In this issue
Issue #150
My mother's chawanmushi seemed like a treasure hunt. I would dig into the tender egg custard, seeking out chicken, shrimp, gingko nuts, and lily root.
Broccoli and cheddar are a classic pair; their mellow flavors marry in this creamy casserole, a weeknight staple from the kitchen of test kitchen director Kellie Evans' mother, Patricia.
In northeast Thailand and Laos, laab is made of minced meat lightly poached in broth, then dressed with chiles, fresh herbs, and roasted rice powder, and eaten with sticky rice. This recipe comes from chef Hong Thaimee of Ngam restaurant in New York City.
This tangy, spicy curry from Goa, India, has roots in vinh d'alho, a stew brought to the region by Portuguese colonists. Now an Indian restaurant staple, it comes in countless variations—some fiery, some mild—from the subcontinent to the British Isles.
This two-bite pastry is as rich as the name suggests: Its defining ingredients are almond flour and sweet butter, lightened with whipped egg whites.
You can get a bowl of green chili most anywhere in the American southwest, but New Mexicans are particularly proud of their chile verde, with its hunks of juicy pork shoulder and tart tomatillo-based sauce.
The secret to this simple and satisfying pasta dish is boiling the linguine until it's just al dente, so that it will absorb plenty of the briny, winey sauce when the two are cooked together, along with tender chopped clams, just before serving.
Chicken korma is a beloved Indian recipe that came from the Moghuls (the Muslim rulers of much of India from the 16th to 19th centuries).
Although coquilles St-Jacques simply means "scallops" in French, in the idiom of American cooks, the term is synonymous with the old French dish of scallops poached in white wine, placed atop a purée of mushrooms in a scallop shell, covered with a sauce made of the scallop poaching liquid, and gratinéed under a broiler.
Inside a buttery shortbread crust, a molten goo of golden syrup drowns bread crumbs and lemon zest. With little more to the treacle tart than warming ginger and an egg whisked with cream to set the center, its very simplicity is its ultimate strength.
The flaky pastry, the canary-yellow yolks, and the salty bacon make this a dish with cross-cultural appeal.
Pan bagnat, or "bathed bread," is a sandwich found at every bakery and market in the French region of Provençal.
This rich, spicy stew of beef, pork, root vegetables, and greens became a staple in Philly, where West Indian hawkers advertised it with cries of "pepper pot, smoking hot!"
This simple yet sophisticated, airy yet intense concoction has been a hit with home cooks in America at least since the New York Times published its first recipe for the dessert in 1955. Suddenly, it seemed that every hostess was beating egg whites to perfection, folding them into melted chocolate, and chilling the mixture in crystal bowls for dinner parties.
