If you do not subscribe to Saveur, I highly recommend that you at least pick up the special issue on newsstands now. It’s the 10th Annual Saveur 100, their yearly listing of top notch food, restaurants, chefs and other culinary finds from around the world.

I promise you will learn something. It might even make you drool.

I pored over every delicious word and photograph in my copy. I was so enthralled by every listing, from the Cherry Bounce (a Wisconsin cocktail) to the Pastel de Cuatro Leches, that I completely ignored my husband and disregarded my bedtime until I had devoured the entire issue.

Among my favorite highlights:

No. 2: Heirloom beans! A company in California called Rancho Gordo sells an entire line of little-known American beans, including one that was near extinction before the company revived it.

No 6: The Cherry Bounce, a cocktail made by steeping sour cherries, sugar and brandy in a covered jar for three months.

Read more »

Indian food is one of the most-craved ethnic cuisines, and every time I end up at an Indian restaurant, I have to fight hard to avoid ordering my very favorite dish, malai kofta.
Malai kofta are vegetable dumplings served in a rich, spicy, creamy sauce. The sauce is either very similar to or identical to korma, a nutty, cream-based gravy.
But Indian food can be very time-consuming to make from scratch. It can also be quite expensive, considering that several of the standard spices, like saffron, cardamom and curry, are among the pricier ones you can buy.
Imagine my delight, then, when I was shopping at World Market in D.C. recently and came across some delicious jarred Indian sauces, including korma and tikka masala. The sauces are made by Shere Khan, an England-based restaurant. They sold for $5 per jar at my favorite store on earth (can we get a World Market here?).

Read more »