You know what they say about too many cooks? It did not happen with “Made Here: Recipes and Reflections From New York City’s Asian Communities,” a cookbook celebrating New York’s extended and diverse Asian communities. This hefty, brightly photographed volume was assembled and written by volunteers at Send Chinatown Love, a nonprofit that grew out of Covid to support small Asian-owned businesses. It is stuffed and overflowing with more than just recipes from dozens of establishments, many of them under the radar. Migration, politics, culture and appetite are seen through a New York lens, with the particulars and especially the cooking of various nationalities explained and illustrated with personal stories. It’s worth reading even if you don’t cook. And if you do there are simple dishes, like pajeon, a Korean green onion pancake from Hana Makgeolli Brewery & Tasting Room in Greenpoint, Brooklyn; Vietnamese shaking beef from Chef Papa in East Flushing, Queens; and chile oil spaghetti from Win Son in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, alongside more demanding dishes. Cooking tips, shortcuts, sources for ingredients, where New York’s Asian produce is grown, explanations of vinegars, soy sauces and Thai salads, and the histories of Mott and Pell Streets are given.
“Made Here: Recipes and Reflections From New York City’s Asian Communities” by Send Chinatown Love (Send Chinatown Love, $55).
A Gilded Christmas Nutcracker
It’s almost as tall as an Oscar, has the advantage of being edible and ownership doesn’t require a career in film. The new gilded nutcracker figure from the chocolatier Milène Jardine makes for a nice holiday adornment or gift, ready for consumption. There’s about a pound of solid dark vegan chocolate beneath all that glitters. The back of the piece is flat, and not gilded, so it needs propping up to make it stand. For Christmas delivery it must be ordered by Dec. 17.
Gold Nutcracker Milène Jardine Chocolatier, $27, milenejardine.com.
A Story of Nordic Cuisine and Composure
Once you’ve arrived in Greenland — Greenland! — it’s an hour by boat to reach the village of Ilimanaq, where Koks, the Michelin two-star restaurant in the Faroe Islands relocated in the summer of 2022. The challenges and success of the endeavor are recorded in the 80-minute documentary “The Most Remote Restaurant in the World,” by the streaming service Viaplay. Poul Andrias Ziska, the unflappable 32-year-old chef in charge, and his team, contend with 1,500 advance bookings by people traveling from as far as Hong Kong, and deal with an unfinished kitchen and no power shortly before opening, while they create about 20 new dishes using only local ingredients. The final savory dish, served while some of the staff dealt with a kitchen flood, was braised musk ox, followed by what was evidently a mind-blowingly scrumptious caramelized onion, the closest the film gets to food porn. The story unfolds at a measured pace; despite the glitches, the calm, Nordic attitude is astonishing. Koks, which retained its two stars in Greenland, was in residence again this past summer and is accepting reservations for 2024, from June to September.
“The Most Remote Restaurant in the World,” in Danish and English with subtitles, Viaplay, available on viaplay.com.
A Holiday Market, the Eleven Madison Park Way
In front of Eleven Madison Park on Sunday, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., there will be a holiday market with goods like granola, olive oil, preserves and such for sale. Fresh croissants and seasonal hot drinks can be consumed on the spot. Daniel Humm, the chef and owner, will be on hand signing copies of his new book, “Eat More Plants.”
Eleven Madison Park Holiday Market, Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eleven Madison Park, 11 Madison Avenue (24th Street), elevenmadisonpark.com.
The Neon Lights of the Odeon Under Glass
If the writer Jay McInerney was on my gift list, he would receive the new snow globe showing the Odeon restaurant and a portion of fries and a martini under a swirling wintry drift. The restaurant was on the cover of his breakout novel, “Bright Lights, Big City.” Someone who enjoyed the downtown scene back in the late ’80s would also love it. The globe, an extravagance four inches in diameter, was made in collaboration between Lynn Wagenknecht, the restaurant’s owner, and Short Order, which sells culinary items. Edible Schoolyard will receive $10 of the price. And it comes with a reservation at the Odeon.
The Odeon Snow Globe, $150, shortorder.com.
Single Barrel Fish Sauce From Red Boat
Red Boat, the fish sauce company in Phu Cuoc, Vietnam, and Hayward, Calif., has introduced a select new bottling. Like a treasured whiskey it’s from a single barrel, selected by the TikTok star and Los Angeles restaurateur Tue Nguyen (also known as Twaydabae). As with the company’s other nuoc mam, or fish sauces, only anchovies and sea salt are fermented to make the funky dark condiment, so essential for contributing umami to many preparations. This new one delivers nice complexity.
New Bae Seasoning Fish Sauce by Red Boat, $14.95 for 8.45 ounces, redboatfishsauce.com.
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