"black and white" news and stories

The much-loved Le Creuset has already given us a variety of colors -- orange sunbursts, somber browns, vivacious yellows and greens -- not to mention a variety of shapes. One would think they've hit everything with the rainbow they usually offer, but they've been missing some basics.

Finally, we're getting black and white! Both can be found over at Bloomingdale's, under the names "Black Onyx" and "Shiny White." Now they say that these puppies are exclusively at Bloomies, but as The Kitchn points out, Sur La Table also has the white. Hmm. Maybe theirs isn't "Shiny White," but "Ivory White"? It's not really "exclusive" when you have two stores and don't list the other! Cheaters.

Whatever the case, these new releases are beautiful, and I'm really wishing I had an old retro kitchen. Can you imagine how amazing these would look alongside black and white tiles and other retro kitchenware? Or, conversely, tres moderne in a sleek kitchen.

They'll be available at these stores for the time being, and roll out to others later this year.

About a year and a half ago, I posted about the work of photographer Michael Harlan Turkell, particularly his Back of the House Project, a great series of 25 very candid black and white photos of restaurants and their staff. Turkell recently dropped Slashfood a line, pointing out his photo blog, as well as what appears to be a new photo series called "mise en place". It had been a while since I checked Turkell's site, so the blog was news to me. It appears he's also been commissioned by New York City restaurant blog Eater to photograph the subjects of their "Gatekeepers" series, which profiles "the very folks that stand between you and some of your favorite impossible-to-get-tables." If you've ever worked in the restaurant industry, or if you're just a lover of food, dining and photography, do yourself a favor and check out Turkell's website as well as his blog.

Well, it looks like it's that time of the month or something for Jason Calacanis, who's in Los Angeles, with a crazy craving for a black and white cookie like the kind he used to have back in New York. Thanks to Nicole, you can always make an entire batch of them in your home kitchen, and if you're in LA today, you know that there's nothing like a rainy, gray day to hole yourself up in the kitchen with butter, sugar, and a nice warm oven.

However, there are some places in LA that have black and white cookies for which you might brave the rain-traffic - and these delis do have them - I called every single one on this list. But think: time and energy to bake-at-home vs. time and energy to brave horrible LA rain-drivers. You decide.

1. Jerry's Famous Deli, 8701 Beverly Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90048, (310) 289-1811, www.jerrysfamousdeli.com  
2. Brent's Deli, 19565 Parthenia St, Northridge, CA 91324, (818) 886-5679, www.brentsdeli.com  
3. Canter's Deli, 419 N. Fairfax, Los Angeles, CA 90036, (323) 651-2030 www.cantersdeli.com
4. Art's Deli, 12224 Ventura Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, (818) 762-1221
5. Junior's Deli & Bakery, 2379 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064 (310) 475-5771
6. Nate & Al's Deli,  414 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, CA (310) 274-0101 www.natenal.com
7. Factor's Famous Deli, 9420 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035, (310) 278-9175 www.factorsdeli.com  
8. Greenblatt's Delicatessen, 8017 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046, (323) 656-0606

And when all else fails, just call the Black and White Cookie Company and have them deliver.

If people would only look to the cookie all our problems would be solved." - Jerry Seinfeld, Seinfeld (The Dinner Party)

Black and White cookies are one of the best things to ever come out of New York City, where they are so popular that they could be the city’s food mascot, with thin crust pizza running a close second. At first glance, the cookie looks relatively simple, but achieving Black and White perfection isn’t, well, black and white.

A real Black and White cookie has a thick, cakelike base. It is softer than a cookie and lacks the chew that a sugar cookie – which many bakers unfortunately choose to use as their base – would have. It also is not nearly as sweet as a sugar cookie, an important element because the cookie has to stand up to the sweetness of the icing on top without overwhelming the taste buds. The icing on the top of the cookie is a key element in the Black and White, not just because it creates the color pairing that gives the cookie its name. The icing – not frosting – is a relatively thin layer of chocolate or vanilla that is poured smoothly onto the cake-like cookie. A thick glob of overly buttery or sugary frosting would upset the balance of flavors – not to mention that it just wouldn’t taste that great on a cookie.