Welcome to our biweekly roundup of our favorite things. We’ll only ever recommend things that we personally have tried and enjoyed.
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1. 108 Asian Cookies: Not-Too-Sweet Treats from a Third-Culture Kitchen, by Kat Lieu
In the intro to her excellent cookie book, Kat Lieu says that one of the reasons she wrote it is because she wanted to address the homogeneity in baking cookbooks—especially cookie books. Which … look at the cookie books on your shelf and try to argue with that.
Lieu’s cowboy cookies have red miso and ginger and broken up Pocky (my friend Tao and I are planning to make these ones for New Years). Her Cheesecake Cookies with Black Sesame look amazing, and like nothing you’ve seen before. Tamago Boro—Japanese egg biscuits—she writes, are tiny and melt in your mouth and are meant to be eaten by the dozen. Also: Pho Cookies!? Why the hell not?
This book offers so many (dare I say 108) ways to incorporate Asian ingredients like ube, yuzu, butterfly pea flower, pandan, doenjang, matcha, and furu into your repertoire. And if you love Asian food as I do, that’s a great thing.
Get a sampling of the treats you’ll find in 108 Asian Cookies with the aforementioned cowboy cookies and cheesecake cookies, here and here.
2. Family Thai: Bringing the Flavors of Thailand Home, by Arnold Myint
Arnold Myint‘s mother and father, Thai and Burmese immigrants respectively, brought International Market & Restaurant to Nashville in 1975. Myint essentially grew up there: it was, for him, “a makeshift castle, where I could traverse mountains made of stacked jasmine rice sacks; a workspace for doing homework; and the perfect place to throw a birthday party, year after year.”
Now, years later and after much soul searching—figure skating, being a guest on Food Network Star, working as a chef alongside Jean-Georges Vongerichten—Myint operates the second version of International Market with his sister. He wrote Family Thai as a means to better understand himself as a Thai-American and to remain connected to his mom, who passed away in 2018.
Expect to find a comforting array of dishes, for both novice home cooks and those looking for “projects”: Mom’s Pad Woon Cent (Glass Noodles with Pickled Garlic), Peanut Sauce Fondue, Congee, Chicken Fat Rice with KMG Sauce and Ginger Broth. Just know this, from Myint: “I’ve got ninety-nine recipes, and Pad Thai ain’t one.”
3. Dorie’s Anytime Cakes
My dad and I recently had Dorie Greenspan on the podcast, and I just love her. (Okay, and so does everyone else in the world.) She has such a non-fussy approach to baking, yet she knows it better than just about anyone. Dorie’s Anytime Cakes focuses on easy and snackable cakes, and even my 9-year-old was intrigued when he saw it—and started dog-earing pages! Cocoa-Swirled Pumpkin Bundt, Cafuné Corn Cake, BFF Brownie Cake, Apple Custard Cake… those are just a few of the “snacks” I have my heart set on. (The Morning, Noon and Night Thanksgiving Cake also seems like a real hit—save it for next year or make it right now. It’s got grated sweet potato and orange and is perfect for this time of year.)
5. 30% off at Thrive Market
Thrive Market is a convenient way to stock up on all your staples. I love it for coconut milk and coconut oil, sea salt, canned tomatoes, crackers, sponges, cleaning supplies—and coffee! (Their coffee is really good.) The (small) membership fee is more than made up for with the discounts you’ll receive on every order. Try Thrive Market today and receive 30% off your first order AND a free gift!
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