saveur

You may recognize James Oseland from Top Chef Masters. He's a regular judge on the show. The New York resident is also the editor in chief of the beautiful and informative Saveur magazine. Here's what he did yesterday, a day he describes as "wonderfully average," Tuesday, July 26.

7:30 a.m.: I started out the day with my usual bill of fare. It was ploddingly predictable. I had homemade poor man's muesli. Every three weeks my partner, Daniel, makes it from scratch. This version had oats, whole rolled oats, and nuts of many different varieties. There were a lot of coarsely chopped Brazilian nuts — which I have affection for. Also dried currents, dried apples, and dried raisins. Daniel teaches ESL in New Jersey and he has to leave early at 5:30. What he does, the night before, is he makes two bowls of muesli and he leaves one in the fridge for me. I bring it out and put it on the counter and let it come to room temperature. I added kefir and some milk, along with my new obsession: fruit from Trader Joe's.

The fruit from Trader Joe's is weirdly more satisfying than the way, way, way too expensive fruit at the Union Square farmers market. At least for now. But this fruit from the Trader Joe's that's two blocks from my house is actually pretty good. It's hit or miss and it's unfortunate that it's prepackaged, so you can't smell it, but you can get some shockingly good fruit. I threw in some apricots and white nectarines that I chopped up and they were very delicious and very sweet. I put some cinnamon sprinkles on the cereal too. Alongside, I had a cup of PG Tips tea with a lot of sugar and a lot milk.

Keep reading to see what James did with the Trader Joe's fruit later in the day.

If you're not a fan of raw oysters, I highly suggest you try them cooked. It's a great way to introduce your palate to the briny shellfish, and after all, what's not to love about anything that's covered in a delicious mixture of melted butter, cheese, herbs, and garlic?

Although this recipe hails from Mobile, AL, I'm suggesting you make it for Mardi Gras. Buy gulf oysters and you'll be supporting the community of Louisiana! These addictive oysters are a crowd-pleaser and a scrumptious start to any celebratory shindig, so check out the uncomplicated recipe now.

• A major freeze in Mexico will significantly increase tomato prices. — Wall Street Journal
• Also expect to see a rise in the price of cheap beef. — The Consumerist
• Learn how to keep salad greens fresh. — The Kitchn
• Saveur magazine is now reviewing restaurants. — Eater
• Gourmet's Italian Kitchen has hit newsstands. — Gourmet Live
• Must make: spinach, provolone, and pepperoni calzone. — Serious Eats
• What model Selita Ebanks eats in preparation for Fashion Week. — Grub Street NY
• Vote now for the People's Best New Chef. — Eatocracy
• An easy way to take your food to the next level? Use good salt. — The Atlantic

Today, billions of Chinese people worldwide are ringing in the year of the rabbit by spending time at the table with their friends and family. But that's where a lot of the similarity ends; each region of China and ethnic Chinese groups have their own cultural traditions associated with the celebration.

For some, it's eating both the land and the sea; for many, especially those near the coast, it's absolutely imperative to consume copious amounts of fragrant fish.

In starch-heavy Northern Chinese cuisine, the Lunar New Year wouldn't be complete without shui jiao, or boiled dumplings, which signify wealth and prosperity because of their resemblance to ancient Chinese currency. Savor them simply with a side of soy-vinegar dipping sauce and a drizzle of chili oil. Enjoy abundance in the coming year with this recipe.

The season's cooling off, and it's the end of another chaotic week; slow down and take the time to nourish yourself with an uncomplicated potage parmentier. After all, even the legendary Julia Child held an appreciation for this humble yet warming soup.

Begin with little more than a few loose ends from the larder: chopped leeks and clean potatoes. Simmer the broth until tender, break potatoes apart into rustic pieces, and serve seasoned with just a splash of heavy cream, salt and white pepper, and fine herbs.

To add a little more protein to the dish, crumble a little cooked, crispy bacon, prosciutto, or pancetta on top. The result? A soul-satisfying soup that's not overly heavy. For the recipe, keep on reading.

For an elegant but relaxed approach to tonight's dinner, serve grilled steaks with a sauce vierge.

This light and pungent sauce, which literally translates to "virgin sauce," is the Frenchman's rendition of Italy's salsa verde. Although the traditional elements, like capers, parsley, olive oil, and garlic still play a starring role, so do Provençal ingredients such as cornichons and Dijon mustard. As you allow all of the elements of the sauce to commingle, start heating up the grill to work on the steaks.
If you need to accommodate pescetarians, serve the fresh sauce on top of seared tuna or swordfish steaks for an equally tasty supper. Ready for the recipe? Then keep reading.

Last weekend when I asked my sister what she wanted for dinner, she said, "something stuffed." I started to throw out options like grilled, ricotta-stuffed chicken and rice-filled, baked tomatoes, but she grabbed the Saveur that was sitting on the coffee table and said excitedly, "let's make these stuffed peppers!" Since they looked absolutely amazing, I happily obliged. The recipe is pretty straightforward and simple. The filling is a creamy, tangy, and tart mixture of feta, Greek yogurt, and lemon zest. The ingredient list calls for Fresno or Anaheim chiles, which are more sweet than hot, so you can serve this vegetarian dish to people who don't like spicy foods. It's a wonderfully scrumptious appetizer and I highly recommend you give these feta-stuffed peppers a try; here's the recipe.

If you're a fan of cold soups like I am, I'm sure you'll agree they're the perfect midday refreshment during one of Summer's heat waves.

Although gazpacho takes a lot of credit for its cooling properties, don't discount other traditional warm-weather favorites, like the chilled version of the Eastern European soup known as borscht. The soup's beets, aside from having a nice depth of flavor, also provide a powerful flash of fuchsia color.

Not to be overlooked are the season's ripe fruits for sweet soups as well. If you're already serving borscht, why not create an ultra-playful menu by also serving a blush-hued soup for dessert? Offer another Eastern European favorite, Meggyleves, made from sour morello cherries. For both recipes, keep reading.

Over a thoroughly enjoyable bite of blackberry fool, I couldn't help but dream about a crumbly, larden shortbread round to dust off with it. So tonight, while I've still got some blackberry dessert in the icebox, I think I'm going to bake up a batch of shortbread coins to go along with.

A traditional shortbread is truly spare of ingredients, calling only for butter, flour, and sugar. In fact, it's so simple that I plan to experiment with other add-ins just for fun, like the addition of garlic, pepper, and Parmesan cheese to form savory, bite-sized shortbread coins that can be served with any manner of cheese or charcuterie. Want to follow suit with the same idea? Then get both recipes when you read on.