Welcome, friends of 2025’s first 51 weeks. The recent discussion of Shapiro’s Delicatessen of long-ago fame brought a question from Frank of The Mountain, who wonders if anyone has Shapiro’s recipe for chopped liver. (For that matter, I would guess Frank would appreciate any comparable recipe.)
This cheerful complaint came from A. E.: “Instagram is full of videos of beautiful people rhapsodizing about the best dish they have ever eaten, and the easiest. But every time I click on one of the videos, it tells me I have to do something to get the entire recipe … or, if it is from a newspaper or magazine, I have to subscribe. Am I the only one who gets frustrated by this? Does anyone have guidance for how to actually get the whole recipe when tempted by social media?”
And what about coquito? A recipient of an authoritative bottle would like to know more, including how to prepare it, serve it and preserve it.
Here is a cranberry treasure from Marsha Silver Greenhill, “no-mess-on-the-stove oven baked brandied cranberry sauce.” If you are about to make cranberry sauce but have no brandy, or have no inclination for brandy, Ms. Greenhill says orange juice will work for a non-alcohol version. Especially useful are her notes about sweetening, more or less, and choosing different kinds of sweetener. And you will find she also gives you other options.