Food & Wine November 2024

2022 M. CHAPOUTIER BELLERUCHE CÔTES DU RHÔNE BLANC ($19) I took time during my tastings for an upcoming red Rhône column—coming in 2025—to taste the latest vintage of this white from the iconic Michel Chapoutier. With its orchard-fruit-and-honeysuckle character, it’s a great holiday-season pour. GRAY WHALE GIN ($40) When I’m land-bound in Brooklyn rather than by the water somewhere, I’ve found my urban restlessness is handily mellowed by a martini made with this coastal, small-batch California gin. It is juniper-driven and has graceful notes from sea kelp and other botanicals; plus, 1% of all sales go to environmental causes. 2023 ALPHONSE MELLOT LA MOUSSIÈRE SANCERRE ($56) I had this elegant white one stunning evening at Aragosta restaurant in Maine as summer was turning into fall. Full of citrus and mineral…

A Ritual of Fruit A FRUIT PLATTER is a lot like a sandwich: It tastes better when someone else assembles one for you. That’s because they both convey care. I couldn’t help but think about this on a recent reporting trip in Toronto, where I ate my weight in mangoes, peaches, mangosteens, lychees, and citrus, including a gorgeous arrangement on the kind of vintage glass salad plate our editors have been seeing all over the world lately. This particular dessert reminded me of my late grandmother Margaret Erichson, aka Mom Pat, who loved peak-season fruit as much as I do and used to serve hers on those same plates—plates she later handed down to me. Like so many women of my mom’s and grandmother’s generation, Mom Pat didn’t have a…

1. KIKKERLAND FISH GARLIC PRESS I’ve always found garlic presses difficult to clean and store, but this fish-shaped one is an exception. It’s not only adorable, but it also doesn’t take up a lot of space in my kitchen, and it’s extremely easy to wash—a quality every home cook will appreciate. ($15, kikkerland.com) —DOAN NGUYEN, PHOTO EDITOR 2. ALESSI DRESSED EGG CUP WITH SPOON While no one needs an egg cup per se, it does give the experience of eating a soft-boiled egg an enjoyable sense of ceremony. This refined model from Italian homeware company Alessi comes with a small stainless steel spoon. ($50, us.alessi.com) —AMELIA SCHWARTZ, ASSOCIATE EDITOR 3. IHOSHIRO KILN VEGETABLE SERIES A MINO WARE CHOPSTICK RESTS These Japanese ceramic chopstick rests shaped like vegetables bring a smile…

AS THE SMELL OF WARM BAKING SPICES filled every corner of the house, my grandmother glided around the kitchen with paper towels underfoot, cleaning spilled piles of flour. “Well, I was raised in the Depression,” she said, dismissing my giggles. This was her explanation for all her silly but genius innovations. The aroma grew stronger, and I squirmed with anticipation as she pulled a crisped brown paper bag out of the oven: This was my favorite part of the process, other than the eating. We carefully tore the paper to reveal a perfectly browned crust with sweet, syrupy juices bubbling out. “It’s perfect!” she said, beaming as we inhaled the rich fragrance of her brown bag apple pie. During the Great Depression in her small hometown of Thomaston, Georgia, my…

I HAVE A BIT OF AN OBSESSION with grills and smokers. I’ve personally tested over 40 of them, and my backyard often resembles a showroom featuring a seemingly never-ending rotation of outdoor appliances. And yet, I’d never experienced a machine that would let me smoke meat from the comfort of my kitchen until I tried GE’s Profile Smart Indoor Smoker. This smoker is much more compact than outdoor alternatives; it’s approximately the same size as a big toaster oven (16.5 by 20.35 inches). This smoker requires very little input from the user and consistently yields flavorful, juicy, and tender smoked meats, making it a fantastic choice for beginners and seasoned pitmasters alike. The preheating process is quick, and the smoking chamber has excellent heat-retention properties and generates well-regulated temperatures that…

GAVIN KAYSEN 2007 F&W Best New Chef Restaurant at the Time of Award El Bizcocho, San Diego Legacy With an unwavering dedication to French cuisine and a Californian sensibility around pristine ingredients and playfulness, Gavin Kaysen is leading the next generation of great American chefs. IN 2000, chef Gavin Kaysen picked up a copy of Food & Wine with 10 of the year’s Best New Chefs smiling on the cover. He decided right then that he would be one of those chefs one day. He ripped the magazine cover in half, stuck the “Food” part in his wallet, and handed the “Wine” side to his colleague at Domaine Chandon in Yountville, California. He said, “Keep this in your pocket until we win.” Seven years later, when Kaysen became a 2007…