If you enjoy baking bread, try Indian naan.

Naan, which means “bread” in Persian, is a flatbread similar to the original, pocketless pita. It is usually leavened with yeast and baked in a tandoor (clay oven). This distinguishes it from roti, which is cooked on an iron griddle called a tava (almost all Indian breads are cooked on a grill or griddle).

Chef Edward Hamann of Sur La Table’s cooking school demonstrates how to make this fragrant flatbread in a conventional oven (on a baking stone or pizza stone—if you don’t already have one, get a round pizza stone to serve both purposes). It bakes quickly, in just three to four minutes.

If you’re a garlic lover, you can sprinkle minced garlic atop the bread before baking.

You can serve naan with any cuisine whatsoever. For an Indian-style snack, add some chutney or raita, seasoned yogurt with cucumbers.

Nigella Seeds

Nigella is a lovely, delicate flower, grown in English cottage gardens since the Elizabethan era. Its triangular black seeds have been dried, roasted, and used for flavoring since ancient times.

The flavor of Nigella is similar to cracked pepper; the oil in the seeds has an aroma similar to oregano.

If you can’t find nigella seed, also called kalonji—or don’t want to buy a spice for only one recipe—simply substitute celery seed, cumin seed, or black or toasted sesame seed.

Find more of our favorite breads and bread recipes.

See the different types of bread in our bodacious Bread Glossary.

This year, change it up with a Cranberry Margarita, Pomegranate Margarita or Grapefruit Margarita recipe.

The first two recipes are from Avión Tequila; the last is from Felix restaurant in New York City’s SoHo, where Avión Silver is the tequila of choice.

POMEGRANATE MARGARITA RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the tequila, pomegranate juice, orange liqueur and sour mix into a shaker and shake vigorously.

Flying Pomegranate Margarita. Photo
courtesy Avión Tequila.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the tequila, cranberry juice and sour mix into a shaker and shake vigorously.

2. STRAIN over ice or serve straight up in a Martini glass. Garnish with a lime twist.

Grapefruit Margarita. Photo courtesy Felix Restaurant.

GRAPEFRUIT MARGARITA RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. RIM the glass by moistening the rim and twisting it on a plate filled with the salt/pepper mix.

2. COMBINE the tequila, Cointreau and juices into a shaker and shake vigorously.

3. STRAIN over ice or serve straight up in a Martini glass. Garnish with a lime twist.

Advice circulates that coffee beans should be kept in the freezer to maintain freshness.

False!

Freezing the coffee coagulates the natural oils contained in the beans. These oils need to emulsify to produce the body and mouthfeel of the coffee.

Coffee is best right after it is freshly-roasted. Beans can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks, but an airtight container is crucial. It protects the internal moisture of the coffee bean and keeps out odors.

Of course, the best storage advice is to buy what you need as you need it.

If you find yourself with too much coffee on hand, consider brewing iced coffee to keep in the fridge. Coffee is a source of healthful antioxidants. If you don’t have a caffeine sensitivity or high cholesterol, iced coffee is a refreshing cold drink.

What About Ground Coffee?

Ground coffee that is not in a sealed vaccuum pack will begin to go stale within 24 hours after the coffee has been exposed to air.

Connoisseurs with sensitive palates can notice a decline in flavor two hours after the coffee is ground!

Light & Heat Are Enemies

Keep all coffee away from direct light and heat. They begin to cook the coffee oils, and will affect the flavor and aroma properties.

Coffee Trivia: Why The Lemon Peel?

In Europe, you may see coffee—especially espresso—served with a piece of lemon peel. The peel is rubbed around the rim of the cup.

This was originally used to counteract the taste of over-roasted, bitter espresso. The lemon oil in the peel blocks the bitterness.

Italians traditionally serve top-quality espresso without lemon peel; to serve peel means the coffee isn’t as good as it could be. However, some people grew to enjoy a hint of lemon with their espresso. If you do it (we do), there’s no shame in serving lemon peel.

MORE ABOUT COFFEE

Find information galore, recipes and things you never knew about coffee in our Gourmet Coffee Section.

Ginger adds some heat to a Margarita. Photo courtesy Spice Market | New York.

The original Margarita consisted of tequila, Cointreau (orange liqueur) and lime juice; but there have been many variations on the theme since then.

Here’s one riff from Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Spice Market New York restaurant. It fuses ginger, a spice from Southeast Asia, with the Mexican-origin cocktail.

GINGER MARGARITA RECIPE

Ingredients For Ginger Lime Syrup

 
Ingredients For Each Margarita

1. Bring lime juice and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and add ginger. Let steep until liquid is at room temperature. Strain through a chinois,* pushing the pestle or (other tool) for total extraction.

2. Combine all ingredients in rocks glass with ice. Shake vigorously.

3. Crust rim of glass with ginger salt (a combination of 1/4 part ginger powder, 3/4 part coarse salt) and pour Margarita into glass. Squeeze lime wedge then drop in drink.
 
MORE MARGARITA RECIPES.
 
 
*A chinois is a cone-shaped mesh strainer. These days, they can be hard to fine. Instead, stores tend to carry what is known as a Chinese cap. It looks like a chinois, but instead of mesh, holes are punched in metal, like a colander. If you can find a mesh chinois, buy it: It’s finer and useful for all straining. The size of the holes in a Chinese cap can allow small particles, such as strawberry and raspberry seed, through.
  

The heart-shaped subtropical fruit seems exotic because, depending on where you live, you may not come across it often. But seek it out: The tasty blend of mango, pineapple and strawberry flavors is worth it.

Believed to have originated in the Andes Mountains, the name originates from the Quechua (Inca) word chirimuya, meaning “cold seeds” (because the seeds germinate at high altitudes). It grows as a shrub or tree.

The pale green, shingled skin must be handled with care to avoid bruising. The ivory-colored flesh is creamy (similar to a ripe peach). Choose fruit that is firm and allow it to ripen at room temperature. As it ripens, the skin will turn a darker green and will yield to gentle pressure. Refrigerate soft fruit and use as soon as possible for best flavor.

To enjoy a cherimoya, all you need is a spoon. Cut the fruit in half or into wedges and spoon out flesh, discarding the seeds. The creamy, sweet flesh has earned cherimoya the nicknames ice cream fruit, sherbet fruit and custard apple.
 
CHERIMOYA RECIPES

It’s easy to add tropical flair by including Cherimoya in desserts, fruit drinks and salads. Try these recipes for starters:

 
CHERIMOYA NUTRITION

One cup of cherimoya fruit has about 115 calories (11 ounces have about 300 calories). According to FoodScout.org, it has this impressive nutrition profile:

If you can’t find cherimoya fruit locally, you can order it online from Melissas.com.

More of our favorite fruits.