From Spoon: Why had I never made focaccia before last week? It’s the easiest yeast bread I’ve ever tried, infinitely customizable and impressive. It was such a hit I actually made it twice. The first time was for our weekly In Your Kitchen column for The Record. In the original recipe, from Pat Sinclair’s terrific book “Baking Basics & Beyond,”  caramelized onions are strewn over the quickly risen dough, topped with chopped dried figs and grated cheese. It was even good for breakfast.

Over the weekend, I baked up another one to accompany drinks with friends before dinner. Ted had finished off the figs, so I rummaged around in the fridge and found a jar of sundried tomato spread, which also worked well with the onions and cheese. For the column and recipe, click HERE.

Ted has photographed a number of the semifinalists – we salute them and will be cheering for them on March 19, when the five finalists in the Restaurant and Chef categories will be announced in Las Vegas. The winners will be revealed on May 7 at the black-tie James Beard Foundation Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall. For the complete list of semifinalists, visit jamesbeard.org/awards. For Meredith Goad’s  excellent piece in the Portland Press Herald about all of the Maine chefs and restaurants in the semifinals, click here.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

Petite Jacqueline – Portland, Maine

OUTSTANDING CHEF

Melissa Kelly, Primo - Rockland, Maine

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT

Fore Street – Portland, Maine (Chef/Restaurateur Sam Hayward, JBF winner Best Chef, Northeast in 2004)

BEST CHEF – NYC

Mark Ladner – Del  Posto

Michael White – Marea

BEST CHEF – PACIFIC

Beverly Gannon – Hali’imaile General Store, Makawao, Hawaii

From Spoon: In case you’re still casting about for alternatives to the usual wings-chili-big sandwich Super Bowl foods, or, if you’d like a wonderful winter recipe to inspire you, Virginia Willis’ Louisiana duck gumbo is IT. (And it’s not a stretch for Giants’ fans, who can think of it as a nod to quarterback Eli Manning and his hometown of New Orleans.) The recipe is from Willis’ most recent book, Basic to Brilliant Y’All,” which I featured in our column in The Record this week.

Willis, formerly the kitchen director for Martha Stewart Television and an accomplished food writer, recipe tester and stylist, is a Southerner who trained at Anne Willan’s famous Ecole de Cuisine LaVarenne in France; her cooking combines classic French technique and Southern flavors.

Gumbo made with duck is definitely richer than the traditional chicken version. But the depth of flavor is absolutely worth the few extra calories. The column and the recipe are HERE.

From Shutter: This week’s photo of the week is from a recent photo shoot for a client. Normally I shoot high end food for this client but this past week we also shot some fun simple comfort foods. One of them was a common item in any NY / NJ pizza shop – garlic knots. Made of pizza dough, they are baked and then tossed with olive oil and butter mixed with garlic and and parsley. I have to say, this version was as good as they look.

From Spoon: Forget “farm-to-table” and “sustainable seafood,” two of the biggest phrases in the food world today are “gluten-free” and “lactose-intolerant.” At least that’s what you’d think, judging by the amount of email and number of books I’ve received on both subjects. When a gluten and lactose-free cookbook arrived authored by celebrated food writer Barbara Kafka, however, I was particularly intrigued.  “The Intolerant Gourmet” is comprehensive and deeply personal, full of enticing recipes like the Pomegranate Shrimp Saute I made for our column in The Record last week.  Whether or not you have to avoid gluten and lactose, the recipe is well worth making. You’ll find it HERE.