10 Things We Love About June
10 Things We Love About June
Flavored water, berries, gardening, and more
Welcome to “10 Things We Love,” a roundup that includes a preview of our favorite stuff on The Bittman Project this month, as well as posts you have loved (or may have missed) that are especially relevant right now.
We’ll be talking about water — and we want you to weigh in.
Whether you’re a Spindrift drinker, a LaCroix fan, or passionate about Bubly, we’ll be talking about flavored waters (spoiler alert: Mark hates them), including how to make your own, and how to be more eco-friendly. (Do we have any Hydro Flask fans out there?)
It’s berry season — and we’re here for it.
We’ll be sprinkling fruit-centric recipes throughout the season and here are a couple favorites for starters.
Simplest Vanilla Pudding
Few things are more comforting than sweet and velvet-smooth pudding: Especially in the summertime, pudding pairs perfectly with whatever fresh fruit you can get your hands on. Slice a strawberry over a ramekin of vanilla pudding, or layer in some vanilla wafer cookies for a parfait.
Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Time: About 20 minutes, plus time to chill
Ingredients
2½ cups whole milk or half-and-half
⅔ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter, softened (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1.Combine 2 cups of the milk with the sugar and salt in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture just begins to steam, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Whisk the cornstarch with the remaining ½ cup milk in a bowl until completely smooth. Add this to the saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens and just starts to simmer, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to very low and continue to cook, stir ring constantly, until the pudding thickens noticeably and starts to stick to the pan, another 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the butter and vanilla until the butter melts completely
4. Pour the mixture into a large heatproof bowl or into 4 to 6 small ramekins or glasses. Put plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding to prevent the formation of a “skin,” or leave it uncovered if you like skin. Refrigerate until chilled, at least an hour, and serve within a day.
More ‘Just Do It’ in June.
We’ve had great response to the new column kicked off by Kate Bittman.
Mark is an avid gardener — and we’ll feature an audio of the season’s progress.
(Hopefully there’s less self-loathing as in years’ past.)
Stay tuned for our Juneteenth Food with Mark Bittman.
Kayla Stewart is hosting an episode we’re really looking forward to withWhetstone founder and Netflix High on the Hog host, Stephen Satterfield, and chef-author-Top Chef contestant, Adrienne Cheatham.
From Mike Diago on how to build your own fancy oven.
Or at the very least, why he did it and how it turned out.
How to save money and navigate rising food prices.
From flour, to vegetables to meat and more.
Salad suggestions for ‘Yay! Leftovers!’
Kerri has a collection to share as the newest episode of her popular series. Here are a couple you may have missed.
Visit Paris, off the beaten track.
Kayla Stewart is currently in Paris — and we’ll all live vicariously through her in her upcoming food-focused feature.
From Mark, we’ve got cooking-by-instinct.
“You know how when there’s a tricky moment in traffic you have to trust your instincts, and that works, because you actually know what you’re doing? I suppose if you’re good at tennis, it’s similar: Here comes a tough shot, and instead of thinking you just return it well, maybe even aggressively…This was that situation.”