Try Melissa Clark’s Fruit Galette Recipe

The above note about Melissa Clark’s fruit galette from Walter, a reader, stuck with me. Making this adaptable recipe truly is a joy. You have the chilled, floured dough on your hands; a sculptor’s satisfaction of rolling the dough lump into a smooth sheet. Preparing the colorful fruit maybe leaves a soft fuchsia blush on…

A Smoked Prime Rib for the Ages

Good morning. My colleague Gabriel Sanchez brought us a fantastic recipe for Father’s Day this year: the smoked prime rib (above) that his father makes, a homage to the one he used to prepare when he was cooking at Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Texas, where Gabe’s great-grandfather tended the coals before him. Gabe wrote all…

Wines Under $20 for Hot Weather

I’ve been writing about wine long enough to have made my share of misjudgments over the years. One was to overemphasize the notion of seasonal drinking, the idea that we gravitate naturally to whites and rosés in the summer and reds in the winter. I’ve learned with experience that I pretty much enjoy the same…

Where to Eat: At The Bar

A few moments from the past week reminded me why I love New York. On Friday, I sat in the sun outside a wine bar, next to a greyhound named Snork. (It was her birthday!) On Monday, I made it from Midtown to Fort Greene in 30 minutes (when the M.T.A. works, it’s like magic).…

Easy, Superb Summer Cooking

The summer solstice may not arrive in the Northern Hemisphere for another seven days, but I’m not exactly known for my patience. I’ve been on summer mode for weeks. I’ve hit the beach at the Rockaways. I’ve knocked back frozen drinks on sun-dappled patios. I’ve cut out of work at 3 p.m. on a quiet…

A Perfect Cucumber Salad to Make Anytime

If my colleague Tanya Sichynsky has chickpea anxiety, then I live with cucumber dependency. I need at least one, ideally two, seedless cucumbers in my fridge at all times, ready for snacking, smashing or slicing up to be the green thing in my grain bowl. If I “accidentally” buy too many cucumbers, that just means…