ArcaMax

Recently I had a crowd over for a barbecue that included kids and adults. For dessert I did a reinterpretation of my favorite summer dessert: fruit crisp. Usually, a crisp is made with a layer of cut-up fruit and a streusel topping. This time I wanted to put a custard layer in the center for a subtle yet decidedly creamy surprise.

It was not ...Read more

All summer long, we indulge in local corn every which way: on the cob with butter and salt, sauteed kernels with herbs and diced tomato, or grilled to goldenness. We stand in line at state fairs for cobs dripping in butter. Street festivals find us getting sloppy with Mexican-inspired cobs covered in sour cream, cheese and red chile.

We love it...Read more

I love all kinds of French toast, from the classic version with slices soaked in custard to the fun pull-apart type. If you dip bread in custard and cook it ...Read more

Every summer I look for a refreshing cocktail that’s easy enough to whip up at the last minute. The lava flow cocktail, a combination of bananas, strawberries, pineapple juice, and rum, blew me away with its beauty and undeniably delicious flavor. Since this cocktail is newer to me, I reached out to some friends (one lives in Hawaii, and the ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- At The Franklin Fountain ice cream parlor in Philadelphia's Old City neighborhood, a bust of Benjamin Franklin gazes benevolently down on two antique stainless steel bowls: one holds tiny, rod-shaped rainbow ice cream toppings, while the other holds chocolate ones.

For hundreds of years, or at least since 2004 when the shop ...Read more

I miss my husband when he's out of town for work (of course), but come dinner time, I can't help but appreciate being able to cook whatever I want for dinner without worrying about whether he'll walk away from the table happy.

Translation: Though I usually steer clear because he's highly allergic to shellfish, finally, I can fill up on ...Read more

Peas have a special place in French culture and cuisine. One of the earliest cultivated food crops, they achieved a special status at Versailles in Louis XIV’s court, where peas were considered “potager du roi,” or royal fruit. King Louis liked to eat his peas raw.

Peas should be finger food, especially those delightfully plump sugar snap...Read more

I love this time of year when large, juicy mangoes are in season. They’re perfect for creating a sweet and spicy summer dinner—like using them as a fresh relish for pork steaks.

The recipe calls for mango cubes, and here’s a quick, easy way to prepare them: First, slice off each side of the mango as close to the seed as possible. Hold ...Read more

Hot dogs and creamy, mayo-heavy picnic sides like potato and macaroni salad are quintessential warm weather eats because they're both cheap and easy to pull together on short notice.

But no one can blame you if you want to stretch beyond the basics with dishes that are a little bolder — but still within the general framework of what we ...Read more

At the Mamiche bakeries in the 9th and 10th arrondissements of Paris, their famous pains au chocolat and croissants depend on an essential but increasingly scarce ingredient — butter.

The bakery’s regular supplier can no longer provide a steady flow of French beurre de tourage, a type of flat butter used to make the pastries. Mamiche has ...Read more

In victory, top chefs are much like the classiest of professional tennis players: self-deprecatory, admiring of their rivals, grateful to their teachers. A few weeks ago, just after his restaurant Maido was proclaimed No. 1 among the 50 Best Restaurants in the World at a ceremony in Turin, Italy, Mitsuharu Tsumura told me, “There is ...Read more

Free Slurpees are back at 7-Eleven as the 24-hour convenience store chain celebrates its 98th birthday this Friday.

On July 11, 7-Eleven offers its patrons a free small Slurpee drink at participating 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes locations nationwide while the Mountain Dew Infinite Swirl flavor makes its return for a limited time.

Fans of the...Read more

CHICAGO -- “I think it was important for us to be Black,” said Jamhal Johnson, co-founder of Chicago’s local Moor’s Brewing Co. “We put a Black man on the beer can.”

For Johnson and longtime friends Damon Patton and Anthony Bell, that’s been one part of a well-considered growth and branding strategy for Moor’s Brewery Co., the ...Read more