Sake

As a working mother with four daughters, my mom had very little spare time, yet she always managed to turn out meals reminiscent of her native Canton, China. This dish, one of her specialties, takes its name from the moist, velvety texture the chicken gets from being poached at a low temperature. My mother loved the short preparation time (the chicken finishes cooking through heat retained in a covered pot) and that the poaching liquid can be strained and then chilled or frozen to be used again. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

At Aqua, the sea bass is presented with shrimp tortellini in lobster consommé.

"Recently, I had dinner at the super-romantic Shadowbrook Restaurant in nearby Capitola," writes Holly M. Sharps of Menlo Park, California. "To get to Shadowbrook, you have to take a cable car down a hill. The restaurant is on several levels and has spectacular views of the ocean — not to mention great food. The salmon was absolutely delicious." The sake- and soy-based ponzu sauce is traditionally a Japanese dipping sauce. Here, it’s used to baste the fish as it cooks.

This light and drinkable cocktail pairs the bittersweet flavor of grapefruit with botanical gin and sparkling sake for a bubbly finish.

Loosely inspired by the flavors of Japanese kakuni, this supple sticky-sweet and salty braised pork belly comes together in just one pot.

Call on these adorable sliders piled high with juicy braised pork for a party or game night—they're great for feeding a crowd and almost all the components can be made well in advance.

Every batch of clams will bring a different level of saltiness to this update on linguine with clams, so be sure to taste the broth and add water as needed in case it's too salty.