The May issue of Bon Appetit celebrates all things beverages — from recipes that use vodka in unconventional ways to 15 cocktails you can make with just 5 bottles of booze. So here on Dinner SOS, we're joining the party! Shilpa joins Chris for a deep dive into the issue's cocktail recipes and a mailbag full of listener questions about alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Then, they're both joined by BA staffers Dan Siegel and Sam Stone for a roundtable tasting of just a few beverages in the ever-growing NA category.

Recipes and Links:

Reverse Engineering (video series)

World of Wine (video series)

Recipes from the May issue

How to Party with Soju, Korea's Most Iconic Spirit

Garden Wedding

Sherry Colada

What Nonalcoholic Drink Matches Your Mood?

A Pickle Martini Is the Best Dirty Martini

NA Options We Tried:

Athletic Brewing Co Upside Dawn

Oddbird GSM

Almave Ámbar

Lyre's American Malt

Curious Elixers Curious #1

Bonbuz Bittersweet Citron

Three Spirit Nightcap

You might know Michele Norris from her work as a journalist (including a decade-plus stint at NPR, where she co-hosted “All Things Considered”). You might know her from her Peabody Award-winning Race Card Project, or the two books she’s authored. Or you might know her as the host of the podcast Your Mama’s Kitchen. Michele joined Chris for a conversation about food memories and a mailbag full of listener questions all about hosting. 

Recipes:

Peggy King's Macaroni & Cheese

Broken Lasagna Pasta Salad

Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad With Cabbage

Cast-Iron Roast Chicken With Crispy Potatoes

Slow-Roast Gochujang Chicken

Andy Garcia's Fricase de Pollo

Nonna Wambach's Pasta for Thousands

Egg Bhurji Strata

Fruit Salad

Gabe and her husband have befriended an American couple in Treviso, Italy, where they all live. In order to give them a taste of home, Gabe would love to cook her new friends an American meal. But what typifies American food? And how can she source the right ingredients in the Veneto? Chris enlists the help of Bon Appetit's resident Aussie, Adam Moussa, and sommelier André Mack of BA's World of Wine series, to figure out what Gabe should make. 

Recipes:

BA's Best Mac and Cheese

Skillet-Fried Chicken

BA's Best Fried Chicken Sandwich

BA's Best Apple Pie

Most weeks on the show, we help out home cooks who have had a kitchen fail. This week, the "fail" is coming from inside the test kitchen. Test Kitchen Editor Kendra Vaculin joins Chris to chat about the fraught recipe development process of Kendra's Foolproof Lemon Bars — which was caught on camera as part of our "How I Developed" video series. Chris and Kendra also share how the team works together in the Bon Appetit test kitchen to bring you recipes you'll be excited to cook at home.

The Recipe: Foolproof Lemon Bars

The Video: "Developing These Perfect Lemon Bars Nearly Broke Me"

Izzy and Nina are twin sisters who love to cook together. But while Izzy loves baking, Nina finds the precision it requires endlessly frustrating. So Izzy's got one more shot to get Nina to love baking with her. Chris and Shilpa come to their rescue, helping the sisters capture the joy of baked goods that taste even better from your own kitchen than from a bakery. 

The Recipes:

BA's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pavlova

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Chocolate Sheet Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake 

Dan Pashman, of The Sporkful podcast, is somewhat of a pasta fanatic. In 2021, he invented the pasta shape Cascatelli (and documented the process on his show). Now, he's back with a cookbook, Anything's Pastable. He joined Chris to nerd out about pasta and answer some listener questions.

Recipes:

Cacio e Pepe

Baked Pasta Ideas

Ideas for Using Ground Meat

Shrimp Scampi

Soup Weather Inspiration

Bagna Cauda with Spring Vegetables

Erin is an accomplished baker who regularly makes both meringue and lemon curd. But when she tried a lemon meringue pie recipe last year, it turned into lemon meringue soup. Chris and Shilpa are on the case to help Erin figure out what went wrong and make a citrus pie that will hold its shape and delight her friends.

The Recipes:

BA's Lemon Meringue Pie

Cherry Lemonade Beach Pie

Triple Citrus Creamsicle Pie

Michelle loves all things French, and dreams of making the perfect Beef Bourguignon at home. But there's a slight issue: her husband has an intolerance to garlic and onions, the bedrocks of French flavor. Chris enlists the help of Chef Tanya Holland to teach Michelle how to develop deep umami flavors without alliums. 

The Recipes:

- Tanya's Chicken Fricassee

- Beef and Bacon Stew

- Red Wine and Soy-Braised Short Ribs

- Tuna Niçoise Salad

- Pissaladière

- Coq au Vin

For more French cooking techniques, Chef Tanya recommends:

- La Varenne Pratique

- Lulu's Provençal Table

Sarah's family loves pasta... almost too much. So she turned to Chris and Kendra for help finding vegetarian meals that bring more veggies and plant-based protein to the table. 

Recipes Mentioned:

Sheet-Pan Tomatoes and Feta with Chickpeas

Spring Orzotto

Crispy Tofu with Peanut Sauce

Brothy Pasta with Chickpeas

Black Pepper Tofu and Asparagus

Sesame Tofu with Broccoli

Broccolini and Walnut Pesto Pasta

Balsamic Mushroom and Sausage Pasta

Whether you're in a relationship or not, the question of what—and where—to eat on Valentine's Day can feel overwhelming. Out or in? Fancy or casual? Chris, Shilpa, and Kate solve this perennial dinner emergency once and for all. 

Dinner Ideas from Bon Appetit and Epicurious:

Valentine's Dinner Ideas That Make the Case for Staying In

Valentine's Day Dinners You'll Love

Chocolate Desserts for Pure Romance

Valentine's Day Desserts for Love at First Bite

Everything You'll Need to Make a Romantic Meal at Home