By BECKY BOHRER (Associated Press)

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A climber from Malaysia who was stranded for three days near the top of North America’s tallest mountain following a summit push was rescued Friday, but his partner was dead, officials said. A third member of their team had been rescued this week after descending lower on Denali in Alaska.

After days of cloudy, windy conditions, personnel from Denali National Park and Preserve on Friday morning were able to rescue the surviving climber at 19,600 feet (5,974 meters), where he and his partner had been holed up in a snow cave since late Tuesday, according to the park.

Late Thursday, the park’s high-altitude helicopter pilot was able to drop a bag with survival gear near the snow cave and saw a climber waving at him, but strong winds prevented a rescue at that time, the park said.

It was not clear to rescuers whether one or both of the climbers was alive until Friday morning’s rescue, park spokesperson Paul Ollig said by email. He noted in part limited communications with the climbers after rangers first received an SOS from the three-member team at 1 a.m. Tuesday indicating they were hypothermic and unable to descend after reaching Denali’s 20,310-foot (6,190-meter) summit.

Officials are still gathering information about what happened, and the language barrier has been challenging, Ollig said. The climbers are from Malaysia.

“All we know right now is that the deceased climber died approximately two days ago,” Ollig said by email.

The climber rescued Friday was medevaced to an Anchorage hospital for additional care and “was in surprisingly strong condition, walking on his own even, considering what he endured,” Ollig said, adding that additional information about him and the other survivor would not be released by the park.

Rangers planned to recover the body of the climber who died later.

The climbers were part of a three-person team of men who all listed in their climbing histories experience on “multiple high elevation international peaks,” Ollig has said. Two had previous experience on Denali, he said.

The third climber, previously identified as a 48-year-old, was rescued Tuesday night after descending to a 17,200-foot (5,243-meter) camp. He was described by the park as having severe frostbite and hypothermia.

Cheese-spiked munchies are such a luscious treat. These Gruyere cheese crackers fall into that irresistible category. Gruyere, a hard Swiss cheese with alluring nuttiness, teams up with whole-grain mustard and caraway seeds to give these cracker coins a French flair. Using the food processor helps to quickly turn out dough that yields tenderness.

Out of the processor, the dough is rolled into logs and chilled until firm; then the logs are thinly sliced crosswise. They bake up crisp and lightly golden.

I like to serve them with sliced fruit, such as apples or stone fruit.  They are also delicious served with baked Brie.

Gruyere, Mustard, and Caraway Cheese Coins

Yield: 10 to 12 servings, about 80 coins

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces Gruyere, shredded (2 cups)

1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 8 pieces

1/4 cup whole-grain mustard

DIRECTIONS

1. Process Gruyere, flour, cornstarch, caraway, salt, cayenne, and paprika in food processor until combined, about 30 seconds. Scatter chilled butter pieces, over top and process until mixture resembles wet sand, about 20 seconds. Add mustard and process until dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds. Transfer dough to counter and divide in half. Roll each half into a 10-inch log, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, a least 1 hour.

2. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap logs and slice into 1/4-inch-thick coins, giving dough a quarter turn after each slice to keep log round. Place coins on prepared sheets, spaced 1/2 inch apart.

3. Bake until light golden around edges, 22 to 28 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let coins cool completely on sheets before serving.

Source: “America’s Test Kitchen’s Modern Bistro” (America’s Test Kitchen)

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at @CathyThomas Cooks.com.

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There have been reports of audience members getting sick while watching “In a Violent Nature,” an unrated slasher film opening May 31. Is it just hype? Or is the violence too hardcore to stomach?

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We’ll address that and take a look at Netflix’s unbeatable standalone series “Eric,” with Benedict Cumberbatch, and “Ezra,” a family drama that deals authentically with autism.

We also review a Beach Boys documentary and a shocking epic about a Jewish child’s kidnapping that’s tied to the Vatican.

Here’s our roundup.

“In a Violent Nature”: A primordial evil rises from the backwoods muck in northern Ontario and goes on a killing spree — garroting, beheading and dismembering unlucky park campers, one of whom snatched a coveted family heirloom that he wants back. Anyone unfortunate enough to cross bloody paths with Johnny (Ry Barrett, not uttering one coherent line of dialogue) most likely won’t witness a new dawn. Fueled by a rage festering over a decades-old injustice, Johnny dons a freaky old-time firefighter’s mask and cuts quite the memorable slasher figure — the subject of many scary campfire stories, one of which gets shared amongst unsuspecting victims in Chris Nash’s slasher debut.

This bracing, ultraviolent genre entry trumpets the arrival of a brash filmmaker whose bold vision alternates between caressable shots in nature to emotionally detached scenes of extreme, inventive carnage — disturbing sequences that will test the mettle of the most serious horror hound. Should graphic macabre deaths not be your thing, this is not your film. (It’s unrated for a reason).

Nash’s film won raves at Sundance where it debuted, but it doesn’t reinvent the genre so much as revitalize it with buckets of new blood. Nash’s unorthodox style is most welcome in a canon grown tired and lazy in its over-reliance on tacky jump scares and preposterous twists. What contributes in making “Nature” more distinctive is that much of it gets told from the viewpoint of Johnny, who lies in wait in in these ominous woods with the steely intent of an underfed crocodile.

Nash takes risks throughout his debut — the final 10 minutes with Lauren Taylor from “Friday the 13th: Part 2” more than proves that he knows how to feed on our apprehension, and I will reveal no more. But he’s not alone in making “In a Violent Nature” one of the best horror debuts in recent memory. Cinematographer Pierce Derks and sound designers Tim Atkins and Michelle Hwu share in that, making us feel like we are part of the disorienting sights and sounds of the woods. And Steven Kostanski’s prosthetics effects scream with unbearable realism. There’s no doubt character development isn’t the film’s strong suit — nor one of its goals — but Johnny slays his way into the league of unstoppable, unforgettable killing machines: Jason Voorhees (“Friday the 13th”), Michael Myers (“Halloween”) and Leatherface (“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”). Welcome to the club. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; in theaters May 31.

“Eric”: With a plethora of often salacious if formulaic true-crime series dominating the streaming charts, what a refreshing surprise to discover that this six-part mystery/drama series set in ‘80s New York is, in fact, the product of a fertile imagination. Benedict Cumberbatch bullseyes another role as hair-triggered “Good Day Sunshine” (think “Sesame Street”) puppeteer Vincent. He’s a disrupter who ushers in turbulence in the office and at home, an apartment he shares with his wife Cassie (Gaby Hoffmann) and their creative 9-year-old son Edgar (Ivan Morris Howe). When Edgar goes missing after another loud fight between mom and dad, desperate Vincent hits the skids and the bottle while searching for his child with the help of a monster-like character Edgar created.

Running parallel and later interacting with that search is another investigation by dogged detective Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III, a rising star), a closeted gay man. He’s working on the missing kid case and staking out a disreputable nightclub. Initially, you can’t help but wonder where this story will take us, and it splinters off into directions that tap into homophobia, fear, AIDS, racism, homelessness, corruption and addiction. Above all else, it reflects the danger of oppression and not being true to oneself. Award-winning series creator Abi Morgan (“The Split”) and director Lucy Forbes (“This Is Going to Hurt”) bring their knack for authentic, ambidextrous storytelling to the table. The period details couldn’t be better, and the final episode weaves the many elements together with effortless poignancy. Details: 3½ stars; available May 31 on Netflix.

“Ezra”: An A-list cast — Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, Robert DeNiro and Vera Farmiga (in a small part) — elevates this rewarding family-driven drama that sheds light on the anxieties that can trip up best-intending parents of an autistic child. As “Ezra” attests, flustered parents might need to work more on themselves before they can truly be present with their child. When 11-year-old Ezra (William Fitzgerald) gets bumped from school then gets into an accident, his quick-tempered but loving father Max (Cannavale), a struggling comedian, takes him on an impromptu and illegal father-son road trip. It serves another mark against him and leads to more exasperation from Max’s ex Jenna (Byrne) and his dad Stan (De Niro). Tony Spiridakis’ personalized screenplay rests in capable, warm hands with director Tony Goldwyn. Cannavale channels the emotional complexities and vulnerabilities of his character with compassionate clarity. Details: 3 stars; in theaters May 31.

“Kidnapped — The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara”: This shocking slice of Italian history revisits how in 1858  the Catholic Church went into a Jewish couple’s home and swiped their 7-year-old child. It was done at the behest of Pope Pius IX and it was demanded the child be raised Catholic since a nurse decided to baptize him without the family’s blessing. There’s no reason, really, to embellish this story one bit but acclaimed filmmaker Marco Bellocchio does it anyway at times, turning “Kidnapped” into a melodrama. It’s a mistake and results in an intrusion that takes us out of the tight grip of this beautifully composed but far from subtle story. Bellocchio’s production — from its cast to its cinematography — works well enough, notably with an ending that hits you right in the gut. The cast — child actor Enea Sala’s as an unsettled Edgardo, Paolo Pierobon as a clueless Pope Pius IX and Barbara Ronchi as the distraught and then furious mom Marianna Mortara — all hit the right notes. “Kidnapped” has its problems, but it is gripping. Details: 2½ stars; in theaters May 31.

“The Beach Boys”: In this watchable but routine overview of the classic California band made up mostly of relatives, the more uncomfortable-making elements about the group get addressed rather than explored. So you’re left with a scratching-the-surface documentary that’s enjoyable for any fan but is less filling than you’d like. Director Frank Marshall and Thom Zimny divulge some darker elements – the abuse of Murry Wilson, the father and heartless music publisher for sons Brian, Carl and Dennis and Brian’s struggles with perfection and mental illness. But often it feels like there’s much more to the story than being divulged, even when it brings up Dennis being haunted by his association with Charles Manson. For Beach Boys’ legions of fans, not digging too deep into the sandbox might just be fine. Details: 2 stars; available on Disney+.

Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.

Fresh strawberries abound at this time of year, so you can actually justify making this frozen treat using sweet, juicy strawberries in their prime — rather than going straight for the bag of frozen berries you might use the rest of the year. This frozen yogurt is so worth sacrificing — nay, elevating to a higher purpose — the pound of strawberries you bought or picked at their peak. The result is so intensely strawberry-y, made somehow even more so with a peppering of cardamom and a swirl of sticky balsamic glaze that just totally works.

Balsamic glaze can be bought in squeeze bottles at most major grocery stores and delicatessens. Use the ripest, juiciest strawberries you can find, although you can substitute frozen strawberries, if you must.

Strawberry Cardamom Frozen Yogurt with Balsamic Swirl

Makes 1 quart

INGREDIENTS

1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled

1¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

1/3 cup honey

¾ teaspoon ground cardamom

2 to 3 tablespoons balsamic glaze

DIRECTIONS

Place the strawberries, yogurt, honey and cardamom in a blender. Blend on high for 1 minute until smooth.

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Chill until very cold, about 2 hours, before pouring into an ice cream maker and freezing according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Spread half the frozen strawberry yogurt in a freezer-safe container and drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze over the top. Use a toothpick to swirl it through the frozen yogurt a bit. Spread the remaining frozen yogurt over the top and drizzle with the remaining balsamic glaze, again using a toothpick to swirl it through. Place the container in the freezer for an hour to firm up the frozen yogurt before scooping. If freezing for longer, you may need to leave it out on the counter for 15 minutes to slightly soften before scooping.

Registered dietitian and food writer Laura McLively is the author of “The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook.” Follow her at @myberkeleybowl and www.lauramclively.com.