Whipped Feta with Sweet and Hot Peppers

For this episode of Take 5, we're celebrating Pride! Join host Joey Skladany as he takes us to NYC's historic Stonewall Inn and five nearby hot spots for the ultimate guide to West Village dining.

At her NYC chocolate shop Stick With Me Sweets, Susanna Yoon (formerly of Per Se) makes edible miniature works of art. These colorful, marbleized, portable chocolate domes are packed with the flavors and textures of some of Susanna’s favorite desserts, which include a kalamansi meringue pie, and the vero, a silver blue bonbon that houses a mix of sea salt caramel and crunchy pecan bits. In the words of the chef, handcrafted chocolate is the sweetest way to tell somebody “stick with me”.

To celebrate World Pride in NYC (50 Years of the Stonewall riot) Guillermo visited chef and restaurateur Brian Washington-Palmer, at his newest venture, Ruby's Vintage Harlem. They talked about his experience as a gay man of color in the food and restaurant industry, and what Pride means to him today.

This comes together in about the time it takes to order takeout, and is miles more nuanced than your average Chinese restaurant's sweet and sour sauce. Ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, and rice or cider vinegar are boiled together with water (though pineapple juice makes for a tasty tropical twist), and thickened to the perfect dipping consistency with a little cornstarch slurry. Serve this with egg rolls, wontons, rangoons, and whatever other fried foods you want to perk up. Feel free to add some heat to the sauce with minced ginger, garlic, or chiles (or all three). Read more.