Recipes serve as an opportunity for me to share my passion with an audience beyond Washington, D.C. For me, cooking at home is about history, simplicity and above all, allowing ingredients and flavors to stand out within a dish. These recipes are about my travels and the people I have come across in my life. They come from the heart. I personally rarely use a recipe and I will be honest and say I do not always provide exact measurements (unless baking). I hope that you can use my recipes as an inspiration for your own- to help you be confident in the kitchen and feel it out like I do. This is how the best creations come about- and you'll be surprised what can come out of it!
Besides tiramisu, there are plenty of ways to use mascarpone- whether savory or sweet. I kept on coming across tarts with blueberries and lemon, but I am not a particular fan of lemon flavored desserts. You may have noticed, I am a huge fan of vanilla beans and I would reccomend not spending your money on expensive extracts, but buy your Madagascar vanilla beans in bulk. They are one of my secret ingredients in many of my baking recipes. Look forward to hearing what you think of this recipe!
Remove from pot into a square pan and refrigerate overnight.
Serve Immediately with black vinegar and julienned ginger.
When I was in Mongolia this past April, I was fortunate enough to travel outside of Ulaanbaatar to visit the desert land and traditional yurts. This is where I discovered Khuushuur, or meat pies, that were served with Mongolian milk tea. It is a beautiful custom, no matter where you are or who you are- if you visit a traditional yurt and are greeted by a nomad family, they will open their home to you and serve you this typical dish. Although the milk tea is an acquired taste due to the salt they use, these meat pies that are filled with mutton (lamb) are addictive and I found myself craving them when returning home. Here is the recipe, let me know what you think!
There is nothing better in this world than Peking Duck. And although I love the traditional version, my homemade version has become a favorite amongst family and friends because of the glaze added to the skin of the duck. Based on the size of your duck you may need to reduce the time of each hour by 10-20 minutes. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to comment and I am happy to help you on your first peking duck journey.
Turn heat up to 400 F (or 375 F if smaller duck) and duck over one last time, duck breast side up, brush marinade over skin. Place it in the oven for 10 minutes,until skin is crisp!
Remove duck from oven and serve with cucumbers, spring onions, hoisin sauce, chili sauce and mandarin pancakes!
South Asia has inspired my cooking the most outside of Italy and so it is always wonderful to be in the countries to try new things that I haven't discovered. Since it is so difficult to find fresh (and I mean really fresh) seafood in the states, I spend most of my time trying any fresh fish entrees when eating out. So when I returned home I wanted to make something inspired by this. So here is my recipe for Turmeric Snapper with my version of Sambal Matah. In the summer I plan on barbecuing the snapper, but this time I used an oven!
Remove and serve with Sambal Matah.
Enjoy! Let them rest overnight if packaging and you can store them for up to a week.
When ready to serve, put soup in bowl, add a small dollop of creme fraiche and some golden raisins. Serve immediately!
Serve immediately or in fridge for several days.
Serve with Sour Cream, Crushed Tortilla Chips, Chopped Cilantro, Chopped Tomatoes and Shredded Cheddar Cheese!
Combine ingredients in the order of the ingredients above in a large dutch oven pot over medium-high heat. Make sure meat is cooked through before adding the remaining ingredients. Once the soup boils, allow it to boil for 3 minutes and then reduce to low heat to simmer for an hour. You want to soup to thicken and the sweet potatoes to be tender. Enjoy!
In college, I had Georgian friends who always raved about their cuisine and it made me always want to go to Georgia and try it. When I was in Prague I was so excited to find a Georgian restaurant next door to my favorite Hemingway Bar, but it was closed for the days I was there and I figured it was a sign I should just wait until I get the chance to go to Georgia. But as I was working with women in Georgia who know my love for cooking, they sent me some recipes that I needed to try at home. I was excited to make this garlic chicken and was intrigued at the ingredients it called for. So I gave it a shot and it was one of the best chicken dishes I have ever had in my life!
Remove and let cool before serving on a bed of roasted vegetables or with potatoes/bread!
Cook immediately or store in freezer with plenty of semolina so it does not stick together.
Add speculoos cookie curmbs on top of cupcake for decoration!
This Vietnamese Waffle is the perfect way to start or end your day. It is a breakfast, but it's just as good for dessert. I tried this for the first time when I was in Burma and I was so intrigued by the subtle flavors that resonate well with my palate that I had to inquire what it was. Pandan is an exotic plant that is used in Asian cuisine. You can buy an extract that works just as well as the leaves in the United States. I also love utilizing coconuts for just about anything. So when I saw this green kyar jam next to the waffles in Burma and learnt that it was coconut and pandan, I had to try it. Together, it is heaven. You can use maple syrup with this waffle, but the jam is a nice replacement - even for your butter in the center. This may require a trip to a specialty store or an amazon purchase, but it is well worth it. I mean, I went out and bought a waffle maker solely to make this!
Remove waffle and serve with kyar jam.
Khao Tom Madt is an amazing Thai dessert that incorporates coconut sticky rice, bananas and banana leaves- steamed and cooled to make the perfect sweet end to your meal. Usually you can add red beans as well, but I prefer it without. It is a simple recipe that I hope you will enjoy!
Remove top and enjoy while hot!
Add the shallot, mushrooms and garlic mixture and set aside.
Place on ravioli and serve immediately.
David Chang and the infamous Momofuku restaurants have Korean Bo Ssam as a speciality on the menu. You have to order it in advance, but the feast is well worth it for a group of friends looking for a great night of food. I wanted to take his amazing recipe featured in the New York Times and make it for two people (well, two people and a good amount of leftovers). If you see the recipe online versus mine, I have made some changes to it as I can never leave a recipe alone- but ultimately, the genius here is David Chang and the beautiful piece of pork I got to work with! I also didn't use kosher salt and so I used sea salt. Make sure you double the amount of salt I use if you use kosher salt.
Remove and serve immediately with all of the ingredients! See picture below of what the wrap looks like when it comes together.
Remove from heat and either serve with chopped pistachios and honey if you like your rice pudding warm or store in fridge if you like your rice pudding cold. Definitely enjoyable the next day!
When I was in Sri Lanka, I discovered the benefit of eating banana blossoms. These wonderful flowers aid digestion and make a meal more refreshing. I decided to take on making a banana blossom salad at home. I was lucky to find the blossom at H Mart, our local Asian grocery store. I hope you will take the time to consider venturing into new territories and buying ingredients that you wouldn't normally pick up after seeing this recipe! You will surely benefit by opening up your palate. I say use a small or just a handful of something for the salad because it really is up to you. If you like thai basil more than you like mint, add a larger handful of thai basil. If you love scallions, you can add a regular handful rather than just a small one. This is a salad and so you aren't going to need exact ingredients, just the confidence to know what you want in a salad! Look forward to hearing what you think!
1 banana blossom, peeled completely. Only use the white part of the blossom and finely slice the white leaves and place in 1 cup of water with extra lime juice immediately so it does not discolor.
After 5 minutes, reduce heat to the lowest setting while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
For the banana blossom: You are going to remove all of the red leaves that you encounter to be able to get just the white portion of leaves in the center. Similar to an artichoke or lemongrass in terms of getting to the heart of the flower. I halved and washed two of the red leaves to use to serve the salad as you can see above. When you get to the white leaves, thinly slice them until you come to the end of the banana leave where you find the white pollen. Toss all of the slices leaves into water with lime juice to ensure it does not discolor.
Add the chicken and a few tablesspoons of the coconut broth and toss the salad ingredients together. Add a little more lime juice or coconut broth to your salad if you'd like- get to the right taste for your buds!
Serve as is or in the washed red leaves you saved!