Blog Posts by Epicurious.com

These healthy sandwich alternatives are perfect for the lunch box -- or the briefcase

Much as you may want to, you can't swing by school at noon every day to make sure your kid isn't trading tuna-on-rye for Twizzlers. It's far more practical (and far less embarrassing) to pack lunches that kids will want to eat.

We've assembled a dozen healthy sandwiches that will make lunchtime almost as enticing as recess. Dates are the magic ingredient in our peanut butter sandwiches -- they're also a good source of fiber and a natural energy-booster. Tomato chutney spices up a simple roast beef on flatbread (reduce the sugar and it'll be low-cal too), while horseradish adds zip to smoked salmon, a great alternative to plain old tuna (try using low-fat sour cream in that recipe). And our selection of delicious spring and summer rolls opens up a whole new world of "sandwich" ideas.

Get ready for fall with recipes and tips for kids' lunches and family meals, plus cooking advice for college

It takes effort to eat, but the pomegranate offers great rewards: In addition to providing a high level of antioxidants (said to help prevent heart disease and cancer), this fruit has jewel-like seeds that add a singular crunch and winey, sweet-sour tang to whatever dishes they grace. Since it's prime pomegranate season, we've dreamt up a variety of dishes, both sweet and savory, that show off this fabulous fruit.

Recipes:

Salads

Mache Salad with Blood Oranges, Pistachios, and Pomegranate

Green Leaf Lettuce, Pomegranate, and Almond Salad

Dandelion Salad with Pomegranate Seeds, Pine Nuts, and Roasted Delicata Squash

Main Courses

Striped Bass with Swiss Chard, Chestnuts, and Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Roast Leg Of Lamb with Pomegranate, Cucumber and Mint Salsa

Panfried Pork Chops with Pomegranate and Fennel Salsa

Pomegranate Khoresh

Desserts

Pomegranate Caramel Ice-Cream Sauce

Meringue Petits Fours with Anise Cream and

Ask most Jews about their gastronomic heritage, and they'll fondly recall Bubby's delicate strudel or Mom's to-die-for brisket. But not chef David Waltuck. "Cooking was not my mother's favorite activity," he says about the meals he ate growing up in the Bronx . And while his two aunts often stepped in to feed the family, they turned out hearty Eastern European fare that he found uninspiring.

Instead, Waltuck's culinary awakening came when he first visited an upscale French eatery in the late 1960s. "I was spellbound by the food," he writes in his forthcoming cookbook Chanterelle: The Story and Recipes of a Restaurant Classic, to be published by Taunton in October 2008. Moved by the elegance and discipline of classical cuisine, Waltuck began experimenting at home, teaching himself the fundamentals of cooking. Eventually, at the tender age of 24, he opened Chanterelle, which became one of the most celebrated Gallic restaurants in New York City .

A Delicious New Year: Menus,

Cooking with herbs requires self-control: Add too much and you'll crush other flavors. Add too little (or none at all) and your dish will taste bland. So start with a little and then gradually increase the amount so that you achieve proper proportions. The tips below will help. And be sure to check out our visual guide to fresh herbs.

Tips:

Stand tall

Choose herbs that are erect and can be held upright without limping or drooping. Leaves ought to be vibrantly colored and without brown spots, and their scent should be strong and fresh-smelling.

Store away

To help herbs last a few days longer, refrigerate them. Flat leaves or small stems can be gently wrapped in a damp paper towel and then sealed in a plastic bag. If you have larger quantities or for bigger herbs, like a bunch of basil, stand them upright in a glass filled with water before refrigerating.

The dry alternative

Try to use fresh herbs and not the dried versions, but if you do

Not all kosher wine is syrupy gunk. We've rounded up an international mix of top-notch varietals.

1. Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Palomino Fino (nonvintage)

(About $20)

Kosher sherry isn't an oxymoron. Gonzalez Byass, the great sherry bodega in Jerez de la Frontera, Andalucia, broadens the spectrum of modern Jewish wines with this rabbinically supervised extra-dry fino; it offers woody, olivelike aroma and flavors just like the regular version. While fino can be used for kiddush, the prayer over wine at a sabbath or seder dinner, it can simultaneously do double duty as an incomparable aperitif. Afterward it may accompany chicken and fish dishes.

Meaty Recipe Pairing:

Chicken with Lemons, Green Olives, and Capers
Mediterranean flavors, embodied by olives, make for an ideal fino mate--lemons and capers add zing. For best results: Sip the high-alcohol fino slowly.

Meatless Recipe Pairing:

Smoked Fish with Fennel and Arugula Salad
In Spain , tapas

Pears can be divided into two simple categories: European and Asian. The former is what we typically think of: a smooth-skinned fruit with gentle bumps and curves in that typical bottom-heavy shape. Asian pears are uniform in color (yellowish-tan) and shaped more like apples, with a completely different texture and taste. Asian pears do not change color after being harvested, whereas some European ones do.

While many of the pears presented in this guide can be found in your local supermarket, gourmet shop, or farmers' market, you can also order harder-to-locate varieties from online companies such as David & Harry and FruitGiftBasketsOnline.com. To grow your own pear trees, visit your local garden nursery or try an online nursery that specializes in fruit trees, such as Adams County Nursery and Van Well Nursery.

For pear buying and preparation advice, check out our tips.

Forelle
Characteristics: This pear is easy to identify due to its small size, an ovalish shape,

A new U.K. study finds that only 12 percent of Britons meet their government's recommended daily allowances of fruits and veggies, and that 12 percent don't eat any fruits or veggies at all. The most likely to be eating well: the over-45s and the wealthy. The least likely: the poor and children.

Get fast and nutritious recipes and easy ideas for how to make mealtime healthier from Epicurious and Nutrition Data.

Granted, there are significant cultural differences between the U.S. and the U.K. , but I'd wager that you'd find similar numbers of non-veggie-eating Americans right now.

And while there's plenty of advice floating around about how to get your kids to eat green, what about the guys and gals who are well past that stage? How do you trick adults (including yourself) into eating veggies?

I don't think it's just me, either. (I'll just go ahead and blame my anti-veggie bias on my finicky brother, who'd accept a very limited menu growing up: steak and potatoes or veal Parm

Nothing says autumn quite like this sweet, tart, crunchy, juicy fruit. And few fruits are this versatile: Apples work in all-American or French dishes, and in kid-friendly or super-sophisticated treats. You've probably got apples in your kitchen right now -- here's what to do with them.

Tips:

Choose Apples with Shiny Skin

Dull skin is a signal that crispness and flavor are lacking.

Refrigerate Apples

At room temperature, apples quickly lose their crispness.

Prevent Browning

Dunk cut apples in a bowl of three parts water to one part lemon juice.

Recipes:

Classics and Kid-Pleasers

Caramel-Dipped Apples

Apple Cobbler Cake

Apple Galette

Old-Fashioned All-American Apple Pie

Savory Spins

Apple and Parsnip Soup with Coriander

Apple, Roquefort, and Red Leaf Lettuce with Pumpernickel Croutons

Pan-Grilled Sausages with Apples and Onions

Mashed Yams and Apples

Make It Fast

Apple Turnovers

Buttermilk Pancakes