http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/22/dining/graces-marketplace-moves-pumpkin-shaped-pasta-and-more-food-news.html 2014-10-21 17:06:16 Grace’s Marketplace Moves, Pumpkin-Shaped Pasta and More Food News A new home for Grace’s Marketplace; white chocolate skulls; pumpkin-shaped pasta shells; the Bread Project; and a home cider kit. === To Sauce: Pumpkins So Cute, You Could Eat Them Up Just right for the season are these pumpkin-shaped pasta shells. The bag contains a mix of plain and spinach- and tomato-flavored pasta. I like them slicked with a sauce made by quickly sautéing garlic and slivered fresh sage, adding a few spoonfuls of pumpkin purée and thinning the mixture with pasta water. Season with salt, black pepper and a shower of grated pecorino: To Shop: East Side Market Starts a New Era Grace’s Marketplace, which was on Third Avenue and 71st Street for 30 years, has moved a few blocks away. Central to the shiny new market is a dining counter for many of the Italian specialties that were popular at Grace’s Trattoria, a restaurant that was next door to the market. There is an expanded selection of prepared foods, Tavola, and an elaborate espresso bar. The store is still owned by the Doria family (Grace Doria is one of the legendary Balduccis) and is now run by her son Joe Doria Jr.: To Sip: A Muscat Brandy From California Ansley Coale and Hubert Germain-Robin have produced excellent artisanal brandies and spirits in Mendocino County, Calif., for decades. Some of their brandies are single varietal distillates, showcasing grapes like pinot noir and sémillon. They have just introduced a powerfully aromatic muscat brandy that is grapy and slightly sweet, almost tea-like; it’s one of the most alluring quaffs I have ever tasted: To Nibble: Trying to Scare but Pleasing Instead Whether for Halloween or the Day of the Dead, these finely made white chocolate skulls are a treat. They are filled with dulce de leche and brown butter ganache: To Serve: This Poundcake Knows How to Go Long The Bread Project in Emeryville, Calif., provides baking skills to low-income people and helps them gain job skills. The group makes a footlong lemon and poppy seed poundcake that is dense but moist and flavorful. It’s made with almond paste and comes with powdered sugar for dusting: To Brew: Fizzy Cider Made From a Kit Making hard cider at home is easier than brewing beer. It takes fewer ingredients and less equipment, and things are not as likely to go wrong. Brooklyn Brew Shop, which specializes in beer kits, has introduced a home cider kit. Justin Crider, who is in charge of education for the company, said that trying your hand at cider can prepare you for tackling beer. Start with a gallon of plain apple juice, pasteurized but without preservatives. Sterilize the gallon jug and the airlock with the powder provided. Fill the jug with juice, add yeast from the kit, shake the jug and then let it be for two weeks. If all goes well, the result will be tart, clear, golden, fizzy cider with a modest alcoholic kick. Sweeteners like honey, infusions of spices and other additions are up to you: