amanda mcclements

Tis the season to trot out one of my favorite summer recipes — and a mighty delicious way to turn trash into treasure. Every now and then, I'll grant some watermelon rinds a reprieve from my Compost Cab bin and put it to good use. Meet the pungent, sweet, tangy deliciousness that is spicy pickled watermelon rind. I think it was the ginger that really hooked me the first time I made it. No surprise there. Have I mentioned I like ginger ? And the rind turns the most beautiful color, like amber jewels with a glowing translucency. This is a quick pickle — no need for jar sterilizing and all that. Just eat it up in a few weeks and keep it covered in the fridge. I like it as a condiment on a cheese plate, with seafood, and grilled pork or chicken. You could even mince it up finer and use as a relish on sandwiches. Spicy Pickled Watermelon Rind adapted from Gourmet 1 medium to large watermelon 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar 1 1/2 cups water 2 cups sugar 4-5 strips of lemon...

Remember my post earlier this summer about those gorgeously graphic vintage oyster tins ? Here's my latest love, from a Baltimore oyster company. Alas, she didn't come home with me (with a $450 price tag), but the mermaid hard at work packing oysters is my muse this week. Maybe it's because I ate my weight in oysters last week at Pearl Dive Oyster Palace (happy anniversary!) and the new Rappahannock Oyster Bar in Union Market . Lunch last Friday at Rappahannock, fit for a mermaid:

Just saying the words double chocolate moonshine cake makes my mouth water. Try it, I swear. Double. Chocolate. Moonshine. Cake. So I was pretty thrilled when a cake touting just that arrived in the mail. Warrenton, Va.'s Red Truck Bakery is the creator of this super tender confection that packs a distinctive kick of local moonshine. The double copper-pot-stilled fresh corn whiskey comes from nearby Belmont Farms. Next time I'm ditching dessert duty for a dinner party, I'm ordering one of these. The cake runs $22 with about $10 for shipping.

When the thermostat climbs to 100 degrees, it would only make sense that the craft cocktail movement would spawn some very grown-up versions of frozen treats. That means it's easy to acquire some cooling brain freeze with your buzz. From "poptails" to "slushitos" and speakeasy ice cream floats — all made with attention to quality ingredients — this seems to be the summer the frozen cocktail grew up. Let's start with dessert, shall we? On the patio cocktail list at neo-speakeasy The Gibson , a line-up of boozy floats ($13-$17) are made with custom Dolcezza gelato flavors. In the Soyer au Champagne No. 2, Angostura bitters gelato gets paired with Louis Roederer Champagne, cognac and pineapple gomme. The Slightly Odd Duck is made with beetroot-green peppercorn gelato, Old Tom gin, mango syrup, balsam fir tincture and lemon soda. Slightly odd indeed. At a recent media tasting, I got to try Cafe Saint-Ex 's new poptails ($6). Like those plastic ice pop stick...

Take some dough, mix up a filling, be it savory or sweet, and wrap the dough around it. Fry or bake. Grab one and go. The pastry-as-pouch culinary technique spans the globe, from Spanish empanadas and Indian samosas to Bolivian salteñas and Louisiana's Natchitoches meat pies. (Not to mention their processed cousins, Hot Pockets and Pop Tarts.) Replace whatever handheld device may be glued to your fingers with one of these stuffed pastry pies available in the DC area: Acadiana 's trio of pies: Did you know the Louisianan town of Natchitoches (say it nack-uh-dish) has a whole festival dedicated to their famous meat pies? You can try them right here in DC at Acadiana, served alongside a crawfish pie and a vegetable pie with black pepper buttermilk dipping sauce. Patty Boom Boom 's Jamaican meat patties: This reggae hot spot on U Street sells the Jamaican spin on this global dish, filled with jerk chicken, spicy ground beef, veggies, or my favorite, guava goat. Wash them dow...

WHAT: Fluffy root beer marshmallows made from scratch. WHERE: Alexandria's Buzz Bakery . A package of 12 is $1.95. WHY EAT THIS: If you love root beer (like me), these whimsical treats pack in surprising sassafras flavor. Pastry chef Josh Short adds root beer extract to his vanilla marshmallows to create them. And if they don't disappear straight outta the bag, drop the marshmallows in a root beer float, or pick up some of Short's homemade graham crackers for a twist on the summer s'more. Or how about a sweet garnish for a Root liqueur cocktail?