Alcohol

While it’s still rhubarb season don’t miss the chance to bake it into pretty pink galettes.

No need to buy preflavored vodka; we got great results making our own.

Simple syrup is an easy way to add unexpected flavors-like, well, vegetables-to your drinks. This Arugula Simple Syrup makes about 2/3 cup, which is enough for about 10 cocktails.

This Derby-ready julep doubles down on the mint flavor with a bright Mint Simple Syrup and fresh mint leaves. The julep cup is essential to the presentation. This recipe yields about 1 1/4 cups mint simple syrup, enough for 30 cocktails. You can also use it to make a refreshing non-alcoholic drink—add a few tablespoons to club soda and serve over ice.

Here, the building blocks of Scottish cranachan are brought together in a different guise, layered into an alternately crisp, creamy, and fruity cheesecake. It's not as rustically simple as the dessert that inspired it, but it does, I think, stay true to cranachan's ingredient-centric ethos, with honey, raspberries, whiskey, and oats in perfect balance.

As in the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and can well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it gains in flavor when reheated. Boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish. Buttered noodles or steamed rice may be substituted. If you also wish a green vegetable, buttered peas would be your best choice. Serve with the beef fairly full-bodied, young red wine, such as Beaujolais, Côtes di Rhône, Bordeaux-St. Émilion, or Burgundy.

Our version of the vinegar-based syrup known as a shrub is infused with tangy rhubarb and spicy ginger and adds sweetness and acid to any cocktail-or seltzer.