I made apricot jam last summer and it was a huge hit! Delicious straight off the spoon and so good on as a glaze for chicken. Also, the frothy stuff I skimmed off as it was cooking, cooled and turned into the most lovely apricot syrup. It made a great addition to seltzer or prosecco. Thanks for the reminder!

This sounds like a great addition to my wedding registry--something I'd never buy for myself but something that would get a lot of great use if I had it! Speaking of which, I'd love your advice on what you think a good source for kitchenware and appliances would be when we think about where to register. Any ideas?

Oh yum. Have you ever eaten at Kyo Ya in the east village? A friend just brought me and we had the tempura sweet potato, which was a white sweet potato. It was incredible--simple, so sweet, and battered and fried whole. the waiter said they steam it whole and then wrap it and let it sit overnight which helps the sugars to develop, making it as sweet as possible. Any truth to this?

I would so love to attend! (+1 would be especially wonderful, but i'll take what I can get!) Megan Hart [email protected]

My sister wrote (I think) a lovely tribute with the very same title when we first heard the news. For both of us, our mother's issues of Gourmet were the gateway to a life of joyful cooking. http://mousebouche.blogspot.com/2009/10/rip-gourmet.html

If one does not have a grill (or sadly any outdoor space), would you just skip the last step of the cooking? or replace it with broiling or more time in the oven?

This sounds incredible. Especially the idea of having them for breakfast. I'm a savory kind of breakfast eater. I also recently discovered how easy it is to make nuoc cham sauce which sounds a bit like the sauce you made here. It's so delicious and great on cold noodles on a hot day.

Oh this sounds like exactly what I want to eat every day of August for lunch. Also, may I say I just adore your writing and I'm so glad to have found more of it here.