Category Archives: Cool Cooking Techniques

Festive Pearl Meatballs for Lunar New Year — and Beyond

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Ring in the Lunar New Year with these delectable pearl meatballs.
Ring in the Lunar New Year with these delectable pearl meatballs.

Now’s the time go all in on festive gold, jade, and pearls for the Lunar New Year.

Especially when it comes to “Pearl Meatballs.”

This celebratory dish was believed to have been served in the imperial court in central China, as far back as 700 years ago. Covered in glutinous rice, these juicy meatballs are thought to resemble pearls, symbols of unity and prosperity.

A dim sum staple these days, they are also very much a New Year’s essential. And best yet, they are a cinch to make at home.

Although there are many recipes for them, with their own small variations, this particular one comes from “Classic Chinese Recipes” (Hamlyn, 2025), of which I received a review copy.

This 7-inch-by-5 1/4-inch book may be small, but it’s mighty. That’s because it was written by Ken Hom, the legendary Chinese American chef, cookbook author, culinary instructor, and television host who helped popularize and demystify authentic Chinese cooking for Western palates. For a time, he studied art history at the University of California at Berkeley, then segued into teaching cooking classes, most notably at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.

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Rapturous Strawberries ‘N’ Cream Cookies

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Made with freeze-dried strawberries and velvety white chocolate.
Made with freeze-dried strawberries and velvety white chocolate.

There are cookbooks that offer up small snippets here and there of the author’s life.

And there are culinary memoirs of lengthy prose that are rather miserly when it comes to including but a few recipes.

“Will This Make You Happy” (Chronicle Books), of which I received an early review copy, is a welcome hybrid that debuts in March, and is already available for pre-order.

It brims with more than 50 recipes But more so, it warms the heart as it demonstrates how the simple act of baking can be so profoundly transformative.

The book was written by Tanya Bush, a Brooklyn-based writer, editor, and baker, who co-founded the publication Cake Zine. She is the pastry chef at Little Egg in Brooklyn, where her crullers have won a devoted following. No slouch in the writing department, she earned an MFA in creative writing from Hunter College in New York City.

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It’s Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake Prime Time

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A super simple cake that bakes up souffle-like on top, and creamy pudding-like on the bottom.
A super simple cake that bakes up souffle-like on top, and creamy pudding-like on the bottom.

Jessica Merchant wasn’t kidding when she wrote that this “looks like nothing but tastes like everything.”

Her “Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake” might never win a beauty award, but this light-as-air creation will floor you with its fathomless wallop of zingy citrus taste.

This easy-as-can-be cake is from her newest cookbook, “Easy Everyday” (Rodale), of which I received a review copy.

The creator of the How Sweet Eats blog, Merchant offers up 100 effortless eats. This is a woman who believes dinner should never take more than 45 minutes to prepare, and breakfasts and lunches should be ready in a snap.

That’s evident in recipes such as “Whipped Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes” (throw everything in a blender to make the batter in seconds), “Fire Roasted Lentil Lunch Soup” (saves time by using canned lentils), “Sticky BBQ Meatballs with Herbed Smashed Potatoes” (makes use of your favorite prepared barbecue sauce), and “No Bake S’Mores Pie” (the filling is made on the stovetop).

This pudding cake is one of those magical concoctions where the batter separates as it bakes so that the top turns fluffy like a souffle — without the anxiety of actually making one — and the bottom becomes creamy like a cross between pudding and curd.

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Gnocchi — But Turn It Korean

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Korean bibimbap gets a little Italian flair.
Korean bibimbap gets a little Italian flair.

When it comes to cooking, Hetty Lui McKinnon has a knack for seeing what others don’t. With a gift for fusing ingredients from different cultures, this Chinese Australian cookbook author who lives in Brooklyn creates dishes that aren’t confounding, but rather thoughtfully and marvelously cohesive.

After all, who else would think to take Italian gnocchi and turn it into a foundation for Korean bibimbap?

Her “Bibimbap-Style Gnocchi with Gochujang Vinaigrette” absolutely works, too, with purchased gnocchi taking the place of the usual chewy Korean rice cakes or fluffy steamed rice.

The recipe is from her latest cookbook, “Linger” (Alfred A. Knopf), of which I received a review copy. It’s a collection of hearty salads and simple desserts that are especially dear to her heart.

In fact, salads are what inspired her culinary career. As a mother of three living in Australia, she started a salad delivery service out of her home. Two days a week, for four years, she made salads and delivered them on her bike to customers.

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Lighten the Load, Part II: Black Garlic Butter Branzino

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It tastes like a restaurant-worthy dish -- but takes only one pan and about 10 minutes to make.
It tastes like a restaurant-worthy dish — but takes only one pan and about 10 minutes to make.

When it comes to Italian cooking, Chef Joe Sasto doesn’t like to adhere rigidly to tradition.

Thus, the title of his new cookbook, “Breaking the Rules” (Simon Element), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by San Francisco-native and “Top Chef” alum Sasto, who graduated from the University of California at Davis before going to work for three years at Michelin three-starred Quince in San Francisco, where he was in charge of the hand-made pasta program. From there, he went on to become executive sous chef at Michelin two-starred Lazy Bear in San Francisco.

The book, written with assistance from cook and recipe developer Thea Baumann, is a collection of recipes that Sasto makes at home.

From the first page, his flair for bending or breaking so-called rules in on display.

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