Recounting my nearest and dearest dishes of 2023
A look back on my first 3 months of personal cheffing
In no particular order whatsoever, I present to you my greatest triumphs of my first months navigating the kitchens of clients and creating menus that don’t completely and utterly stress me out because they are too complex and time consuming!!! I linked the recipes that were borrowed from other chefs. For the ones that have no link, I either crowdsourced that recipe on Google until I decided on a technique that I liked or I just flew by the seat of my pants!
Parmesan roasted savoy cabbage with herby walnut vinaigrette
Savoy cabbage is a delicacy of winter produce. Slightly sweeter and more flavorful than other cabbage varieties I’ve tried, it roasts and tenderizes beautifully. The only thing that can make simple roasted Savoy better is with a sprinkle of parmesan right before hitting the oven. To finish it off, I chop up lots of herbs and toasted walnuts, drizzle in some oil to make a sauce and spoon it over the charred cabbage.
Turkey, avocado & spinach sliders
This recipe hails from the agency’s recipe index. It’s so simple and so satisfying — and that’s coming from someone who despises turkey and has never been a huge meatball or slider fan. Blitz the spinach until fine, chop the avocado into small chunks, crack an egg, add a few spoonfuls of almond flour, a sprinkle of paprika, some salt and pepper, and fold that all into the ground turkey (or chicken! or lamb!). Form into patties, sear on both sides, and finish in the oven. It’s the perfect weekday lunch and they keep very well.
I had never made any kind of braised meat before personal cheffing and this braised short rib was my first one ever. I honestly felt super accomplished when I pulled it out of the oven, after finishing cooking the rest of my prep, and the meat was so tender and falling off the bone. I loosely followed this NYT cooking recipe, searing the meat and onions before deglazing the pan, adding stock, covering and placing in a low oven for hours and hours.
Honeynut squash, chickpea & spinach soup
Loosely based off King’s beloved honeynut squash soup, I modified and “meal prep-ified” it for one of my clients. Sweat some garlic until fragrant. Add the squash and allow it to cook down a bit and caramelize. Add stock and partially cover until thickened. Stir in chickpeas and spinach, until wilted. My client was utterly shocked when I told her it was only 4 ingredients — the sweetness of the honeynut squash stands on its own.
Dijon oyster mushrooms, splash of ACV to finish is the KEY
This recipe comes from Anna Jones, an England-based vegetarian/vegan chef, who writes some of my most beloved cookbooks. I was a bit skeptical for her method of cooking these mushrooms at first, but once I made them, I was hooked. She starts the mushrooms in a dry, hot pan (no oil or butter!). Once they begin to sweat, she adds some oil, garlic, and thyme. She lets them cook until they are soft and golden, turns off the heat and adds a splash of apple cider vinegar. I’ve used every kind of vinegar — balsamic, red wine vinegar — I have on hand, though, and they all have been phenomenal.
Honeynut squash Mac and cheese with sage breadcrumbs
Have you noticed yet that I’m crazy for honeynut squash? I make this Mac and cheese for Friendsgiving, modifying it over the years to align with my friends dietary restrictions, but it always remains a favorite. I thought the kids of one of my client’s would love this elevated take on the classic Mac and cheese, and I was right! I don’t make a honeynut squash sauce like I have other times, I simply cut the squash into 1” cubes and boil them until fork tender and then fold them into the pasta and mornay sauce.
Maple roasted kuri squash
Since my days at King, I have been a honeynut squash stand. Those small, sweet, succulent, and bright orange beauties that grace our presence for only a few short months are my fall personality. That is until I discovered kuri squash. The thing is butternut has a too hard exterior and I despise peeling it. Kabocha is a little prissy in that it requires a particular attention for it to not come out chalky. Delicata is good but I just don’t crave it. And then when I least expected it, I ordered kuri squash for a client, cut it up and deseeded it, tossed it with olive oil, salt, and maple syrup, covered with aluminum foil and roasted at 425F until softened and charred. It tasted better than candy, and I don’t say that lightly.
Ratatouille
I made my first ratatouille over the summer in Paris. Sam and I went to an amazing farm and brought back all the produce — zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, basil. While this one was tasty, I learned from my mistakes, read various recipes online, including Clare de Boer’s in her Substack, The Best Bits. So, the second one that I cooked for a client was unstoppable. I was so inspired and so enamored for more that I marched straight to the farmers market, picked up all the produce I needed, and made it immediately upon entering my apartment. The key is to cook down the yellow onions and peppers until jammy and roast the eggplant on its own since as Clare notes, eggplant is a bit of a “diva”!
Miso-glazed eggplant
On my first day cooking for one of my client’s, I cooked alongside Rebekah who’s in charge of the agency. We cut up eggplant and roasted it in a hot oven with some oil and salt until it began to soften. We then tossed it with a mixture of more oil, miso, and maple syrup and placed it back in the oven until it softened and caramelized. It quickly became a staple menu item for this client.
Pomegranates are the perfect way to add a touch of tartness and a pop of color to any fall/winter dish. This baked sea bass uses both fresh pomegranate arils and pomegranate molasses, which is cooked down pomegranate juices until thickened and sweet.
Fennel salad with castelvantrano olives, watermelon radish, orange, mint & sumac
Fennel salad is a superstar of fall/winter cooking. Altro Paradiso makes a legendary one with just fennel, castelvantrano olives, orange, champagne vinegar, lemon, olive oil, and flakey salt. Mine added more bites and colors, including the pretty pink and green watermelon radishes, orange segments, mint, and a sprinkle of sumac (a lemon-y middle eastern spice). Serve with a piece of roasted fish and you have yourself a perfect winter meal.
Saffron salmon
For the life of me I cannot remember where I got the inspiration for this saffron salmon but it was beyond flavorful and surprisingly easy to make. I cooked down the onion and garlic, added the saffron, cumin, coriander, and tomato paste. Then spooned that over the salmon and baked it until flakey. I finished it with a squeeze of lemon.
