Need a special gift? Want a special treat? We recommend the Gourmet S’mores Kit (photo #1) from L.A. Burdick, one of America’s finest chocolatiers.

It’s a limited edition: a summer special, available from June 1st to September 2nd.

We’ll be ordering several for our own summer festivities and for Father’s Day gifts.
 
 
WHAT DO YOU GET?

You get high-end classic s’mores components, handmade with all natural ingredients and no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

Instead of extracts, for example, the flavors come from real vanilla beans, fruits, coffee and honey.

Everything in the kit is handmade in-house:

 
The items are packaged in a lovely little corrugated tote that someone will make a bid for.
 
 
GET YOUR S’MORES

Head to BurdickChocolate.com.
 
 
MORE S’MORES RECIPES

The classic s’mores cookie sandwich is perfect as is: graham crackers sandwiching toasted marshmallows melty chocolate.

Because the classic is so beloved, amateur and professional cooks alike have put their own spins on the recipe.

Here are some s’mores recipes with twists that we’ve published. They’re just a smattering of the thousands of s’mores recipes out there.

 
 
PLUS

[1] Gourmet S’mores Kit from L.A. Burdick (photos #1 and #2 © L.A. Burdick).

[2] Burdick’s exceptional chocolate makes the s’mores extra-delicious.

[3] Do you like your marshmallows slightly toasted, or extra toasty (photo © Dandies).

[4] You can personalize the s’mores with your own ingredients, like toasted coconut or fresh raspberries (photo © Chocolat Moderne).

[1] Ready for the air fryer: a wonderfully flavorful veggie burger made from chickpeas and shiitake mushrooms (photos #1, #2, #3, #4, #7 and #8, plus recipe, © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[2] Grilled and adorned with arlicky aïoli, lettuce, tomato and pickles.

[3] Dried shiitake mushrooms are part of the magic.

[4] Shiitakes are also used in their powdered form.

[5] It’s easy to make aquafaba: Just soak chickpeas overnight (photo © Polina Tankilevitch | Pexels).

[6] Save the liquid when you drain chickpeas: It’s aquafaba† (photo © Delallo).

[7] Ready for dessert? Get the book: Super Vegan Scoops: Plant-Based Ice Cream for Everyone!

[8] It’s a great gift for an ice cream lover who wants less or no dairy.

Our colleague Hannah Kaminsky is a wonderful vegan cook and author. Her latest book, Super Vegan Scoops!: Plant-Based Ice Cream for Everyone, is a great gift for ice cream lovers who prefer plant-based options. Sweet Heat Chipotle Pecan ice cream? Cucumber Raita frozen yogurt? Yes, please!

Today, Hannah shares an air fryer or oven recipe for veggie burgers made with chickpeas and mushrooms join forces to create burgers that are crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. And bursting with an intense depth of savory flavor, thanks to her “secret ingredient”: shiitake mushroom powder.
 
 
UMAMI POWER!

Hannah loves the umami flavor from Sugimoto brand* dried shiitake mushrooms, in both whole and powdered formats.

It does great things to veggie burgers. “No one will guess your secret ingredient,” says Hannah, “but everyone will know in an instant that these aren’t your average, humdrum veggie burgers.”

Even if you don’t like mushrooms, she says, “shiitake powder will become your new best friend. Mushroom haters needn’t fear these spores; unlike dried porcini, shiitake can enhance the taste of your cooking without adding the funky, earthy mushroom flavor that turns many away.”

Hannah doesn’t use vegan cheese in this recipe, but takes a different approach.

“Melting sumptuously into those supple centers [is] a generous dollop of homemade garlicky aïoli, infused with even more shiitake goodness.

While the spread comes together in mere minutes, she recommends making it in advance and keeping it on hand—not just for the burgers, but “for all sorts of sandwiches, using as a dip for French fries, or drizzled over salads for a creamy dressing. In fact, you might want to double that recipe right off the bat. It’s irresistibly tempting to pour it on thick.”

Holy shiitake! Get cooking! You need to let the dried shiitakes soak overnight.
 
 
RECIPE: SHIITAKE MUSHROOM BURGERS
 
Ingredients

For The Shiitake Mushroom Patties

 
For The Umami Shiitake Vegan Aïoli

If you prefer the conventional mayonnaise aïoli, here’s a quick recipe using store-bought mayonnaise.

 
For Serving

 
Preparation

You may wish to prepare the aïoli (step 6) in advance. Then, soaking the mushrooms overnight, and…

1. MAKE the burgers. Begin by thoroughly draining the mushrooms, reserving the liquid for another recipe. It’s great for making soup or cooking rice, for starters. Remove the stems, roughly chop the mushroom caps, and set aside.

2. ADD 1 tablespoon of the oil to a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the shallot and garlic. Cook for 4-6 minutes, until aromatic and lightly golden brown.

3. TRANSFER the cooked vegetables to the bowl of a food processor, along with the mushrooms, scallions, chickpeas, flaxseeds, miso, soy sauce, vinegar, paprika, pepper and salt. Pulse until thoroughly combined and broken down into a thick paste, but not completely smooth. There should still be a good bit of texture remaining, sort of like falafel.

4. DIVIDE the mixture into 5-6 equal parts (depending on how large you want the burgers), using lightly moistened hands to shape them into balls. Place them on air fryer racks or baking sheets lined with aluminum foil, pressing them down gently to about 1/2-inch in thickness. Brush lightly with the remaining oil.

5. AIR FRY at 350°F for 14-16 minutes, flipping halfway through. For a conventional oven, bake at 375°F for 18-22 minutes, flipping halfway through. The burgers should be lightly brown around the edges when done. Meanwhile…

6. PREPARE the aïoli. Combine the shiitake mushroom powder with the hot water, stirring thoroughly. Let stand for 10 minutes to rehydrate and thicken.

7. TRANSFER the mushroom mixture to the blender along with the garlic, aquafaba, lemon juice and salt. Pulse to incorporate. Once combined, run the blender at medium speed while slowly drizzling in the oil, allowing it enough time to emulsify. The mixture should become light in color, velvety smooth, and thick enough to spread. Transfer to an airtight container or glass jar. Refrigerate if you won’t be using it immediately; it will keep in the fridge for 5-7 days.

8. ASSEMBLE the burgers. Cover the bottom of each bun with lettuce and place one patty on top. Add a generous dollop of shiitake aioli, followed by tomatoes, red onion and pickles as desired. Finish with the top bun and enjoy right away.

 
15 MORE SHIITAKE MUSHROOM RECIPES
 
Starters

 
Mains

 
 

> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSHROOMS

*Hannah advises that not all shiitake are created equal. “Imposters in the marketplace offer tempting deals, much to the detriment of quality (small, woody, bland and muddy mushrooms). Don’t gamble with your cooking; seek out high-quality shiitake from those who know them best. Sugimoto sells only premium, forest-grown shiitake mushrooms straight from Kyushu, Japan. Harvested from the natural sweet sap oak log, a collective of over 600 independent growers use 1,000-year-old Japanese techniques to cultivate sustainable harvests, producing the best tasting and textured shiitake possible” That’s a ringing endorsement!

†Aquafaba is the viscous water in which legumes like chickpeas have been cooked. Due to its ability to mimic functional properties of egg whites in cooking, aquafaba can be used as a direct replacement for them in many recipes, including meringues and marshmallows. The starchy liquid is a great binder, and it also it whips and creates a foam. You can reserve the aquafaba when you’ve opened a can of chickpeas, by freezing it until you need it. Here’s a recipe to make your own using dried chickpeas. Here’s more about aquafaba.

[1] A rare two-color lobster (photos #1, #2 and #3 © Lobster Anywhere | Facebook).

[2] An even more rare blue lobster.

[3] The most rare are albino a.k.a. crystal lobsters: 1 in a million.

[4] Lobster Mac & Cheese (photo © Blake’s All Natural).

[5] Lobster Cobb Salad (photo © Skinny Taste).

Lobster BLT. Add some avocado for a BLLAAT (photo © How Sweet Eats.)

June 15th is National Lobster Day. We’re sharing some of our favorite lobster recipes; but we’re starting off with some “shell shockers”: lobster trivia from Woodman’s Restaurant in Essex, Maine. For 100+ years, they’ve been serving lobster, clam chowder, and other Maine specialties. They’re not far from Boston, and open year-round.

Or, you can skip to the lobster recipes below.
 
 
LOBSTERS: WHO KNEW?

Body

 
 
Life

 
 
Eating

 
Here’s more lobster trivia.
 
 
30+ LOBSTER RECIPES

Breakfast

 
 
Starters & Sides

 
 
Mains

 
 
Plus

June 14th is the second International Feta Day, established last year by a feta lover.

Feta is Greece’s most famous cheese, a pure white, aged curd cheese that crumbles easily. The cheese is semi-hard, with a flavor that can range from mild and milky to salty with a very tangy acidity.

While feta has been made since antiquity, the modern name came into the Greek language in the 17th century, from the Italian word fetta, slice, referring to slicing the cheese from the brick.

Authentic feta is a sheep’s milk cheese, or a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milks. Outside of the European Union, where it is protected designation of origin (PDO) product, it can also be made of cow’s milk

> The History Of Feta Cheese
 
 
25 FETA CHEESE RECIPES

APPETIZERS, SNACKS & DIPS

 
 
LUNCH & DINNER

 
 
SIDES

 
 
PLUS

[1] A block of feta with Kalamata olives (photo © Aragec).

[2] Watermelon caprese stacks. Watermelon and feta are a great pairing. Add some basil (photo © Mozzco).

[3] Shakshouka: eggs in a spicy tomato sauce, with feta (photo © Cava).

[4] Fries with finely-crumbled feta cheese (photo © Stix NY [now closed].

If you need a gift for a tequila lover, how about mezcal, tequila’s smoky cousin.

The giftee can try a side-by-side comparison, straight up or on the rocks.

Here’s the difference between tequila and mezcal.

Here’s the history of mezcal.
 
 
BACANORA: A D.O. MEZCAL

In April, IZO Bacanora won Best in Category at San Francisco World Spirits Competition, an annual judging of more than 3,000 different spirits.

Trivia fans: It’s the oldest spirits competition in the U.S., and the second oldest in the world. Judged by the world’s leading spirits experts and covering a breadth of spirits, it’s known for its great picks.

Bacanora is a regional mezcal from the northwestern state of Sonora, Mexico: a tiny Mezcal appellation in the mountains of Sonora, lauded for its great mezcals.

Bacanora is made from a regional varietal of the Agave Angustifolia Haw, also know as Agave Pacifica, Agave Yaquiana and Agave Bacanora. The plant* is native to Sonora.

Bacanora production dates back to at least the 1600s, when the Native Opata learned agave distillation from the Spanish. However, that spirit was declared illegal‡ in 1915, and it remained so for 77 years, until 1992.

Times change: Bacanora has been protected by Denomination of Origin (D.O.) status since 2000. It can only be distilled in Sonora.

Roasted and cooked in underground pits, the agave piñas, which take up to 12 years to grow, have a distinctive flavor that is earthy, peppery and complex.

IZO Bacanora. 88 proof, is double distilled in copper and stainless steel. Per the distiller’s notes, the result is a full-bodied mezcal, robust and aggressive, with bold smoke. There are pops of lime and fresh black pepper, and a lingering smoke finish†.

This is a sipping mezcal. People who like to sip a smoky Scotch may enjoy a bottle, too.
 
 
GET YOUR BACANORA

For a top-of-class spirit, IZO Bacanora is affordable at $67.99 a bottle. You can buy it here.
 
 
ABOUT IZO SPIRITS

Founded by Gaston Martinez, a native of Durango, Mexico, IZO Spirits is a collection of premium, handcrafted agave spirits produced sustainably right in the heart of town. They are made according to centuries of tradition, from slow-roasted, wild agave hearts (piñas) that are harvested on local ranches. Discover more at IZOSpirits.com.

The company makes six premium mezcal varieties and one tequila.

Here’s a new term for us: the people who craft mezcal are called mezcaleros.

[1] IZO Bacanora mezcal. The spirit is crystal-clear (photo © IZO Spirits).

[2] While top mezcals are made for sipping straight or on the rocks, here’s a mezcal cocktail from Empellón restaurant in New York City, that combines mezcal and gin (photo © Empellón).

[3] Want some salt with that smoke? Sip mezcal tequila-style, with salt and lime (photo © Sunset Royal Beach Cancun).

*Agave (photo #3) is not a cactus; it is a succulent, and was once classified in the same botanical family as lily and aloe. Today it is classified in its own family, Agavaceae, which consists of more than 400 species.

†Flavors and aromas, especially of finer spirits, are complex. While smoke may be a top note in mezcal, the particular flavor and aroma of any spirit (or wine, or craft beer) is predicated on a number of factors from the type of agave used, to where and how it was grown, to the production and aging processes. Each of these can vary widely.

‡Back then, bacanora was the #2 economic activity in the state. The governor of Sonora was very religious, and believed that producing and drinking alcohol was immoral. He thus banned production [source].