Garlic & Dill Yogurt Dip

by Judy Kim

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Garlic & Dill Yogurt Dip

Yield: Approximately 2 cups

Pretty sure I've never met a party dip that I didn't like, this is no exception. I make a version of this dip for almost every party I have. This is a great base that you change up easily by layering on additional flavors such as scallions, chives cayenne or even horseradish. Enjoy this for any gathering or holiday party full of friends and family. Excellent with seasonal vegetables from the farmers market. My all time favorites are carrots, fennel, a variety of radishes and those cute little baby cherry tomatoes when you can find them. It might be fun to make some baked root chips, but we all know potato chips will always be a winner.

Below I make mention to microplane the garlic, a trick I learned from my friend Mark Bello, owner of Pizza a Casa (rockin' pizza school in NYC if you haven't tried it). It's a genius trick I've not been able to stop using. Particularly great in recipes when you don't cook the garlic since it is probably the finest you will ever get the garlic and it's a huge time saver.  

INGREDIENTS

1 cup plain whole yogurt

1 cup mayo, such as Hellmann's

2 garlic cloves, grated with a microplane or finely minced

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together. If possible, make this a day ahead so that all the flavors have time to bloom.

2. Serve chilled.

Suggest to add 1 teaspoon of French Vinaigrette herb mix from Penzeys Spices.

Kombu Ramen

by Judy Kim

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Kombu Ramen 

Yield: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

32 ounces low-sodium chicken stock (4 cups)

1 cup water          

2 pieces dried kombu

¼ cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon mirin

2 6-minute soft boiled eggs

1 package ramen noodles

DIRECTIONS

1. In medium pot, add chicken stock, water, kombu, soy sauce and mirin. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour. Or until reduced about 25%. Set aside and keep warm. This step can be made in advance.

2. Place 2 cold eggs carefully into medium pot filled with boiling water. Keep water at a low boil to prevent eggs from cracking. Cook for 6 minutes and remove eggs and place into ice water to stop cooking. Peel eggs while slightly warm, they can be more difficult to peel when cold.

3. Use leftover boiling water to cook ramen noodles. Follow package directions for cooking time.

4. Optional toppings such as bok choy split in half, carrots cut into match sticks or enoki mushrooms can be cooked in the ramen broth for a few minutes to make tender.

5. While the noodles are cooking, pour ramen broth into big bowls and add hot noodles. It can be simple with just the 6-minute egg and chopped scallions. Or add any of the optional garnishes.

Optional toppings that can be cooked in ramen broth for a few minutes until tender: bok choy, carrots, enoki mushrooms / Optional garnishes: cilantro, kimchi, scallions, radishes, lemon wheel and black sesame seeds.

Gougères

by Judy Kim

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GOUGERES

Yields: Approximately 36 puffs

INGREDIENTS

GOUGERES:

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons dry mustard

¾ cup whole milk, separated

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter

½ teaspoon kosher salt 

4 large eggs, at room temperature

 ½ cup freshly grated parmesan

¾ cup freshly grated Gruyère, separated

FILLING:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese

1 cup crème fraîche

¼ cup finely chopped chives

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl combine flour and dry mustard; set aside.

3. In a medium sauce pan over high heat add 1/2 cup milk, butter, ¼ cup water and salt; bring to a boil. Add the flour mixture all at once and reduce heat to medium low. Using a wooden spoon, stir vigorously until the mixture forms a thick ball of dough and coats the sides of the pan, about 2-3 minutes. The dough should be smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Beat in eggs one at a time until completely incorporated. Add Parmesan and 1/2 cup Gruyère; stir until well mixed.

4. Using a small ice cream scooper or 1 tablespoon measure, drop dough on parchment lined sheet pans. Space evenly about 1-inch apart. Lightly brush dough with remaining milk and top with remaining Gruyère. Bake on middle rack until puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Rotate halfway through. Cool completely on wire racks.

5. Meanwhile, mix filling ingredients together in a small bowl. Spoon filling into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip, such as a Wilton 1M tip. Just before serving cut off top quarter of each puff, pipe cream cheese filling and replace top.

Note: Gougères can be frozen after completely cooled, up to 2 months. Reheat in the oven before serving.

Jook / Congee

by Judy Kim

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Jook / Congee

Yield: 4-6 servings

When I was a little girl, my Mom would make this for me when I wasn't feeling well. Imagine a large pot simmering gently on the stove, the white rice creates a subtle fragrance that perfumes the air. The rice breaks down and creates this beautiful glossy sheen. Surprisingly even after the rice turns into a porridge, it still maintains a texture and even lends a slightly nutty flavor. For extra flavor, my Mom would often cook leftover rice in a dry non stick pan. It would create a toasted pancake of dehydrated rice. You can store it in a container and then use it to make Jook at anytime. The toasted rice gives it an incredible flavor. It takes extra effort, but trust me, it's worth it.

In Korean culture, Jook is often served as breakfast or when one is sick. In either case, it is ideal as it is very easy to digest. It's very similar to Congee. Living in the Chinatown area, there are loads of places to get delicious take away Congee often that comes in 4 or 5 varieties. In my opinion, Congee tends to be richer and more flavorful than traditional Jook. In most cases, Jook is made with just rice and water, but Congee has many aromatics and made with different kind of meats. This is my version that is a simple cross between the two. There is simply no wrong way to make this. In fact, while writing this recipe, it almost resulted in one over simplified sentence: Soak rice and cook with boat loads of water and simmer forever. But I came to my senses.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups cooked white rice (or 1 cup uncooked short-grain white rice, well rinsed)

3 cups Progresso cooking stock, no sodium chicken stock (or 6 cups stock if making with uncooked rice)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into 4 thin strips

2 cloves of garlic, smashed

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large heavy pot, combine cooked rice, stock, 2 cups of water and salt. Wrap ginger and garlic in a cheese cloth and tie with butchers twine and add to the pot.

2. Bring pot to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes up to 1 hour. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. If you have more time, I would suggest to cook this for as long as you can. If the porridge is too thick, add additional water while it's simmering.

3. Remove ginger and garlic pouch. Serve immediately.

Suggested optional garnishes: chopped scallions, kimchi, shredded chicken or beef.

*If you do not have leftover cooked rice, use the same directions, but simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until it has a porridge like consistency. Most likely it will require an additional 1 to 2 cups of water.

recipe modified 2.6.16