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Chicken with Goji Berries Broth

Yield: 4 quarts

In a 6 to 8 quart pot, add the bones. Add 4 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. 

Drain, rinse the bones well (here we are par boiling the bones to remove any blood and impurities from the bones).

Add fresh water to the blanched bones, enough water to cover the bones (8 to 10 quarts).  Let this come to a boil and bring it to a simmer. Add the ginger and garlic cloves. Skim the scum off as necessary. Let this boil for 4 to 5 hours. After the 4 to 5 hours, add the onions, carrots, and goji berries. Boil for an additional 1 hours. Continue to skim off any scum and fat. Season liberally with salt. Taste the broth to make sure it’s rich and flavorful. Strain well through a chinois and a cheese cloth. Discard all bones and vegetables. Reserve the broth and let it cool. The next day, discard the solidified fat from the surface of the soup.

Add a handful of goji berries per batch of prepared broth for garnish.

Mushroom-Miso Broth

Yield: 4 quarts

• 2 strips (3x2-inch) kombu (dried kelp)

• 10 large shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, thinly sliced 

• 2 tablespoons mirin 

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1/4 cup awase miso (or 2 tbsp. each shiro and aka miso)

• Small cluster of trimmed enoki mushrooms, torn apart, for garnish

Put all ingredients except miso and enoki mushrooms in a 6 to 8 quart pot, add 4 quarts (16 cups) water, and bring to a boil, partly covered. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, covered, to blend flavors and soften mushrooms. Put miso in a medium heatproof bowl, whisk in about 1 cup hot broth to blend, then pour into pot. Just before serving, top with enoki mushrooms.

Hong Kong milk tea tiramisu

Yield: 8 servings

• 3 large egg yolks

• 1/3 cup whole milk

• 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided

• 8 1/2 tablespoons instant Hong Kong milk tea powder, divided

• 1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1 vanilla bean pod, split

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water

• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) Madeira, Marsala, or rum

• 36 ladyfingers

• Milk chocolate bar, for grating

Whisk together egg yolks, milk, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon tea powder in a medium saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium-low, whisking constantly, until thickened, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer mixture to a heat proof container; cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

Add  mascarpone in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; add chilled egg custard. Beat on medium-high speed until mixture is fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Spoon mixture into a piping bag; cut a 1/2-inch hole in the tip. Set aside.

Add heavy cream and remaining 1 teaspoon sugar in a medium bowl. Using the dull side of a knife, scrape vanilla seeds from split vanilla bean pod into bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Spoon whipped cream mixture into a separate piping bag; cut a 1/2-inch hole in the tip. Set aside.

Stir together 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water and remaining 7 1/2 tablespoons tea powder in a small bowl. Stir in Madeira. Set aside.   

Arrange 3 ladyfingers lengthwise, side by side, on a cutting board. Press down onto ladyfingers using a 2 3/4-inch ring mold to create a 2 3/4-inch circle of cookies. Fit cookie circle inside bottom of a 4-ounce glass. Repeat process using about 15 additional ladyfingers to fill bottoms of 8 glasses total, using cookie scraps as needed to fill glass bottoms. Drizzle 1 1/2 tablespoons tea mixture into each glass on the ladyfinger layer.

Evenly pipe a layer of mascarpone custard (about 3 tablespoons) into each glass. Repeat with ladyfingers and tea mixture in each glass to create an additional layer.

Pipe a layer of whipped cream (about 1/4 cup) into each glass. Chill at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours or overnight. Finely grate milk chocolate over tiramisu just before serving.

DUTCH PANCAKE WITH STRAWBERRY-VANILLA COMPOTE

Yield: 1 large pancake, 2 to 4 servings

• ½ cup all-purpose flour

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1 cup whole milk

• 2 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold

• Powdered sugar for garnish

• 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced for garnish

• Maple syrup for garnish

• 1 wedge of lemon for garnish

• Whipped cream for garnish

1 cast iron pan or oven safe pan

 Strawberry-Vanilla Jam:

• 1 cup strawberries, slice

• ¼ cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, split and scrap seeds into pot

• Splash of water

Jam:

Place strawberries, sugar, vanilla, and water into a pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until berries breakdown into a jam like consistency, about 10-15 minutes.

Dutch Pancake Batter:

Mix flour, salt, sugar together. Whisk in milk, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.

Preheat oven to 425F. Place a cast iron pan into the oven to heat for 15 minutes. Cast iron and oven must be very hot! Add butter to pan and let it melt. Add batter to the pan. Close the oven and bake for 16 minutes until the pancake puffs up. Remove pan from the oven and immediately serve with strawberry jam, fresh strawberries, powdered sugar, whipped cream, maple syrup, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

BBQ Pork RIBS with Baked Beans

Pork rib technique:

Remove the membrane from the underside of the baby back ribs. Season with your favorite dry rub on both sides. Let the ribs sit overnight in the refrigerator to marinate. The next day, place ribs onto 2 large sheets of foil. Add 1 cup of apple juice to the bottom of the ribs and wrap the ribs up with additional foil if needed. The liquid will help keep the ribs moist while they cook and continue to add flavor. Place the foiled ribs onto a sheet tray and place into a 300°F oven and slow cook for 3 hours or until ribs are tender. The ribs should look intact but the meat should tear easily when you pull a single rib. At this point the ribs can be glazed with bbq sauce, fish sauce glaze, hoisin glaze, really whatever style you prefer and the ribs can be heated on a grill to give it char or placed in the broiler. Do one layer of glaze, place on the grill/broiler for 3 minutes, and repeat with another layer of glaze until ribs are lacquered and sticky. Slice and serve with a slaw, kimchi, or pickles.

Baked Beans:

• 1 can white beans

• 1/2 onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 slice of bacon, diced, optional

• 1 tablespoon ketchup

• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon worchestershire

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 2 tablespoon brown sugar and/or molasses

A few dashes of smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, mustard powder, chili powder, celery salt, black pepper, louisiana hot sauce or tabasco.

Render bacon in a pot. Saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add condiments, spices, and beans. Simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes.

KUNG PAO

• 1-1 ½ pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into ¾ inch cube

  • Can substitute with peeled and deveined shrimp, thinly sliced flank steak, tofu, cauliflower

  • 2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

  • 2 tablespoon canola oil

  • 1 small yellow onion, cut into ½-inch dice

  • 5 garlic cloves, finely minced

  • 1 tablespoon finely minced or grated fresh ginger

  • 1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, cut into ½-inch dice

  • 2 celery stalk, cut into ½-inch dice

  • ½ cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts (can substitute with macadamia nuts or cashews), roughly chopped

  • 15 to 20 whole dried tianjin or other Chinese chilies (can substitute with dried chile de arbol), cut in half if you want it spicy!

  • ½ teaspoon whole Sichuan peppercorns

  • 1 tablespoon canola or other neutral oil

  • 2 scallions, cut into 1-inch batons or sliced (use whites and green)

  • Steamed coconut rice (ingredients below), white rice, cauliflower rice, or quinoa, for serving

  Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons Chinese shaoxing rice wine

  • 2 teaspoons sugar

  • ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper or black pepper

  • 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce

  • 3 tablespoon dark aged soy sauce, preferred. Or 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce

  • 3 tablespoon Chinese Chinkiang black vinegar (can substitute with balsamic vinegar)

In a hot wok or pan, add 1 TB sesame oil and saute onions, garlic, ginger for 1 minute. Add bell peppers, celery, and saute for another minute. Add peanuts, chili pods, and peppercorns for 1 minute. Remove all vegetables from the pan and return pan to the fire. Add canola oil to a hot pan and saute the protein on high heat until caramelized on all sides and brown. When cooked thoroughly, add the cooked vegetables and spices back into the pan. Add hoisin, rice wine, soy sauce, black vinegar, and white pepper. Saute for 1 minute, Mix 1 tsp cornstarch + 1TB cold water to create a slurry. Add this to the pan if the sauce needs to be thickened and heat on high. The cornstarch will help thicken the sauce to your desired consistency. Serve immediately over white rice or grain of your choice.

duck breast, black garlic, radishes

For the black garlic tapenade: 

• Peel 2 cloves of black garlic cloves and use a knife to chop it into a smooth paste. Whisk with 1 Tablespoon soy sauce, 3 Tablespoons of high quality extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.

For the roasted radishes:

• Cut radishes into quarters. Toss with 1 smashed garlic clove, 2 sprigs of thyme, olive oil, salt/pepper.

• Place in one even layer onto a sheet tray and roast at 375F until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

For the grilled scallion:

• Toss scallions lightly in oil, salt, pepper. Place onto the grill to quickly char them (or saute in a hot pan).

For the seared duck breast:

• Remove excess fat from duck breast. Score the skin. Season both sides well with kosher salt & black pepper. Heat a cast iron or standard pan on high heat. Place the duck in skin side down and reduce heat to medium-low. Render the skin as you would render bacon to get it crispy, it takes about 8-10 minutes. Flip the duck and cook on the other side for an additional minute. Place into the oven to cook to medium rare.

GRILLED QUAIL, STONE FRUIT, CHARRED LIME VINAIGRETTE

For the grilled quail:

• marinate de-boned quail overnight in 2 parts fish sauce, 1 part brown sugar, 1 part water, and chopped garlic

• lightly salt and pepper both sides

• grill quail skin side down for 4 minutes until golden brown and slightly charred

• flip and cook 1 additional minute

For the charred lime vinaigrette:

• slice limes in half and place on grill until charred

• squeeze the juice into a bowl, and remove any seeds

• whisk in 1 chopped shallot, a drizzle of honey, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil (1 part juice to 2 parts olive oil)

For the stone fruit salad:

• toss an assortment of sliced stone fruit such as apricots, peaches, cherries in olive oil, salt, and pepper

• grill on high heat until charred

• repeat with spring onions or scallions

• pick fresh mint and cilantro leaves, add any greens of choice such as arugula

• toss greens together with grilled fruit and scallions

• drizzle in the lime vinaigrette to coat the salad gently

• season with salt and pepper

tip: the quail marinade is also great for pork chops and chicken wings!  The recipe can be done with fall fruits and vegetables, have fun with it!

red rice & crispy tofu salad (gluten-free)

For the salad:

• 1 cup uncooked red rice

• 2 ears corn

• 1 package firm tofu, drained well, medium diced

• 1 cup rice flour

• 1/2 cup cornstarch

• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1/2 cup english cucumbers, seeds removed, small diced

• 1/2 cup radishes, small diced (or sliced on mandolin)

• 1/2 cup canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed well

• 1/2 cup chopped herbs of your choice (basil, mint, dill, parsley)

• Olive oil

For the vinaigrette:

• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 small shallot, minced

Whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat a large pot of unsalted water. once water is boiling, add the red rice. after 15-20 minutes, the grains will start to split - at this point you can add salt to the water to flavor the rice and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes until tender. drain well, rinse, and cool the rice for later use (note: rice will not be tender if you add salt in the beginning!)

Char corn on grill until there is color, cut kernels off, and chill (discard cobs)

Heat olive oil in a pan. toss tofu in a mixture of rice flour and cornstarch. shake off excess. sauté for 5 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. remove and place onto a paper towel. season lightly with salt

In a large mixing bowl, add cooked red rice, grilled corn kernels, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, kidney beans, parsley, basil, and enough dressing to absorb well into the rice. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with additional herbs, if desired. Top with crispy tofu and serve immediately.

KIMCHI BRUSSELs SPROUTS

For the Brussels sprouts:

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, remove end and outer brown leaves, wash and dry well, cut in half lengthwise through the core keeping leaves intact

• 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds

For the kimchi dressing:

• 1 teaspoon red korean chili flakes (known as gochugaru)

• 1/2 small onion, small diced

• 1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced

• 1/2 cup rice vinegar

• 1/4-inch ginger, grated on mandolin

• 1 tablespoon sugar

Saute chopped onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and let mixture cool.
Place the chilled onion mixture into blender and add rice vinegar, ginger, sugar, and chili flakes. Blend on high until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (it should have good acidity, be a little spicy but not overwhelming, and be slightly sweet and garlicky).

In a hot pan with oil, roast one even layer of Brussels sprouts on high heat (do not overcrowd the pan!) Let brussels sprouts caramelize on one side then flip to caramelize other side. Season with salt and black pepper. Remove Brussels sprouts from pan once they are caramelized on all sides. Repeat with remaining Brussels sprouts in batches. Place the cooked Brussels sprouts in a bowl and toss with enough kimchi dressing to coat. Top with black sesame seeds and serve warm.

tip: the kimchi dressing is great with roasted broccolini, summer zucchini, cauliflower, and all types of roasted vegetables!

matcha Chia pudding (Gluten-free, Dairy-Free)

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

• 2 cup almond milk

• 1 cup coconut mlk

• 3 tablespoons condensed milk, agave, or other sweetener

• ½ teaspoon vanilla bean extract

• 1 teaspoon almond extract

• 3/4 to 1 cup chia seeds (depends how thick you like your pudding)

• 1 tablespoon matcha powder

In a blender, add almond milk, coconut milk, matcha powder, and almond extract and blend on high until smooth.  Pour mixture into a bowl.

Whisk in the chia seeds and chill the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 2 hour.  Stir the pudding, and continue to chill for an additional 4 hours or overnight to let the chia seeds expand.

Layer with your favorite fruits and toasted nuts or enjoy just by itself.