Food

When I set out to study wine, it wasn't obvious how to do it or where to go. I'd worked in a wine shop in San Francisco one summer when the proprietor was away and the wine clerks in charge opened fabulous bottles to taste - all summer long. Wine and food writer Colman Andrews had told me about the master of wine program, but at the time it was only in London and you had to be part of the wine trade to participate. Now the word "sommelier" and the profession have entered the popular imagination - there's even a documentary, "Somm," that is ready to hit the theaters.

In 1842, the English writer Sydney Smith wrote, "Gout is the only enemy that I do not wish to have at my feet." Anyone who has suffered a painful attack of gouty arthritis would probably agree. Gout is the result of an imbalance between the production and excretion of urate, the metabolic end product of dietary purines that are found in abundance in animal proteins. If blood levels of urate rise high enough, the chemical can settle as crystallized deposits in joints.

Hard pretzels Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes plus rising time Servings: Makes 3 dozen pretzels 1 (¼-ounce) package active-dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons) 1 3/4 cups warm water 2 teaspoons light brown sugar 5 cups (22.5 ounces) bread flour, divided 1/2 cup (2 ounces) rye flour 2 teaspoons salt 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil Pretzel wash (see chart) Toppings, as desired 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water.

Confession time here: For years I avoided cooking with whole grains. There was just such a tinge of sacrifice I associated with them. They seemed like food for penance, not pleasure. "Eat them, they're good for you. " Sure, I'd occasionally add some pearl barley to a mushroom soup, and last year I found a delicious Greek dessert made from wheat berries, but that bit of dabbling was pretty much the extent of it. No longer. After spending a couple of weeks playing with various whole grains, cooking them this way and that and turning them into summer salads, I'm ready to say: "Eat them, you'll like them.

Vickie Kloeris would like nothing more than to suffer the traditional anxieties of Thanksgiving: Will the turkey be moist? Will the in-laws get along? But it's hard to concentrate on such mundane matters when you've got things on your mind like giving your soup enough viscosity so that it sticks to a spoon without benefit of gravity.

Caramelized pineapple confit Total time: 50 minutes Servings: Makes about 6 cups confit Note: Long peppers are available at select gourmet markets and cooking stores, as well as online. 1 pineapple 1/2 cup dark rum, divided 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar, divided 3/4 cup water 2 long peppers (1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns can be substituted) 2 (3-inch long) cinnamon sticks 3 star anise 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (save the pod)

Dear SOS: I recently "rediscovered" La Grande Orange in Pasadena's Del Mar station and absolutely love its kale and quinoa salad - it's light and refreshing, although sometimes it is a bit too heavy on the dressing.... I have enjoyed it often enough to know that it contains shredded kale, quinoa, diced red bell pepper, grapes, sunflower seeds and grated Manchego. I think that's everything, however, I need help with the dressing. Please, can you help me find it? Carrie Berger Via email Dear Carrie: Dark green julienned strips of kale are tossed with nutty quinoa and sunflower seeds, colorful bell pepper and red grapes, then dressed with a bright Champagne vinaigrette.

  1 hour, 15 minutes, plus cooling time. Serves 6 to 8 4 cups fresh dark cherries (about 1 pound), stemmed but unpitted 3 eggs 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup flour 2/3 cup milk or cream or a mixture of the two Vanilla bean, scraped Pinch of sea salt Powdered sugar for dusting 1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the cherries in a single layer in the bottom of a 9- to 10-inch baking dish or cast-iron skillet. 2. In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a fork or whisk, add the sugar, flour, milk or cream, vanilla seeds and salt.

Roasted tomato confit with bacon fat Total time: 30 minutes, plus roasting time Servings: Makes about 5 cups confit Note: Serve the confit over pasta, or chopped and on top of crostini 3 pounds tomatoes 6 large cloves garlic 12 sprigs thyme Freshly ground black pepper 1 pound sliced bacon Salt 1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. 2. Halve the tomatoes lengthwise, and place them, skin-side-down in a roasting pan. Scatter the garlic and thyme sprigs over the tomatoes, and season with several grinds of black pepper, or to taste.

HANFORD, Calif. - Combining the high sugar and flavor of cherries with the larger fruit size and extended season of plums has been a longstanding dream for fruit breeders, but such crosses are difficult to make successfully so that the hybrids yield abundant high-quality fruit. Zaiger's Genetics of Modesto, the inventors of Pluots and Apriums, managed the trick, and the fruit started showing up several years ago in very small quantities at upstate farmers markets; this year vendors at local farmers markets have begun offering plum-cherry hybrids, and the first commercial orchard has started bearing fruit.