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[From the May 2, 2024 newsletter] Before [Craig’s family] got here, I went with my friend Daniel to MisiPasta in Williamsburg. We ate many delicious things that night, but the highlights for me were: this cocktail which was like a Manhattan made with rhubarb liqueur. (Love rhubarb in the spring.) And the sausage sandwich —…

A few Sundays ago, I spied fig leaves at the farmer’s market for five dollars. I’m not the type of person who usually buys ingredients that I have no idea what to do with, but on this particular occasion, I figured: why not?

I’m a big fan of Simply Ming on PBS (in fact, I’m just a big fan of cooking shows on PBS in general). But Simply Ming seems to be one of the only platforms on TV where real, heavyweight chefs can come and showcase a dish (Daniel Boulud and Shaun Hergatt were recent guests). And…

Most people who buy malt powder do so to make malteds, not homemade everything bagels. But days after making those bagels, I found myself with a perfectly good carton of malt powder and, having made a chickpea stew for dinner, I figured: “Hey, we deserve some chocolate malteds.” Here’s the thing about chocolate malteds: you…

Looking for a refreshing summer drink? Try this one on for size. On Sunday night, we went over to our friends Mark and Diana’s and they served up a delightful twist on the Pimm’s Cup, a cocktail called The Porch Swing which they learned from Blue Smoke in New York (the restaurant that also catered…

There’s a funny website called “Is It Iced Coffee Weather?” that determines, based on your location, whether it’s iced coffee weather. The current prognosis for me is: “No. Try it hot.” This is a question I’m often asking myself because I enjoy drinking coffee every day, so much so that I drink tea in the…

Cocktail-wise, Craig–who’s now our official bartender–has two drinks up his sleeve. The first, a Sidecar, I wrote about a few weeks ago. Now he has a new one, perfect for these chilly-weather months: a Manhattan.

On Saturday night, with 45 minutes left to go before our friend Dara was due to drop by for drinks, I made a drastic decision. I decided to make gougères. This seemed like a drastic decision because: (a) I didn’t have the right cheese in my refrigerator and (b) I’d have to dirty the kitchen…