If you want a quick fix meal that is also incredibly delicious this pasta with pancetta and leeks will be your savior. First of all it only takes 15 minutes to make and second of all it is incredibly hard to mess up for everyone who is not a classically trained chef. The ingredients are not hard to find and require no special grocery stores. Also for summer entertaining it is easy to change the quantities in the recipe and make it for as many or as few people as you want. The pasta is in a cream sauce but it is very light so nothing to worry about if it is a hot day and you don’t want anything too heavy. This truly is the perfect recipe if you are not looking to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

In the South of France there are two kinds of nougat: Nougatine which is dark and made with carmalized sugar and there is Nougat de Montelimar that is white because it is made with egg whites and softer than the Nougatine and full of the rich taste of honey, roasted almonds, and pistachios that both compliment the honey perfectly. This recipe is mostly about timing and does require some tools you may not already have lying around in your kitchen like a candy thermometer and stand mixer but both are worth investing in to create these wonderful treats. You will undoubtedly make them time and again and impress your guests with the authentic Nougat de Montelimar from the South of France.

Katie Goodman’s almond custard tart recipe with blueberries is a sweet reminder that we need to take advantage of all the fresh fruit available in the summertime and the sweet price it sells for compared to the other months of the year. Vendors line the streets and local farmer’s markets offer fresh fruit for pocket change. Goodman makes some wonderful changes to a typical tart recipe aside from the addition of blueberries. Instead of baking the crust and the tart filling together, she cools the tart crust and then spoons in the chilled filling. This is perfect for a hot summer night. The recipe is also not too complicated so it is easy to whip up when you feel like a delicious dessert but don’t want to spend hours slaving in the kitchen.

Coca-Cola has officially revolutionized the “Fountain,” swinging an entirely new spin on what we already know and love. Catering to the 21st century insatiable desire for choice and customization, Coca-Cola has come up with the Freestyle. Yes, you are literally free to choose your own style of carbonated drink that you make up on the spot, to be crafted special for you in front of your own eyes. The Freestyle is a touch-screen soda fountain, featuring 104 different flavors to mix with whatever you like: soda, flavored water or even energy drinks. The Freestyle has one nozzle, one stream of carbonated water, and a series of flavors released into the stream.

If you’ve been wondering how to prepare that whole rabbit you’ve been saving for a special dinner, but don’t know how to start, Vimeo has the answer. In under 5 minutes, executive chef of Marlow & Sons in Williamsburg, Sean Rembold shows us how to butcher a rabbit, and a second video shows how to make Rabbit Cacciatore. The two videos are from documentarian Liza de Guia’s Food Curated. Even though rabbit is absolutely delicious, take caution, watching the butchering video is not for those who still love the book Watership Down.

If you’re not near an area with great wine tasting events, or just want to try before you buy, Brixr has the solution. The website has launched a set of tasting packs for different wines. There are two different packs, each with four 50 ml bottles of wine – the 2008 Pinot Noir Tasting Pack and the Napa Cabernet Tasting Pack. The first one is priced at $69 and comes with a coupon for two full-sized bottles shipped at no charge, the second at $79 with a coupon for one full-sized bottle. For only the sample packs, they are available for $19 and $29. To order a pack, head to Brixr’s website.

The Graident Magazine staff was heading down the I-95 to visit a few friends in Philadelphia this past weekend. We made a pit stop at one of Philadelphia’s cheese steak headquarters. Our first stop took place at Pat’s steak’s, the line was wrapped around the aged building, which has housed Pat’s Steaks since 1930. There were two lines, one that gave patrons the ability to order a cheese steak sandwhich, and the other for sodas and fries. The fairly simple process took over one hour, but it only took us five minutes to smother our faces with cheese wiz and steak. We brought home a cheese steak sand which to share with our Gradient friends. It got a little cold by the time we got back to NYC, but it is still worth checking out the dish after the post.

Hoomos Asli located in between Little Italy and Soho is one of the few middle eastern cusines in the NYC. Located in an area dominated by Cuban, Italian and Chinese influenced menus, Hoomos Asli is absolutely one of the stand out’s in the neighborhood. Their schwarma dish is compacted between pita and full of fresh salad, their famous homus, a very spicy sauce and schwarma meat. By the way their Falafel is amazing as well! Gradient highly recommends this hidden gem! Head over there if you are ever in the neighborhood.