I purchased some asparagus with no real idea on what I was going to do with them – usually when I think of asparagus, I think of it as a side to a steak or a piece of fish. I did make an asparagus and ricotta pita years ago with my friend Ann, but I…
Tag: Cooking
Ricotta Pancakes with White Nectarines
When I was trying to figure out what to do with my leftover ricotta cheese, one thing that Google listed was ricotta pancakes. I hilariously did a poll on Instagram on what to use that leftover ricotta for, with the top voted pick being ravioli. I already made the ravioli, but I somehow still had…
Pinwheel Lasagna Rosettes
When I was looking up potential Italian restaurants for when I was visiting NYC(we settled on Lilia, which was solid), I did come across a restaurant called Don Angie, which featured this really cool looking lasagna. When I think of lasagna, I think of layers of pasta, bechamel, and red sauce, stacked up in a…
Air Fried Blooming Onion with Onion Jus
Let me preface this recipe by saying that I actual blooming onion before. I have wanted to try one, but when I heard that they were the single most unhealthy thing to eat, I just got turned off by the idea. That is until I started using my air fryer more, and figured, why not…
Crab Cake with Kale Salad
Whenever I purchase lump crab meat, I feel like there is always a doomsday timer floating over my head, making sure to remind me that if I don’t make something/eat this crab meat quickly enough, it will go rancid and my entire fridge will smell for it. These crab cakes were my solution to using…
Artichoke-Pecorino Risotto
Risotto is one of those dishes that takes me back to my sister and I learning how to cook when we were really young. We grew up eating a lot of Taiwanese and Chinese food, as well as overtly healthy dishes(boiled romaine lettuce seasoned with olive oil and nothing else, anyone?), but the one constant…
Plated Yogurt-Semolina Olive Oil Cakes
I always have this craving for semolina-olive oil cake. Olive oil cake has this rich, dense crumb, while semolina gives it an almost corn-like flavor that is mild and pleasant. I came up with this dessert because I bought a gigantic 3 pound tub of yogurt, and while I love yogurt(nowhere as much as Terry…
Lomo Saltado with Shishito Aji
Peruvian food is so special in that it is the intersection of Asian and Latin cuisines – because of the Chinese and Japanese immigrants that settled in Peru, Peruvian culture takes on so many of those influences, and I am here for it! With lomo saltado, it is a dish I thoroughly enjoy – seared…
Cheesy Scallion Hotteok
Hotteok is a Korean pancake, usually filled with brown sugar and walnuts, and pan-fried on both sides until golden brown. The yeast-leavened dough used to make it almost borders on a batter, because of how wet, loose, and kind of sticky it is. The reason why that consistency is optimal, however, is that when fried,…
“Forest Floor” Mushroom Tart
This recipe was what I made for the 2023 LoveWorks dinner in Oklahoma City(thank you, Gabriel Lewis for the invite to cook once again!). Last year, I was lucky enough to get the dessert course, but this year, I wanted to be a little bolder, and venture back into savory. Truthfully, after Masterchef: Back to…
Roasted eggplant with spicy lamb marmalade
This recipe is my homage to both an Italian ragout and stewed lamb. I love stewing lamb with lots of chilies and tomatoes, just because it is such has enough gamey-ness to hold up to a lot of flavors. Lamb curries are some of my favorite curries for that reason, but even stewed lamb chops…
Charsiu Milk Buns
Charsiu is comfort. Back when I was a child, I was an EXTREMELY picky eater. All the caps were needed there to emphasize how I basically wouldn’t eat seafood, certain kinds of fruits(pineapples, mangoes, and blueberries) and vegetables(bitter melon understandably, lettuce, gourds of any kind, and squash), and randomly coconut flakes(but I would still eat…
Black Sesame Hotcakes
I have been on a real hotcake kick lately. Hotcakes are pancakes, but fatter and thicker. They are very popular in Japan, and are often ordered at cafes! When I was in Kyoto, I was able to get some at the hotel we were staying at, and they were super fluffy and tender. So I…
“Chicken and Dumplings”: a plated dish
This dish is a revisited version of a recipe I made a few years ago, but as a more composed plated dish. The dish itself was what I made for a collaboration dinner at Mader Lao in Oklahoma, with my friends Gabriel and Dara(from season 12 of Masterchef!). I offered to do the entree, which…
Cacio e Pepe Scones
Cacio e pepe is an Italian term that refers to “cheese and pepper”. Usually, it is the name of a pasta dish, consisting of long noodles cooked in an emulsion of cheese, water, olive oil, and pepper. And it is a simple yet delicious combination, and a go-to that I often find myself ordering when…
Chawanmushi with buttered vegetables
Growing up in Torrance, we would go to Japanese restaurants all the time. Whenever they would serve us chawanmushi, it would be my favorite part of the meal. Served in these little tea cups was this soft, delicate egg custard that broke apart when you put a spoon to it, giving way to silky steamed…
Silken tofu with crab dashi
I have been wanting to do a dish like this after I ate this amazing snow crab hot pot in Osaka, at the iconic Kani Doraku restaurant(it’s known for having a giant crab statue hanging from the front of the building, and as the decor suggests, having an all-crab menu!). The vegetables and tofu, stewing…
Creamed Corn Tortellini
I would be lying if I said I grew up on creamed corn. The main corn thing I ate as a kid was corn potage, which was a creamy corn soup with bits of egg floating in it. Actually, I’m not even sure if it was supposed to have those egg drop ribbons floating through…
Almond Butter Hummus with Cauliflower and Rainbow Carrots
This hummus recipe came about because I was trying to make hummus, but I ran out of tahini, and happened to have a jar of almond butter lying around. Fortunately, the almond butter worked in a pinch, and I ended up with a hummus that was exceptionally high in protein and nutrients(thank you, almond butter)….
Charred Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Apple
When I was watching the most recent season of Top Chef, specifically Last Chance Kitchen, I saw chef Sara Bradley making this amazing cabbage dish, made from curing the cabbage with salt and sugar, and then “charring the sh*t out of it”. The end result was cabbage that was tender and soft on the inside,…
Freddy's Harajuku 