I am probably the last person on Earth to try these (much like I only discover bands 6 months to a year after everyone else), but if by chance you have not had the following parties in your mouth, you need to change that:

UMEBOSHI
Japanese pickled plums, salty and sour. I had heard of these as health food tonic (an umeboshi a day! good for your liver! cleans out toxins!) but had never actually EATEN one until the other day. My very smart friend Rosy tells me these are a traditional filling for onigiri. I had the paste wrapped with cucumber in a maki roll and it pickled my mouth, which I mean in the best way possible.

CARMENERE
A varietal they thought was wiped out by some plague or another, til everyone was like, HEY WHY IS THIS MERLOT FROM CHILE SO GOOOOOD? and some scientist was like, HEY DUDES IT'S NOT MERLOT, IT'S THIS 200 YEAR OLD VARIETY OF GRAPE NO ONE THOUGHT EXISTED ANYMORE. If you're trying to buy some, I like Root 1 because their label has a rad design (aside from the small caps) and it's tasty and under 15 bucks.



I will be enjoying these flavors while listening to Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, xx, and other albums which hip people are already bored with.

Goddamn these things are good. While gougères may technically be cheese puffs, you'll sound much smarter and sexier if you call them by their French name. Thanks to the Magic of French People, these balls of flour, butter, eggs and cheese (pâte à choux, the same basic dough used for profiteroles, eclairs, and beignets) turn into melty eggy delicious appetizer goodness in the oven. AND THEY'RE SO EASY TO MAKE, DUDES:

Basic Gougères

1 c water
3 tbsp unsalted butter, diced
3/4 tsp salt
1 c all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, chilled
1 cup grated cheese (gougères are traditionally made with gruyère, but I generally use whatever I have on hand)
freshly ground black pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
2 Bring the water, butter and salt to a simmer in a saucepan, whisking while butter melts.
3 Add the flour, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon.
4 Continue to stir. The dough will form a ball and change texture slightly. It will begin to leave a slight film on the bottom of the saucepan. Remove from the heat and let the dough cool a bit (so you don't accidentally scramble the eggs).
5 Add the eggs one at a time with an electric mixer.
6 Once the eggs are fully incorporated, stir in the cheese and pepper.
7 Drop by spoonfuls (or pipe with a pastry bag for prettier puffs) onto the baking sheets. Leave a few inches between each one so they have room to get all nice and puffy. Press down any large peaks with a wet finger.
8 Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking, until golden brown and delicious.

The dough, ready to have the eggs mixed in.


A batch ready to go in the oven.