Lemons

There are those who dismiss the muffin as a cupcake without frosting. But, well, they’re wrong. And they’re missing out. Muffins are a similar-looking but entirely different creature. Muffins have a craggy, irregular crumb structure unlike the aerated, regular, sliceable cupcake interior. And muffins tend to have significantly less sugar and sometimes they have whole …

The words “milk punch” might be deceiving here. This isn’t a rich, creamy heavy drink like eggnog. Rather it’s a clarified milk punch, an English style of milk punch that David Wondrich, in his excellent book Punch, tells us dates back to 1711, in which you intentionally curdle the milk with citrus and through the strange …

A gin and tonic is a fine drink. It’s tough to beat on a summer day, with its effervescence and its botanical fragrance and its hit of citrus. Its anti-malarial properties from quinine famously protected the British from malaria in India and Africa, a complicated sort of honor in the way that the project of global …

I have a soft spot for fruit and citrus curds. They’re the posh, upscale cousin of jams and jellies and preserves. Rich with butter, thickened by eggs, they mound up elegantly on a spoon. They feel decadent, special, and yet are incredibly easy to make. And there’s nothing wrong with classic lemon curd (or, uh, lemon …

I recently watched the first episode of the new season of Netflix’s excellent documentary series Chef’s Table. It focused on Grant Achatz, the highly acclaimed chef behind Chicago’s own Alinea, Next, The Aviary, and Roister. It was a compelling episode, in part because it is so satisfying to watch a person doing what he so clearly should be …

I don’t take the time to make fresh-squeezed lemonade that often, which is a pity because it actually takes very little effort and is pretty much the best thing to drink on a sunny summer day. But what might be even better is lemonade with puckery rhubarb added to turn it a deep, blushing pink. …