Directions

1. Fill a pot with 3 quarts water. Add coarsely chopped pork, garlic, ginger, lemon grass, brown sugar, salt, pepper, cilantro stems and coarsely-chopped onion. Cover, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 45 minutes and up to two hours. Strain broth, discard solids, and return broth to pot.
2. Bring broth to a boil and add thinly sliced pork and rice vermicelli. Cook until noodles are done and pork is cooked, about 10 minutes.
3. To serve, use a ladle to portion broth into bowls. Use tongs to add noodles and pork to bowls. Serve with cilantro leaves, sliced red onion, lemon wedges, jalapeño, bean sprouts, hoisin sauce and chili sauce or sriracha to add in.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with oil or cooking spray and set aside.
2. Mix cinnamon and regular sugar in a bowl. Combine well.
3. On a floured surface, roll pizza dough into a 14" x 10" rectangle. Use a spatula to spread 4 tbsp of the soft butter over the dough, making sure the entire thing is covered.
4. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over the butter, making sure all is covered. Start at the bottom of the dough and roll the longest way from the bottom to the top, pinching to seal until you have an 10" cylinder.
5. Cut the cylinder into 10 1" pieces and transfer to prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake cinnamon rolls for 12-15 minutes or until outsides are golden brown and butter-cinnamon mixture begins to lightly bubble. Allow to cool slightly.
7. Whisk together melted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and 2 tbsp water until creamy. Add a bit more powdered sugar if needed to achieve a smooth glaze.
8. Drizzle the glaze over the warm cinnamon rolls and serve.

Makes 10 cinnamon rolls.

Directions

1. Preheat oven 475 degrees F. Lightly dust a baking sheet or pizza pan with flour and set aside.
2. Place herbs, olive oil, garlic and almonds in a food processor or blender and puree into a slightly chunky pesto. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. To shave the asparagus, lay a stalk on a cutting board and carefully run a vegetable peeler over the length of the vegetable, creating a thin strip. Continue until all that is left is as thin strip of asparagus and repeat with remaining asparagus. Set with other pizza ingredients.
4. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll pizza out into a 12" circle. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.
5. Spread pesto over base of dough, leaving a 1" border. Sprinkle with cheese. Crack eggs over cheese. Top with shaved asparagus and tomato slices. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until crust is crisp and browned on the edges.
6. Sprinkle with red chili flakes, if desired.

Directions

1. To make the stock, place the dashi kombu and the bonito flakes in a soup pot with 2 quarts of water. Bring to a simmer and then turn off heat. Allow mixture to sit for 10 minutes. Strain and add soy sauce and mirin. Set aside.
2. To make the filling, heat 2 tbsp of the butter in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 of the garlic and ginger and cook for about 30 seconds, making sure the garlic doesn't brown. Add the thinly sliced mushrooms and allow to cook for about a minute.
3. Use an 1/8 cup ladle or measuring cup to add the dashi broth 1/8 cup at a time. Turn the heat up to high as you do this to encourage the mixture to reduce. Add 6 ladles of broth slowly, allowing the mixture to cook and reduce in between broth additions. Use a spoon or scraper to scrape the browning that occurs on the edges and stir it into the mixture. Spread filling onto a sheet pan or clean plate to allow it to cool.
4. To make the broth, heat 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Saute shallots, remaining garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, avoiding browning. Add mushrooms and peas. Add 5 1/8 cup ladles of the dashi stock and simmer lightly, just until the vegetables cook, about 1 minute. Turn off heat.
5. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
6. While water boils, make the egg wash by beating the egg and about 1 tbsp water with a fork until nearly white.
7. Set won ton wrappers on a clean, dry surface. Use a pastry brush to coat the borders of each won ton wrapper with the egg wash.
8. Use a teaspoon to place a small amount of filling in the center of each wrapper ("Don't be overzealous with the filling!" says Chef Dennis Lee).
9. Gently pinch the corners together to form a point and tightly seal the edges to lock in the filling. Make sure to press the air out of the middle of the dumplings as excess air will cause them to fall apart during cooking.
10. Cook the dumplings in the boiling water until they float and appear nearly translucent, 5-6 minutes.
11. While the dumplings cook, turn the heat to medium-low on the broth-vegetable mixture up, just to reheat. Once dumplings have cooked, fish out using a slotted spoon or strainer and add to broth. Cook for 1-2 minutes to incorporate flavors.
12. Serve in bowls, garnished with scallions.

Directions

1. Lightly dust 2 baking sheets with flour. Set aside.
2. Bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add sweet potato and cook for 10-12 minutes or until sweet potato is very soft. Rinse and drain. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine yeast, 1/2 cup warm water and sugar or honey. Mix gently and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
4. In a food processor, combine cooked sweet potato, yeast mixture, flour, salt, milk and 2 eggs. Knead using machine for 1-2 minutes or until dough is very elastic. Add more flour if necessary to achieve a smooth dough.
5. Form the dough into a ball and dust with flour. Transfer to a clean mixing bowl, cover with a clean dish towel and place in a warm spot (like an oven that has been turned on briefly and then turned off) for 30 minutes or until dough doubles in size.
6. Once dough has risen , punch it down and knead by hand on a floured surface 10-12 times. divide into 2 logs and cut each log into 6 pieces. Form pieces into balls and place onto prepared baking sheets, making sure each ball has plenty of space around it. Leave in a warm space for 30 minutes and up to an hour.
7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
8. To make the egg wash, beat the egg with 4 tbsp lukewarm water. Use a pastry brush to brush over the buns.
9. Bake the buns for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot with butter or let cool and slice in half for sandwiches or burgers.