Lifestyle

Seafood boils, accompanied by tubs of ice-cold beer, are great options for making a large crowd of hungry, thirsty guests very happy without spending a fortune. They are quick, flavorful and not overly demanding on the host.

Countless versions of callaloo, the spicy stew made with tropical leafy greens, are found throughout the Caribbean. Arriving from Africa with the slave trade, the recipes for callaloo were modified based on the availability of ingredients on each particular island.

Making that first round of cocktails for a crowd of dinner guests can be a handful. Everyone (at least the polite ones) arrives at pretty much the same time and descends on the bar like a swarm of thirsty mosquitos. Having a batch of interesting, refreshing and, most importantly, made- ahead cocktails on hand can make this crush much more manageable and even more fun for the guests.

Stone crabs are one of the many things I love about Key West. Not only does their sweet, firm meat taste amazingly good but their arrival also signals the end of summer and the approach of near-perfect weather for the next seven or eight months.

I’ve been tossing burgers on the grill for more years than I care to admit. Nothing wrong with that, but recently, I have started making an “indoor” burger that is a mean rival to the grilled one. It harkens back to the diner burger, that deliciously juicy patty cooked on a griddle that oozes with beefy flavor.

Let’s admit it. It’s hard not to love Key Lime pie. For all its touristy, clichéd connotations and its ubiquitous presence on Duval Street menus, this pie really can be amazingly good! We can argue until sunup about the right way to make it (that’s a discussion for another day), but almost all variations are pretty darn good in their own way if properly prepared with fresh ingredients. Rather than re-engage in debates about merengue, color, crusts and all that, how about we go a different way all together?

The New York Times is an essential part of my day. I buy a printed copy every morning (yes, I’m still attached to paper) except Sunday, when I have it delivered directly to my steps so that I can read it in bed with a steaming cup of coffee. I particularly look forward to grabbing the Wednesday edition with its weekly Food section. The contributors to Food have become like familiar friends to me. It is indeed rare that I don’t learn something about cooking, restaurants, ingredients or books every week.

Key West has some of the richest fishing waters in the world. You couldn’t dream up a more perfect situation than ours – 130 miles out to sea, the warm, shallow Gulf of Mexico to our north, the surging gulfstream to our southeast and balmy tropical breezes blowing all year long. Something tasty is swimming nearby all year long! Sleek tuna and king mackerel are abundant in winter, while neon dolphin fish liven up the summer. The reef is teeming all year long with snapper, grouper, cobia and jacks. Our only problem is choosing how to cook this bonanza.

We discovered Arkenstone wine at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro in Yountville, California in late September 2010. It was their barrel selection and the staff was very excited about it.

Leaving one paradise for another (poor me!), I’m soon traveling to Harbour Island. The journey to Harbour Island, a little paradise just off the coast of Eleuthra in the Bahamas, is one that merits some coaching. Here is, more or less, what happens.