The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Cold Soup to Chill Off a Hot Day ; in-Season Fruits Are the Sweet Basis

These summer days, the very thought of turning on a stove to cook seems ridiculous. But you've got to eat somehow. You could have salad again. Or you could gather up armfuls of avocados and mint, cilantro and tomatoes, watermelon and garlic and all the lush produce that's in season, take them home and give them a whirl. In the blender or food processor.

What's the Fig Deal? Late Summer Is Harvest Time

Figs like cumin. It is a pairing probably only someone with a fig tree growing in her yard would figure out. Ann Stacy has a fig tree in the back yard of her Baltimore row home, as well as a recipe for figs wrapped in bacon and sprinkled with cumin. She serves the dish late in the summer when fresh figs arrive in torrents, and when she and her neighbors have a party they call a "fignic." The event celebrates the harvest of the fig, which most of us call a fruit, but a few picky botanists refe...

A New Leaf

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks "The Gourmet Slow Cooker, Vol. II," by Lynn Alley (Ten Speed Press, $18.95)

Farmhouse Cheese Goes Uptown ; Clubs, Classes, Selection Raise Appreciation

With no disrespect intended for vacuum-sealed and plastic- wrapped supermarket cheddar, blue and Swiss, there's something magical about the taste of a cheese that's handmade on a small farm in California or Maine, in a creamery in Normandy or in the French Pyrenees. If you haven't experienced the taste and texture of mixed milk Amarelo da Beira Baixa from eastern Portugal, a washed rind cow's milk cheese from Ireland or a creamy blue from northern California, you haven't really tasted cheese....

Food Site

Grill Gadgets

Make grill cleanup easier with these disposable aluminum grill liners from CleanBBQ, left. The 12-by-20-inch sheets are sturdy yet flexible and especially helpful when you're mopping or basting on messy sauces. Just be careful with the sharp edges. A pack of 12 costs $10 at Home Depot stores; by mail, a pack of 20 costs $18 at cleanbbq.com.

What's Cooking in North Jersey

COMPANY: Goya Foods. WHERE: Secaucus.

Edible Petals Add Flavors, Pretty Hues

Edible flowers are a simple way of making a striking, memorable presentation on the plate. Packages of edible flowers are available in the fresh herb section of many supermarkets, but if you know what you're looking for and follow safety guidelines, you can find a lovely garnish in your own garden. "I especially like pansies," says Cindy Corley-Crapsey, who gives presentations on edible flowers. "They're one of the first things that bloom in spring, and they provide such a beautiful little pr...

Winning Cellar Dwellers ; Storing Fine Wine Is a Snap and Pays Off Palatially

Chris Nardone remembers the first time he tasted mature red Bordeaux wine, a 1994 Pichon-Lalande a co-worker shared with him three years ago. "It was just wild," he said. "My wife and I had been drinking predominantly Italian and California wines but had never had any mature Bordeaux. It was a revelation."

Trust Instinct When Throwing a Pairing Dinner

Some wine enthusiasts have food and wine pairing down to a science. I don't. When it comes to which wines go with what dish, I wing it, like 99 percent of the population. Common sense is my compass. I know enough to avoid dry wines with sweet sauces, or even dessert, but I have a fairly open mind about everything else.

Flying Dog Keeps Wild Goose Alive

A new chapter has begun in the saga of Wild Goose beers. Wild Goose was a popular brand during the 1990s, and labels such as Wild Goose Amber, Wild Goose Nut Brown and Wild Goose Oatmeal Stout built quite a following as one of Maryland's earliest microbreweries, while the winter seasonal, Snowgoose, attained almost cult-like status.

Bonne Chance

Manischewitz invites kosher and non-kosher cooks to participate in its inaugural Simply Manischewitz Cook-Off, which ends in February with a live competition in New York. Participants need to prepare a simple kosher dish using at least one Manischewitz product and then submit the recipe through the company's Web site by Sept. 15.

Shelf Life

There's a new kid on the butcher block. La Cense Beef is the latest entry in the growing world of online meat marketing, with its black angus cattle that feeds only on 88,000 acres of Montana grass. The company launched in May at lacensebeef.com.