Cookbooks

What I love about wings is that you get a two-in-one treat when you eat them. Wings are great for weeknight cooking too, because they take very little time to prepare and cook.

Editor's note: Use this sauce to make Myron Mixon's Smoked Whiskey Wings . I have heard people eating barbecue at festivals say that "the sauce makes the barbecue." It's not true. The smoke makes the barbecue. The sauce is a finisher. It's what you put on your meat after it cooks to enhance its appeal. It can add a great punch, but I've had plenty of delicious barbecued meat with no sauce at all. I've been around barbecue sauces of different stripes all of my life. My family's sauce recipe, which my parents were just beginning to market when my father suddenly passed away, is what got me into cooking competitive barbecue in the first place. We have always preferred a hickory-style sauce, meant to closely evoke and complement the flavor of hickory-smoked meats. It's world famous and a secret recipe, so the only way you'll taste the original is to order it from me, but if you insist on not giving me your business, here's a reasonable approximation that is still damn delicious.

Hot, stuffed phyllo shapes called briouats are delectable appetizers. Folded into small triangles, cigar-shaped cylinders, or even rectangles, they come with an array of fillings, from spiced ground kefta to sweet milky rice. My favorite is this one with fresh unsalted cheese called jben—especially with a brushing of honey to give the crispy rolls a pleasing sweetness. Alternatively, dust the fried briouats with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

The classic combination of tender pork, tart apples, and cider-braised sweet potatoes is a textbook meal for chilly days, especially when you're really hungry. You'll be amazed how easy it is to pull this hearty meal together; even the cider-based mustard sauce is a snap to prepare.

Dates are revered, and much enjoyed, in Morocco. Of the more than two hundred varieties that the country produces, large mejhoul dates are the ones used for special occasions and special recipes like these stuffed dates. Typically, the almond paste is much sweeter than in this recipe, and the stuffed date is rolled in sugar. I prefer to let the dates' natural and intense sweetness shine. To make the dates festive, many Moroccan cooks work some food coloring—red, green, yellow, even blue—into the almond paste before stuffing it inside the dates.

I could eat a meal like this almost every night. It's light and fresh, with vegetables and flaky fish poached in a perfumed broth. Five-spice powder is a Chinese spice blend combining equal parts cinnamon, star anise, clove, fennel, and Szechuan peppercorns, and can be found these days in most well-stocked grocery stores. A spa meal without the sacrifice, the chewy udon noodles and bok choy soak up that brothy flavor and round out this quick meal perfectly. Who said eating well was hard work?

Harira is Morocco's best-known, and best-loved, soup. Families eat this herb-rich, tomato-based soup year-round. During Ramadan, however, it's obligatory, and pots of the soup simmer away in kitchens across the country. Accompanied by dates and honeyed, flower-shaped cookies sprinkled with sesame seeds called chebakia, a bowl of harira is the traditional way to break the fast. The velvety-smooth soup—whisking in flour, or sometimes egg, at the end gives that distinct texture—is nourishing and easy on an empty stomach. I have enjoyed harira around numerous family tables and at street stalls—each version has been different. As a woman in Fes once said to me, "There are as many recipes for harira in Morocco as there are cooks."

In North Africa (and Marseille!) mint tea is generally drunk enormously sweet—the kind of sweetness that makes you a bit thirsty—which is exactly how I like it. Start with 1/4 cup of sugar and add more if you want it sweeter. To avoid any bitterness, do not let the tea boil once the mint has been added. For an earthy, Tunisian touch, dry roast a handful of pine nuts and drop them in the glass just before serving.

Moroccans love fresh juices, and the combinations they make are eclectic and highly seasonal. This is one of my favorites. Although it is commonly prepared as a juice, it can also be a drinkable dessert, especially on warm summer days. I once had it as a "salad" served with a spoon in late fall in the eastern High Atlas. Oranges hadn't yet ripened, and instead the cook used small clementines from down the valley. Served before a communal platter of Berber Barley Couscous with Vegetables, the drink seemed closer to a light, sophisticated, vibrant green gazpacho than a rustic salad.

The beauty of a frittata is that it can be filled with just about anything, but the wild mushrooms in this one are especially delicious when combined with fluffy eggs and Cheddar cheese. To fill up the middle, I added green onions, peas, potatoes, and fresh thyme. It's actually easier to make this frittata than to go out to eat. Such a beautiful thing.

Infinite Jest (1996)
By David Foster Wallace A Ten Commandments-size cast populates this rule-breaking modern classic, infamous for sprawling prose, endless footnotes,¹ and a madcap depiction of the future.² Confounding and delightful in equal measure, Jest takes place in the 'burbs of Boston,³ between a halfway house and a nearby tennis academy. Wallace had one of his central characters take his own life, and in a tragic true-life twist, Wallace did the same, leaving behind a magnum opus that will be argued and digested for infinity. Serve up a tennis-ball-yellow cocktail that mimics the zest and bounce of one fallen literary legend.

Are you There God? It's Me, Margaret. (1970)
By Judy Blume Move over, wizards. Make room, vampires. For many of us, Margaret was the original YA superstar, even if her epic battles were of the religion-and-puberty kind. (Actually, especially because of that.) Point is, Margaret showed us how to face all of life's big ol' quandaries, from God to boys to bra size. Ninety bucks says when Maggie got to college, she faced an even headier question: how the hell do you make a margarita without a blender? (Hint: on the rocks, kid.) Don't worry, Madges of the world, we've got your back. We'll even hold your hair when you've had one too many.

A simple chunk of ice, such as one frozen in a loaf pan or bowl will suffice, but for a special, decorative touch, consider freezing orange wheels inside the ice.

Looking for an excuse to chase away the late-January blahs? Celebrate Burns Night on January 25. This drink—perfect for Scotch lovers—is named for the famed Scottish poet Robert Burns, who wrote "Auld Lang Syne." Since this drink is essentially all spirits (with no juice or mixers), traditionally it would be stirred rather than shaken. The method here, for making a bottled version, deviates from that rule, but it's effective for serving large group. It's also rather strong!

One of the few vodka-based tiki drinks.

This is an impressive three-layered popsicle. Make sure each layer is completely frozen before adding the next, as it looks great when the layers are really well defined.

A Confederacy of Dunces (1980)
By John Kennedy Toole Originally handwritten on piles of paper, A Confederacy of Dunces found life only after its author lost his own; John Kennedy Toole committed suicide, his mother found those secret pages, and she began hawking the thing around their home state of Louisiana, claiming it was the next great American novel. (Sorry, guys: sometimes moms are right.) Now a universally adored Pulitzer-winner starring a brilliant New Orleans nut with a heart of odd, this classic goes best with another: the Big Easy's own Sazerac. Raise a glass to the tragically shortchanged Toole—and everything else he might have written.

You could spoon the first layer into the molds after the ice cream has churned. To finish, combine an additional 1 1/2 cups (350 ml) ice cream with the coffee essence and whiskey and fill the molds.