Good morning! Today we have for you:
Oh OK, Cocoa Krispies Treats
I know what you’re going to say, because I said it myself when I saw this new cocoa Krispies treats recipe: Why not just use Cocoa Krispies (or another chocolate-flavored puffed rice cereal) in a regular-degular Rice Krispies treats recipe? The answer, I think, is the magic of cocoa powder. Cocoa powder offers a subtly smoky, bitter, almost savory richness that chocolate-flavored cereal just can’t match and, since it doesn’t contain any sugar, better allows you to control the sweetness of your treats. And that smokiness and bitterness can be adjusted depending on which cocoa powder you use. (I’m partial to King Arthur Baking Company’s black cocoa, which I learned about from my pal David Notis when we worked together at New York magazine’s The Strategist.) Because it’s a Samantha Seneviratne recipe, there are thoughtful but effortless touches, too, like using salted butter (yes) and browning that salted butter (extra yes) before tumbling in your marshmallows. She also suggests adding crumbled graham crackers for campfire vibes, and now I’m imagining eating these outdoors after dinner on a crisp fall night in my favorite fuzzy fleece. I’d be a very happy camper, indeed. Featured Recipe Cocoa Krispies TreatsToday’s specialsRoast chicken with peppers, focaccia and basil aioli: This Clare de Boer recipe is the roast chicken to make right now, while the peppers and basil are still fresh and pert. If homemade aioli is a bridge too far for your Saturday, not a problem: Clare advises sprucing up your favorite store-bought variety with lemon, basil and garlic. Coconut beef curry: A Dutch oven delight for all of my friends who recognize that shorter days call for longer cook times. This new Zainab Shah recipe, rich from masala paste, coconut milk and a nice long simmer, is inspired by one she learned from Vijay Kumar, the chef behind the Michelin-starred restaurant Semma in New York City. Like most things that take time and patience, the payoff is huge here. Turmeric-butter pasta with tomatoes: “Resembling an endless summer sunset, this pasta’s sauce is golden and warm and packed with flavor from just a handful of ingredients: rich butter, citrusy turmeric, sweet tomatoes and zesty garlic.” That’s Christian Reynoso on his five-ingredient pasta recipe, and that sounds so good.
And before you goThis might raise some eyebrows, but I have an unironic love for instant coffee. Mostly because I associate it with travel (bikepacking trips, tiny Airbnbs in remote places, hotel rooms while watching a “Lord of the Rings” movie in a bathrobe). But also I appreciate that instant coffee understands that you need caffeine, and you need it now. The good news is that there’s finally a lot of good instant coffee out there, and the Wirecutter team has tasted a bunch to find the very best options. “The downside to this new, better instant coffee is that it’s expensive,” Marguerite Preston writes. “We’re talking $2 to $3 per serving in most cases.” “But consider me a convert, because hot-coffee season is still at least a month away,” she continues, “and I’m about to splurge on a 48-pack to have at the ready for the first school morning that goes awry.” Thanks for reading! For a limited time, you can enjoy free access to the recipes in this newsletter in our app. Download it on your iOS or Android device and create a free account to get started.
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