really Spanish – it must be
admitted). Sidra from Asturias, Sagardoa from Gipuzkoa. At Hillside, we
have a savory Basque cider that has a very slight effervescence especially
when poured into the glass from a great height, and we have an outright
sparkling Asturian cider made like a Cava which is unusual I believe. It
is quite well balanced and elegant and works well as an aperitif or even a
refreshing finish to the meal.

How do you like to drink them? Paired with something?
The Basque cider from Isastegi pairs well with almost everything, but it
rocks with our Lobster Pot Pie and with our Braciole by Chef Leth. The
Asturian sparkler, the Poma Aurea from Trabanco, is delicious on its own
or with our Little Shem oysters from New Brunswick. It also pairs nicely
with Camembert in my humble opinion.

Brothers Danny and Kieran Clancy are best known for their electronic music night, krankbrother, showcasing some of the world’s best DJs in locations as disparate as rooftops, boats, mountains, and beaches. So it comes as no real surprise to hear that their latest (this time, culinary) venture is set under three railway arches. Beagle, the newly opened restaurant and bar in Shoreditch, London is a somber mix of bare brick, brushed blackened steel light fixtures, and, in keeping with the location, reclaimed railway sleepers. And while the space arguably would have made yet another great venue to host some of krankbrother’s regular artists (Four Tet, Magda, and Josh Wink to name a few), the genius partnership with James Ferguson to lead the Beagle kitchen puts the focus firmly on all things edible. Formerly head chef of the hushed-don’t-tell-anyone-it’s-our-awesome-secret Rochelle Canteen, Ferguson’s love for seasonal, produce-led British cooking ensures Beagle has an ever-changing delectable menu. Perhaps in a bid to balance out such a masculine production, the appetizer, main, dessert, and cocktail I ordered all came in varying shades of lustrous pink. Or maybe I just enjoy food that ranges from blushing to bloody. Either way, the candy-striped, red, and golden beet salad with oozing Bantam egg, flushed grilled lamb and homemade rhubarb bitters in the Krank cocktail made for an incredibly upbeat feast. ANDIE CUSICK

For more information, see beaglelondon.co.uk

Beagle
397-400 Geffrye Street
London E2 8HZ

Kusmi BB Detox Tea

Besides food, the other topic that occupies much of my waking writing hours is beauty—it’s been my primary beat for over a decade. So, needless to say, BB is a term I’m all too familiar with. For the uninitiated, BB creams, aka beauty balms, are known for their all-in-one skin-perfecting abilities. And now Kusmi, the more than century-old elegant Paris-based tea brand is jumping on the BB bandwagon; except their BB is ingestible. Kusmi’s BB (here, it means beauty beverage) is designed to help detox the skin and body with regular consumption. Which is easy considering the sweetly aromatic blend of green tea, mate and rooibos laced with bright grapefruit is entirely delicious. FIORELLA V.

Available at kusmitea.com

It was Yvette Van Boven’s first book, 2011′s “Home Made”, that introduced the world to the Amsterdam-based restaurant (Aan de Amstel) owner’s singular approach to food: carefree, passionate, and, most importantly, fun. Her fans, myself included, appreciate her easy-breezy recipe writing style and whimsical illustrations; both can be found (along with gorgeous images by photographer Oof Verschuren) once again in her latest cookbook, “Home Made Summer” (Abrams), which, you guessed it, focuses on recipes inspired by the upcoming season. To celebrate its release, we asked Boven, who is about to embark on a mini book tour (see all the dates below to see if she will be in your hometown) to share some of her own summer favorites. FV

Favorite summer meal to cook

“I’m a huge fan of chopped salads with lots of herbs and many grains mixed in, like spelt, quinoa or barley. They keep so well in the fridge, so you can make a huge batch and eat it for days. I like to sprinkle crumbled feta or goat cheese on top before serving.”

April 7, 2pm        92Y Tribeca, New York / Eat, Drink & Think Like…Napoleon

April 9, 7:30pm  Greenlight Bookstore, Brooklyn, NY

April 10, 6pm      Terrain, Westport, CT

April 11, 6pm      Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture/ Book Club

April 13, 12-2pm   ICA, Boston/ Eat Boutique lunch

April 13, 4pm      Brookline Booksmith, Boston, MA

April 14, 2-5pm  Kitchenwares, Boston, MA

April 16, 7pm      Trident Bookstore Café, Boston, MA

April 18, 12pm   Rakestraw Books, Danville, CA

April 19, 6:30pm   Draeger’s, San Mateo, CA

April 20, 3-4pm  Omnivore Books, San Francisco, CA

April 21, 1pm      Book Passage, Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

April 22, 7pm      Books Inc, Berkeley, CA

It was Root that first wooed me. The root tea-inspired certified organic spirit made with a powerful combination of birch bark, cardamom and cinnamon, among other ingredients, had a distinctly rootbeer-like flavor; I spent much of last summer using it as the base for boozy floats (see Gather, issue #1). And now Art in the Age, the Philadelphia artist collective and boutique behind Root and other organic herbal elixirs, has created another concoction that will likely find its way into many a glass in my kitchen in the coming months. Sage, which takes its inspiration from the “garden gin” blended by Thomas Jefferson’s resident horticulturalist Bernard McMahon, relies on a blend of potent organic botanicals: fennel, lavender, rosemary, thyme, and, of course, the titular sage. With an appealing warm, earthy flavor, it tastes wonderful with just a splash of tonic water and squeeze of lemon, though I intend to mix it up into martini form (plus vermouth and a few olives) soon enough. FV

See artintheage.com for store information.

Or rather, Rosewater Driftwood. The latest addition to Caldrea’s scent portfolio had me puzzled at first—rosewater, I know and adore, but what on earth does driftwood mean in the fragrance realm? Well, as I learned after some devoted sniffing, it evokes a sun-washed, light-as-air feel that when combined with the aforementioned rosewater, and luscious, but delicate, florals like lily of the valley and gardenia, makes for a really lovely scent. Not so much for countertop scrubbing, but definitely well-suited for bed linens to which it imparts a perfectly subtle, entirely dreamy fragrance. Zzzzzz.

Available at caldrea.com

The Beagle, the hotly-anticipated new London eatery headlined by much-loved chef James Ferguson (formerly of Rochelle Canteen) may not officially swing open its doors until April 8th, but as of this week they are accepting reservations online (see beaglelondon.co.uk). To celebrate, we asked owner Danny (on the left, above)—he is opening The Beagle with brother Kieran, a partner in business and music; they dj together under the moniker Krankbrother—to create a spring-ready dinner party mix especially for Gather Journal. He obliged; enjoy!

Gather Journal March’13-Spring Mix-The Beagle

Paella

I spent this past New Year’s in the Bay Area with my family, and my mom suggested we make a big dinner for Three Kings Day which happens a week into January. It’s a holiday celebrated around the world, but she has specific memories of her Portuguese relatives’ celebrations that she wanted to revive. It should be noted that when my mom fixates on an obscure cultural celebration from a few branches back on the family tree, she goes all the way. At one point growing up the suggestion was made that we celebrate some Swedish holiday with lutfisk; thankfully that didn’t materialize. But our Three Kings meal did, and in the process, we found an amazing Portuguese bakery and some great recipes that would work any time of year.

At first I balked at the suggestion that we drive 45 minutes to pick up some baked goods and linguica for the paella at Silva Bakery in Hayward, CA, but once there I changed my tune. My previous experience with Portuguese baking was limited to sweet Portuguese muffins (so good as part of an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich). Little did I know there were incarnations of this treat that I had never dreamed of, and this place was packed with them. Imagine the fluffy sweetness of Portuguese muffins in loaf form (Massa Sovada), stuffed with apricots and swirly apricot jam. Or strawberries even. It was a perfectly light cake-y bread with a jammy filling that wasn’t too candy-syrupy. We also stocked up on delightful miniature custard cups with a flaky crust and plain or coconut filling, and a simple, delicious corn bread called Pae de Milho.

Apricot Massa Sovada

There were also plenty of savory treats to be had, like a delicious roll stuffed with chunks of linguica and countless cheeses; the owner recommended one called Topo, which turned out to be fantastic. Of course we also bought linguica and chourico for the paella we planned to make, and, Piri-Piri, the sauce which ended up being crucial to the overall meal adding a just-right spicy and vinegary flavor to everything. We picked up several bottles, and it has been my go-to hot sauce ever since. That they sold it in carry-on size was the deal-sealer that had me making a second trip to Hayward before my return flight back to New York.

On top of all this goodness, Silva’s also sells many imported grocery items (always fun to peruse) and obscure Azorean cookbooks. The owner, an incredibly nice man who gave me some candied cherries for our Bolo Rei cake, gratis, was happy to chat about the different products that come from Portugal, Brazil or the Azores (where my great-grandparents were from). His bakery, while a bit hard to find—it’s nestled in a nondescript shopping strip behind a Jack-in-the-Box just off the freeway—is entirely worth the trip. JILL PETERSON

Bolo Rei

Three Kings Day Portuguese Menu

Paella, made from this Portuguese recipe, to which we added scallops.

Kale Salad, adapted from this recipe with avocado added

Linguica Rolls and Pao de Milho from Silva Bakery

Custard cups from Silva

Bolo Rei cake

Portuguese-inspired maple-cinnamon-port ice cream, which I adapted from this recipe, replacing the rum with a generous amount of port and the sugar with maple syrup

It just might be nature’s most perfect food. Gratifying on its own and an essential component in so many recipes, the egg is the epitome of delicious simplicity. And in my kitchen it’s an ingredient that gets pretty much daily traction. So I was especially delighted when How to Boil an Egg (Phaidon) landed on my desk. The new book by Rose Carrarini, owner of the widely-lauded Rose Bakery in Paris, is the ultimate paean to that most humble of ingredients in all of its incarnations from the most basic scramble or poach, to a classic scotch egg or Italian egg soup, to an elegant chawanmushi. Not to mention the countless recipes like zucchini and eggplant gratin, leek and curry scones and Rose Bakery’s famous chocolate mousse, that would be nothing, quite literally, without eggs. Delicate detailed illustrations by Fiona Strickland scattered throughout are a lovely touch. I’m thinking this weekend, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, some fried green eggs might be in order. FIORELLA V.

Today was set to be a doomsday for super-sized sodas in New York, and a victory for our very own health-minded Mayor Bloomberg. But the ban he dreamt up on massive (more than 16 oz) sodas was invalidated by a state court judge yesterday which means it will be business as usual. Me, I’ve always been a bigger fan of soda commercials, than the actual fizzy stuff. Like this gem from 1984 with the, ahem, king of pop, himself, singing a Pepsi-fied version of “Billie Jean” and starring a young, red leather-clad Alfonso Ribeiro, aka Carlton from Fresh Prince. Drink it in.

Some might disagree, but for me the best cheesecakes are less about the light-as-air fluffy interior than the sweet, crumbly goodness that is the traditional graham cracker crust. Skimp on the crust, and I quickly lose interest. So it was with great delight that I discovered the cheesecakes, or rather, cheesecake loaves, by Cecil & Merl, the line of artisanal goodies by the owners of popular neighborhood eatery James in Prospect Heights (Bryan Calvert and Deborah Williamson used their sweets-loving grandfathers’ names as the moniker). Their long shape allows for an oh-so-very favorable crust-to-filling ratio—that means plenty of dense graham cracker to appropriately cradle the silky interior of lemon ricotta or dulce de leche and sea salt. Not to mention the shape has a rustic elegance about it that I have to say looks awfully nice perched on my kitchen counter. And while those who live in the 718 can pick up a loaf for themselves at James, Cecil & Merl will also ship them anywhere in the country. FIORELLA V.

Available at cecilandmerl.com

To put it simply, margaritas just make me happy. An ideal fusion of salty, sweet and tart, the exact origins of this now-ubiquitous Mexican-born cocktail remain hazy—some credit Carlos Herrera for inventing the drink for an actress client at his Tijuana restaurant in 1938, while others claim it was Texas socialite Margarita Sames who dreamt it up while on vacation in Acapulco in 1948. Thankfully, I’m more than happy to raise a glass full of this perfectly delightful cocktail to both of them tonight in celebration of National Margarita Day. And since a margarita would be nothing without its tequila base, what better way to get in the, ahem, spirit of things than with one of our favorite tequila-inspired movie moments starring someone else who just plain makes us happy: Pee-wee Herman. Tequila! FIORELLA V.

They had me at the baguette. One bite of Runner & Stone’s balanced loaf—a just-right ratio of flaky crust and chewy dough—and I was convinced that the latest opening on Brooklyn’s 3^rd Avenue, the borough’s newest burgeoning food stretch, would be a more-than-welcome addition to the neighborhood. After stopping in for dinner twice (and, admittedly, baguettes and other assorted morning sweets a few more times than that), I’ve been proven so right. Head baker Peter Endriss (formerly of Per Se and Bouchon) and executive chef Chris Pizzulli (formerly of Blue Ribbon), who named their new restaurant after the two stones used to grind grain in a mill (the Gowanus neighborhood is the location of the city’s first tide water grist mill), are focused on churning out a parade of elegantly simply dishes morning, noon and night (the restaurant is, impressively, open almost round the clock) using the best locally-sourced ingredients. What to try at R& S besides that transcendent baguette (it’s currently sharing favorite status with Almondine): the hearty, warming short rib soup (pictured above), the aromatic (it’s cumin) escarole salad sprinkled with pan-fried white beans, and, unsurprisingly, considering their bread domination, all of the house-made pastas (particularly the spaghetti with scungilli ragu). For those of us that are lucky enough to live close by it will be a beloved neighborhood restaurant; for those who live further afoot, it should definitely become a destination. FIORELLA V

285 Third Avenue, 718.576.3360, runnerandstone.com

Nothing says I love you quite like a delicious meal, particularly if it’s of the home-cooked variety. And since many of you will be spending your Valentine’s Day eve in meal-prep mode, we are covering the entertainment. Or rather, Anders Parker and Kendall Meade, aka Anders & Kendall (andersandkendall.com), are. The talented avant-folk duos’ distinctive voices—his appealingly bristly, hers graceful and honeyed—have a knack for dexterously meandering in, out, and around each other in some kind of sonic figure-eight. All of which can be appreciated on the pair’s soon-to-be-released debut, Wild Chorus (Nine Mile Records, available February 19^th), a collection of eleven thoughtful songs with replay appeal a plenty, it dips from sweeping sweet melodies to breezy Southern-flecked grooves that owe in part, perhaps, to the Knoxville recording studio after which the album is named. Here (click the link below to open in Spotify), the longtime friends and collaborators share their picks for the ideal Valentine’s Day dinner mix. The rest of the wooing is up to you.

Gather Journal Feb ’13 V-Day -Anders+Kendall Playlist

In honor of last night’s Grammy Awards ceremony, I thought there was no better time for a little food-related music to start the day. Being from the Boston area, I grew up with a lot of love for the Cambridge-born band Morphine and, in particular, the rambling low croon of lead singer Mark Sandman (he died tragically at age 46 in 1999). This tune, “French Fries with Pepper”, came off of 1997′s Like Swimming, their second to last studio album. Enjoy! FIORELLA V.

I have usually found that cookbooks tend to fall under a few different umbrellas. There are the aspirational ones that make a valiant effort to translate high-brow methods for the home cook; the tomes, which take an encyclopedic approach, both in their size and breadth, to a specific genre of cooking; and, of course, the countless offerings proffered by celebrity chefs. And while I take a more the merrier approach to cookbook-buying, the category I have been especially enamored with of late is what I like to call the easy, breezy cookbook—those focused on simple, pared-down recipes perfectly fit for quick weekday meals. Little Flower (Prospect Park Books) by Christine Moore definitely qualifies. Moore, a onetime pastry chef in Paris first attracted the food world’s attention with indulgent sea salt caramels that she made in her California home and sold at the farmer’s market nearby. She soon opened  Little Flower Café, now a local favorite in its Pasadena neighborhood, and this book culls its recipes from the dishes she serves up there—that translates to a parade of satisfying soups, salads, sandwiches and single-serving sweet treats. Already in heavy rotation in my kitchen: the lemony lentil soup, leek and dijon quiche, broccolini and burrata sandwich and coconut macaroons. All of them easy to cook, and even easier to devour. FIORELLA V.

If you have yet to try Calliope, the unassuming and entirely excellent restaurant on a busy corner of 2nd ave in New York’s east village I can’t encourage you enough to go. Now. The French-leaning menu offers a parade of unfussy, delicious fare (I’ve especially enjoyed the rustic chanterelle and leek tart and the tripe topped with gremolata and a fried egg), but it’s the lamb neck that, particularly with the recent wave of cold weather, feels perfect right about now. Slow-braised in a tangy hot and sour broth until it becomes meltingly tender, then topped with a tangle of bright green onion and accompanied by creamy mascarpone filled agnolotti (which, admittedly, we wouldn’t have minded a few more of), it is satisfaction on a plate. FV

Calliope, 84 East 4th St., 212.260.8484, calliopenyc.com

The interior at Hillside

Three new reasons to make a mid-week restaurant date in February.

Hillside: The Vinegar Hill House offshoot, which happens to be entirely delicious in its own right, kicks off oyster happy hours Tuesday, February 5th. That means 1/2 dozen oysters and a glass of beer or white wine (and they have an impressive selection) can be yours for a mere $10. Our plan: have a dozen, then move onto heavier menu fare. 70 Hudson Ave at Water St, Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn

Pulqueria: We’ve always been suckers for anything made table-side, and clearly the folks at Pulqueria share our love. To highlight their new table-side margarita service they have christened February “El mes de los Corazones Sangrantes” (the month of bleeding hearts for those who missed Spanish 1). For all of February, $60 will get you tableside-prepared Bleeding Heart margaritas (a blood orange and beet blend with a cocoa chile rim) plus your own 375ml bottle of Corazon Tequila and chocolates. 11 Doyers St., New York

Jeepney: This Filipino gastro-pub offshoot of one of our very favorite East Village eateries, Maharilka, will start offering tonight (January 31st) a new, ahem, hands-on dinner option. The Kamayan (a traditional Filipino form of eating with your hands) Thursday night suppers will include heavenly-sounding dishes like the Bicol Express, a slow-roasted pork shoulder swimming in coconut milk, sili & bagoong sauce and baby bok choy all served over banana leaves. For $40 per person (groups of 4 or more) you get two small plates, a choice of three entrees, plus complimentary goodness like the signature halo halo dessert. 201 First Ave, New York, call 212.533.4121 for reservations

Image by Macey Foronda/ BuzzFeed

Fact: I’ve never watched the Super Bowl. Generally I’m no big fan of ball sports in general, but few pique my interest less than football. So on that winter evening every year when many folks are glued to the television, I have a tradition of my own: beeline for any of the restaurants in my Brooklyn neighborhood known for their ridiculous wait times, procure a table immediately, and experience my own touchdown-like jubilation. But what I do regretfully miss out on because of my anti-football stance is the glorious bounty that is the game day app spread, and considering my intense fandom of all things dip-py, it’s definitely a loss. A loss emphasized by all the food world press devoted to game day recipe ideas in the weeks leading up to Super Bowl Sunday. This year, if there were an MVP award for most over-the-top dip idea, it would go to BuzzFeed and their 47-layer dip. Yup, 47 layers for Super Bowl 47. The behemoth of a dip with everything from cornbread to pickled okra to mac and cheese to chicken nuggets designed and built by BuzzFeed associate food editor Rachel Sanders is like nothing this dip fan has ever seen. Behold the dip-building process, massive grocery list and prep instruction here. FIORELLA V.

The name pretty much says it all. This new tome—and it is, no exaggeration, just that—is an encyclopedic collection of some of the world’s most celebrated chef’s own favorite places to dine, methodically assembled by London-based restaurant critic Joe Warwick. It’s a simple, but genius, idea: ask those who spend the vast majority of their time in a kitchen creating food for others to enjoy, where they like to eat when off-duty. The resulting 600+ page Where Chefs Eat (Phaidon) is helpfully divided by city, with suggestions separated into various categories like bargain, wish I’d opened, late night, worth the travel and regular neighborhood. You can search by chef—April Bloomfield likes to hit up Kunjip in New York’s K-Town late night, Gabrielle Hamilton loves Kafana (one of my own local favorites) for a bargain meal, Eric Ripert thinks Tokyo’s Sukiyabashi Jiro is worth traveling to, and both Magnus Nilsson and Ferran Adria claim they wish they had opened the Laguiole modern French restaurant, Bras—or by destination, which means there is a good chance your next vacation’s meals can be sorted far before arrival time. And while the book is an excellent resource to keep at home, at the end of the month you can have all these chef’s suggestions handy all the time with the release of an accompanying iPad app.

$19.95, wherechefseat.com

There is no one more befitting of the title green fragrance pioneer than Mandy Aftel. She has been conjuring up exquisite natural perfumes for decades, far before “green” was even a term people threw around. Besides creating scents, Aftel has also amassed a massive personal collection of perfume-related memorabilia and penned an impressive three books on fragrance, one, a cookbook called Aroma (co-authored by chef Daniel Patterson), that examines the link between food and scent. It’s an examination that she took beyond the page when she designed her series of Chef’s Essences, now available in a very user-friendly spray format. The collection of natural essences diffused in pure corn alcohol can be spritzed on anything from salad to ice cream to add both a powerful aroma and depth of flavor. And they come in pretty handy when your pantry is lacking in certain spices or they are simply out of season. We particularly like the idea of adding a few spritzes to cocktails—like the new blood orange with a flute of prosecco, or sweet basil stirred into a gin and tonic. Aftel’s Essences have helped her rack up plenty of food world fans: in New York alone you can find her bottles being put to good use at Blue Hill, Aldea, Jean Georges, PDT and Pegu Club. And with her feet still firmly planted in the world of perfume as well, Aftel is making what we wear and eat that much more enticing.

Mandy Aftel Chef’s Essence Sprays, $16-22, at aftelier.com

Obesity, that is. The country’s leading beverage purveyor is releasing a television ad today about just that. Well, sort of. The two-minute “coming together”-themed commercial is designed, according to a company spokesperson, to address the so-called “issue of the times” by highlighting all the healthier options Coca-Cola offers (like, say, smaller cans of Coke and diet sodas and, oh right, water) and presenting a strong message that consumption of too many calories of any kind (not just those found in soda) are what leads to weight gain. The same spokesperson claims these new ads aren’t a response to the bad rap soda has been getting of late—like Mayor Bloomberg’s oversized soda ban which goes into effect this year, or the recent backlash against Beyonce for accepting a multi-million dollar endorsement deal schilling Pepsi—though that is very hard to believe. Also hard to believe: that anyone really falls for these upbeat brand statement commercials with their glossy lens on Americana put out out by big companies—recall any of the BP commercials in the wake of the Gulf oil spill, or McDonald’s attempt at convincing the public that they were fast food’s answer to farm-to-table. Coca-Cola will also release another shorter ad in the coming week that offers (in a cheerful way, of course) suggestions for how to burn off a can of Coke’s “140 happy calories”. While we are all for exercise encouragement, and even the occasional soda indulgence, let’s get real ( a word Coca-Cola has always liked to throw around) any calories that come from high fructose corn syrup are definitely not of the “happy” variety. FIORELLA V.

After a great many years of unwavering tequila devotion, I’ve recently begun to discover the magic of mezcal (aka, mescal). Tequila’s smokier cousin, it is often said that while all tequila is mezcal, not all mezcal is tequila. Both are distilled from the agave plant, but tequila uses the blue agave, while mezcal comes from the espadin variety. And the differences don’t end there: in tequila the agave is steamed, while for mezcal it is roasted, which gives it a slightly different flavor profile. It’s that smokiness that has made it a particularly appealing sipper (we like a few glugs of it on the rocks with a squeeze of lime) in these colder months. The espadin agave Sombra uses for their mezcal emanates from the high Sierra of Oaxaca, specifically the tiny village of San Juan nestled at 8,000 feet. It is there that the agave for this delightful micro-batch single village spirit is cultivated, and the distillation process carried out—Sombra abides by the historical method, a fascinating process, one step of which, involves laying the agave hearts over rocks that have been heated by an oak fire, then covering them in banana leaves and a layer of earth. That earthiness, along with a touch of citrus and spice, and the overarching smokiness makes for one seriously elegant mezcal.

$35, sombraoaxaca.com.

Image courtesy of Eat This Poem

Our greatest hope with Gather is that it motivates people to cook. And we have been so pleased to discover how many people are enjoying bringing the recipes to life in their own kitchens. But blogger Nicole Gulotta takes it a step further. Her brilliantly conceived-of (and beautifully-designed) blog Eat This Poem combines two of our very favorite things: food and words. Gulotta, a grantmaker with an MFA in poetry, uses poems to inspire cooking (sometimes with recipes of her own design, sometimes with other chef’s). Her choices are clever (“This is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams paired with Ina Garten’s plum tarte tatin), and the images lovely in that soft-focus dreamy kind of way, but what really draws us in is Gulotta’s passion and knowledge. Her focused analysis of the poems (in the way that only a creative writing grad can do) and careful consideration of the recipes to follow is inspiring. This week, Gulotta did us the honor of including my tiny leek haiku from the current issue of Gather, pairing it with a leek risotto that we can’t wait to test-drive.  FIORELLA V

There is a lot of goodness to be found on the menu at Yunnan Kitchen, the excellent new small-plate restaurant focused on the cuisine emanating from China’s Yunnan province. The one dish you’re going to have trouble sharing: the fried potato balls, which are, in taste and appearance, like a perfectly executed croquette, but with the addition of far-flung spices and a soy vinegar dipping sauce. A piece of advice: get two orders.

79 Clinton St., (212) 253-2527; yunnankitchen.com

We count ourselves big fans of Tyler Brule, the man behind the growing empire that is Monocle. So, needless to say, we were thrilled to be interviewed about Gather for their excellent radio program The Stack (we are in Episode 16), which, if you haven’t checked out already, should be added to your essential listening list. That the interview (conducted by Aisha Speirs on a West Village stoop using the biggest microphone we’ve ever seen) happened after a pile of soft scrambled eggs and latte bowls at our favorite West Village breakfast destination, Buvette, just added to our general excitement. Enjoy!

http://monocle.com/radio/shows/the-stack/

I’m a sucker for fancy soap. The exquisitely-packaged bar variety are a serious shopping weakness for me, and so too are their liquid counterparts, one is always perched in the kitchen, another beside the bathroom sink ready for all my obsessive hand-washing rituals. Favoritism definitely happens. Here, the ones currently topping my home suds list. FIORELLA V

Tocca Sapone da Mano

I was never a fan of their clothes, but their home scents (everything from candles to delicates wash) have always been exquisite. The Sapone da Mano from their Casa collection is no exception; I’m particularly fond of the Cleopatra scent, a clean, bright blend of grapefruit and cucumber.

$18, see tocca.com

Method Kitchen Hand Wash

There’s a reason Method qualifies this soap as a kitchen variety; it is exceedingly effective at obliterating cooking smells like garlic or grease from your hands. The lemongrass variety is particularly nice in a non-cloying sort of way.

$5, see methodhome.com

Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Hand Soap

The now ubiquitous brand makes my ahem, hands down favorite, holiday variety. Their Iowa Pine manages to be seasonal, but not so much so that it doesn’t still appeal come February and March.

$4, see mrsmeyers.com

Eau D’Italie Liquid Soap

I adore their perfumes and their first foray into hand soap does have a heady fragrance feel to it that lingers on the skin. Thankfully the scent is quite refined; so too is the cool graphic bottle.

$38, lafco.com

Caldrea Hand Soap

The right kind of minty scent—a wild palmarosa mint to be precise, that smells far more like the garden, not toothpasty variety—in a lovely printed glass (fancy!) bottle.

$18, see caldrea.com

I’ve long thought fans of McDonald’s’ McRib to be a hardcore bunch. After all, as a closer look at the limited-edition supposedly Southern BBQ-inspired sandwich reveals to anyone brave enough to approach it, these so-called “ribs” are of the faux variety. Yup, not a real bone in sight; just meat freakishly molded to resemble them. But as a Business Insider story this week revealed the McRib’s “meat” itself is just as freakish. One choice morsel of information: the “restructured meat product” is actually made with tripe, scalded stomach, heart, and about seventy other mystery ingredients including, wait for it, a bleaching agent called azodicarbonimide, found in yoga mats. Ew. FIORELLA V.

A group of my dear female friends and I have a yearly holiday tradition: we gather together to construct, or rather, attempt to construct gingerbread houses (or other assorted things; last year there was a set gingerbread boobs), we watch Love Actually, and we share buckets of Popeye’s fried chicken. Yup, that’s right, fast food fried chicken. Well, as it turns out, fried chicken and Christmas have a connection in a place far away from the West Village apartment that hosts my annual gathering. A recent article in The Smithsonian focused on fried chicken’s centerpiece as a holiday tradition in Japan where apparently the lines for buckets of so-called “Christmas chicken” can stretch for city blocks. Chalk it up to the widespread success of ad campaign kicked off by KFC in 1974 that exclaimed Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii! (translation: Kentucky for Christmas!). Now while we applaud the Japanese people’s fellow finger-licking love come holiday time, we’d like to offer up a suggestion for how to make it even better: Popeye’s for Christmas! In our humble opinion as far as fast food chicken goes, it’s vastly superior. No offense, Colonel. FIORELLA V.

I’ve historically never been a big fan of the diffuser as a home scent solution. Simply because the ones I’ve test-driven over the years always look sort of chintzy and the aroma they emit from those flimsy reeds leaves much to be desired. But Lafco, a brand known for churning out some of the most exquisite items for your home and body, has officially managed to change my mind. Their take on the home diffuser looks incredibly elegant—all of the delicate vessels in the collection are made from hand-blown art glass—and smells just as refined. The collection of fourteen diffusers are separated by the area in your house they best embody both in scent and appearance. Some rooms which, it is true, most people don’t necessarily have in their own abode—my hands-down favorites are the redwood cedar “Den” and Marseilles fig-laced “Guesthouse”—but, needless to say, they will work just as well no matter what your floor plan is. FIORELLA V.

$95, lafco.com.

Pre long and slow braise

The final product, served over couscous

Lamb is one of those meats that I rarely, if ever, cook at home. But when my oh so very generous younger brother decided to present me with an entire lamb for my most recent birthday (it showed up at my door butchered and neatly separated by part), I was thrilled to test drive a myriad of recipes for a meat usually unique to my kitchen. Rest assured there will be more lamb adventures chronicled here in the coming months, but for my first recipe I was eager to try my hand at a traditional Moroccan tagine. I settled on a recipe crafted by Chez Panisse chef David Tanis (it appeared first in his book “Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys” and also, where I spotted it, the Culture pages of the Wall Street Journal), which places heavy emphasis on a luxuriously slow braise. I used a combination of shank and neck meat, which, on Tanis’s recommendation sat overnight under a veil of salt in the fridge, let it all braise for an additional half hour than what is outlined in the recipe, and added a pinch more saffron, cumin and coriander than what is called for to really up the aromatic appeal. The result was a richly layered stew with fall-off-the-bone-tender lamb, all of it redolent with spices and an appealing sweetness thanks to a combination of slowly-cooked prunes and golden raisins. Hearty, exotic, and utterly delicious. FIORELLA V.

THE RECIPE

Serves 6; Total Time: 4½ Hours

For the tagine:

6 pounds lamb shanks

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons butter

2 large onions, thickly sliced

Pinch of saffron threads

6 garlic cloves, chopped

One 2-inch chunk fresh ginger, peeled and slivered

1 small cinnamon stick

1 rounded teaspoon coriander seeds

1 rounded teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2 scant teaspoons cayenne

1 cup golden raisins

2 cups pitted prunes

4 cups chicken broth or water

1 cup tomato puree

For the garnish:

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup whole blanched almonds

Large pinch of salt

Small pinch of sugar

WHAT TO DO:

1. Season lamb generously with salt and pepper and set aside for 2 hours (or refrigerate over-night). Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions, season with salt and crumble saffron over them. Saute over medium heat until softened and slightly browned. Add garlic, fresh ginger, cinnamon stick, coriander and cumin seeds, powdered ginger and cayenne. Stir together, remove from heat and correct the seasoning. Add raisins and half the prunes.

3. Put the lamb in an enamelware dutch oven or deep sided baking dish and spread the onion mixture over the meat. Stir together broth or water and tomato puree and pour over. Cover the pan with foil and a tight-fitting lid.

4. Bake for about 2 hours, or until meat is meltingly tender.

5. Remove the foil and lid, add the second cup of prunes and submerge them. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Return lamb to the oven, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, to let it brown a bit.

6. Carefully lift meat from sauce and put in a low wide bowl or storage container. Skim any fat from the surface of the sauce. If sauce seems thin, pour it into a low saucepan and reduce over high heat. Check the seasoning and adjust. Pour sauce over meat and let it cool to room temperature. Refrigerate.

7. The next day, remove and discard any congealed fat. Gently reheat the stew, covered, in a low oven.

8. Just before serving, fry the almonds for the garnish. Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium heat and fry the almonds gently, stirring occasionally. When the almonds are golden, blot on paper towels and sprinkle with the salt and sugar.

9. Transfer tagine to a warmed platter and scatter almonds over lamb.

Target has experienced big hits (Missoni) and major misses (Kirna Zabete) with their designer collaborations, and their latest holiday collection (strangely also available at Neiman Marcus) frankly has a bit of both. But should you reach into your wallet for one item, my vote would be to keep it kitchen-themed, specifically the array of cookie cutters by Band Of Outsiders. For $30 you get five stainless steel cutters and three decorative stamps, all user-friendly and, as to be expected from a fashion brand, supremely stylish—the shapes are accessory inspired, which means bow-tie sugar cookies could be in your future. Nothing cookie cutter about these cookie cutters. FIORELLA V.

$30, at Target and Neiman Marcus.

There are certain dishes that will always taste like home to me. And tripe, stewed until it’s meltingly soft in tomato sauce and sprinkled with cracked hot pepper and parmesan tops the list. That this time around, said tripe was made by my mother when she was visiting for Thanksgiving, just added to the transporting quality. FIORELLA V.

I have had a great many brands’ candles land on my desk over the years and I can say with absolute certainty that nothing looks quite like the one by eco-brand Lite+Cycle which takes the idea of recycling to a whole new level. You see, the light-as-air material that replaces the traditional glass jar is entirely compostable. Believe it. Made from a renewable bio-material the candle’s vessel is grown in the dark with “mycelium” (a mushroom’s vegetative part) and absolutely no chemical additives. So once you have burned it down, you can simply shred it and toss in your garden. The material concept is particularly enticing, but so too are the scents—currently the compostable wonder comes in lavender, vetiver, and, my personal favorite, bergamot aromas. And like the container, the scent oils are also eco-minded: all are derived from plants that have been cultivated without pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Another reason to carry a torch for Lite + Cycle. FIORELLA V.

$32, liteandcycle.com

I count myself a longtime tattoo appreciator, and no greater is my fandom than when the design happens to involve my first true love—ahem, food. Of the millions of food tattoos gracing people’s body parts out there, I chose five of my current favorites from the treasure trove that is Flickr. FIORELLA V.

A DEMONIC TRUFFLE SLICER AND TRUFFLE

A truffle imagined as a cartoon is just plain awesome. (By spasstasticoh)

A BEET

Lovely rendering of one of my favorite veggies. (By Juelieahna)

SILVERWARE

A very leggy place setting. (By Eternal Exemption)

BEER AND A ‘DOG

A combination as simple as it is delicious. (By blackbird2306)

A MINIATURE STEAK

Married to the meat. (By jesscooke)

At the end of every holiday we always end up with two things: the overwhelming feeling that some kind of detox is imminently necessary, and a dearth of ingredients collected for the many new recipes we attempted. Major kitchen clutter inevitably ensues. Well, pantry organization is exactly what home product line Love Mae had in mind when they created their new collection of pantry labels. The sweetly designed labels are printed on biodegradable fabric paper that happens to use a unique water-based adhesive, which means they can be used again and again—so if your brown rice jar increases in size, there will still be a label for that. FIORELLA V.

Available at lovemae.com.au and etsy.com/shop/lovemaestore.com

The cookbook shelves are crowded with bibles devoted to intense dissections of various regional cooking styles (Italian, French, American etc). But until this month’s release of The Lebanese Kitchen (Phaidon), that corner of the Middle East was one still ripe for further exploration. The able guide on the book’s thorough culinary journey through Lebanese cuisine? Salma Hage, a housewife and home cook from North Lebanon’s Qadisha Valley with more than 50 years of stove-side experience so she definitely knows her way around the kitchen. The book itself is a gorgeous tome scattered with serene images of the Lebanese streets and countryside and featuring over 500 recipes, both familiar (tabbouli, falafel, shawarma), and less so (chicken hashweh, kibbeh). And plenty of unexpected takes on time-honored ingredients: halloumi cheese shows up atop mini flatbread alongside avocado slices and a parsley salad. Because Hage is a homecook, the recipes are extraordinarily easy to follow, a boon for those who are extreme novices to Middle Eastern cookery. While we’ve dog-eared dozens of pages we can’t wait to attempt, the recipe we’re most excited about may be the simplest one in the book: hummus. FIORELLA V.

$49.95, phaidon.com

Photo by Toby Glanville

Shish barak, Photo by Toby Glanville

Lamb Kibbeh, Photo by Toby Glanville

Mezze and other dishes, Photo by Toby Glanville

Apricots in pomegranate syrup, Photo by Toby Glanville

You could say my mother wasn’t a Hostess fan; in fact, she probably, if asked, wouldn’t have a clue what it even was. We had little in the way of packaged food in my house so that meant none of the iconic American brand’s amusingly-named sweet treats. No Twinkies, no Ho-Ho’s, and no, no Ding Dongs either. But it wasn’t any of those Hostess products that captured my fancy as a child; I only had eyes for Wonder bread. Those perfect snow-white slices that bore little resemblance to the crusty Italian loaves in our pantry, there was no envelope more absolutely ideal for a Fluffernutter sandwich. And the name always seemed particularly apropos; its spongey, light-as-air, decidedly un-bread-like consistency was truly wondrous. Now with the original Hostess with the mostess heading towards liquidation after a bakers strike, the brand, and my beloved faux bread’s, future is at risk unless some company swoops in and saves them. We can only hope, for the sake of all our future adult Fluffernutter cravings, that someone does. FIORELLA V.

We’ve got a sweet idea for how to celebrate National Pickle Day. Kick back with a jar of something briney and delicious (we favor spears of the homemade variety, or ones by McClure’s or Brooklyn Brine) and revisit Portlandia’s hilarious commentary on one sector of the artisanal food movement: “We can pickle that”.

Staring at the Atlantic Ocean from a sorting platform in Katama Bay, Massachusetts it’s easy to lose yourself in daydreams of devoting all your time to important matters like whether it will be lobster or clams for dinner. Until a salty old fisherman named Roy Scheffer interrupts your thoughts to ask whether you packed a knife. I had. After all, thanks to a friend, I had the pleasure, on my most recent trip to Martha’s Vineyard, of getting a personal tour of Katama Bay’s thriving oyster farms. Roy owns two plots in Katama Bay, each one with a sorting platform and a series of small floating markers attached to mooring ropes holding the bags the oysters grow in. The oysters begin as seeds from a certified hatchery in Maine before being planted here in the bay and tended to by Roy and his two sons. It’s the nutrient rich waters of the Katama Bay that help them develop that delicious flavor in about 18 months. Once it’s time, the ropes are hauled up from the bottom and the bags of oysters are put into a tumbler on the platform. This is lowered into the water and rotated for several minutes to clean them before they are dumped on the sorting table; there, they are separated by size and checked thoroughly for signs of disease (the Scheffers’ biggest concern is Juvenile Oyster disease, which, if left unchecked, could wipe out an entire crop).

I’ve spent a lot of years working with seafood and I’ve shucked A LOT of oysters but I’ve never been even remotely as giddy as when Roy let me loose on a massive pile just minutes out of the water. That first oyster was like nothing I have ever put to my lips.  Incredibly high salinity followed by a crisp wash and beautiful sweetness.  I stood with the sun beating down on my face popping oysters for myself and the other friends I came with for close to an hour.  Most remarkable was the way the salinity mellowed as they sat out of water; I found the peak came around 3 hours out, when the oysters were the most perfect balance of sweet and salty I’ve ever experienced. Roy was kind enough to send me on my way with five dozen to take back to the house, where I spent a lazy evening enjoying them with a fall mignonette.  JAKE L.

Fall Mignonette:

1 tablespoon finely diced shallot

1 tablespoon finely diced apple

3 ounces champagne vinegar

I have visited San Francisco many times over the years, and, on each of those visits, spent many hours eating my way through various corners of the city. But somehow it wasn’t until my most recent trip that I experienced Tartine, the landmark bakery opened in 2002 by pastry chef Elisabeth Prueitt and her husband, baker Chad Robertson. Crazy, I know, particularly for this avowed carbo-loader. And while everything that passed my lips that morning was scrumptious, it was the pain au chocolat, a revelation of sweet, buttery, flaky perfection that will be haunting my dreams until I can make it back. FIORELLA V.

Since my longtime boyfriend is a native Buffalonian – or rather, suburban Buffalonian; he’s actually from a picturesque little town outside the city – I have made many a pilgrimage to our state’s far Northern reaches to see his family. And each time I use said visits as an excuse to indulge in that most famous homegrown specialty, and now ubiquitous bar menu occupant, the buffalo wing. But on my most recent trip I decided to forego my favorite bright orange poultry treat to try another regional wonder: beef on weck. It was a wise choice. Reportedly first concocted at a Buffalo saloon called The Delaware House in the early 1900s, the sandwich calls for a triumvirate of specific ingredients: thinly-sliced roast beef slices (preferably pink in the middle), fresh horseradish and the bun that would becomes its namesake, the kimmelweck, a soft roll coated in a dense layer of salt crystals and caraway seeds. Served with a dill pickle or three and the beef jus for extra dipping, it is a masterpiece of juicy, salty, meaty perfection. Locals mentioned Schwabls, Anderson’s and Charlie the Butcher as suitable destinations for a proper beef on weck (and I’m certain there are many more), but we went ahead and made our own. All in all, a roast beef sandwich revelation. FV

Ah, the random food holiday. It’s something we will always love and, rest assured, find a way to honor on this blog. And today, to celebrate National Nut Day, we plan to dig into a big bag of macadamias and watch this scene from Best in Show at least a few times. Because really who isn’t nuts (sorry, couldn’t resist) about Christopher Guest? FV

I’ve only had the distinct pleasure of eating at Animal in L.A. once but considering it was with my little brother who shares my proclivity for over-ordering, it was a seriously gluttonous, and entirely delicious affair. But since I call Brooklyn home, trips to Vinegar Hill House, that welcoming gem on a quiet cobblestoned street where I was first introduced to a little, or rather, large, something called the wattle chop, are a far more frequent occurrence. But this past Wednesday night, the esteemed chefs from both restaurants (Vinnny Dotolo and Jon Shook, and Brian Leth respectively) teamed up in the name of Le Fooding for a Veuve Clicquot-sponsored eating event at Vinegar Hill House. On the menu: an extraordinarily silky zucchini and basil soup garnished with a handful of warm heirloom tomatoes and glug of olive oil, a super-bright and spicy fluke crudo swimming in a fish sauce, a cheddar-crusted hake with homemade tartar sauce that felt like an ode to the humble fried fish sandwich, a terrine of foie gras doused in a densely sweet sausage gravy, and a dessert of fig cake with coffee gelee. Oh and bubbly a plenty. Hard to play favorites but I will admit I was doing the math for a Vitamix in my head while eating that soup… FIORELLA V.

San Francisco-based food photographer Michael Lamotte’s blog From the Source is a gorgeous visual ode to the locally-sourced goods he comes across in and around his Bay area home.  Aiming to present food in a different light, literally, Lamotte sticks to a black-and-white format and consistent framing and viewpoint—“it is really quite beautiful when you reduce food to just form, light and texture,” he adds. The result is a series of starkly beautiful images, each one highlighting a singular product by a local purveyor—the nubby, Hobbit-like Nunez Farm celery root from Moraga’s Farmers Market, the dense nutty Bavarian multigrain Octoberfeast bread from Oakland’s Grand Lake Farmers Market or the other-worldly Buna Shimeji mushrooms from Far West Fungi purchased at San Francisco’s Ferry Building. Lamotte hopes that his work will spark a new and different appreciation for the food pictured… and should you be so inspired by one of the images that you need to experience the subject firsthand, links to all the purveyors and stores are included. See from-the-source.com. FIORELLA V.

I’m still not sure if it’s a curse or a blessing but on my daily commute through New York’s Northern Dutchess County I pass an excellent orchard called Migliorelli Farms. They grow an impressive variety of incredible fruits and vegetables, but right now I’ve only got eyes for one: peaches. Specifically giant white peaches: equally sweet but slightly less acidic then their yellow cousins. While I’m all for proper acidity in food when I’m eating a peach I just want a sweet refreshing burst of juicy flavor. On their own they are perfect, but those with a peach obsession as intense as mine will also find them excellent in salads and alongside grilled pork (bonus points if you score some peach wood to grill them over). And when I had dessert on the brain recently, I decided to grill a few off as a late evening treat and, since I was feeling frisky, throw in a generous splash of bourbon (ideally, Buffalo Trace). I prefer them with homemade English Crème, an ideal compliment to the vanilla notes of the bourbon, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream will work well too. Since stone fruit season is quickly coming to a close, I’m stocking up while I still can. JAKE L.

2 large peaches pitted and quartered

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Teaspoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon turbinado sugar

1 shot of Buffalo Trace bourbon.

Add butter, cinnamon and sugar to a small pan and set over low heat. As the sugar caramelizes add the bourbon and cook down to a syrup. Once cooled toss the quartered peaches in the glaze.

Crème Anglaise

1 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 egg yolks

¼ cup white sugar

Gently heat the cream and vanilla in a small pan until they are nearly boiling. While heating the cream whisk the yolks and sugar in a large bowl. Very slowly add a few tablespoons of the warm cream to the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Gradually add the remaining cream being careful not to cook the eggs. Return to a pan and bring to just short of boiling (around 170 degrees). At this point it should be thicker then heavy cream and coat a spoon. Pass through a strainer into a bowl set in an ice bath to stop the cooking. You can serve immediately or it will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.

Grill the glazed peaches until tender over hot coals. Serve over the English Crème with mint and a small drizzle of the leftover bourbon glaze.

As you may have noticed, despite the fact that there are no longer channels devoted to playing them around-the-clock, we still have some hardcore music video love around these parts. And when videos happen to feature anything food or drink-related we get particularly excited. Such is the case with “Coffee & TV”, the toe-tapper released by Brit band Blur in the late ‘90s (Proof of its ‘90s cred? It appeared on the Cruel Intentions soundtrack) starring an animated milk carton. Yup, that’s right. It’s downright adorable, but if humanized dairy products aren’t your thing, not to worry, it’s also a pretty great song. Definitely not an, ahem, milk dud. FIORELLA V.

A few years ago I discovered shishitos—that’s right, shishitos,  not sishitos or shisitos as I initially suspected (a Wikipedia search set me right). It was love at first bitter, salty, green bite. Since then I have eaten shishitos (and their hotter, even more delicious, Spanish cousins, Padrons) at every available opportunity. Tia Pol? It was the best part of my meal. Navy Beach in Montauk? I remain undecided about the addition of lime, and they were a little too fried for my taste, but still. And, of course, on the menu at pretty much every Brooklyn restaurant nowadays. I buy them by the pound (cheap, they are not) at the greenmarket; given a choice, I would eat them daily. And they are easy to maneuver: just throw some olive oil into a really hot pan, cook shishitos until they are just blistered (usually around five minutes), and sprinkle with coarse salt.

This summer my obsession reached its peak when I decided to attempt to grow shishitos myself. I totally bought into the marketing speak that claimed my beloved peppers were specifically vetted to flourish on rooftops in the city. There was some growth, yes, but flourish they did not—I got one and a half harvests from 2 plants, for a grand total of about 15 peppers… which is just about a half serving for me.  So, back to the greenmarket I went! LARA B.

PFC. That is what they are, in my humble opinion, doling out at Pies ‘n’ Thighs, my hands down favorite place for fried chicken in New York (though I will confess to the occasional Popeye’s trip too). I rarely veer from the fried chicken box: three pieces (all dark meat, please) of mouthwatering crispy delightfulness with either vinegary collards or potato salad, and a fluffy biscuit trickled with honey. End of summer food at its best. FIORELLA V.

A few years ago on a trip to Italy, I discovered a slightly sweet seltzer made by Schweppes called Gassosa, and I haven’t seen it since. A recent find in my local snooty-food mart brought back memories, so I had to try this Gazzosa. It was nice with vodka, but something about the flavor of the Courvoisier really tasted perfect with the light, lemony fizz of this Amalfi-sourced drink. Presenting the Gazzoisier. JILL P.

Splash of Courvoisier

Half a bottle of Gazzosa

Sprig of mint

Ice cube

Oh avocado toast how I love you, let me count the ways. How it took me until only a few years ago to discover the pleasures of avocado toast I will never know. I can say with certainty though that I have made up for lost time by consuming it with shocking regularity ever since. I like my bread thick and multigrain (like the kind from Caputo’s Bakery in my Brooklyn neighborhood), then generously drizzled with olive oil (always the good stuff, which in my pantry means the homemade variety my mom’s cousin ships over from her Calabrian hometown twice a year), topped with slices of not-too-ripe avocado and finally sprinkled with a generous pinch of coarse sea salt. So straightforward, so delicious. FIORELLA V.

Maraschino cherries. Jalapeno. Cough syrup. Milk. Honey. Just a few of the choice items a young (read: devastatingly attractive) Mickey Rourke eases into Kim Basinger’s mouth during this legendary scene in 9 ½ Weeks, the movie that was slow-moed through many a junior high sleepover in my youth. Yes, there have been far more discreet moments of food as a tool of seduction on the big screen over the years, but subtlety can be so overrated. FIORELLA V.

At the peak of crab season every year New York restaurant Back Forty invites diners to roll up their sleeves, pick up a mallet and dig in; and every year I happily oblige.  A bucket of Old Bay-doused crabs are emptied on newspaper-covered tables, along with whole buttery red-skinned potatoes and ears of sweet corn, all of it washed down with frosty pitchers of beer. It’s the most glorious mess.

Back Forty, 190 Avenue B, backfortynyc.com.

Having the opportunity to consume fresh-caught scup, striper, blue fish, mussels and quahogs on a regular basis, thanks to a family cottage near Buzzards Bay and a father-in-law who loves to fish (father-in-common-law, to be accurate), is a privilege I try not to lord over my fellow city-dwelling friends too hard. Yet here I am, lording away. Hopefully I can make it up to you all with this recipe disaster tale that ends in deliciousness. If you’re biased against bluefish for its “fishy” taste or mayonnaise for its unnerving off-whiteness, you might say that this recipe sounds like a nightmare wrapped in a bad dream. If that’s the case, think of it rather as two-wrongs-make-a-right. Add “liquid” to “mayonnaise” and you have three wrongs that definitely make a right. Basically, this recipe involves being begged to make that homemade mayonnaise again—it’s just so much better when you make it from scratch—and then huffing a bit as you get out the hand mixer. You do your best to pour the oil at the correct pace to emulsify the raw egg-mustard-vinegar mixture properly, but alas fail to achieve the required jiggly-yet-creamy consistency. Not realizing what liquid gold you have in your very hands, you pour it down the drain and (huffily) start over. Round two—you pour the oil even slower and whip even faster—but to no avail. With the grill heating up, the fish hanging out, and the Miracle Whip taunting you from the fridge, you go with your gut and pour the liquid mayo all over the fish (which has been topped with onion and lemon slices, paprika, salt and pepper). You close the foil above the fish to create a tent-like atmosphere that traps some steam, and hope for the best. The results are awesome. The mayo SAUCE soaks into the fish and blends with the fish-juice, and the egg gives it all a little more bounce. Sprinkle some fresh herbs on top and dig in. You’ll be psyched that you discovered the real “miracle whip”—an epic mayonnaise fail. JILL P.

Nowadays symbols of American consumption like Starbucks and McDonalds can be found the world over. In fact, when I’m traveling I’m often more surprised when I don’t see those institutions anywhere. That was the case when I visited Northern India a few years ago. For ten days, nary a set of golden arches did I see. Though McDonald’s has had a discreet presence in the country for years, this week they made an announcement that might help significantly boost their Indian popularity: they are opening a vegetarian-only branch. My first reaction, I will admit, was ew. I pictured Big Macs and Quarter Pounders as patty-less wonders of condiment and nothing more, or, just as unappealing, a vortex of meat substitutions: tempeh nuggets, anyone? But at the McDonald’s outpost opening near Amristar’s Golden Temple, a Sikh shrine at which meat consumption is not permitted, the vegetarian menu will include Indian-style creations like the already-popular, spicy potato-based McAloo Tikki burger. Which, I have to admit, sounds sort of delicious. FIORELLA

Historically music videos have not exactly been known to provide an accurate lens into the lives of the characters in them—after all, if we were to take their stories as truth all the “business women” I know are wearing clothes that are not nearly tight or short enough. And the role of video waitress, as too much time spent combing You Tube proved, has been subject to a variety of interpretations over the years (none, surprisingly, by the actual band The Waitresses). Herewith, a few of our favorites for your Friday viewing pleasure. Happy long weekend! FIORELLA

“Brass in Pocket” by The Pretenders

Our hands down favorite waitress music video moment. Though it’s true that Chrissie Hynde would be the coolest anything—hot dog vendor, bus driver, Gap sales associate etc—ever, she brings a new level of insouciant hip to the role of crummy diner waitress in the video for seminal Pretenders song “Brass in Pocket”. With her kohl-rimmed eyes and top-heavy bouffant, there really is nobody else here like her. Best part? The “I’m special” line is accompanied by her bandmates pointing to the “Specials” section of the menu. Pretty clever in a low-fi kind of way if you ask me.

“She Works Hard for the Money” by Donna Summer

The titular “she” in Donna Summer’s female anthem really does work hard for the money. Ridiculously hard in fact. First she has to report for coffee-doling duties (with a side of ass-grabbing from male customers) at the low-grade diner she waitresses at before going to man a sewing machine at some sketchy sweat shop in the garment district, all before returning home to contend with her two bratty kids who yell and spill stuff. Oh, and did we mention her house gets broken into too? And all this waitress really wants to do is dance. Thankfully she gets to do just that—in the streets, with an army of other working women—at the end of the video. Phew; otherwise it would have been too bleak.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deK2ZBrAw5g

“Womanizer” by Britney Spears

It should come as no surprise that in the land of Brit Brit a waitress is a highly sexualized creature who favors form-fitting attire and likes to think of that thing called a serving tray as a mere prop during spontaneous heated dance routines. No, really, what else is it for? And the inimitable Miss Spears has taken a turn as a waitress in two of her video opuses. In “Womanizer”, in which she also takes on the very sexy jobs of chauffeur and that aforementioned abstract “business woman”, Brit is a bad-ass (you know, cause she has tattoos and wears pleather pants) cocktail waitress at a rooftop bar, while in “Drive Me Crazy” (which features cameos by a pre-Entourage Adrien Grenier and Sabrina the Teenage Witch) she is a pigtailed, gum-snapping waitress at what appears to be a club.

“Again” by Lenny Kravitz

Gina Gershon is sooooo high maintenance. Or, at least that’s what Lenny Kravitz thinks in this video for his song “Again”. I mean, imagine a girlfriend who lives with you demanding a little affection and attention? It’s just so depressing for Kravitz, and his amazing Soho loft apartment, general fame and fortune, and chiseled physique (so much of it gets screen time it sort of warrants a mention) do nothing to make him feel better. So he’s forced to walk his lonely, sad self down to Café Habana and woo the beautiful lanky waitress working the counter there with claims that “he’s never had a yearning quite like this before”. Lies.

J&B Whiskey has a long and varied history. It begins with Giacomo Justerini, the nephew of an Italian distiller, pursuing his sweetheart to London in the 16^th Century, bringing with him his uncle’s liqueur recipes. It includes royal warrants bestowed upon the fledgling wine company, and the wealthy man of means Alfred Brooks who bought it in 1831, renaming the firm Justerini and Brooks. From its London base J&B made its name in the States after the abolishment of Prohibition, then took on new life in Europe, especially in Spain during the 1960s.

It’s a drink with a literary endorsement. Charles Dickens enjoyed a J&B between masterpieces and Truman Capote made it his booze of choice, only ever referring to it by its full moniker, and promptly departing from any establishment whose bartender did not immediately click that a Justerini and Brooks was the same as a J&B. Though it was, in fact, Capote who first put J&B on film in Breakfast at Tiffany’s it’s the slightly less respectable Giallo (Italian for yellow) movie genre, popular in the ‘60s and ‘70s, that made me want to track it down.

Giallo movies are not for everyone; they’re a niche chapter in Italian filmmaking—some may say a blight—but they hold a very special place in my heart and on my DVD shelf. Named after the lurid yellow-covered pulp fiction paperbacks they often took their narratives from, they promoted the two mainstays of exploitation cinema, sex and death, and wrapped them in a highly stylized, gaudy sheen that blazed from the screen. Sample titles include The Bodies Bear Traces of Carnal Violence, Lizard in a Woman’s Skin, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Red Queen Must Kill Seven Times, Death Walks In High Heels, Blood and Black Lace, and, my personal favorite— most effective when shrieked in deranged befuddlement—What Have They Done to Your Daughters?

A murderer (usually suffering from some sort of psycho-sexual trauma) will, most often than not, be doing away with beautiful women. Modeling agencies, fashion houses, photography studios and all-girl schools are the lurking ground for leather-gloved killers brandishing straight razors, knitting needles and spiked clubs.  The couture of 1970s Italy is paraded on screen in all its ridiculousness (with nudity never far behind) to the tune of sleazy music, gender equality is non-existent and there is always, always a bottle of J&B plunked down on the table of some fabulously shag-rugged apartment.

It took me a while to procure a bottle. Sizes range from minuscule to enormous and finding a happy medium took me all over Brooklyn and Manhattan—at one point I was questioned by a vendor why I would want something usually “just for Jersey mobsters”.  Whiskey aficionados are not kind to J&B, and it’s easy to see why. Much like the movie genre they so often pop up in, there’s absolutely no subtlety; it’s a garish flavor that grabs your throat with a burning violence and each sip made me die a little. I couldn’t be happier. WILL M.

A rich, spicy broth topped with a heap of cumin-laced lamb, cilantro and red onion, swimming with X’ian’s signature chewy hand-ripped noodles—this velvety soup will cure whatever ails you. FIORELLA

Multiple locations, see xianfoods.com.

I love anything that requires little in the way of cooking tools, and when said dish also happens to incorporate two frequent greenmarket purchases (kale and, when in season, Meyer lemons), I’m sold. Such is the case with this, one of my favorite Food52 recipes. A pseudo-pilaf with a blend of kale, quinoa, goat cheese and sweet Meyer lemon, it is easy to throw together, even for the most kitchen-phobic, and makes for an entirely satisfying main or side dish.

I’ve experimented with a number of variations on the primary ingredients—substituting swiss chard for kale, toasted almonds instead of pine nuts, feta instead of goat cheese, olive instead of walnut oil—all to pretty good effect, though I do think the original version remains my favorite. One thing I would recommend always sticking to is the Meyer instead of traditional lemon; the former adds an all-around brightness to the dish that the latter just can’t stack up to.  FIORELLA

Food 52 One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf

2 cups salted water

1 cup quinoa

1 bunch lacinato kale, washed and chopped into 1” lengths

1 Meyer lemon, zested and juiced

2 scallions, minced

1 tablespoon toasted walnut oil

3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

salt and pepper

1. Bring the water to a boil in a covered pot. Add the quinoa, cover, and lower the heat until it is just enough to maintain a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then top with the kale and re-cover. Simmer another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to steam for 5 more minutes.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, take a large serving bowl and combine half of the lemon juice (reserving the other half), all of the lemon zest, scallions, walnut oil (you can substitute olive oil if you desire), pine nuts, and goat cheese.

3. Check the quinoa and kale when the cooking time has completed — the water should have absorbed, and the quinoa will be tender but firm, and the kale tender and bright green. If the quinoa still has a hard white center, you can steam a bit longer (adding more water if needed). When the quinoa and kale are done, fluff the pilaf, and tip it into the waiting bowl with the remaining ingredients. As the hot quinoa hits the scallions and lemon it should smell lovely. Toss to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper, and the remaining lemon juice if needed.

Plum purists be damned! After a quick stop this weekend at Pacific Green Grocers (151 Court St., Brooklyn), I am officially on the pluot train. Not familiar with the pluot yourself? Well, it’s a plum apricot hybrid created by the famous plant breeder Floyd Zaigler, that is far more like its former than its latter component. With a balanced, but plenty sweet, taste, pale pink fleshy interior and faintly dappled skin that has earned them the nickname “dinosaur eggs”, these juicy wonders are a lovely addition to your end of summer fruit roster. Of all the hybrids, neat cars and cute dog breeds (frugs, st. berdoodles et. al) included, they are my current favorite. FIORELLA

In upstate New York Wegmans may be a longstanding grocery institution, but the Rochester Public Market has in recent years become just as much of a destination. A vast bounty of locally-sourced produce, flowers, and specialty goods, it was started way back in 1905 (nowadays it’s open year-round on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday), and earned a nod from the American Farmland’s Trust in 2010 as the favorite farmer’s market. I grew up outside Rochester, but having lived in New York now for over a decade I didn’t think anything could match the cornucopia of the Union Square Market. But on a recent trip north to visit the fam, I ventured back to Rochester’s Public Market for the first time since I was a kid—back then, I used to only focus on the sweets —and I was pretty blown away by the amount of seasonal goodies that were available.

There were endless baskets of cherry and heirloom tomatoes in a rainbow of citrus hues and delicately beautiful vine-grown purple and Thai peppers, which I was forewarned by the vendor were especially dynamite-packed.

There were small cucumbers prime for pickling and sugary donut peaches I devoured in about five bites. I also loaded up on a basket full of tomato gems, and the ones that did make it home (it’s hard not to pop them directly in your mouth), were delicious with fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and some grated ricotta salata—the perfect way to highlight their natural sweetness. REENA

More than clothes, more than decorative trinkets, the keepsakes I like to amass while traveling are of the food variety. In Lisbon, the food scene, and, in turn, the food markets seem to be adept at straddling the old and the new, as evidenced by two of my favorite shops I discovered while visiting. First up, Deli Delux. The gourmet store with adjoining café is, along with a record store heavy on the electronica and a home furnishings boutique heavy on the Danish modern design, bringing a dose of cool to a waterfront strip across from the Santa Apolonia train station. The airy space has an impressive array of local and international foodstuffs, and Portuguese wines as far as the eye can see.  (It took only a few days in the country for me to develop a serious affinity for those from the Douro region… all of them.) And if food shopping tends to work up your appetite—and really, doesn’t it always?—you can simply wander to the café in the back of the store and nibble on light fare, much of which draws from the store’s stock. I grazed on a selection of cheeses and a salad topped with sweet local peaches; and left with a stash of local salts, oils and preserves.

At the exact opposite end of the Lisbon food shop spectrum is the Conserveira de Lisboa, a shoebox-sized store that has been churning out tiny tins of preserved seafood since 1930 (my favorite: the bacalhau a portuguesa).

And though business is booming—they sell their wares to a variety of other stores including Deli Delux—each and every tin is still carefully wrapped in its decorative wrapping by hand in the store. A fastidious process I witnessed while purchasing a tower of tins to cart back to Brooklyn. On your next trip to Lisbon, I suggest stopping in both for the best type of souvenir: food. FIORELLA

Deli Delux, Av. Infante D. Henrique Armazém B Loja 8, Lisbon, +351 218 862 070, delidelux.pt; Conserveira de Lisboa, Rua dos Bacalhoeiros, 34, Lisbon, +351 218 864 009; conserveiradelisboa.pt.

This glorious mess of grease and salt—pastrami, eggs, Swiss, pickled green tomatoes, and durkee sauce on sliced pumpernickel to be exact—on the breakfast sandwich menu is as substantial (“little” is a misnomer), as it is powerful in its ability to alleviate the most stubborn hangover. FIORELLA

485 Court St., Brooklyn; courtstreetgrocers.com

There’s a lot I appreciate about Elaine Benes: her prudish fashion sense (think demure granny floral dresses and brogues with ankle socks), her quick wit, her pioneering hair pouf (Snooki who?), and her singular dancing abilities among them. But lest we not forget that Elaine was also a pioneer of something else: the breakfast baked good. Or rather, part of one: the muffin top. Here, enjoy a glimpse back at her passionately anti-stump stance. FIORELLA

Skate Jackson Pollock. My college art major self was completely enthralled with the dish before I even got the opportunity to taste it. It was when writer Frank Bruni wrote about his not-to-be-missed Lisbon restaurants back in May that I first caught a glimpse of this artful skate. A dish dreamt up by Portuguese wunderkind chef Jose Avillez at his elegant Lisbon eatery Belcanto. The picture accompanying Bruni’s excited paean to the city’s rising food scene showed a spirited landscape of drips and drops and splashes of color atop a slender filet. It looked like no fish dish I had ever encountered; in fact, without the caption below the photo, I probably wouldn’t have even realized I was staring at a plate of food. So when I found myself in Lisbon this summer, I knew I needed to get a closer look at that dish. Belcanto was my splurge meal of the visit, and, I’m happy to report, worth every Euro. A parade of beautiful inspired dishes landed in front of me as part of the seasonal tasting menu, but I was waiting for just one to arrive. And then it did. And I felt the same sense of joyful awe that I had in college when I would loiter in the impressive Pollock section at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. The bonus with this one though: it looked and tasted incredible. Those orange, green and black sauces (carrot, olive and cuttlefish ink), the flaky tender filet, the buttery afterglow—a new kind of masterpiece. FIORELLA

Belcanto, Largo de Sao Carlos, 10, Lisbon, +351 21 342 06 07; joseavillez.pt.