Lillian Chou
Gruyère Rarebit with Ham
Though this famous pub dish—usually made with Cheddar—is known for its lack of meat, a slice of high-quality ham adds another layer of deliciousness.
Vegetable Barley Soup with Poached Egg
Lightly poached eggs add luxurious body and sophistication to this weeknight soup.
Napa Cabbage Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
Topping Napa cabbage and radishes with a distinctively tangy dressing results in a salad that's as lively as it is simple.
Caramelized Banana Splits with Hot Chocolate Sauce
With its warm, gooey goodness, this dessert will bring bananas Foster to mind. You'll have some sauce left over, which will be handy because, we assure you, you'll be in the mood to have this again the next night—if not sooner.
Butternut Squash with Pumpkin-Seed Pesto
Here's an idea: Save a few of the toasted pumpkin seeds to use as a garnish. That little bit of extra crunch will complement the sweet, succulent squash beautifully.
Chinese Barbecued Baby Back Ribs
It may sound like the kind of bogus claim made on late-night infomercials, but trust us when we say it's true: You really can have juicy ribs ready in an hour! Finishing the ribs under the broiler is the secret to getting a perfectly crisp-moist texture.
Tea-Poached Pears with Tapioca Pearls and Satsumas
Just as they do in sweet Chinese bubble tea, fat, chewy pearls of tapioca bring a certain levity to pears in a fragrant spiced-cider "broth." Satsuma segments add hits of sweetness to this chic, playful dessert.
Coconut Tart
This tart is simply all about the coconut—a flavor that Southeast Asians go wild for. Don't expect a gooey, cloying confection, though; this one is a buttery shell chock-full of chewy shredded coconut.
Cranberry Kumquat Sauce
Kumquats and cranberries turn out to be a perfect match, since their flavors are similar in intensity: The former contributes a pleasant citrusy bitterness to the latter's signature tartness.
Roasted Japanese Sweet Potatoes with Scallion Butter
If you've never had pale-fleshed Japanese sweet potatoes before, you'll be surprised by their subtler, drier flesh, which tastes unmistakably of chestnut. A bit of miso mixed into the scallion butter stealthily rounds out the interplay of sweet and umami that will have you eating all the way through to the last flaky remnants of skin.
Smoked-Oyster Sticky Rice Stuffing in Lotus Leaf
Beware—once you've had a few bites of this rice, you'll surely be back for seconds and thirds. Loaded with bits of treasure—smoked oysters, meaty mushrooms, Chinese sausage that tastes almost candied—the rice itself has an amazing chew that exemplifies the Chinese genius for varying textures in a meal. Though the lotus-leaf wrapping is optional, the rice gains a beguiling aroma, suggestive of tea, if you do use it—and the drama of unwrapping the stuffing at the table, like a lovely present, shouldn't be underestimated.
Spiced Roasted Turkey
Pushing a buttery spice paste underneath the turkey's skin allows the flavor to perfume the meat—and gives it extra juiciness. Here, we use the favorite Indian combination of garlic and ginger paste, along with the technique of toasting spices and then grinding them, for the freshest, most powerful result. Though the paste may smell pungent, its flavor, once the turkey has been cooked, is quite gentle.
Pumpkin, Corn, and Lemongrass Soup
Use any seasonal squash you like in this comforting and creamy soup.
Pickled Napa Cabbage with Umeboshi Plums
Quick-pickled cabbage has a refreshing crunch, with a light saltiness enhanced by umeboshi (Japanese salted plums with purple shiso).
Indian-Spiced Pickled Vegetables
We typically think of pickling as involving mainly vinegar or, as is the case with kimchi, a fermenting process. In India, however, oil is the secret ingredient, employed to carry the flavor of spices. Here, mustard seeds and ground turmeric bring brightness to the mix.
Apple Cider Beignets with Butter-Rum Caramel Sauce
Sparkling cider, rather than sugar, gives our batter its touch of sweetness. The cider also ramps up the apple flavor and adds to the beignets' lovely golden hue.
Vietnamese Shrimp and Pork Crepes
These crisp golden crêpes, filled with shrimp, pork, and vegetables, are both delicious and fun to eat. Simply wrap each crêpe in a lettuce leaf, tuck in fresh herbs like mint and basil, and dip it in the sweet-and-sour sauce.
Singapore "Carrot Cake"
Once a favorite breakfast of the Chinese, this dish might more accurately be called a daikon scramble. But the Chinese words for carrot and daikon are almost the same, and "cake" refers to the way the rice flour binds the ingredients.
Quick Beef with Broccoli
Who needs takeout? You can make tender sirloin beef tips and broccoli in a velvety soy glaze just as fast yourself.
Chicken Wings with Black-Bean Sauce
Chinese fermented black beans are a bargain—the small amount here packs a pungent, salty flavor that complements the sweet, garlicky sauce for the wings.