We have a thing for cocktails with complexity: we like more than a touch of bitterness, with a little sweet, a little sour, a little fizz to keep us interested all the way to the last drop. If you like that sort of drink, here is one you will love. It's a cocktail for grownups, and it'll carry you all the way through the fall and holiday season. More

We have a terrible weakness for those Chinese take-out stir fries that come coated with glossy, unctuous sauces. We could never quite duplicate it in our kitchen, and then we stumbled upon the secret ingredient! More

Q: I had this fabulous lemon tart while on holiday in Amsterdam. It was so different to the lemon-curd style tart that I'm used to in Montreal. It was very soft and tender, consistent, sort of eggy/cakey (maybe a bit like a clafoutis, but not at all gooey), and very deliciously lemony. You can see how it cracked in the cooking process, and it didn't really have a crust or shell. I would love to find a recipe for this type of lemon tart, but I have no idea where to begin.

Sent by Allison More

Q: Because I'm human, I love Nutella. I really want to try to make it myself, but all the recipes I've found call for grinding hazelnuts yourself. I don't have a food processor (I make pesto in a coffee grinder), but I do have an awesome local health food store that sells hazelnut butter.

My question: how much hazelnut butter does a cup of hazelnuts yield? Also, do you have a good Nutella recipe? — Sent by Suzy More

Q: I have always loved, loved, loved the dill dressing that Greek restaurants serve with salads and souvlakis, but I have never ever had luck with making it in my own kitchen.

Does this stuff just come in giant chemical-laced tubs, or is it possible to make a good (and natural!) approximation at home?
— Jessica More

Can you love a waffle so much that it becomes essentially impossible to do justice to its magnificence? The first time I tried Gaufres de Liege I was in Amsterdam, where the waffles must have migrated and settled. The vendor was located on the museumplein near the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and the Van Gogh museum. Served with a modest dusting of powdered sugar, the waffles were golden and crispy on the surface, with a chewy yet tender crumb within.

The yeasty sweetness of the dough inside was complex, like that of a baguette, yet it was so much richer and more indulgent. It was ineffably, incomparably delicious, and while the Van Goghs and Vermeers had taken my breath away, these waffles were works of art in their own right. Upon second bite, I swore that I would reproduce them once I returned home. More

Here's a very interesting question about "cookie dough" ice cream from Kristin. Read her question carefully; it's not the cookie dough ice cream you may be thinking of!

About 20 years ago in New Haven, CT, there was a great ice cream shop that served up some great gourmet ice cream. The real reason we begged our parents to take us there instead of Carvel? The Cookie Dough ice cream!

Here's where my question comes in: The cookie dough recipe they used was NOT the kind we are used to seeing now. No bits of raw dough in vanilla ice cream there, it was just a scoop of cookie dough FLAVOR with chocolate chips in it. The best ice cream I've ever had. Now I have an ice cream machine and it is the one flavor I would love to make. I just can't figure it out! Any ideas how to recreate this recipe?

This week, Dana reflected on influences, particularly those restaurant meals which inspire us in our own kitchens. This is a dish influenced by my own recent visit to the Porthminster Café, a breezy restaurant nestled below an ocean cliff just steps away from the stunningly blue water in St. Ives, Cornwall. More

Last week we ate at Mario Batali's pizzeria, Otto and promptly afterward I decided to tell you about my vegetables sides tucked in little bowls. Last week's email gave the recipe for some minty English peas and prosciutto and today the asparagus with Pecorino is up. More

Tuesday night we ate at Mario Batali's pizzeria, Otto. The not-so-secret secret to enjoying this place is to order a bunch of the sides and just munch. And so we did. Minty English peas and prosciutto, anchovies with breadcrumbs and scallions, and asparagus with Pecorino were favorites.

But what I was really taken with was the way they were served. Nothing genius, but a great entertaining tip.

What if, instead of a traditional salad or soup, you offered your guests a plate with three little bowls of vegetables to start a meal? More