Casa Herradura has two superior expressions for the tequila lover:

HERRADURA SELECCIÓN SUPREMA, EXTRA-AÑEJO

Herradura Selección Suprema is the highest grade tequila from Casa Herradura. Aged for more than 49 months in American oak barrels, it has a very dark copper hue, paired with an intense aroma of brown spice and floral notes.

This is an enormously complex, world-class sipping tequila for the connoisseur. The suggested retail price is $350 for a 750ml bottle. Pricey, yes; but for tequila lovers, it should be a memorable experience.

At a more affordable price is Herradura’s limited edition Colección de la Casa, Reserva 2014 – Scotch Cask Finish Reposado.

The greatest tequila in the world? Photo courtesy Casa Herradura.

It undergoes a double maturation process after resting in two different types of oak casks: American oak and single malt Scotch casks. This creates a totally new flavor profile for fine tequila. The suggested retail price is $89.99.

For more information visit Herradura.com.

TITO’S HANDMADE VODKA

Tito’s Handmade Vodka is one of the fastest-growing craft spirits, and it’s gluten-free (made from 100% corn mash). Wine Enthusiast magazine scored it higher than Belvedere, Grey Goose and Ketel One.

It’s made in small batches (microdistilled) in an old fashioned pot still by Tito Beveridge (that’s his actual name), a geologist who first made it for Christmas gifts. Friends encouraged him to go commercial.

His boot-strapped brew won the double gold medal at the World Spirits Competition and put Tito’s on the map.

We found it online for prices ranging from $17.99 to $32.99. Here’s a store locator on the company website.

Two pie gadgets from Williams-Sonoma make even a novice seem like a sophisticated pie baker.

LATTICE PIE CRUST CUTTER

Like lattice crusts but lack the time or patience to make them?

Williams-Sonoma offers this solution: a lattice pie crust cutter. It quickly and easily cuts a lattice-like crust from rolled-out dough.

You simply place the lattice insert in the bottom of the gadget’s frame, then lay a sheet of rolled dough on top. To create the pattern, use a rolling pin to press the cutter into the dough. Lift off the insert and invert the latticed dough onto the pie.

It’s not as dramatic as a hand-woven lattice, but it’s certainly more interesting than a solid top crust!

Press a lattice-style pie crust in 1-2-3. Photo courtesy Williams-Sonoma.

Get yours at Williams-Sonoma.com, $19.95.

AMERICAN FLAG PIE CRUST CUTTER

What we really love is this American flag pie crust cutter, also from Williams-Sonoma and also $19.95.

While we try to avoid bringing single-use gadgets into our small kitchen, we made an exception for this one. Now, a patriotic pie will be our annual contribution to July 4th festivities.

Get yours at Williams-Sonoma.com.

Both inserts are designed for use with a 12″ diameter pastry crust.

This recipe from the Williams-Sonoma Test Kitchen was so breathtaking, we traipsed through three different farmers markets to hunt down the beautiful heirloom carrots (and finally found them at Trader Joe’s).

The recipe gave us an excuse to purchase sumac, a slightly tart and fruity spice popular in North African and Middle Eastern cooking. We’d never worked with it, and we like lemony tartness. (More ways to use it are below.)
 
 
RECIPE: SPICED ROASTED CARROTS

Ingredients For 4-6 Servings

Who could refuse to eat their vegetables? Photo courtesy Williams-Sonoma.

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 425°F (220°C).

2. STIR together the sumac, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes and salt in a small bowl.

3. TOSS the carrots with the olive oil in a large bowl. Sprinkle the spice blend on top of the carrots and toss until the spices are evenly distributed.

4. HEAT a frying pan over medium heat until warm. Add the carrots and toss two or three times. Transfer to the oven and roast until the carrots are just tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

5. TRANSFER to a serving dish and finish with a sprinkle of sea salt. Serve immediately.
 

Find more terrific recipes at Blog.Williams-Sonoma.com.

Sumac, a popular spice in the Middle East. Photo courtesy The Silk Road Spice Merchant.

Sumac comprises some 35 species of flowering plants that grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world. If you were a Boy Scout or Girl Scout, you likely learned to spot one of the varieties, the poison sumac shrub, in the woods. (Like poison ivy and poison oak, skin contact generates a nasty rash.)

The fruits of the bush form in dense clusters of what we might call little round red berries—like holly berries—but are actually drupes. The dried drupes of some species are ground to produce a tangy, crimson spice; the word “sumac” comes from the old Syriac Aramaic summaq, meaning red.

The spice is also a component of the popular spice blend, za’atar.

In Middle Eastern cuisine, sumac is used to add a lemony taste to meats and salads. It is used to garnish meze like hummus, and rice.

You can find sumac online or at Middle Eastern markets. If you can’t get hold of any, add some lemon juice. Its tart flavor is an alternative to the tart-sour sumac profile.