These candied green blueberries are sweet and tart, and we would call them sweetarts, but that name is already taken… sad. We currently do not have a juicer at home (Jess hopes that we will soon!), but if you do, we recommend juicing some fresh blueberries and using that juice in place of the coconut milk in the recipe below for some blueberryception.
Our neighborhood supermarket was having a 2 for $1.00 sale on avocados, so there was no way we can resist purchasing a small box for ourselves! Luckily we still had some sourdough bread leftover from an earlier grocery haul… and what do we do when we have avocados AND bread in the kitchen? We make avocado toast. With some time on our hands, we shaped the avocado slices into roses (you know, for the ‘gram), but don’t feel any pressure to do so when making your version of this recipe at home.
Anyone else here in love with the color of beet stains? Because we are! 🤣 Here is a simple no recipe recipe for a quick morning toast. The key ingredient is actually the finishing salt to balance out the sweetness of the beet and honey. We used a sprinkling of fleur de sel, which is a flaky sea salt that is less dense than table salt and adds a nice little bit of crunch.
Homework?? Yayyy! Nerd alert – I was honestly excited when Chef gave us all a bag of fermented tea leaves to take home and make something yummy out of for a tasting this upcoming Wednesday. Looking into the origin of the ingredient, fermented tea leaves are a commonly used ingredient called lahpet in Myanmar. Tasting it on its own, the leaf is quite bitter. In Myanmar, lahpet is traditionally used to make lahpet thoke, a tea leaf cabbage salad, or ahlu lahpet, a snack dish where the lahpet is served in the center of a tray surrounded by crunchier elements to be mixed with and eaten all together.
After brainstorming several ideas, the one that stuck was turning the fermented tea leaf into a crispy garnish that can go over a bowl of congee, silken tofu, or the like! Continue reading to discover the four ways I’ve flavored the garnish. My favorite so far is the Parmesan Tea Leaf Garnish! I’ll be needing to make a second batch of that one to take to the restaurant since the first is already almost all gone…
Asparagus and eggs, there’s no surprise why this combo has been served time and time again! Hint: it’s quick AND delicious. Today’s take was finished with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a pinch of fleur de sel, but another great option is to top it with a generous grating of fresh Parmesan or if you have time to make the sauce, a spoonful of hollandaise. No plates needed here – we recommend serving it right in the skillet.
Potstickers are dumplings that have been pan-fried on one side for the crispy bottoms and then steamed to ensure the filling and tops of the wrapper are cooked through. The origin story is that an imperial court chef in the Song dynasty accidentally left a batch of dumplings on the stove for a bit too long and burnt the bottoms of the batch. Without time to prepare a new batch, he brazenly served them bottom-side up, bringing attention to the burnt bottoms and claiming that the burning was intentional. Luckily, the crispy bottoms brought a difference in texture to the traditional dumpling and pleased the members of the court so much that potstickers were born.
“Crostini” translates into “little crusts” in Italian and the variations are endless. They can be simply brushed with extra-virgin olive oil before being seasoned with salt and pepper, or topped with any combination of meats, vegetables, cheeses and herbs! For today, we have a baguette slice that has been brushed with butter and toasted until the exterior is just crisp before being topped with a slice of gooey Camembert cheese followed by cremini mushrooms that’s been cooked with shallots, garlic and parsley. A hit of lemon juice during cooking and even right before serving adds a burst of brightness that takes each bite to the next level.
