Blog Posts by Saveur

Softshell crabs are one of those culinary delights that are virtually impossible to find at any time of year except their designated season. Come late spring down the East Coast and along the Gulf of Mexico, a mass exodus of blue crabs surfaces from hibernation beneath the ocean floor. These crabs soon molt, their hard shells temporarily exchanged for a thin skin that's fully edible, and rich in flavor.

Summer Entertaining Guide »

Sweet, briny, and incredibly juicy, softshells need little assistance to showcase their unique flavor. Lightly dusted in flour, salt, and pepper, and pan-fried in lemon and butter, the crabs emerge crisp and golden-brown on the outside, with a succulent interior. Serve them on a bed of fresh summer salad, or dress them up with a sprinkle of parsley to enhance the crustaceans' briny flavor. Battered and deep-fried, the crabs beg to be paired with a tangy cabbage slaw and thrown on a sandwich with a dollop of rémoulade. See 5 soft-shell crab recipes »

RECIPE:

Rum and I first met in the late 1970s, at a beach bar in Malibu, California. The drink was a chaotic mix of pineapple, orange, and passion-fruit juices, with grenadine, garnished with a maraschino cherry bleeding red dye onto a chunk of canned pineapple. Even with all those elements competing for my attention, the personality of the rum shone through, fiery and flirty. I wanted to get to know this spirit more intimately, but I soon discovered that rum has multiple personalities: Any liquor distilled from sugarcane or its byproduct molasses can bear the rum label; hundreds of brands, produced on every continent except Antarctica, now do. These rums range in character from crystal-clear to dark brown, bright and floral to smoky and rich.

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Rum also has baggage: a 350-year history of scandal, from its illegitimate birth on Caribbean sugar plantations, where it was made by forced labor and used as barter in the slave trade, to the low

Memorial Day is our first opportunity to kick back with friends and celebrate the arrival of summer. This menu of casual backyard barbecue fare fits the bill perfectly: Start off with pitchers of spicy summery cocktails like the mezcalita, paired with finger foods like deviled eggs, pickled watermelon, and one-bite fried oysters with remoulade. Warm up the grill for Alabama-style chicken sandwiches and burgers served with a colorful array of toppings, from piquant pimento cheese to homemade zucchini pickles, bibb lettuce, and crispy bacon. Tangy coleslaw, barbecued baked beans, and a salad of fresh spring greens round out the offerings. And don't forget to save room for dessert-rhubarb pie topped with homemade ice cream!

The Menu

• The Mezcalita de Piña
• Bacon-and-Cheese Deviled Eggs
• Pickled Watermelon
• Fried Oysters with Remoulade
• Barbecued Baked Beans
• Mustard Coleslaw
• Mixed-Green Salad with Horseradish Dressing

Put the fruits of summer to good use with these 10 decadent pie recipes. There's something for everyone: Fruit-lovers will swoon over our juicy ginger-peach pie, lattice-topped raspberry pie, and the delicious bluebarb (blueberry-rhubarb) pie; traditionalists won't be disappointed with our version of lemon-meringue or sour cherry pie; and chocolate lovers can look forward to the sumptuous deep-dish black bottom pie.

You can choose to follow our recipe for perfect pie crust or use a store-bought crust to save time. Top off your warm, freshly baked slice with a generous scoop of ice cream, and you've got the perfect end-note to any summer get together. For more ideas, check out our menu for a Summer Afternoon Pie Party »

MORE FROM SAVEUR.COM:

• Grilled Fish Recipes »

• Heavenly Hamburgers »

• 18 Varieties of Watermelon »

• Best Chicken on the Grill Recipes »

The hearty flavors of Southern-inspired comfort food take on a certain lightness when served chilled. This menu, great for a gathering of six to eight, is for eating with your hands: spread your blanket out in the warm evening sun and linger until the fireflies flash in the dark. Toast with chilled Lambrusco (it's our favorite summer sparkling red) and tuck in to a meal of spicy-sweet corn bread, mustardy slaw, classic cold fried chicken, and dense, rich brownies.

Host the Perfect BBQ »

RECIPE: Southern Fried Chicken
Simply seasoned and fried, with a thin, crisp coating and tender, juicy meat, the fried chicken at Martha Lou's Kitchen is some of the best we've ever tasted. This recipe first appeared in our May 2011 issue, with the article Specialty of the House.

INGREDIENTS
Peanut oil, for frying
4 cups flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 3-4 lb. whole chickens, cut into quarters
2 cups milk
2 eggs

INSTRUCTIONS
Pour oil into an 8-qt. Dutch oven to a

By Helen Rosner
I'm a die-hard fan of the gin & tonic (going so far as to insist, editorially, on ampersand usage instead of the written conjunction when writing the drink's name), and I know exactly how I like it: one part gin, one part tonic, juicy lime wedge squeezed and dropped in. But in certain contexts - and with certain gins - I've found that pushing the drink's flavor components to extremes can result in a drink that's entirely different in character, and often just as good.

RELATED: Refreshing Cucumber Recipes »

That's the case in this Cucumber Gin Cooler, which takes the standard three elements of the G & T (gin, tonic, and lime), and boosts the citrus to a dominant role. Instead of the scant half teaspoon of juice you'll get from a lime garnish, each serving of this drink is made with the juice of an entire lime, which dulls some of the gin's alcoholic tang while still allowing its herbal notes to shine through. Shaking the juice and gin with slices of cucumber further

Banana bread was a mainstay in all our childhood kitchens, and the smell of this freshly-baked quick bread is one that brings us right back to sitting in mom's kitchen, eagerly awaiting a warm, buttery slice.

Today, one of our favorite versions is an exceptionally moist quick bread based on a recipe from Judy Mims, the mother of SAVEUR's assistant kitchen director, Ben Mims. Ben was inspired to revisit his mom's recipe after reading Dan Koeppel's fascinating story about the history and fate of bananas from our May 2010 issue.

Delicious as a snack or on-the-go breakfast, Mom's Banana Bread also makes the perfect addition to a Classic Spring Brunch!

INGREDIENTS
Butter, for greasing pan
1 cup flour, plus more for pan
¾ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1 cup sugar
½ cup canola oil
⅓ cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
⅔ cup chopped pecans
3 very ripe bananas, mashed

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 9" x 5" x 
2 ¾" loaf pan with butter and dust

You might drown your sorrows in a whiskey or martini, but when it's time for good news, only sparkling wine will do. And when it's time for a celebratory brunch, there's nothing more delightful than a Champagne cocktail.

The most familiar sparkling cocktail for morning is likely the Mimosa, a simple mix of orange juice and sparkling wine. But if you're looking to drink something a little different with your eggs benedict, there's an endless array of possibilites to be made with a bottle of sparkling wine and a bit of creative mixology. Here are ten of our favorite combinations:

1. Add a splash of pomegranate liqueur (like Pama); garnish with mint.

2. Add a bit of amaretto and a good amount of pear juice.

3. Soak a sugar cube in bitters then drop it in a full glass of bubbly.

4. Mix in a spoonful of coconut cream.

5. Add a dash of grenadine; garnish with freshly ground pepper.

6. Stir in a splash of elderflower liqueur; garnish with a large lemon twist.

7. Muddle a handful of