Note: Jonathan Capehart guest-hosted this segment of "The Leonard Lopate Show."

If you have wanted to know the answers to these questions, and more, tune in to our latest Please Explain, which is all about cats. We're joined by Abigail Tucker, correspondent for Smithsonian Magazine, and author of The Lion in the Living Room: How House Cats Tamed Us and Took Over the World.

Micheal Harlan Turkell will appear in conversation with Francine Segan, Ivan Orkin and Neil Kleinberg at the 92nd Street Y (1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd St.) on Dec. 7 at 7 p.m.

Check out a recipe from Michael Harlan Turkell's Acid Trip below!

OEUFS EN MEURETTE, FROM BERTRAND A UBOYNEAU,

BISTROT PAUL BERT, PARIS, FRANCE SERVES 4

This dish takes the concept of bourguignon sauce and uses it to poach eggs. What you’re left with is the same rich stock, adding the decadence of a creamy egg yolk, with a side of toast to sop it all up. Bertrand, always in need of acidity, uses a portion of red wine vinegar in place of some of the red wine, which gives a much lighter quality to a dish that usually invites a postprandial nap, and instead has you feeling like conquering the day ahead.

¼ pound (115 g) THICK SMOKED BACON, cut into lardoons

1 tablespoon BUTTER

¼ pound (115 g) WHITE PEARL ONIONS, peeled, tops and bottoms trimmed

1 clove GARLIC, crushed

¼ pound (115 g) BUTTON MUSHROOMS, cleaned, cut into quarters

3 cups (720 ml) RED WINE, such as Burgundy, Beaujolais, Cabernet

1 branch THYME

1 cup (240 ml) RED WINE VINEGAR

4 EGGS, kept in shell, cold

BLACK PEPPER

PARSLEY LEAVES, optional

TOAST and BUTTER

In a large saucepan over medium heat, render the bacon for 5 to 7 minutes, until it’s just browning but not burning. If it’s cooking too fast, lower the temperature. Pour out all but about

1 tablespoon of the fat (reserve the excess to cook with another time) and set the bacon aside (you’ll add it back in later, so try not to snack on it too much). Add the butter, onions, and garlic

and cook for about 1 minute, until aromatic. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the red wine, scrape the bottom of the pan to release the fond, and add the thyme. Bring back to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes, or until reduced by a third. Add the red wine vinegar and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. (If it’s too acidic for your taste, add ¼ cup water at a time until it’s not.)

To poach the eggs, either in the pot of sauce itself (if you don’t mind a few stray pieces of egg white) or in a separate pot of water, bring the liquid to a bare boil. Make a small pinprick

on the larger end of each egg, place in the liquid, and cook for 30 seconds (a Julia Child tip); this is just to set the whites. Remove the eggs and crack them into individual small bowls. Slide the

eggs back into the pot to poach them. If you like a soft yolk, cook for only a few minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs and set aside. In individual serving bowls, evenly distribute the onion and mushroom mixture, then pour a bit of the sauce, enough to cover an egg, into the bowl as well. Place the eggs into the bowls and garnish with the bacon, freshly cracked black pepper, and parsley, if using.

Bon appetit!

Note: Jonathan Capehart guest-hosted this segment of The Leonard Lopate Show.

Check out some of James Peterson's sauce recipes below!

SAUCE BÉCHAMEL The amount of roux per given amount of milk depends on the use of the sauce. Thick  versions,  used  as  the  base  thickener  in  traditional  soufflé  recipes,  often  call  for  as  much  as  8  ounces  (250  grams)  of  roux  per  quart  (liter)  of  milk,  whereas  béchamel-based  soups  use  approximately  2  ounces  (60  grams)  per  quart  (liter)  of  milk. This recipe produces a medium-thick sauce, appropriate for vegetable gratins.

YIELD: 1 QUART (1 LITER)

INGREDIENTS                                                                   

milk           1 quart                  1 liter

butter        3 ounces              90 grams

flour          ¹⁄³ cup                  80 milliliters

seasonings (salt, pepper, nutmeg; optional)      to taste                to taste

1. Bring  the  milk  to  a  simmer  in  a  2-quart  (2  liter)  saucepan.  Whisk  it  from  time  to  time  to  prevent  a  skin  from  forming  on  its  surface  (see  Note).

2. In a second 2-quart (2 liter) saucepan, gently melt the butter and add the flour. Stir the butter and flour over medium heat for about 2 minutes, until the flour has a pleasant, toasty smell. (A) Remove from the heat for about 30 seconds to cool slightly.

3. Whisk the simmering milk into the roux.  Return the sauce to the stove and bring it back to a simmer while whisking. (B)

4. Once  the  sauce  has  returned  to  a  slow  simmer, turn down the heat and move the saucepan so  that  only  one  side  is  over  the  flame.  (This will cause a skin to form on only one side of the sauce’s surface, making it easy to skim.) Cook the sauce gently for 30 minutes to 1 hour, skimming off the skin. It is a good idea also to occasionally rub around the bottom and corners of the sauce-pan  with  a  wooden  spoon  to  prevent  the  sauce  from scalding.

5. When the starchy taste has cooked out of the sauce, it can be seasoned and strained, depending on its final use.  Béchamel should be stirred while it is cooling to prevent a skin from forming on its surface. Putting the pan over a tray of ice will, of course, speed cooling.

Note: Some chefs do not first bring the milk to a simmer and instead pour cold milk, all at once, over the roux.  This  method  saves  time—and  a  pot—but  be  sure  to  whisk  the  sauce  vigorously  to prevent lumps and skin from forming.

VARIATIONS

Use a pretreated flour such as Wondra.  Simply  mix the  Wondra  (the  same  amount  as  flour  called for in the traditional recipe) in cold water until  smooth  (make  a  slurry).  Bring the milk to a simmer. Whisk in the slurry. Simmer until the sauce thickens. It should be smooth, but just in case, work it through a chinois.

While béchamel is a fairly stable sauce, there are times  (especially  if  the  flour  is  old)  when  it  will  break.  To avoid this, blend hydrocolloids into the finished sauce.  Lambda  carrageenan  lends  an  authentic  dairy-like  mouthfeel  to  the  sauce  and  is  easy  to  use.  Start by adding 1%  lambda  carrageenan to the sauce and build up as needed to get the thickness you want.

James Peterson's cauliflower gratin.
(Courtesy James Peterson)

CAULIFLOWER GRATIN Béchamel  derivatives,  especially  Mornay  sauce,  make  excellent  toppings  for  gratins  because  they  brown  and  become  extremely  aromatic.  Practically any  vegetable can be pre-cooked slightly and then baked while covered with sauce.

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS                                                                   

cauliflower, 1 large bunch or 2 small bunches

mornay sauce (SEE BELOW)                 1 quart                               1 liter

grated gruyère or similar cheese          1½ cups                              180 grams

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).  Cut the cauliflower into florets. Boil for about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a gratin dish just large enough to hold the cauliflower in a single layer.

2. Ladle the Mornay sauce in an even layer over the cauliflower. (A)

3. Sprinkle the cheese over the gratin.  (B)  Bake  until  a  golden  crust  forms  on  top,  about  30  minutes.

SAUCE MORNAY

Sauce  Mornay  is  usually  used  as  the  base  for  cheese  soufflés  or  for  gratins.  When  it  is  used  for  gratins,  additional  cheese  and  sometimes  breadcrumbs  and  butter  are  added  to  its  surface  to  encourage  the  formation  of  a  crust.  Sauce Mornay is made by adding grated cheese to sauce béchamel. Be sure to choose a full-flavored, well-aged cheese for this sauce. If the cheese is too young, the sauce will not only lack flavor but will be stringy. Classic  recipes  use  half  grated  Gruyère  and  half  grated  Parmesan  (at  least  three-year-old  Parmigiano-Reggiano),  but  the  sauce  can  be  made  with  other  well-aged,  honest  cheese.  English farmhouse Cheddar and Vermont Cheddar (not the commercial kind that has been dyed orange) both work well. Blue cheeses can also be incorporated into Mornay sauces, but be sure to taste and select them carefully to avoid some of the poor-quality  versions  that  have  a  coarse,  sour-milk  smell  and  flavor.  Select genuine Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola, Fourme d’Ambert, or Bleu d’Auvergne. Keep in mind that blue cheeses tend to make sauces a bit gray. To  prepare  Sauce  Mornay,  add  approximately  4  ounces  (115  to  125  grams)  cheese  per quart (liter) of béchamel. Stir the sauce just long enough for the cheese to melt; over-cooking the cheese can cause it to turn stringy. Some recipes call for finishing Mornay with egg yolks (about 2 per quart/liter of sauce). This is useful if the sauce is being used as a base for cheese soufflé, but otherwise the yolks contribute little to the sauce except unnecessary richness. At times, if the cheese is too young, a Sauce Mornay may break. To avoid this, you can  blend  hydrocolloid  stabilizers  (0.15%  percent  xanthan  gum  and  1%  lambda  carrageenan) into the béchamel before adding the cheese.

These recipes came from Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making by James Peterson. © Copyright 2017 by James Peterson. Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Check out recipes from The Blossom Cookbook below!

Pine Nut–Crusted Eggplant

Eggplant is a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine. It is full of flavor, has a fantastic hearty texture, and is extremely versatile. Created as an inventive option for our gluten-free guests, this dish uses a combination of pine nuts and basil as the crust for the eggplant, and the creamy sauce is a wonderful finish. It’s sure to please and impress at any dinner party and is great for all seasons.

Serves 3 or 4

1 medium eggplant, halved and peeled

1½ tablespoons salt

3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes

2 cups pine nuts

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Scant ¾ cup olive oil

4½ tablespoons chopped garlic

1½ teaspoons salt, plus more as needed

3 pinches of black pepper

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1 sprig fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped

1 cup artichoke hearts

2/3 cup white wine

2 cups Cashew Cream (page 000)

1 head escarole

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Slice the peeled eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices (each half should yield 6 slices). Fill a deep bowl with water and add 1 tablespoon of the salt. Soak the eggplant slices in the water for 20 minutes to help remove any bitterness.

Bring a pot of water to boil and add the potatoes. Boil the potatoes for 30 to 40 minutes, or until soft, then remove and place in a large bowl.

While the potatoes are boiling and the eggplant is soaking, put the pine nuts, flour, and basil in a food processor. Process until the mixture has the consistency of bread crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and add 1½ tablespoons of the olive oil, 1½ tablespoons of the garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Mix well.

Drain the eggplant and dredge the slices in the pine nut breading, making sure each slice is thoroughly coated. Set the breaded eggplant slices on a rack and let sit for 10 to 20 minutes to dry.

Meanwhile, mash the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the garlic.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, rosemary, and artichoke hearts and sauté until the tomatoes begin to soften. Add 1/3 cup of the white wine and cook for 1 minute. Add the mashed potatoes and the salt and stir well.

In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the eggplant slices and pan-fry on each side until they begin to lightly brown. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 3 to 5 minutes to crisp.

Make the sauce: In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ½ tablespoon of the garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1/3 cup white wine, the Cashew Cream, and 1 tablespoon chopped basil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add a pinch each of salt and pepper and stir.

In a separate medium skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the remaining ½ tablespoon garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the escarole and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, or until soft.

To assemble, divide the sauce among three or four plates, then add the potato mixture, the escarole, and finally the eggplant slices on top.

Cashew Cream

Cashews . . . the cream of the crop! With their high healthy fat content, cashews are the best cream substitute, because when blended, they create an incredible richness for sauces. Who would ever think that an alfredo alternative could be so simple? One of our patrons’ most frequently asked questions is “How you do it?” when they eat our coveted fettuccini alfredo.

Note that you need to soak the cashews 3 hours (or overnight), so be sure to plan ahead.

Makes 6 to 7 cups

Ingredients

2 cups raw unsalted cashews, soaked for 3 hours or overnight

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon salt

1½ teaspoons black pepper

Put the drained cashews, nutritional yeast, olive oil, salt, pepper, and 4 cups water in a high-speed blender. Blend until creamy. The sauce will be relatively thin, but will thicken quickly when heated in a recipe.

Raw Key Lime Pie

The “key” to this dish is the fresh lime juice—accept no substitutions! You won’t believe the fantastic texture of this pie—the avocados add an unbelievable creaminess to the filling.

Makes one 9-inch pie

Ingredients

For the Crust

1¼ cups macadamia nuts

1¼ cups pecans

½ cup dried, pitted dates, soaked in water for 1 hour

Pinch of salt

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Filling

1½ cups fresh lime juice (from about 12 limes)

1 cup agave syrup

½ cup full-fat coconut milk

2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and peeled

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

1¼ cups coconut oil

Make the crust: Lightly grease a 9-inch springform baking pan with coconut oil.

Put the macadamia nuts, pecans, dates, salt, and vanilla in a food processor and process until the mixture is soft and easily workable. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Make the filling: Put the lime juice, agave, coconut milk, avocados, vanilla, salt, and coconut oil in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.

Pour the filling over the crust, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze overnight. Thaw before serving.

Note: Ilya Marritz guest-hosted this segment of "The Leonard Lopate Show."

Note: Jonathan Capehart guest-hosted this segment of "The Leonard Lopate Show."

Note: DW Gibson guest-hosted this segment of "The Leonard Lopate Show." 

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Jonathan Capehart guest hosted this segment of "The Leonard Lopate Show."

"Chasing Coral" is out now on Netflix.

Melissa Clark guest hosted this segment of "The Leonard Lopate Show."

Check out one of Emily Paster's recipes from The Joys of Jewish Preserving below!

Bene Israel Quick-Pickled Eggplant

Whether fried, baked, roasted, or stuffed, eggplant is one of the signature vegetables of Sephardic cuisine. Indeed, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the British called eggplant ”the Jew’s apple” because it was so adored by the Sephardic Jews who were likely responsible for introducing the vegetable to their shores.

Eggplant has always been widely available, filling, and inexpensive: true peasant food. In the lean, early years of the Israeli state, for example, eggplant was one of the few vegetables widely available, much to the dismay of the recently arrived Ashkenazi Jews who had no idea how to prepare it.

Pickled eggplant is a specialty of the historic community of Jews in India, known as Bene Israel. This recipe has more of a Middle Eastern flavor than a South Asian one, but I love the idea that different communities of Jews have different takes on pickled eggplant. Two eggplants will give you three pints of pickled eggplant, which may be more than you want, so feel free to halve the recipe. On the other hand, this pickled eggplant is so tangy and mouth-watering, three pints can disappear in no time, especially if you offer some to guests. I like to put out these pickled egg- plant cubes as part of a lunch spread.

Makes 3 pints

2 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 cups apple cider vinegar 1 cup white wine vinegar

1 cup water 1 teaspoon sugar 6 cloves of garlic, sliced 3 dried chiles 12 mint leaves

Place the eggplant cubes in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Cover with a paper towel and weight down with a plate. Allow the eggplant to drain for 30 minutes.

Sterilize 3 pint jars by filling them with boiling water and allowing then to sit for 5 minutes. Pour the water out and allow the jars to air-dry naturally. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, bring the vinegars, water, and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the eggplant and simmer until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggplant cubes to the jars. Add 2 cloves of sliced garlic, a dried chile, and 4 mint leaves to each jar.

Cover the eggplant cubes with brine, leaving 1⁄2 inch (1 cm) of head- space. Allow the jars to cool, cover them, and refrigerate. Allow the eggplant to cure for 2 to 3 days before serving. Pickled eggplant will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. 

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Note: Jonathan Capehart guest-hosted this segment of "The Leonard Lopate Show."

This episode of "The Leonard Lopate Show" is guest hosted by Deb Perelman. Perelman is a self-taught home cook, photographer and creator of SmittenKitchen.com. Her first book, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, was a New York Times bestseller. She lives in New York City with her husband and their two children, and is currently at work on her second cookbook, which is due out this fall.

Bubby's Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie (Courtesy of Bubby's) 

Makes One 9-inch Double-crust Pie

It’s serendipitous and practical combination: Sour rhubarb heightens the flavors of the strawberries, while the berries add flavorful natural fruit sugars to the rhubarb.

Pastry for a 9-inch double crust pie,chilled, such as bubby’s All-butter pastry pie dough or basic butter and shortening pastry pie dough 3 cups strawberries, halved or thickly sliced3 cups (1 ½ pounds) rhubarb, cut into ½ to 1/3 - inch pieces1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on the top crust 4 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour1 teaspoon orange zest ⅛ teaspoon salt2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Roll out the pastry and line a 9-inch pie tin with the bottom crust. Roll out the remaining dough for the top crust. Rechill the pastry if necessary.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, flour, zest, and salt. Mix the ingredients briefly by tossing them as you would a salad. Scrape the fruit into the pastry- lined pie tin. Dot the fruit with the butter and cover it with the top crust. Trim and crimp the crust; chill the pie for 10 minutes in the freezer. Cut vent slits if not using a lattice and sprinkle the top crust lightly with sugar.

Bake the pie on a lipped baking sheet for 10 minutes, or until the crust looks dry, blistered, and blonde. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees F, and bake for at least 30 minutes more, or until the crust is golden brown and visible juices are thickened and bubbly slowly through the slits in the top crust.

Cool the pie completely before cutting it, at least a few hours. Serve it at room temperature. Store the pie uncovered at room temperature in a pie safe or cover the pie with a layer of cheesecloth (so that the pastry can breathe) up to 3 days.

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This week’s Please Explain is all about the weird and wonderful human body with James Hamblin, author of If Our Bodies Could Talk: A Guide to Operating and Maintaining a Human Body. Hamblin, an M.D., is also a writer and senior editor for The Atlantic. He’ll answer all of our most pressing questions including, “If I lose a contact lens in my eye, can it get into my brain?” and “When I shave or cut my hair, does it grow back faster?”

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On this week’s Please Explain, we are talking all about butter, with award-winning writer and former pastry chef Elaine Khosrova, author of Butter: A Rich History. She traveled across the world to uncover the social and culinary history of butter, from Ireland to Tibet and everywhere in between. She also shares cooking tips and the best butter-centric recipes. 

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Recipes (Courtesy of Alfred Portale)

Butternut Squash Soup with Spiced Crème Fraîche        

Makes 6 servings

The porridge like consistency of this soup preserves all the distinguishing characteristics of butternut squash, to which hints of nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon are added for a soul-warming autumnal starter that’s as comforting and nurturing as an evening in front of a roaring fire.

To coax out as much flavor as possible, the squash is first cut into cubes that are heated slowly in butter until thoroughly caramelized and just beginning to break down around the edges. When shopping, look for a butternut squash with a long neck and pick it up to gauge its weight: if it feels heavy for its size, it will have a small seedbed, which means more usable flesh inside.

The crème fraîche behaves almost like a condiment here; swirl it in, or let it rest decoratively on top.

Thinking Ahead:

The soup and the crème fraîche can be made a day in advance; if you do this, do not enrich the soup with butter until reheating the next day.

SOUP:

¼ cup unsalted butter

4 pounds fresh butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced into 1-inch cubes

Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

2 shallots, peeled and sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

2 cups White Chicken Stock

In a 12-inch saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the squash and season it with salt and pepper. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nicely caramelized but still firm.

When the squash is nearly cooked, heat 1 more tablespoon of butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring, until translucent. Add the garlic, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf, and stir for about a minute. Add the squash and chicken stock.

Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the thyme and bay leaf. Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade, and purèe until smooth.

Return the soup to the pot to keep warm. Stir in the last 2 tablespoons of butter to enrich and thicken the soup. Ladle it into bowls and garnish each serving with a swirl of crème fraîche.

Variations: You can vary the squash, using buttercup or sugar pumpkin if you prefer their flavor.

SPICED CRÈME FRAICHE

1/3 cup crème fraiche

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

In a stainless-steel bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 hour. Whisk again before serving.

Flavor Building: Stir in pieces of duck confit to add gamey punctuation, or top the soup with chopped, roasted chestnuts.

Squash- Avoid acorn squash in recipes that call for peeling and dicing; its deep ridges make this task almost impossible. Instead, use acorn squash for roasting, after which the pulp can be easily scooped out.

Butternut Squash Risotto, Maple-Smoked Bacon, and Sage    

Makes 6 appetizer or 4 main-course servings

When summer has long since turned to fall and the bitter cold of winter is just weeks away, I suggest preparing this dish to offer reassuring warmth to a small circle of friends and family. Based on a Venetian holiday recipe, this risotto boasts a rare and invigorating combination of ingredients both to welcome and combat the chill of the season. Part of the recipe’s impact derives from the spiced butter that finishes it with a powerful dose of garlic, chervil, marjoram, cinnamon, and ginger.

But there’s an equally important step that’s worth noting here: Many risotto recipes cook all the ingredients into the rice, but the success of this dish depends on not doing this, but adding the squash at the end to keep its flavor isolated and allow each bite to bring a different sensation to the palate. To achieve this effect, it’s absolutely essential that the delicate, caramelized squash cubes be stirred in as gently as possible just prior to serving. Not only does this preserve the integrity of the squash’s flavor, but the orange cubes will punctuate the risotto with dazzling bursts of color.

You might also break with the convention of serving risotto as either an appetizer or an entrée, and use this one as a side dish with roast pork (squash, cinnamon, and marjoram are commonly used to season pork) or simple roast chicken. Also, the bacon in this risotto will provide an understated continuity to the plate.

Thinking Ahead: The spiced butter may be prepared up to 8 hours in advance, covered, and refrigerated. The caramelized squash may be prepared as much as 1 hour in advance, covered, and held at room temperature.

SPICED BUTTER:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 tablespoons Roasted Garlic Puree

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh chervil

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh marjoram

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon   

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Cover and set aside at room temperature.

CARMELIZED SQUASH:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large (2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¾-inch cubes

Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

2 teaspoons light brown sugar

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Season the squash with salt and pepper, add it to the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned, about 6 minutes. Cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar and cook until the squash is caramelized, but still holding its shape, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

RISOTTO ASSEMBLY:

About 2 quarts Double Turkey Stock

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 ounces slab bacon, preferably maple-smoked, cut into ½-inch dice

1 cup minced shallots or onions

1 pound Italian rice, preferably Vialone Nano, if available, or arborio

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage

¼ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

½ cup dry white win

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, bring the stock to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and keep hot on a very low flame.

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the rice, sage, and thyme. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the rice is coated, has released its starch, turns a milky opaque white, and begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the wine and boil until completely reduced, 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle about 1 cup of the simmering stock into the rice. Cook, stirring often, until the stock is almost completely absorbed by the rice. Continue cooking and stirring, adding another cup of stock only when the previous addition has been absorbed. After 15 minutes, begin tasting the rice. At this point, add the remaining stock judiciously. The rice should be firm, yet cooked through in 18 to 20 minutes total cooking time.

Stir in the spiced butter and the parsley, and season with salt and pepper, then gently fold in the squash cubes, keeping them as intact as possible. Transfer the risotto to warmed bowls and serve immediately.

Variations: You may substitute another winter squash for the butternut. I recommend Hubbard, acorn, or buttercup. To expand your knowledge of the varieties of squash, try a different one each time you prepare this dish to determine which you like best and how each one plays in this context.

What have you always wanted to know about the show? Give us a call at 212-433-9692, send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Leonard and Melissa at the old WNYC offices at the Municipal Building at 1 Centre Street, c. 1993.
(WNYC/Leonard Lopate Show)

Leonard with Brian Lehrer!
(WNYC/Leonard Lopate Show)

Rebecca Spang, author of The Invention of the Restaurant: Paris and Modern Gastronomic Culture, joins us for today’s Please Explain all about the history of restaurants! Dr. Spang is a Professor of History, Director of the Liberal Arts + Management Program and Director of the Center for Eighteenth-Century Studies at Indiana University Bloomington. 

Do you have questions about restaurant history? Give us a call at 212-433-9692, send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

David Livingstone Smith is the author of seven books, most recently, Less Than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave and Exterminate Others.

Schmidt is the inventor of the eponymous “Schmidt Sting Pain Index,” which ranks the relative pain caused by insect stings on various parts of the body. On this week’s Please Explain, he’ll explain why insects sting in the first place, and what happens to them (and us) when they do it. 

Have questions about insect stings? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Joining us is Dr. Michael Breus, a Clinical Psychologist, Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow of The American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He's the author of several books, most recently, The Power of When: Discover Your Chronotype--and the Best Time to Eat Lunch, Ask for a Raise, Have Sex, Write a Novel, Take Your Meds, and More and Dr. Kelly Bulkeley, a dream researcher and Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, Senior Editor of the APA journal Dreaming and the author of Big Dreams: The Science of Dreaming and the Origins of Religion.

Have questions about dreaming? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Events: Kelly Bulkeley will be part of a panel at the New York Academy of Sciences on December 7th, talking about dreams and new research on the unconscious. He'll be giving a talk at the National Arts Club on January 30th about the film "Pan's Labyrinth" and lucid dreaming in Guillermo del Toro's childhood.

Have questions about ballet? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Event: The New York City Ballet Fall Gala opens NYCB’s 2016-17 season on Tuesday, September 20.  Ashley Bouder will give her first performance since giving birth to her daughter, Violet, on Friday, September 23 in Balanchine’s Vienna Waltzes. For ticket's and performance information, visit the NYCB website. 

Do you have questions about handwriting? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook! 

Today's Please Explain: handwriting! We want to see yours. Some pangrams from our show staff to get you started pic.twitter.com/OdFWs6L3la

Hey .@LeonardLopate ! Here's my very best attempt at neat penmanship. I think I'll stick to typing... pic.twitter.com/ld3ZRa85kG

@LeonardLopate My scrawl. The young new postal worker has a hard time reading it. Would like me to print. Defiance. pic.twitter.com/zfdk84AUxh

@LeonardLopate @WNYC i don't hold a pen the "right" way but teachers let it slide bc i have neat handwriting pic.twitter.com/hot5dFS8C2

@LeonardLopate Can't decide between upper & lower case haha pic.twitter.com/NqX4bCOvYN

Do you have questions about ice cream? Write in the comments section below, write to us on Twitter or Facebook, or call us at 212-433-9692. 

Recipes

Roasted Banana Ice Cream

(Reprinted with permission from Van Leeuwen's Artisan Ice Cream, published by Ecco Books, 2015.) 

Believe it or not, even people who say they don’t like bananas love this ice cream—it tastes just like banana bread pudding. We roast the bananas with dark brown sugar and butter until they are golden and caramelized, and then we fold them into our ice cream base. The ice cream that comes out is elegant and luscious, rich with caramelized bananas, and is one of our favorite winter flavors to make. The roasting of the bananas gives the ice cream such a creamy, almost burnt-caramel flavor; we can’t think of a better way to round out a Christmas dinner.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART

SPECIAL EQUIPMENTImmersion blender

FOR THE ROASTED BANANAS4 medium bananas, preferably somewhat speckled but not brown, peeled and cut into1/4 inch thick slices2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter2 tablespoons (14 grams) dark brown sugarPinch of kosher salt

FOR THE ICE CREAM BASE2 cups heavy cream1/2 cup whole milk3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) kosher salt6 large egg yolks

1. To make the roasted bananas, preheat the oven to 400˚F; position the rack in the middle. Line a shallow baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, toss the bananas, butter, sugar, and salt. Spread the ingredients on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until caramelized. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

3. To make the roasted banana ice cream, pour the cream and milk into a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Whisk in 1⁄2 cup (100 grams) of the sugar and the salt and stir until they have dissolved. Warm the mixture until you see steam rising from the top.

4. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set another bowl over it. Set aside.

5. In a medium bowl, with a kitchen towel underneath it to prevent slipping, whisk together the egg yolks with the remaining 1⁄4 cup (50 grams) sugar until uniform. While whisking, add a splash of the hot dairy mixture to the yolks. Continue to add the dairy mixture, whisking it in bit by bit, until you’ve added about half. Add the yolk mixture to the remaining dairy mixture in the double boiler. Set the heat under the double boiler to medium and cook the custard, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon and reducing the heat to medium-low as necessary, until steam begins to rise from the surface and the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Hold the spoon horizontally and run your finger through the custard. If the trail left by your finger stays separated, the custard is ready to be cooled.

6. Strain the custard into the bowl sitting over the prepared ice bath and stir for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the custard has cooled. Transfer the custard to a quart-size container and add the roasted bananas. Using an immersion blender, buzz the custard until emulsified. Cover the custard and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.

Joining us to talk about all things sweet is Shauna Sever, author of three cookbooks, including Real Sweet:More Than 80 Crave-Worthy Treats Made with Natural Sugars. We'll also find out how sugar and sweeteners affect our health with Rebecca Blake, a nutritionist, registered dietitian, and Administrative Director for Medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. 

Ed Schoenfeld, restaurateur, Chinese food aficionado and owner-operator of Red Farm, a Zagat top rated Chinese restaurant in New York, and a New York Times critics-pick.

Here to answer all these questions and more is Cathy Erway, Serious Eats contributor and author of The Art of Eating In: How I Learned to Stop Spending and Love the Stove. She also blogs at Not Eating Out In New York and has a podcast called Eat Your Words on Heritage Radio. She wrote this article about egg labeling.

We'll also be joined by Mary Carpenter, owner and operator of Violet Hill Farm in West Winfield, NY. She keeps poultry and supplies a wide variety of eggs to the Union Square and McCaren Park greenmarkets. Matt Kaplan, who works at the Violet Hill greenmarket stalls, will stop by our studio and bring some eggs for show and tell!

For this week’s Please Explain, we are going to discuss the data behind the high profile shootings in the news: how it’s being collected, and what it reveals. Jamiles Lartey, reporter for Guardian US will talk about their project, The Counted, which is tracking the number of people killed by law enforcement in 2015 and 2016. Ben Casselman, Senior Editor and Chief Economics Writer at 538, will discuss his site’s series “Gun Deaths in America” which goes far broader and analyzes all gun deaths in the U.S.

 Need to win an argument? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

This week's Please Explain is all about dolphins, their remarkable intelligence and their relationship to humans, with journalist Susan Casey, author of Voices in the Ocean: A Journey into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins. She embarked on a two-year global adventure to explore the nature of dolphins. 

Have questions about dolphins? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Do you have questions about hair? Ask us in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Have questions about paper? Give us a call at 646-829-3985!

Do you have questions about birds? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Events:  Jennifer Ackerman will be participating in this year’s World Science Festival from June 1 through 5. She'll be speaking at the Science Story and Café at the NYU Kimmel Center  on June 4th from 12:30 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. She'll also speak at Science and Story on June 4 from 8:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. at the NYU Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium. 

Joining us is Annie Novak, co-founder and head farmer of the nation’s first commercial green roof row farm, Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Brooklyn. She’s also the manager of the Edible Academy at New York Botanical Garden, founder and director of Growing Chefs and author of The Rooftop Growing Guide. We’ll also be joined by Gerard Lordahl, Director of Open Space Greening Program at GrowNYC, a non-profit which operates local environmental programs, including the city Greenmarkets. 

Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Do you have questions about the history and future of English? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Do you have questions about technology and modern conversation? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Dr. Michael Fabricant, a professor at the Hunter College School of Social Work and executive officer of the Ph.D. Program in Social Welfare, and Dr. Michelle Fine, a Distinguished Professor of Social Psychology, Women's Studies, and Urban Education at the Graduate Center, CUNY, will join us to talk about charter schools. They’re the authors of Charter Schools and the Corporate Makeover of Public Education: What's at Stake?   

Jeffrey Toobin, staff writer at The New Yorker, senior legal analyst at CNN and author of the forthcoming book American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst, joins us to shed some light on the inner-workings of the Supreme Court. Nina Totenberg, NPR's award-winning legal affairs correspondent, also joins the conversation. 

On today's Please Explain, we're exploring folk music with Eli Smith, the co-founder of the Brooklyn Folk Festival, the banjo player for The Downhill Strugglers and the former co-host of The Down Home Radio Show. Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, a multi-instrumentalist performing at this year's Brooklyn Folk Festival, joins Eli in the conversation. They'll also perform live in our studio! 

Event: The Brooklyn Folk Festival will be held at St. Anne’s Church (157 Montague Street between Clinton and Henry) from April 8th-10th. It will feature 35 bands, workshops and events including an old time string band, freedom songs of the Civil Rights Movement, shape note, country blues and international folk music from Syria and Colombia. 

Do you have questions about Bigfoot, unicorns, centaurs or other magical creatures? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Do you have questions about our presidential primary process? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Event: Slate's Culture Gabfest LIVE will be held on April 6th at 7:30 p.m. at the SVA Theater at 333 West 23rd Street. For tickets and event information, visit the event page. 

What's the difference between a primary and a caucus? One of them do not have a secret ballot https://t.co/CqYEvuM9Lo

The delegate structure was meant to prevent someone like #BernieSanders from getting the nom & losing general election, says @jacobwe

Delegates are bound for the first ballot, and we haven't had a convention that goes beyond first ballot since 1960s https://t.co/EbeBsy8G9v

Political parties are private and "they can do whatever they want" to choose the nominees, says @jacobwe https://t.co/fBeyXr978g

If a candidate drops out, delegates become uncommitted. That's why candidates "suspend" their campaign https://t.co/zFKLDCnYly

On this week’s Please Explain, we’ll dive into these connections with Dr. Mark Norell, the chair of the American Museum of Natural History's Division of Paleontology. 

Event: Dr. Norell's exhibit “Dinosaurs Among Us,” at the American Museum of Natural History opens March 21st and will run until January 2nd, 2017. The exhibit will open exclusively to AMNH members March 18th through March 20th. For tickets and more information, click here. 

Want to hear more from Dr. Mark Norell? Check out our interview with him in 1994.

Think dinosaurs are extinct? Think again. https://t.co/48fb3Vtk8I pic.twitter.com/Mvxf2wuJmm

"It's even hard today to say what a bird is," says Dr. Mark Norell, the chair of the @AMNH Division of Paleontology. https://t.co/BpOcrlHalh

Flamingos were alive during the same time as T-Rex. Guess which one survived the asteroid? https://t.co/m767oQ4SQP

#TIL Crocodiles can communicate while still inside the egg. https://t.co/6g8uyeNYhP

"The more you find in the fossil record, the crazier it gets" says @AMNH's Dr. Mark Norell https://t.co/UhIJyLAvls pic.twitter.com/uZ0SwZ53NE

Do you have questions about philanthropy? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

The AARP is hosting Shred Fest events from April 26 through May 1. For more information, check out their website, which will be updated as the event grows near, for more details.

Do you have questions about phone scams or identity theft? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

There's no question that punctuation elicits strong feelings. On today's Please Explain, linguist David Crystal teaches us how to correctly use punctuation, and gives us a history of why we punctuate the way we do. His latest book, Making a Point: The Persnickety Story of English Punctuation, completes his trilogy of books on the English language.

Do you have questions about punctuation? Write to us in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Do you have questions about offal? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Check out recipes from Chef Chris Consentino of Offal Good!

Marinated Tripe, New Potatoes & ParsleyExtracted from Beginnings: My Way To Start a Meal by Chris Cosentino

-1 1/3 cups each coarsely chopped carrot, celery, and onion-2 heads garlic, split, plus 5 cloves, minced-1 bunch fresh thyme-2 bay leaves-1 tbsp fennel seeds-Kosher salt-2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise-1/2 cup dry white wine-Juice of 1 lemon-4 tbsp Champagne vinegar-2 lb honeycomb beef tripe, preferably organic and unbleached-10 fingerling potatoes-1 tbsp red pepper flakes-Finely grated zest and juice of 3 Bearss limes or Eureka lemons-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling-3 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a large stockpot, combine 8 cups water, the carrot, celery, onion, split garlic heads, thyme, bay, fennel seeds, 1 tablespoon salt, the vanilla, wine, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of the vinegar. Rinse the tripe well under cold running water until the water runs clear and the tripe is free of grit. Add the tripe to the pot, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the liquid just simmers and cook uncovered, skimming any scum that rises to the surface, until the tripe is very tender, about 3 hours. Remove from the heat, let the tripe cool completely in the cooking liquid, and refrigerate the tripe in the liquid overnight.

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with salted water to cover, bring to a simmer, and cook until just tender when pierced with a knife, 10-15 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold running water to cool completely, and then cut crosswise into slices 1/4 inch thick. Place in a bowl. Remove the tripe from the cooking liquid and discard the liquid. Using a very sharp knife, shave the tripe into thin, ribbonlike strips. Transfer to a bowl. In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, pepper flakes, lime zest and juice, and remaining 3 tablespoons vinegar and let stand for 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and season with salt. Add just enough of the vinaigrette to the tripe to coat lightly and then toss to mix. Taste and add more vinaigrette to your liking. Add the remaining vinaigrette to the potatoes and toss gently to coat evenly. Add the potatoes to the tripe and toss together.

Transfer the tripe and potatoes to a platter and garnish with parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve right away.

Serves 6

Tuscan-Style Chicken Livers

Extracted from Beginnings: My Way To Start a Meal by Chris Cosentino

-1 1/2 lb chicken livers, trimmed of any sinew or green or brown patches-3 shallots, sliced-1/4 cup vin santo-2 tsp fresh thyme leaves-1 fresh bay leaf-Finely grated zest of 1 orange-Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper-Small pinch of licorice powder-4 tbsp rendered duck fat, plus more melted duck fat for sealing-3 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter-24 baguette slices

In a shallow bowl, combine the chicken livers, shallots, vin santo, thyme, bay, orange zest, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the licorice powder and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Remove and discard the bay leaf from the chicken livers. In a large sauté pan over high heat, warm the duck fat. When it is hot, working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken livers and shallots to the pan. Cook, turning as needed, until the livers are well colored on the outside and pink at the center, about 4 minutes. As each batch is ready, transfer it to a food processor. Pour the remaining marinade into the pan, stir up the browned bits, and add the contents of the pan to the food processor.

Process the liver mixture until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the butter until the mixture is emulsified. Pass the mixture through a tamis (drum sieve) into a bowl. Pack the mixture into one or more ramekins and top with a thing layer of duck fat to seal. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 4 days.

Just before serving, preheat a stove-top grill pan over medium-high heat. Place the baguette slices on the grill rack and grill, turning once, until etched with grill marks and crisp on both sides, about 2 minutes on each side.

To serve, set out the ramekin, the baguette slices, and a spoon.

Serves 6

Do you have questions about food additives? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Do you have questions about tacos? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Recipe: Tacos al Pastor (From Tacos: Recipes and Provocations by Alex Stupak & Jordana Rothman)

Short of investing in a vertical broiler, this hack is the closest you’ll get to al pastor tacos at home. We tend to think of pork shoulder as something that needs to be braised, but a well-butchered shoulder steak given a swift ride on a ripping hot grill can be a thing of beauty—the wide surface area means more of that good Maillard char you want from al pastor. Take your time when slicing the finished meat: thin, bias-cut slivers are the ideal texture here.

MAKES 12 TACOS

ADVANCE PREPARATION

1 cup Adobo (see below)

Salsa Roja (see below), for serving

Raw Salsa Verde (see below), for serving

FOR THE FILLING

Vegetable oil, for the grill

Four 1⁄2-inch-thick boneless pork shoulder steaks (2 pounds total)

Kosher salt, as needed

TO ASSEMBLE THE TACOS

1⁄4 ripe pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 24 even slices

1⁄2 medium white onion, minced

60 cilantro leaves (from about 15 sprigs), roughly chopped

2 limes, each cut into 6 wedges

1 recipe Corn or Flour Tortillas

MAKE THE FILLING:

Preheat a grill to the hottest possible setting and brush with vegetable oil. Slather about 1 cup of the Adobo all over the pork steaks and season liberally with salt.

Place the pork steaks on the hot grill and cook for 3 minutes. Rotate 45 degrees and cook for another 3 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for 3 minutes. The finished steaks should have visible charred grill marks. Remove from the grill, transfer to a plate, and set aside to rest in a warm place.

Make one batch of tortillas and hold them warm.

Cut the pork steaks against the grain and on the bias—you want the slices to be as thin as possible, almost shaved, to achieve the right tenderness and texture for al pastor.

ASSEMBLE THE TACOS:

Lay out the warm tortillas on serving plates. Evenly distribute the grilled pork and the pineapple slices among the tortillas. Top with some of the Salsa Roja and Raw Salsa Verde, along with the minced onion

and chopped cilantro. Squeeze a couple of the lime wedges over the tacos and serve the rest on the side.

ADOBO

Masa may be the bedrock of Mexican cuisine, but adobo is what makes it sing. The dried chile paste is a component in countless dishes, slathered on robust meats like the pork for Al Pastor Tacos and the lamb for the Lamb Barbacoa Tacos. The dried chile and aromatic spice flavors in this paste are versatile, so adobo is a useful thing to have around to add instant depth—try thinning it with oil and using it to dress a hearty vegetable, like asparagus. Adobo will last 1 week in the refrigerator, and 1 month in an airtight container in the freezer.

MAKES ABOUT 2 1⁄3 CUPS

8 ancho chiles

8 guajillo chiles

1 chipotle morita chile

3 whole cloves

1⁄4 teaspoon cumin seeds

One 2-inch stick of canela (Mexican cinnamon)

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

20 garlic cloves, skins on

1 cup cider vinegar

Remove the stems from the chiles and tear the chiles open. Shake out and discard the seeds. Tear the chiles into small pieces.

Set a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the cloves, cumin seeds, canela, black peppercorns, and oregano; toast, shaking the pan, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Remove the spices from the heat, transfer to a spice grinder, and grind to a fine powder.

Reheat the skillet over medium heat. Toast the ancho, guajillo, and chipotle morita chiles, turning from time to time until you see the first wisp of smoke, about 30 seconds. Transfer the chiles to a bowl, cover with hot tap water, and place a heavy plate over the chiles to keep them submerged. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes.

Add the garlic cloves to the skillet and roast, turning them from time to time, until softened slightly and blackened in spots, about 6 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the garlic from the skillet, and set aside to cool at room temperature. Once the cloves are cool enough to handle, peel them and discard the skins.

Drain the chiles and place in a blender along with the ground spices, roasted garlic, and vinegar, and puree to a paste. You may need to add a bit of water to the blender to help the chiles pass easily through the blades. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to use.

SALSA ROJA

Salsa roja and salsa verde are the ebony and ivory of the salsa universe: Whereas verde supplies brightness and clean, sharp heat, roja offers gentle spice and dried-herb warmth. It makes sense that the two keep such close company—you’ll encounter versions of both at nearly every taqueria in Mexico.

For my salsa roja, I looked to guajillo chile, one of the workhorses of the Mexican pantry. Cheap and ubiquitous, these dried peppers impart the mild heat, distinctive berry-like aroma, and deep, rusty hue that define a good roja.

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

2 plum tomatoes

10 guajillo chiles

1 chipotle morita chile

1⁄2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

1⁄8 teaspoon cumin seeds

5 garlic cloves, skins on

1 1⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Preheat the broiler. Roast the tomatoes on a baking sheet under the broiler until blackened in spots, about 7 minutes. Turn them over and continue to blacken, about another 7 minutes. Remove from the broiler and set aside to cool at room temperature. Once they are cool enough to handle, peel the tomatoes and discard the skins.

Remove the stems from the guajillo and chipotle chiles and tear them open. Shake out and discard the seeds. Remove and discard the veins.

Set a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the oregano and cumin seeds and toast briefly, shaking the pan, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Remove from the heat, transfer to a spice grinder, and grind to a fine powder.

Reheat the skillet over medium heat. Toast the guajillo and chipotle chiles, turning them from time to time until you see the first wisp of smoke, about 45 seconds.

Remove pan from heat, and transfer the chiles to a bowl. Cover them with hot tap water and place a heavy plate over the chiles to keep them submerged. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes.

Add the garlic cloves to the skillet and roast, turning them from time to time until softened slightly and blackened in spots, about 6 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the garlic from the skillet, and set aside to cool at room temperature. Once they are cool enough to handle, peel the garlic cloves and discard the skins.

Drain the soaked chiles and discard the liquid. Place them in a blender along with the ground spices and roasted garlic, the salt, sugar, cider vinegar, and ¼ cup water. Puree on high speed until completely smooth, working in batches if necessary. Set up a medium-mesh sieve over a bowl and pass the puree through the strainer. Transfer to a container or refrigerate until ready to use. The salsa will keep for up to 3 days.

RAW SALSA VERDE

Raw ingredients speak (shout, actually) for themselves in this purist salsa verde. It’s all about the green apple acidity of ripe tomatillo, the heat of untreated chiles, and the garlicky sting right up front.

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP

1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 serrano chiles, stemmed and roughly chopped

1⁄2 medium white onion, minced 3–4 medium tomatillos (about 5 ounces total), husked, rinsed, patted dry, and diced

1 teaspoon honey

40 cilantro leaves (from about 10 sprigs), roughly chopped

EQUIPMENT: Molcajete*

Place the garlic in the molcajete with the salt and crush to a paste using the tejolote.

Add the chiles and minced onion to the paste and crush to a coarse texture. Add the tomatillos and continue crushing with the tejolote until pulpy. Season with the honey and stir with a spoon. Add the chopped cilantro and stir to combine. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to use. The finished salsa is best eaten the day it is made; if you want to work ahead, don’t add the cilantro to the salsa until the day you plan to serve it.

*If you don’t have a molcajete, prep all the ingredients as instructed and add them, minus the cilantro, at once to the jar of a blender. Pulse to combine then stir in the chopped cilantro.

“Recipe reprinted from TACOS: RECIPES AND PROVOCATIONS by Alex Stupak and Jordana Rothman. Copyright ©2015 by Empellon Holdings LLC. Photos by Evan Sung. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.”

Chef James Peterson, author of the award-winning book Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making, will take us through all the sauces, from traditional French hollandaise and béchamel, to Italian Osso Buco and North African Harissa sauce.  

Do you have questions about sauces and sauce-making? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

In this week's Please Explain, Julia Collin Davison, the executive food editor at America’s Test Kitchen and author of the forthcoming book Cook it in Cast Iron: Kitchen-Tested Recipes for the One Pan That Does It All (Cook's Country), and J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, Managing Culinary Director of Serious Eats and author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science, answer all your burning cast iron questions and dispel the many myths surrounding the classic cookware.

Do you have questions about cast iron cookware? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Recipe: Classic Roast Chicken with Lemon-Thyme Pan Sauce from Cook It in Cast Iron from America’s Test Kitchen

Classic Roast Chicken with Lemon-Thyme Pan Sauce from "Cook It in Cast Iron" from America’s Test Kitchen
("Cook It in Cast Iron," America’s Test Kitchen)

Serves 4

Why This Recipe Works: Roast chicken is often described as a simple dish, but the actual process–brining or salting, trussing, and turning–is anything but easy. We wanted a truly simple way to get roast chicken on the table in just an hour without sacrificing flavor. We quickly realized that trussing was unnecessary; we could simply tie the legs together and tuck the wings underneath the bird. We also found we could skip flipping the chicken during cooking by taking advantage of the great heat retention of cast iron. We cooked the chicken breast side up in a preheated skillet to give the thighs a head start and allow the skin to crisp up. Starting in a 450-degree oven and then turning the oven off while the chicken finished cooking slowed the evaporation of juices, ensuring moist, tender meat, even without brining or salting. A traditional pan sauce pairing lemon and thyme was the perfect complement, and it took just minutes to make while the chicken rested. Pan drippings contributed meatiness, and finishing the sauce with butter gave it the perfect velvety texture. We prefer to use a 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken for this recipe. If roasting a larger bird, increase the time when the oven is on in step 2 to 30 to 40 minutes.

1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) whole chicken, giblets discarded

1          tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

            Salt and pepper

1          lemon, quartered

1          shallot, minced

1          cup chicken broth

2          teaspoons Dijon mustard

2          tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2  teaspoons minced fresh thyme

 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position, place 12-inch cast-iron skillet on rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees. Meanwhile, pat chicken dry with paper towels, rub with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Tie legs together with kitchen twine and tuck wingtips behind back.

2. When oven reaches 450 degrees, place chicken breast side up in hot skillet. Roast chicken until breast registers 120 degrees and thighs register 135 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Arrange lemon quarters cut side down around chicken. Turn off oven and leave chicken in oven until breast registers 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Using potholders, remove skillet from oven. Transfer chicken to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 15 minutes. Let roasted lemon cool slightly, then squeeze into fine-mesh strainer set over bowl, extracting as much juice and pulp as possible; press firmly on solids to yield 2 teaspoons juice.

5. While chicken rests, pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet, being careful of hot skillet handle. Add shallot and cook over medium heat until softened, about 30 seconds. Whisk in broth and mustard, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until mixture is reduced to 3⁄4 cup, about 3 minutes. Stir in any accumulated chicken juices. Off heat, whisk in butter, lemon juice, and thyme. Season with pepper to taste; cover to keep warm. Carve chicken and serve with sauce.

 To secure wings while roasting whole chicken and prevent them from burning, fold them firmly behind neck. They should hold themselves in place.

In our latest Please Explain, Heather Greene, whiskey sommelier and author of Whiskey Distilled: A Populist Guide to the Water of Life, talks about the history, and the many cultural variations of whiskey, along with tips on tasting, pairing and serving suggestions. Dr. Renee Hernandez, owner of Tirado Distillery in the Bronx, will also be joining us to talk about all that’s involved in making his "NY Corn Whiskey.” 

Do you have questions about whiskey, bourbon or other grain spirits? Send us your questions in a comment below, or let us know Twitter or Facebook!

Send us your questions by writing a comment below, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Does bacon give you cancer? Up next, please explain is all about nutrition in the headlines. Have a question? Send it our way.

Absolute risk of colon cancer is much lower that people thing https://t.co/c7tYFWmuxJ

"The critical word is 'association'" @anahadoconnor breaks down observational scientific studies https://t.co/c7tYFWmuxJ

"There are studies associating everything we eat with cancer" says @anahadoconnor https://t.co/c7tYFWmuxJ

What's causing obesity? The beverage industry-financed studies says sugary drinks have nothing to do with it.

"I for one always try to eat wild fish" says @anahadoconnor, health reporter for @nytimes https://t.co/c7tYFWmuxJ

Event: Wendy Williams will be speaking and signing books at Rutgers' G.H. Cook Campus, at the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health Building, 65 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, on Nov. 2 at 7:00 p.m.

(Courtesy of the publisher)

Professor Mark Post is a faculty member at Maastricht University, and a leader in making Cultured Beef. He is working on a process that makes a beef hamburger using stem cells. Ethan Brown is the CEO of Beyond Meat. The company makes plant-based meat substitutes that replicate beef and chicken, attempting to make plant proteins behave nearly identically replicate meat proteins.

Ethan Brown, CEO of Beyond Meat
(Courtesy of MBooth)

A burger made from Cultured Beef, which has been developed by Professor Mark Post of Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
(David Parry/PA)

READ: The Cook's Illustrated Guide to Building the Best Knife Set

Leonard's in studio paper clip collection! Today's please explain is about office supplies. Tweet us your photos! pic.twitter.com/BZMwOuxpZj

@LeonardLopate Here's my desk drawer dedicated to filled notebooks. Just can't bear to part with them. pic.twitter.com/qF5iQsxPHa

@LeonardLopate @WNYC @iamjamesward i sort my paperclips by size pic.twitter.com/eL5L8kJxfB

@LeonardLopate pic.twitter.com/WIha0GDgN7

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Soundchecking the Lustre Quartet for today's Please Explain on barbershop music!

Gary Marcus is Director of the NYU Center for Language and Music, and Professor of Psychology at New York University. Ned Block is the Silver Professor of Philosophy, Psychology and Neural Science at New York University. Dr. Marcus's new book, The Future of the Brain: Essays by the World's Leading Neuroscientists, features an essay by Dr. Block arguing that high resolution images of the brain are not sufficient for a true understanding of the mind.

On this week's Please Explain, we discuss Net Neutrality, and how it affects everyone who uses the internet. Marvin Ammori is a lawyer who is best known for his work opposing SOPA and defending network neutrality. He is a 2014 Future Tense Fellow at the New America Foundation, has represented several companies and coalitions including Google, Dropbox, eBay, Automattic, Tumblr, Twitter, and others. He recently authored the book On Internet Freedom. Michal Rosenn is Deputy General Counsel at Kickstarter, the leading funding platform for creative projects. She has served in that role since October 2012, advising the start-up on intellectual property, contractual, employment, corporate governance, and regulatory matters, among others.

On this week's Please Explain, we are talking about the history of and medical and legal guidelines for quarantines.We’re joined by Howard Markel, George E. Wantz Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine and Director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan. Dr. Markel is the author, co-author, or co-editor of ten books including the award winning Quarantine!: East European Jewish Immigrants and the New York City Epidemics of 1892 and When Germs Travel: Six Major Epidemics That Have Invaded America Since 1900 and the Fears They Have Unleashed.

According to Halloran and Consumer Reports' article "The Great Fish Debate," women who are pregnant should not eat tuna at all, because mercury can damage the brain and nervous system of a developing fetus. For more information, check out the chart below, from Consumer Reports.

Fish with the Lowest Mercury (Can safely eat 18-36 oz a week, depending on body weight)

Salmon (wild or farmed, canned of fresh) Shrimp Tilapia Scallops, clams, oysters Squid Most eel Sardines (fresh or canned)

Fish with Low Mercury (Can safely eat 6-18 oz a week, depending on body weight)

Lobster, crab, crawfish Haddock Pollock Cod Flounder Trout Catfish Atlantic mackerel Mullet Herring

Fish with High Mercury(Limit how much you eat)

Tuna Grouper Bluefish Chilean sea bass Halibut Black cod Spanish mackerel Tuna (canned or fresh, except skipjack)

Fish with Very High Mercury(Best to avoid, especially for children and women who are pregnant or may become pregnant)

Shark Swordfish King mackerel Gulf tilefish Marlin Orange roughy

Consumer Reports' chart on mercury in fish.
(Illustrations by Joe McKendry/Consumer Reports)

When is hosting on Airbnb illegal? It is not illegal to host on Airbnb if you own a single family home or two family home, or rent out a room in your apartment while you stay there. But if you live in a permanent residential apartment building and rent out your entire apartment for less than thirty days, you are breaking the law. "And that’s the vast majority, we think, of listers on Airbnb,” Krueger said. “I can’t find a lease or bylaw in the city of New York that allows you to do short term subletting without permission from your board or your landlord. It violates state law… it violates zoning ordinances, it violates tax law.”

“Thousands of models” are removed from residential use as a result of short term rentals, Krueger said. “People go and rent [up to] 25 units, and just become entrepreneurial illegal hotellers,… Every single one of those units is being taken off the market for people desperately trying to find affordable housing.”

Hosting on Airbnb could lead to a rise in evictions for renters who might not know that they are breaking the law and their lease. “We have begged AirBNB and the other companies: put the laws up on the website,” Krueger said. “You have a legal obligation to let people know what they might be walking into.”

Neighbors are also affected. Krueger gives an example of a typical complaint: an elderly woman who knows everyone in the building, who tells Krueger: “now people I don’t know have keys to the building. They’re in my elevators. They’re partying late at night. I’m scared. There’s no one to complain to when things go wrong, because the person who’s supposed to be in that apartment isn’t.”

What are other affordable options for people who want to visit New York City? “I am hoping that the city, and this administration, will take seriously the proposal to create for-profit hostels,” Krueger said. “We actually have a law that doesn’t allow hostels, which are all over Europe and all over the country, which offer a safe hotel model at a lower cost.”

But some listeners were skeptical that housing laws are being enforced equally. Andrew from Brooklyn called in to say that landlords violate city law all the time and rarely get penalized, but the city is cracking down on Airbnb hosts. “I’m very suspicious how much this is being driven by the hotel industry, and politicians are taking the hotel money and doing their bidding.”

Leave your questions as a comment, below, or call us at 212-433-9692.

Climate change has led to worse allergies because the pollen seasons have been starting earlier in the spring and lasting about four weeks longer in the fall.

Allergies and asthma have been increasing around the world.

Male plants produce more pollen, and in NYC there are more male trees than female trees in recent years, so allergies here have been getting worse.

Ragweed produces about 1 billion pollen spores.   

If you have dark circles under your eyes, it may be due to a sinus problem caused by allergies. Dr. Bassett referred to “allergic shiners” — puffiness and purple circles around the eyes.

Allergies interfere with sleep, because if you can’t breathe well, you can’t sleep well.

Allergies can make people miserable. They can make it hard to sleep, hard to concentrate, hard to exercise, but they are treatable and something we can control. “Poorly controlled allergies have a negative impact on your love life,” said Dr. Bassett. “And that’s no joke.”

Diagnosing allergies often involves a skin prick test, where a very small amount of an allergen is pricked into the skin. If the skin becomes red, itchy and swollen, it indicates an allergy. Blood tests can also diagnose allergies.

Immunotherapy drops or injections make you more tolerant to an allergen over time. This treatment is designed to decrease and stop allergies.

Some people swear by eating local honey every day as a way to decrease seasonal allergies. Like immunotherapy, it's thought to expose people to small amounts of pollen in the area. It's not a proven treatment, though.

Rinsing the sinuses with a neti pot can also help some people, but, Dr. Bassett said, if home remedies and over-the-counter medication isn't providing relief, see an allergist.

If you have questions about empathy, leave it as a comment, below!

Why do we dream? Do dreams have a purpose? When the brain is asleep it's inundated by impulses and senses and experiences, and the brain puts them together. A necessary function of sleep, especially of REM sleep, is to consolidate the information that was gathered in the previous day and even in the more distant past, into coherent, long-term memories that get stored for later use. That's what dreams are. Dr. Gerber explained that the general scientific theory is that “Every night when we sleep our brains are consolidating what we should remember and letting go what we don’t.”

According to  Dr. William Domhoff, a professor at UC Santa Cruz who collected 50,000 dream logs, most dreams are by and large negative. “People are attacked, people don’t like you, it’s kind of like the worst days of middle school,” said David Randall.

Are dreams and nightmares different? Dreams that have the same basic structure—a narrative, imagery, a plot—have the same kind of neural substrate to them, whether they be positive or negative. When you wake up with a generally bad feeling but not with any recollection of a bad dream, it might mean that you had a dream with a different kind of structure that involved different parts of the brain.

Research by Dr. Levine and others reveals that  sitting for more than 2 hours a day is directly linked to health problems like obesity, metabolic disorders, increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and high cholesterol. One Australian study showed that adults who watch an average of six hours of television day over their lifetimes will die 4.8 years sooner that adults who don’t sit for hours watching television.  

“It’s rather like having a Ferrari idling for three months. It gets clogged up with grit and oil and sludge, and that kind of sludge is what you’re seeing in the muscle bands,” Levine said. He also said that moving around improves intuitive and creative thinking. “There’s cognitive dulling and we’re just not as smart as we could be” when we sit all day.

Even regular exercise at the gym isn’t enough to counteract the negative effects of sitting at our desks and in front of the television for long stretches. We have to move more and more often. Levine and Stokes recommend using standing desks, even a treadmill desk, or, at the very least, standing or moving every 15 minutes or so while you’re sitting at work — get up to talk on the phone, go talk to colleagues instead of e-mailing them, take short walks and standing breaks. In addition to the metabolic problems caused by inactivity, Stokes points out that sitting leads to slouching and poor posture can cause back and shoulder pain that many people who sit in front of a computer all day experience.

But don't worry if you've been too sedentary — it’s never too late to make changes. “If one embarks on a program of chairlessness, of getting out of the chair and starting to move more,” Levine said, “one can achieve very, very significant improvement.”

We may think of being hypnotized as zoning out, but in fact, Dr. Muskin says, we’re “in a very focused state of concentration.” That’s because “in hypnosis, you focus yourself to do one thing.”

“Hypnosis is not an abnormal state. It is a completely normal state. We are in trances – every single one of us – every single day.” If you’ve ever found yourself daydreaming in a boring lecture or a long meeting, you’ve put yourself in a kind of trance.

Soldiers in the middle of a firefight can naturally go into a trance to protect themselves and feel less pain.

People vary in their ability to be hypnotized. It’s a bell curve with most of us be in the middle. And, Dr. Muskin notes, “many athletes are much more hypnotizable than they realize.”

Dr. Muskin said that transcendental meditation and other similar kinds of meditation and activities are trance states. “You’re pulling your awareness in, you’re disconnecting…you’re doing this one thing with all of your mental ability.” And there are all sorts of physiologic changes that come along with those states that make us feel pretty good.

Call us at 212-433-9692 with your coffee questions! Or leave a question below!

Ask a question: Call us at 212-433-9692 or leave a comment below.

Let us know if you have a question! Leave it as a comment or call us at 212-433-9692.

Let us know if you have a question about baking. Leave a comment!

If you have a question about exercise, leave it as a comment! Or call during the show at 212-433-9692.

Please Explain Stress, Part 2.

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