Now this is a recipe that started a long, long time ago during the pandemic when I was making vegan “scallops” using braised cauliflower stems. I did this by trimming down the stems, braising them in a flavorful umami-packed stock so that they actually tasted like something, and then searing them to look like scallops….
Tag: recipe
Light as Air Funfetti Cake
This cake is somewhat my revisitation of the classic Milkbar Birthday Cake, but making it as light as a cloud. I still look back at my time at Milkbar fondly, just because it was a great vibe. Everyone was outgoing, friendly, and quirky, it always felt like we were a bunch of misfits and goofballs,…
Caramel Macchiato Bear Mousse Cake
Caramel macchiatos will always remind me of my old sister, Kim. When we worked together in D.C., she would always get them at Starbucks, and after I tried one myself, I understood the obsession. Sweet caramel cuts through the bitter coffee, while adding a light bitterness on its own, and the layer of milk or…
Raspberry-Pink Peppercorn Red Velvet Cake
This red velvet cake was inspired by that dreamy cake aesthetic that I’ve captured in the past with some of my other 6-inch cakes, like the hummingbird or scarecrow ones. There is just something very fun and satisfying on making a smaller 2-layer cake, and playing around with flavors, colors, and textures off of a…
Beef Heart Stroganoff
I heart beef heart. I wanted to make a dish that is somewhat romantic(pasta with a soft, creamy sauce), and figured, why not put some actual heart. on it? Yes, I might have a problem. Beef heart has a slightly chewier, yet crunchier texture compared your usual steak, and I just love that. People are…
New York Strip with Potato Mochi
Meat and potatoes is a classic that I’ve done spins on before on this blog, and I figured, New Year, new take on meat and potatoes? In this case, I wanted to do another steak, but for the potato portion, I wanted to combine experienced from my recent trips to Germany and Japan, paying homage…
Chocolate-Marshmallow Entremet
This was a fun cake to make. I wanted to make a dreamy chocolate mousse cake, featuring layers of black cacao chiffon soaked with hot chocolate, dark chocolate ganache, semi sweet potato mousse, slathered in a cascade of more dark chocolate ganache, and torched Swiss meringue marshmallow. It kind of looks like a snowscape meets…
Pomelo Entremet
I don’t love winter. I might be a winter baby(Capricorn, which might explain things to those of you who are religious about zodiac signs), but I never liked the cold. I tried that for four years living in Boston, and while I loved the shoulder seasons, winter was brutal, with me being Taiwan-born, and SoCal-raised….
Venison with Squash Gnocchi and Blackberry-Sake Jus
Now I already know what you are thinking: that meat is RAW. It’s mooing. So yes, it is very rare, pretty much blue. But when it comes to a lot of game meats, such as venison or elk, cooking any of them past rare either brings out too much gamey flavor, or they turn really…
Blood Orange Mimosa Cheesecakes
Even though I purchased these adorable cheese wedge molds over a year ago, I never really use them. So I figured, I needed to do something with them. I happened to purchase a bunch of blood oranges, and was trying to think of what to pair with those. And then it dawned on me –…
Chocolate-Sesame Ovalmaltine Cake
This recipe was really me trying to think of something fun and snackable to make, using chocolate, sesame, and Ovalmaltine(think Ovaltine, but as a crunchy, creamy spread!). Ironically enough, I wound up a semi-entremet-looking mousse cake instead. It reminds me of The Good Place when a character named Janet was randomly making things cacti instead…
Brie-Honey-Ginger-Pear Entremet
Whenever I think of the winter, I think of this honey-ginger poached pear tea that my mom would make for us. I have done some desserts inspired by this in the past, but this time around, I wanted to try using those ginger-honey poached pears as a garnish for another dessert. I figured with ginger…
Spicy Eggplant Pasta
I love eggplant. And I HATE how much the Internet has ruined what an eggplant represents. For me, I try not to associate it with…body parts. Body parts are body parts, vegetables are vegetables. Just clearing that up now, because I feel like anything who reads “spicy eggplant” will have thoughts. Or even just “eggplant”….
Breakfast Carbonara
This recipe came about because I was making a giant chiffon cake, and had a ton of egg yolks leftover. While I can think of 5-6 desserts off the top of my head that use up said egg yolks, I figured, why not do something savory for a change? I’ve seen people on social media…
Rose Apple-Yuzu-Almond Crostata
This recipe came about because I purchased one too many hidden rose apples and I did not want it to go to waste. Hidden rose apples are a naturally pink-fleshed apple(not pink peel, like the actual color of the fruit is pink), and they are usually only available 2-3 months in the year. They have…
Pasta Napolitan
I love love love Japanese/yoshoku stye pasta dishes. They really combine the best of both Western and Eastern cuisines. Pasta Napolitan is an interesting one, because it features spaghetti in a spicy tomato sauce with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and Vienna sausages. It is hearty, warming, and perfect for what my unofficial theme for January…
Polenta-Fennel-Yuzu Cake
So I was watching Next Gen Chef on Netflix and there was one contestant, Abby, who made a recipe very similar to this one for the first challenge, where the contestants had to work in teams to make a progressive tasting menu inspired by one of three famous CIA alumnus. Abby tackled the dessert making…
Yuzu Castella with Blueberries
This recipe kind of combines two of my old recipes, being my Blueberry Dreams baumkuchen and my yuzu castella strawberry shortcake. I love the combination of blueberries and citrus, since blueberries on their own have such a mild, sweet flavor, while tartness just adds a sharp contrast, keeping things interesting. Yuzu in particular is a…
Bacon, Liver, and Onion Pasta
A while back, I made a liver and onions picatta dish, and it got me craving more calves liver. Which is hilarious because I love calves liver already. When I made that picatta dish, I went with lighter flavors, using a lot of acid, capers, and caramelized onions for a more dainty feel/contrast. So I…
Pistachio-Cherry Shortbreads
These shortbreads were made with a love for Italian spumoni in mind. Spumoni is usually pistachio and cherry ice cream, so the combination of the two is something I absolutely adore. Pistachios are nutty, smoky, and salty, while cherries are sweet and tart. In the case of this recipe, I used pistachio flour, made by…
Freddy's Harajuku 