Listen up budding home bartenders! I've got an exciting new recipe for you to experiment with. Crafted by Danny Louie of San Francisco's Dosa, the Peony is an exotic mix of coconut milk, hibiscus syrup, fresh lime juice, and gin. The cocktail was created to mimic the flavors of the Indian cuisine served at Dosa. Don't be fooled by the thick pink appearance of this concoction. While it may resemble a strawberry milkshake, the taste and texture are more similar to a piña colada. The coconut milk coats the mouth likening a tropical beach vacation. The heavy lime aroma is tart and fresh, and the gin is only apparent on the smooth finish. In a word this cocktail is fabulous! I first enjoyed it at Nirvino's recent gin seminar and have plans to seek it out again soon.

For those of you who can't get to Dosa, but want to impress your friends with this drink (and mixology skills!) check out the recipe — there's also a video of Danny making it so read more

After enjoying my fair share of sandwiches at 'Wichcraft, I brought the yumminess home by whipping up one of the recipes from Tom Colicchio and Sisha Ortuzar's 'Wichcraft cookbook. Inspired by a salad popular in Ortuzar's native Chile, this celery, avocado, and goat cheese concoction looked easy, summery, and delicious. Plus, it's not on 'Wichcraft's menu, and I was intrigued by the use of celery in a sandwich. See how it turned out and get the easy recipe.

Picture this: it's that wonderful time of day when the sun has just set and the weather is perfectly comfortable. You're enjoying the merry sounds of a symphony. After devouring a delectable steak sandwich and tomato salad, you are satisfied, but desire something sweet. Your wish comes true when you take one last look into the picnic basket and see, individually wrapped in parchment paper and tied with satin ribbons, luscious apricot tarts. You pass them out to your friends who marvel at your culinary creativeness. Doesn't that sound like fun?! Thanks to this fabulous recipe, you can live that scenario in the near future. If apricots aren't your cup of tea, substitute cherries, peaches, plums — whatever floats your fancy. Check out the recipe.

• There are still plenty of bargains to be found in the French wine aisle. — Wall Street Journal
• San Francisco is becoming an epicenter of winemaking in its own right. — San Francisco Chronicle
• Top Chef Stephanie Izard offers locals a preview of her new restaurant's menu. — Chicago Tribune
• A large-scale fungus outbreak has threatened to destroy Northeast and mid-Atlantic tomato crops. — New York Times
• With the onset of open restaurant kitchens, chefs have begun sporting snazzier kitchen attire. — Boston Globe
• One venture has taken advantage of exploding demand for local produce with an online delivery service. — Washington Post
• Now that name-brand food trucks have spurred a slew of imitators, will the street food trend continue to turn a profit? — Los Angeles Times

So you're willing to eat mushroom-flavored chocolate — but what about chocolate made from camel milk? Soon, chocolate addicts with adventurous palates will have the opportunity to try the world's first camel milk chocolate. Dubai confectioner Al Nassma, which claims to be the first chocolate made of the unconventional milk, announced yesterday that it plans to expand into other Arab markets, Japan, Europe, and the United States.

"We aim to be the Godiva of the Middle East," the company's general manager, Martin van Almsick, said. He rattled off the benefits of camel milk, including more vitamin C than cow milk, less fat, less lactose, and more insulin, which makes the chocolate a better option for lactose intolerant and diabetic consumers.

Would you try eating camel milk chocolate — or drinking the milk straight up? Is camel milk poised to become the next soy milk?

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