My mom has been talking up a recipe called Brownie Brittle. As a fan of crisp cookies—she baked her Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies dark, and makes Corby Kummer’s nutty, shard-like biscotti—a brittle is very on-brand for her. Still, isn’t a brownie’s most appealing attribute its dense, damp interior? (Like this one and this one.)

She brought some brownie brittle on a recent visit, and now I’m talking it up! The cocoa-and-chocolate-chip brittle manifests somewhere between a cracker and a shortbread, and is the kind of sweet you can have after lunch without crashing and falling asleep at your desk. The recipe comes from Chula King in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

• Come get squiffy with us on June 21. We’re hosting a British cocktail party with special guest Crystelle Pereira of The Great British Bake Off. RVSP here.

• Nea made a Strawberry Meringue Sundae, which is like a Swedish version of an Eton Mess. The main difference? A marängsviss always involves ice cream.

• We’ve added a new egg-shaped serving board to our collection of KHEM wood products. It’s as silky and sturdy as all the other KHEMs, plus it’s shaped like an egg!

• I’m not really into all the electric pepper mills that are coming out, but everyone loves them and they sell like crazy, so now Peugeot has one for you, too. “Isn’t grinding pepper part of the joy of cooking?!” says crankypants Hesser!

This past weekend, Tad and I went to his college reunion, and I came away with two food notes:

• Any time you cook food for more than eight people, the food usually suffers. But, as I saw in action this weekend, it’s possible to feed hundreds of people really well as long as you keep it simple and fresh. Each meal was component-based, which meant elements like pulled pork or rice could be well executed and kept in shape until serving time, when diners were given the opportunity to assemble their dish. For one dinner, we had rice bowls with chicken, pickled carrots, cilantro, fried shallots, scallions, and sesame dressing. We got to choose what we wanted and the components remained fresh. I don’t plan on hosting parties for hundreds, but this rule also applies for ten.

• If you’re not a pain au chocolat person, you may be a brioche au chocolat person. Flour Bakery, a Boston classic owned by widely adored baker Joanne Chang, makes a brioche au chocolat with a yeasty, tangy brioche nestling a thick shaft of chocolate. Add it to your travel list, or get her book for the recipe.

Don’t forget to begin freezing coffee in ice cube trays for your iced coffee. ‘Tis the season!

Amanda

Before starting Food52 with Merrill, I was a food writer and editor at the New York Times. I’ve written several books, including “Cooking for Mr. Latte” and “The Essential New York Times Cookbook.” I played myself in “Julie & Julia” — hope you didn’t blink, or you may have missed the scene! I live in Brooklyn with my husband, Tad, and twins, Walker and Addison.