Amanda Hesser Shares Her Pre-Thanksgiving Serving Piece Wishlist

We had some friends for dinner this weekend, so I got an education in which serving pieces I don’t have, or don’t have enough of, or need in better versions. The cobbler’s children have no shoes. And the home-company founder’s children have no tumblers, not enough dinner plates, just a handful of bowls, and a dearth of votive holders.

Here’s my wish list:

Thanksgiving is a month away, so if you’re having people over, now is the time to check your cupboards!

Patricia Wells, the former food critic for the International Herald Tribune and author of the seminal books The Food Lover’s Guide To Paris and Bistro Cooking, did not have this problem. Over the past few decades, she collected an egg-shaped salt shaker, a cut-glass orange juice pitcher, a wicker market trolley, a folding cutting board, and dozens of other home and kitchen goods that filled the cabinets, armoires, and kitchen of Chanteduc, the Provencal farmhouse she shares with her husband Walter Wells, former Executive Editor of the IHT.

Wells, who has both excellent style and an expertise in French tableware, has decided to downsize her collection. She posted the first batch earlier this year and a new round will go on sale at 11:30 am EST on November 16. Food52 is getting the first peek at the catalog—which is much more than a bunch of photos and descriptions, but an utterly charming and kooky love letter to her life in France, complete with a song written for her by Todd Murray, videos of her teetering on a red metal swing or chatting with Walter about strawberries, and photos of her with legends like Julia Child.

Check out the fantastic catalog here.

Beginner Ceramics, which makes sculptural pieces—from mirrors to Seussian vases—is our featured maker for November.

Over the weekend, we launched a Simmering Pot Recipe that makes your home smell like an apple orchard (minus the screaming kids and mud!). Extra points if you make the recipe in our Pumpkin Cocotte.

My toast-topper of the moment: Salty Speculoos Biscuit Spread. Who conceives of these wonders? Thank you, you spread-making hedonists!

In our series, Let Me Show You, Stefan taught us everything we needed to know about the four kinds of salt.

Someone on Instagram asked me what my favorite recipes are from A New Way To Dinner, a book Merrill and I wrote a few years back. One of them is Merrill’s Overnight Roast Pork. Another is her Applesauce Cake with Caramel Icing. These recipes were designed for this fall weather, so put them in the queue, and order the book if you so please.

Lastly—mark your calendars—our gift guides go live this Friday! And they are all treats and no tricks. Happy Halloween!

Amanda