Laura Giannatempo

Scott Phillips Servings: six. Gnocchi’s plump, pillowy texture and mild, delicate flavor make them perfect for rich, hearty sauces like Pan-Seard Gnocchi with Browned Butter & Sage, Gnocchi with Creamy Gorgonzola Sauce, and Gnocchi with Sausage & Leek Ragù. In general, meat sauces are a fantastic match, but butter and cream-based sauces work well, too. In Italy, gnocchi are usually served after appetizers (antipasti) as a first course (or primo piatto), instead of pasta.

Berlin is becoming one of the most vibrant food cities in Europe—in no small part thanks to restaurateur Billy Wagner. As the owner and sommelier of Noblehart & Schmutzig, the city’s most hyped restaurant since well before it opened in mid-February, he’s helping to forge a new culinary identity for the German capital; it’s a quest shared by baristas, bartenders, soms, and chefs alike to blend respect for heritage with a new drive to invent. But Wagner is no newcomer to the Berlin culinary scene.

Most people think of apple pie or brownies as the ultimate comfort dessert. Not me. When it comes to sweets, I dream of tiramisù. That’s what my mother whipped up for a quick and tasty treat during my Italian childhood, and it’s what I always wanted on my birthday instead of a fancy frosted cake. (And I still do, whenever I go back to visit.) Tiramisù has gone through countless reinterpretations by chefs and cookbook authors—some of which are hardly reminiscent of the original.