Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2020 i Bon Appetit

EVER SINCE EDITORS have been writing editor’s letters, editors have been turning them in late. We’ve got too much on our plates, we tell our colleagues. Too many meetings. No time to write. And whatever other excuses we can drum up to explain our lack of productivity. When I should’ve been writing this letter, the lot of us were at 1 World Trade Center, clicking away on our laptops, dipping into the BA Test Kitchen to make espressos and nibble at whatever was set out on the tasting table. In other words, we were going to work—which is what everyone was doing, right? But as I (finally) write this, it’s Thursday, March 19. I’m at home, having just logged off of yet another Zoom meeting. Simone, Marlon, and I are…

THESE REFRESHING onions make a strong case for having a jar of quick pickles in the fridge at all times. Tart, crunchy, and fresh, they enliven just about anything you’d want for dinner. The method couldn’t be easier: Slice a red onion paper-thin (a mandoline comes in handy here if that’s your thing). Douse the onion with tart lime or lemon juice, add a pinch of salt—which both speeds up the pickling process and tames the sharp raw-onion flavor—and give the slices a thorough massage. Ten minutes later you’ll have a vibrant condiment that you can stash in the fridge for weeks. Use them to top the Honey-Chipotle Shrimp Tacos on page 24 (and also your sandwiches, braises, larb…).…

4 SERVINGS 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced2 Tbsp. soy sauce2 Tbsp. white miso2 tsp. curry powder2 tsp. finely grated peeled ginger5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1¼ lb.) Kosher salt½ tsp. sugar1 lb. green beans, trimmed, sugar snap peas, and/or snow peas¾ cup fresh (or frozen, thawed) baby peas4 scallions, thinly sliced 1. Mix garlic, soy sauce, miso, curry powder, ginger, and 1 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl to combine; set curry paste aside. 2. Slice chicken breasts crosswise into ½"-thick strips. Season with salt and sprinkle with sugar. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Cook half of chicken in a single layer, undisturbed, until well browned, about 3 minutes. Turn over and cook just until exterior of…

Man cannot survive on Fritos and Popeyes alone. Enter the car-ready crudités: slivers of crunchy raw carrot, jicama, and radish paired with a ranch-esque blend of punchy herbs, pistachios, and nutritional yeast. Pack them in jars that fit into your cup holders (no mess!), then pluck, dunk, and repeat. HOW’S IT MADE? Ranch Fun Dip Toast ¼ cup raw pistachios in a medium skillet over medium heat, shaking and tossing often, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a spice mill or a mortar and pestle and let cool. Add 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast and 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt to pistachios and grind or pound until the texture of coarse meal. Transfer to a small bowl and mix in 2 tsp. Aleppo-style pepper,…

Long stretch of freeway? SLATE’S SLOW BURN goes deep on American history, from Watergate to Tupac. Fighting over DJ duties? RADIOTOPIA’S SONG EXPLODER asks artists to break down their most popular songs—with an archive so big there’s something for everybody. Bored out of your mind? GIMLET’S EVERY LITTLE THING will entertain and teach you something, like how the Cha Cha Slide became a wedding go-to. Lull in the conversation? WBUR’S MODERN LOVE has a heart-bursting essay just for you. Driving alone? GIMLET’S REPLY ALL feels like hanging with fun friends who happen to be tech experts.…

Yes, we’re telling you to bake before your big trip. But we’re telling you to bake these cookies, inspired by a trusted human energy source (trail mix) and crammed with enough toasted nuts, dried fruit, hearty oats, and chocolate to keep everyone in the car sated, awake, and in shockingly good spirits. Trail Mix Cookies 1½ cups assorted raw nuts and seeds½ cup (60 g) old-fashioned oats1 large egg4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted¼ cup (packed; 50 g) dark brown sugar2 Tbsp. (25 g) granulated sugar1½ tsp. vanilla extract1 tsp. kosher salt½ tsp. baking soda¾ cup assorted dried fruit (cut into ½" pieces if large)¾ cup chopped bittersweet chocolate bars or chips or disks½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flour Flaky sea salt Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven;…

Cruising along the steamy tree-lined Gullah Geechee Corridor just outside Charleston, South Carolina, I keep my eyes peeled for a squat roadside building painted with fishing scenes in the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town of Ravenel. Why? Because there are few road snacks more satisfying than Ravenel Seafood’s Gullah-style garlic crabs swimming in butter. Worth the greasy steering wheel, I promise.…

The available-everywhere fruits of the gas station snack aisle are a traveler’s best friend. But you need to pick the right ones. Luckily, you’ve got Alex Delany’s not-at-all-subjective ranking. 5. COW TALES Like its savory twin the Slim Jim, this snack is polarizing. But it can also be used for self-defense. 4. SNYDER’S HONEY MUSTARD PRETZEL PIECES Pretzels with built-in mustard! In a bag! Genius! 3. CLASSIC CORN NUTS Salty. BIG crunch. Great for waking sleepy passengers. 2. PEANUT M & M’S The best M&M, bar none. Rip off the corner of the bag for easy chugging. 1. PEPPERONI PIZZA COMBOS Bold, crispy, cheesy, poppable, and 13 times tastier with the windows rolled down.…

Nothing makes a person appreciate summer like living in one of the coldest states in America. While Minnesotans embrace the subzero temperatures, there is a palpable sense of jubilation when the ice begins to thaw. Shorts come out, windows roll down, and locals head to Union Hmong Kitchen, a regular pop-up restaurant housed in a trailer outside Sociable Cider Werks in Minneapolis. That’s where chef Yia Vang works his wood-fired magic, churning out chargrilled, chile-lashed fare typical of a traditional Hmong household. (Minnesota is home to the largest diaspora of Hmong people living outside Asia. The stateless, nomadic community’s history reveals itself in its spicy, smoky, mouth-walloping cuisine, marrying influences from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Southern China.) Vang, who was born in a Thai refugee camp but moved with his family…

In a world chock-full of innovative restaurants run by chefs who tirelessly push the envelope, sometimes all you want—no, all you need—is a paper tray of steamers and drawn butter, a stupid-simple lobster roll, and some straightforward and straightup delicious fish cakes with tartar sauce. Like clockwork each year, I hit maximum “food scene” capacity in NYC. And when that happens, the food, the restaurant, and the vibes I crave most can be found at Larsen’s Fish Market, a tiny little seafood shack in a tiny little fishing village in Menemsha, Martha’s Vineyard. There are no servers at Larsen’s. No silverware. No tables—just a bunch of rusty old lobster traps masquerading as them. Physically speaking, Larsen’s is little more than a fish counter and take-out window overlooking an idyllic boat-filled…

1 THE BIG BLOOM THEORY Think of raw spices like shy friends: It takes a little effort to draw them out of their shell. Frying the spices in oil or ghee is the ultimate icebreaker. Also known as chhonk, tadka, or tempering, among other names, blooming spices in fat is a South Asian cooking technique that brings out and disperses their complex aromas. It makes whole seeds crunchy and pleasant to eat, turns ground spices toasty, and leaves you with an infused oil that adds a flavor boost to nearly anything. THE METHOD Heat 2 Tbsp. ghee or oil over medium-low, add ground spices or any you’d happily eat whole (like red pepper flakes or cumin, mustard, or fennel seeds), and cook until they sputter and smell fragrant. Pour over…

Coffee Pop-Up I refuse to start my day with bad coffee, so I turn to my UST Flexware Coffee Drip ($3; nextadventure.net) when I need caffeine while traveling. It fits over my travel mug and flattens into a ¾"-tall disk that weighs next to nothing and won’t break. Shoot Your Shot I bought my Canon Rebel SL3 specifically for my reporting trip through Mexico because it’s relatively light. Plus, the EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM lens ($130; shop.usa.canon.com) is compact and takes amazing wide and close-up food photos. Jet Set With a New Set Typically I’m a gel polish devotee. But when I can’t get to the nail salon for my usual manicure, I go for Essie’s deep blue After School Boy Blazer nail polish ($9; beautyplussalon.com). It makes a statement…

4 SERVINGS 2 Tbsp. adobo (from 1 can chipotle chiles in adobo)2 Tbsp. honey1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined Kosher salt½ cup mayonnaise1 garlic clove, finely grated1 lime, halved1 small red onion, halved through root end, thinly sliced8 corn tortillas2 Tbsp. vegetable oil¼ head of green cabbage, thinly slicedCilantro leaves with tender stems and lime wedges (for serving) 1. Stir adobo and honey in a medium bowl to combine. Add shrimp, season with salt, and toss to coat. Set aside. 2. Mix mayonnaise and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl. Add garlic, season with salt, and stir to combine. Set garlic crema aside. 3. Squeeze lime juice into another small bowl and add onion and a pinch of salt. Massage onion with your hands until it begins to soften.…

6–8 SERVINGS 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil2 lb. ground pork, divided1 2" piece ginger, peeled, cut into matchsticks or finely chopped8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced2 Tbsp. sugar2 Tbsp. tomato paste2 sprigs basil, plus leaves for serving? cup hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)¼ cup soy sauce¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar1½ lb. fresh ramen noodles or 1 lb. dried spaghetti Kosher salt2 Tbsp. unsalted butter 1. Heat oil in a large wide heavy pot over medium-high. Add half of pork to pot and break into 6–8 large pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook, undisturbed, until well browned underneath, about 5 minutes. Turn pieces over and cook, turning occasionally, until pork is browned on 2–3 sides, about 5 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, sugar, and remaining pork and cook, breaking up meat…

The driver may be in charge of keeping both hands on the wheel, but you, the passenger, are in charge of keeping the music flowing, the directions current, the pit stops fresh (ooh, a farmstand!), and the mood on point. Anticipate needs before they happen—even if that means hand-delivering individual Cheetos into said driver’s mouth. Otherwise, you’re demoted to the back.…

A. Delicate items—maybe some ham sandos or a bag of frozen grapes—go on top with items you’ll want quick access to, like that bottle of homemade ’booch. B. Add smaller ice packs to keep the cold consistent. Whatever you’ve got in the freezer will do. The key is to fill your cooler completely because empty air heats faster. C. Heavy stuff like cans of soda should be carefully arranged on the bottom of the cooler where they can support lighter stuff without squishing anything. D. Forget the big bag of melting ice. Instead, line the bottom of your cooler with reusable ice packs—just make sure they’re the hard plastic type that doesn’t rip! E. Keep it clean! Nothing worse than a nasty cooler. Soap and water should do the trick,…

My mom may never forgive me for blowing up her favorite spot, but Mr. Bread, a family-owned Macanese bakery off Route 1 in San Francisco, serves the breakfast of road trip champions. Before you barrel down America’s prettiest highway, fill a bright pink pastry box with char sui baos, curry beef baos, and the nonnegotiable: eggy Portuguese custard tarts with an extra-flaky crust. Because when you’re on a road trip, there’s no such thing as too many baked goods. Cash only!…

Bring enough snacks to last twice the distance. And your car is a blank canvas, so opt for things that crumble (crackers) rather than ooze (peanut butter). Pro move: Pack a snack and pretend it isn’t for them. Road trips are the only times I get my kids to eat BjornQorn. There are no nutritional-yeast atheists in foxholes. Keep their ears occupied. I bring volume-limiting headphones and a kid-friendly podcast (try But Why from Vermont Public Radio) or the audio from their favorite movies. We don’t let them watch the screen since that will make them puke. Stop at Starbucks. Not for coffee but for portable snacks like cheese sticks and cut-up fruit. And the bathrooms are usually clean. The days of “just flooring it until you get there” are…

I’M NOT SURE WHEN I BECAME OBSESSED WITH TRAVEL, the kind where you really get out and explore a city. But somehow I’m the guy who has a list for wherever you’re going. Istanbul? I got you. Paris? Duh. Mexico City? It’s 16 pages long. But whenever I travel like this, I find myself eating out all the time—and I end up missing the kitchen. I stroll through the local markets, looking at the produce and knowing full well that I can taste but I can’t play around. So I go about my vacations a little differently these days. Yes, I still dive into a deep state of research with a dizzying amount of tabs on my computer screen displaying flight options, road maps, and Airbnbs. But the latter is where…

There’s a strip of highway 10 minutes east of the San Juan airport that haunts my dreams. Piñones, as it’s known locally, is a haven of brightly colored food stands with hand-painted signs, flanked on one side by the ocean and by coconut groves on the other. It’s been my favorite place to eat on the island since I was a little girl. You never know which kioskos will be open when (and that’s definitely part of the fun), but it’s hard to go wrong. The key is to come with an adventurous spirit and plenty of cash, aware that hours are unpredictable and popular items may run out early. I always start with bacalaítos: salt-cod fritters the size of my face; crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the…

TRAVEL PLANNER AWAY: ROAD TRIP USA pp. 37–52 ALEPPO SWEETS 107 Ives. St., Providence; alepposweets.com BLOCK ISLAND FERRY 304 Great Island Rd., Narragansett, RI; 401-783-7996; blockislandferry.com BOULEVARD BURGER & BREW 1300 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond; 804-367-3838; boulevardburgerandbrew.com CHAMPLIN’S 256 Great Island Rd., Narragansett, RI; 401-783-3152; champlins.com CLAM BOX 246 High St., Ipswich, MA; 978-356-9707; clamboxipswich.com CRESCENT RIDGE DAIRY BAR 407 Bay Rd., Sharon, MA; 781-784-2740; crescentridge.com EMPANADA NIRVANA 5519 Rte. 9W, Newburgh, NY; 845-775-6726 MR. BREAD BAKERY 1018 Taraval St., Parkside, San Francisco; 415-681-6814 MODERN APIZZA 874 State St., New Haven, CT; 203-776-5306; modernapizza.com MYSTIC AQUARIUM 55 Coogan Blvd., Mystic, CT; 860-572-5955; mysticaquarium.org RAVENEL SEAFOOD 5925 Savannah Hwy., Ravenel, SC; 843-899-9500 THE SHOP 123 Washington Ave., Portland, ME; 207-699-4466; portland.islandcreekoysters.com TROLL HOLE MUSEUM 228 E. Main St., Alliance, OH;…

MAKES 8 We planned to make a sour cream doughnut, we really did. We tried and tried, and when it wasn’t working, we switched to Greek yogurt. Adding yogurt to the batter for these cake doughnuts made them light, tangy, and rich and gave us a dough that was easy to work with. Have we been calling them yonuts ever since? Yes—and we’d like it if you did too. 2½ tsp. baking powder2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more2 large egg yolks1 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt½ cup granulated sugar2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly1 tsp. vanilla extract Vegetable oil (for frying; 6–8 cups) Zest of ¼ lemon1 cup powdered sugar SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: A deep-fry thermometer Whisk baking powder, 2 cups flour, and 1…

MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS 1 cup raw cashews1 lemongrass stalk, bottom third only2 medium shallots, coarsely chopped5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped6 Thai chiles or 4 Fresno chiles, coarsely choppedFinely grated zest of 2 limes1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more3 Tbsp. vegetable oil1 Tbsp. tomato paste8 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved1 Tbsp. fish sauce 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice1 Tbsp. chopped cilantroLittle Gem lettuce leaves, cucumber spears, mango wedges, and halved soft-boiled eggs (for serving) 1. Pulse cashews in a food processor until pieces are no larger than ¼". Transfer to a medium bowl. 2. Remove tough outer layers from lemongrass; discard. Coarsely chop lemongrass and transfer to a food processor. Add shallots, garlic, chiles, lime zest, and 1 tsp. salt and pulse until very finely chopped. Scrape down sides of processor…

WAFFLES ARE MY NEMESIS, right down to the irons, which were definitely invented by someone who doesn’t wash dishes. For years I refused to make them just to avoid the cleanup, and then I found a waffle iron that had nonstick removable(!) dishwasher-safe(!) plates, and I was so uplifted that I decided to include two waffle recipes in my last cookbook. But while testing those recipes, I remembered my other issue with waffles, which is that the irons tend to trap steam—the enemy of a crisp result. I ultimately got the recipes to work, but I swore off waffles again after I finished the book, this time forever. There are two small problems with my waffle ban, and their names are Jacob and Anna. I try to tell them that…

START: NEW YORK CITY 1. NEW HAVEN, CT Modern Apizza Are there more famous coal-fired Neapolitan pizza placesƧ Sure. Can you get pies just as chewy and charred at Modern? See answer above, minus the hours-long wait. 2. MYSTIC, CT Mystic Aquarium Treat road rage with penguin therapy at this conservation-focused aquarium, which rehabs sick and injured marine animals from all over the region. Amphibians more your speed? Check out the exhibit simply titled Frogs! 4. POINT JUDITH, RI Ferry to Block Island The scene: You’ve been in traffic for hours and it feels like you’ll never get to Maine. There’s a drive-on ferry about to leave for tiny, lovely Block Island, about an hour from shore. How spontaneous are you feeling? Not all road trips need to stick to…

One day, returning from a very quaint apple-picking trip with my in-laws in Newburgh, New York, I spotted a gleaming trailer off Route 9W with a tie-dye sign that proclaimed: Empanada Nirvana. “PULL OVER!” I screamed at my husband, nearly killing us all. There, surrounded by psychedelic Pop art (Marilyn Monroe! Snoop Dogg! A skeleton in a patio chair!), was a man named Nelson Pantoja selling what just may be the most excellent empanadas I have ever tasted. We picked a lot of apples that day, but those perfect little half-moons—exteriors golden and crackly, insides bursting with oh-sotender pernil, spicy komodo dragon sausage, or oozy cream cheese and guava—are all we ever talk about from that trip. And if I had killed us all, I mean, there are worse places…

My 13-year-old Yaris sedan doesn’t have many things. Automatic locks? Stellar side-impact ratings? Nope. But you know what it does have? A ridiculous amount of napkins in the glove compartment. As my friends and I drove up and down California during college summers, I greedily snatched half-inch stacks from In-N-Outs, Jamba Juices, and random banh mi shops. I used to be embarrassed when my mom did this. “You never know when you’ll need it!” she’d say with fists stuffed full. But now—after years of exploding sodas and countless emergency bathroom breaks—I know.…

WHEN SUMMER HITS, it’s impossible to escape the sticky, muggy truth: New Orleans is a swamp. When the humidity soars above 90 percent, buzzing cicadas curdle my brain, and I’ve already danced at every air-conditioned spot on Frenchmen Street, there’s only one thing left to do: Head to Hansen’s Sno-Bliz. For 81 years the small Uptown shop has helped ward off heatstroke with sno-balls—an iconic NOLA dessert made from fluffy, finely shaved ice drenched in multicolored sugar syrups like bubble gum and cream of nectar (a mysteriously pink combination of vanilla and almond). This city is studded with sno-ball stands, but Ernest Hansen won the patent for the electric iceshaving machine back in 1950—and with it, bragging rights to the best snoballs in town. Today, his granddaughter Ashley Hansen greets…

West Africa and western North Carolina may be worlds apart, but in the industrial-chic dining room of Asheville, NC’s Benne on Eagle, you would be forgiven for thinking they’re neighbors. Here chef Ashleigh Shanti’s thoughtful menu explores the profound interconnectedness of African and Appalachian foodways, an edible counternarrative to prevailing stereotypes about the region and its culture. “Black folks have been here for so long,” Shanti explains. “I want to prove that there is such a thing as Black Appalachian cooking.” For her that means benne-seed biscuits topped with local country ham and hollandaise punched up with her version of kitchen pepper, an idiosyncratic blend of pepper and warm spices. It means air-dried green veggies, or “britches,” rehydrated in buttermilk and cooked in potlikker until soft; and pork ribs with…

If you ask us what our favorite bar trend of the past few years is, the answer is easy: the rise of joints that specialize in beer or wine (or maybe both). We get behind responsibly made stuff from small producers, and we’re happy to report that the young, unstuffy spots where these drinks are served—by people more interested in showing us a good time than impressing us—have swiped the crown from buttoned-up cocktail bars. From smalltown main streets to major cities, these are the American bars, breweries, and taprooms we can’t wait to get back to. —ALEX DELANY 1 Vista Brewing, an Actual Farmhouse Brewery AUSTIN Take a 30-minute drive southwest of Austin and you’ll find yourself in a town called Driftwood, in the plains of the Texas Hill…