The Burdick Chocolates menagerie, known for its silk-tailed mice, now includes cats. For Halloween, the company has come up with alert dark chocolate felines with a cherry ganache filling and a clever curved cashew tail. They’re almost two inches long, come six to a box and are being sold for a limited time online and at the L.A. Burdick shops in New York, Chicago, Washington and New England.
Dark Chocolate Black Cats, $27 for six, L.A. Burdick Chocolates, burdickchocolate.com.
Winston Churchill’s Favorite Foods
That Winston Churchill loved his drink is well-known. Champagne Pol Roger makes a Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill in his honor. But food? The former Prime Minister had a thing for consommé. As for what else was on his plate: At the New-York Historical Society on Nov. 1, Andrew Roberts, an English historian, writer and the author of “Churchill: Walking with Destiny,” will give a lecture, “Tales of Churchill, the Gourmand,” to explain the Churchill diet.
Nov. 1, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., $35, members, $25, New-York Historical Society, 212-485-9268, nyhistory.org.
JōjiBox Sushi Right to Your Door
The finesse of the nigiri and maki rolls being made by George Ruan and his team in Daniel Boulud’s new Japanese omakase restaurant can be yours at home, too. A small food shop, JōjiBox, adjacent to the restaurant, sells preset assortments, $23 to $59; à la carte nigiri sushi, using varieties like hamachi, madai, ebi, uni, even Wagyu, $5 to $14; and maki rolls, $10 to $20. They all come beautifully packaged with condiments, and sides like edamame. Starting Friday, delivery in Manhattan will be available.
JōjiBox, One Vanderbilt Avenue (42nd Street), lower level, jojiboxnyc.com.
Vermicular Refines Its Cast-Iron Skillet
In 2021, the Japanese company Vermicular introduced a light weight cast-iron skillet. It performed extremely well with one drawback: Its sleek wooden handle prevented oven use. Searing that skin-on salmon fillet on top of the stove, then transferring it to the oven to finish cooking was out of the question. Now the company has introduced a line of skillets with heat-resistant aluminum handles. Light the oven. In addition, it has added two new sizes with each of the handle formats: a small version at 7.9 inches, and a large, 11-inch model. For the oven-ready line, prices range from $145 to $220; the regular skillets are $125 to $200. Lids are extra.
Vermicular skillet, vermicular.us.
Give the Gift of Irish Desserts
Last month Rachel Allen, of the Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland, published “Soup Broth Bread.” Now it’s time for “Ballymaloe Desserts” by JR Ryall, the head pastry chef at Ballymaloe. The soup and bread book was practical and everyday, but the desserts are in fancy party territory. The emphasis in this beautifully photographed collection is on puddings, meringues, mousses, jams, frozen confections and fruit, though there is also a selection of pastries and cakes. Techniques are emphasized and explained throughout. Pears poached with saffron and cardamom from when Madhur Jaffrey was a guest chef at the school, novel fruit-filled meringue roulades, very Irish carrageen moss pudding, classic summer pudding, plum pudding and sticky toffee pudding are on hand, as is a spiced pear upside down cake.
“Ballymaloe Desserts: Iconic Recipes and Stories From Ireland” (Phaidon, $59.95).
Pan De Muerto From Cosme
The Day of the Dead celebrations of the dearly departed in Mexico, Nov. 1 and 2, feature decorative home altars and special foods. Notable is pan de muerto, bread of the dead, a simple dome-shaped, orange-scented yeasted cake draped with strips and rounds of dough said to represent bones. A dusting of sesame seeds or sugar provides the finish. This year, Cosme, Enrique Olvera’s high-end Mexican restaurant in the Flatiron district, will offer the delicate cakes, around six inches across to serve about four, to go, from Oct. 29 through Nov. 2 for pickup at the restaurant. They can be ordered starting Oct. 17, and will also be available on the restaurant’s menu from Oct. 29 through Nov. 1.
Pan de Muerto, $19, Cosme, 35 East 21st Street, cosmenyc.com.
