EAT
The Unsung Influence of a Pioneering Food Journalist
Jane Nickerson made Craig Claiborne possible and put the cheeseburger on the map. Her recipe for lime pie is a taste of Florida sunshine.

Florida lime pie.
By SAM SIFTON

Do You Have Nafas, the Elusive Gift That Makes Food Taste Better?
The Arabic word refers to a mysterious factor that renders some people’s cooking exceptional. Whether it’s innate or acquired is up for debate.

Labiba Halloun has been cooking for more than 60 years. She is known in her hometown, Isfiya, Israel, for her delectable food, like these za’atar hand pies.
By Reem Kassis

Cappelletti

Arancini

Lemons

Honey Heart

FRONT BURNER
An Auction to Raise Money for Restaurants
The Conscious Collection includes lots of wine and spirits, as well as extravagant experiences like truffle hunting in Italy.

The Conscious Collection auction includes a chance to win a dinner for eight at Château Margaux.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT

A Crawfish Feast Where the South Meets Southeast Asia
Spring is turning into a comeback season at Crawfish & Noodles, a Houston restaurant famed for the Viet-Cajun style that has spread around the country.

By Brett AndersonPhotographs by Sergio Flores

For all you foodie masochists out there:
How to Make Stunning Croissants at Home
Get those perfectly burnished, flaky pastries straight from your oven with this expert advice.

Croissants — plain or almond, or filled with chocolate or ham and cheese — are all achievable at home.
By CLAIRE SAFFITZ

Umami Is Often a Flavor Bomb. In This Creamy Pasta, It’s a Balm.
A versatile pantry staple in many cuisines, dried seaweed can lend a quiet savoriness to dishes, like this simple asparagus rigatoni.

Both dasima (dried kelp) and gim (roasted seaweed) add seaside nuance to this pasta.
By Eric Kim

The Easiest Way to Crunchy Homemade Samosas
Keep a stash, made from scratch, in the freezer, and fry them up as a quick snack to break fast, to host surprise guests or to just feed yourself.

Mint chutney is a cooling dip for crackling-hot samosas stuffed with spiced chicken.
By ZAINAB SHAH

Come Get Your Pork Chop!
Melissa Clark’s single-skillet affair pairs a rich chop with springy snap peas, mint and feta.
By EMILY WEINSTEIN

WINE SCHOOL
When You Need a Wine Under $10

By Eric Asimov

Martha Lou Gadsden, Soul-Food Matriarch, Dies at 91
For 37 years she stirred the pot at Martha Lou’s Kitchen in Charleston, S.C., a modest restaurant that became known as a temple for Low Country cuisine.

Martha Lou Gadsden in Martha Lou’s Kitchen, her restaurant in Charleston. S.C., in 2011. “I know what I want done,” she said of her approach to cooking, “but to give you the recipe I’ll have to just make up one.”
By KIM SEVERSON

How to Save at the Grocery Store
Food is pleasure and connection for most of us. Staying within your budget can bring peace of mind and keep your overall spending on track.
By LEANNE BROWN

Can’t Take the Heat? A Taste for Spicy Foods Can Be Learned.
If you feel left out, here are tips for enjoying (or at least tolerating) the burn.
By DANIEL VICTOR

The 20 best cheese recipes

‘We have Marcella Hazan’s definitive parmesan risotto and Kitty Travers’s ricotta ice-cream. Plus, of course, the ultimate toastie.’
By Allan Jenkins

Where to Order Last Minute Easter Feasts for Every Mood Around the Twin Cities
From ham dinners to hearty brunch and hot cross buns in between, there’s still time to take out

Fancy up that Easter basket with sweet treats from Rose Street Patisserie/Patisserie 46
by Joy Summers and Alicia Banaszewski

New Luxury Hotel Taps Minneapolis’ Top Fine Dining Chef to Run Its Restaurants
Gavin Kaysen will oversee the Four Seasons fine dining and cafe restaurants

Gavin Kaysen is having a few friends over for dinner.
by Joy Summers

COOKING CLASS
From Zac Posen, a Rich and Briny Pasta for Spring
Having long found inspiration in the kitchen, the designer shares a recipe for uni spaghetti that he perfected after a trip to Sardinia.
By IMAN STEVENSON

MVP Chicken
Colu Henry’s sheet-pan recipe, with shallot and grapes, is sweet, savory and abundantly simple.

By EMILY WEINSTEIN

5 Fast Spring Lunches to Make at Home
Spring is here, and, with it, seasonal vegetables like asparagus, radishes and snap peas.
By KRYSTEN CHAMBROT

EAT
Is Baked Alaska the Secret to a Long Life?
A 117-year-old nun in France made me think it might be.

Birthday baked alaska.
By DORIE GREENSPAN

Foods From Afar Hope to Catch the Eye of American Shoppers
Immigrant entrepreneurs are working with designers and brand strategists to create packaging that appeals to a wider range of consumers.

Yolélé offers products made of fonio, a cereal grain from West Africa, and they are now available at Whole Foods.
By Nina Roberts

Metal or glass for baking? Let’s clear a few things up.

By Becky Krystal

Yes, Ham Can Be a Surprisingly East Spring Project
A holiday ham, made at home, is within reach. You just need a bit of time, some wood smoke and a shoulder ham or pork loin.

This honey-cured, hickory-smoked shoulder ham is a stunning addition to your spring table
By Steven Raichlen

EAT
The Joy of Cooking With a Donabe
The Japanese clay vessel is perfect for hot pots like this chicken-meatball nabe.

By TEJAL RAO

A Stew That Captures the Essence of the Sea
A vibrant seafood stew, moqueca invigorates holiday menus and everyday meals alike.

A version of moqueca with large prawns and cod, served with rice.
By YEWANDE KOMOLAFE

FRONT BURNER
An Italian Prosciutto Makes Its American Debut
Culatta is made south of Parma, from a boneless thigh, the same cut used for culatello.

Tanara Culatta, three ounces, sliced ($16), murrayscheese.com.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT

ONE GOOD MEAL
A Lamb Tagine, Sweetened With Dates, for the First Days of Spring
The woodworker Sophie Sellu brings the same patience and care with which she makes her wares to this cherished recipe.

The finished dish is somehow both refined and rustic — much like Sellu’s woodworking.
By NICK MARINO

Von Diaz’s Essential Puerto Rican Recipes
The journalist and cookbook author, who grew up traveling between Atlanta and Puerto Rico, collects dishes that tell stories about life on the island, and the flavors that bring her back to it.

Von Diaz stirs a pot of sancocho, a stew found all over the Caribbean, as it simmers over an open fire at her home in North Carolina.
By Von Diaz

Delight In the Seasonal Green of Asparagus
Spring starts with “A” for asparagus, one of the most versatile of vegetables. (Apologies to artichokes.)

By FLORENCE FABRICANT

A GOOD APPETITE
These Lemony Pudding Cakes Are Magic in a Ramekin
Sweet and tangy, these easy desserts yield two textures — puffy and custardy — from one straightforward batter.

An airy sponge cake tops a creamy lemon curd in these simple treats.
By Melissa Clark

FRONT BURNER
Delightful Neat or on the Rocks
Jaisalmer India Craft Gin, newly available in the United States, is pleasant alone, or mingling with mixers.

Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin, $49.99 for 750 milliliters, winechateau.com.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT

Sours That Walk the Line
The drink has countless variations, but a simple spirit-citrus-sweetener formula is at the heart of all of them.

By REBEKAH PEPPLER

Remembering Steven Spurrier, Whose Contest Shook the Wine World
His legacy will always be the Judgment of Paris tasting of 1976, but less well known was his advocacy for unheralded wines from all over the world.

Steven Spurrier was an author, educator, amusing public speaker and leader of wine tastings..
By Eric Asimov

Kent Taylor, Texas Roadhouse Founder and C.E.O., Dies at 65
Mr. Taylor died by suicide after suffering from post-Covid-19 symptoms, including severe tinnitus, the company said.

Kent Taylor, the founder and chief executive of the Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain, died on Thursday. He was turned down more than 80 times as he initially tried to find investors.
By Bryan Pietsch

Korean TV’s Unlikely Star: Subway Sandwiches
The sandwich chain’s aggressive use of product placement has made it a ubiquitous presence on the country’s television shows.
By SETH BERKMAN

Cook Without a Script
Embrace no-recipe recipes, or set yourself up for a big meal for St. Patrick’s Day.
By SAM SIFTON

A GOOD APPETITE
Getting the Best Out of Thick Asparagus
Wondering what to do with those stalks? Roast them with sweet slivered leeks and salty capers.

Thick and thin asparagus have their places in the kitchen, and the fat spears’ may just be in the oven.
By Melissa Clark

This Passover Recipe Tells the Story of a Family Tree
A wide-reaching family’s interpretations of a Moroccan Jewish recipe reflects their history.

By Joan Nathan

In Favor of a More Casual, More Forgiving Polenta
Well into the pandemic, Yotam Ottolenghi has allowed himself to relax in the kitchen. This comforting dish shows how good a thing that can be.

This recipe takes instant polenta to new heights.
By Yotam Ottolenghi

EAT
A Luscious Peanut-Butter Wafer Cake That Won’t Give You a Toothache
All the pleasure of the Nutty Buddy without the sugar overload.

Sturdy and silken: peanut-butter wafer cake.
By GABRIELLE HAMILTON

FRONT BURNER
A Greek Olive Oil Cake in Time for Easter
Kosterina’s new cake is festive for spring, covered with a layer of confectioners’ sugar or gussied up with sorbet.

Kosterina Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cake, $38, kosterina.com.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT

FRONT BURNER
This Mixer Adds Zip to Summer Coolers
A sparkling water flavored with lime and yuzu is a nice change of pace from tonic in a mixed drink.

Fever-Tree Sparkling Lime & Yuzu, four-pack of 6.8-ounce bottles about $5, fever-tree.com.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT

FRONT BURNER
Old World Wines Are Savored in ‘Noble Rot’
Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew’s new book covers old territory in a fresh way.

“The Noble Rot Book: Wine From Another Galaxy” by Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew (Quadrille, $45).
By FLORENCE FABRICANT

THE POUR
Does Wine Lose Its Spirit When the Alcohol Is Removed?
Nonalcoholic wines fill a need for the sober and occasionally abstinent, and the new generation of alcohol-free wines is promising.

Eins-Zwei-Zero is a series of alcohol-free wines from Leitz, a riesling specialist in the Rheingau region of Germany.
By Eric Asimov

Steven Spurrier, Who Upended Wine World With a Tasting, Dies at 79
In what came to be called the Judgment of Paris, he arranged for California and French wines to be compared in a blind tasting. The verdict was a shocker.

Steven Spurrier in his Paris wine shop in 1978, several years after he rocked the wine world with a blind tasting of California vs. French wines.
By Eric Asimov

UNHITCHED
A Former Culinary Couple Now Thrives as a Blended Family
For Gale Gand and Rick Tramonto, both chefs, their passion for food always came first. After their divorce, they’ve learned to prioritize family.
By LOUISE RAFKIN

The Virus Spread Where Restaurants Reopened or Mask Mandates Were Absent
C.D.C. researchers found that coronavirus infections and death rates rose in U.S. counties permitting in-person dining or not requiring masks.
By RONI CARYN RABIN

FRONT BURNER
An Ode to Irish Classics, in Chocolate
L.A. Burdick’s holiday collection riffs on Irish breakfast tea, whiskey and even stew, with some white chocolate sheep, too.

Irish Chocolate Assortment, $45 for one-half pound, $78 for one pound, burdickchocolate.com.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT

For Perfectly Light Schnitzel, Do This
J. Kenji López-Alt was looking for the secret to an evenly golden, puffed schnitzel. He found it, and his recipe puts a new spin on an Austrian technique.

In this schnitzel, steam inflates the breading layer, which separates from the cutlet and puffs before it fully crisps.
By J. KENJI LÓPEZ-ALT

FIVE WEEKNIGHT DISHES
These Eggs Live Up to the Hype
J. Kenji López-Alt’s scrambled eggs are a superb light supper, and so springy.

1. Extra-Creamy Scrambled Eggs
2. Skillet Hot Honey Chicken With Hearty Greens
3. Vegan Coconut-Ginger Black Beans
4. Pasta With Green Puttanesca
5. Shrimp Étouffée
   By EMILY WEINSTEIN

A GOOD APPETITE
Your Morning Granola Just Got an Upgrade
Filled with coconut and dried cherries, these breakfast treats from Frenchette Bakery are wholesome enough for breakfast, and sweet enough for dessert.

These breakfast bars won’t disappoint.
By Melissa Clark

Also from BMTN’s Turtinen: “A Minneapolis bagel shop has made Food & Wine’s list of Best Bagels in America. Rise Bagel Co., at 530 N 3rd St. in Minneapolis’ North Loop, made the magazine’s list of ‘nearly 50’ best bagels (it didn’t rank the bagels), which was published March 5. Food & Wine says 20 years ago, a list like this would probably have been New York-centric, but in the years since quality bagel makers have popped up all around the country, making ‘the kind of bagels you take home by the dozen, hot and fresh.”

FRONT BURNER
A New Aperitif With Cherry Flavor
Haus’s latest aperitif is a spiced cherry that would be well suited to a manhattan.

Haus is mostly sold online, $35 a bottle (750 milliliters) or $40 for four 200 milliliter (6.76 ounce) samplers.

Haus Apéritifs, drink.haus.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT

THOSE WE’VE LOST
Anna Majani, Grande Dame of Fine Chocolate, Dies at 85
She turned chocolates from her family company, founded in the 18th century, into design objects. She died of Covid-19.

Anna Majani was 18 when she started working at her family’s chocolate company. Over the years she became its creative heart.
When Anna Majani first stepped into her family’s factory in Bologna, Italy, to begin work among the cocoa toasters, marble tables and molds for chocolates eaten by kings and poets, nobody took her seriously.

It was 1954. She was a woman. She was all of 18. And she had caused a scandal in town, becoming pregnant by a soccer player at 15.

But Ms. Majani stayed on, rose to vice president and became the company’s creative heart, earning credit for turning her family’s chocolates into design objects and imbuing the brand with her charisma.
By EMMA BUBOLA

David Mintz, Whose Tofutti Made Bean Curd Cool, Dies at 89
He set out to create an ice cream substitute for people who keep kosher. He created a phenomenon, also loved by vegans, diabetics and people with milk allergies.

David Mintz, chairman and chief executive of Tofutti Brands, in 1984. His company went from distributing pint containers of its signature frozen vanilla soy-based dessert to developing some 35 plant-based products.
Late in the 1970s he had to close Mintz’s Buffet, his restaurant on Third Avenue, because the block was being razed to build Trump Plaza. When he was offered the option to transplant his restaurant to the Upper West Side, he sought Rabbi Schneerson’s guidance. The rabbi’s secretary, Rabbi Leibel Groner, called him back, Mr. Mintz recalled, and said: “Get a pencil and paper and write it down. This is very important.”

“I was very excited,” Mr. Mintz said. “This was the answer I was waiting for. Then he dictated to me, ‘The rebbe says, “Absolutely not.” The rebbe says you should continue with your experiments with the pareve ice cream and God will help you to be very successful.’”
By SAM ROBERTS