Steamed Tofu and Trumpet Mushrooms with Ginger, Scallion and Soy For A Virtuous New Year

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Like the classic dish of Chinese steamed whole fish -- but without the fish.
Like the classic dish of Chinese steamed whole fish — but without the fish.

Heaven knows that after the hardships of the past two years, we deserved to indulge heartily during the holidays.

But after one too many cookies, seconds of pie, and slabs of meat that made plates buckle, we’re feeling it.

Is it any wonder that we now crave something lighter and cleaner tasting?

“Steamed Tofu with Trumpet Mushrooms with Ginger, Scallion and Soy” fills the bill — and appetite — beautifully.

The recipe is from “To Asia, With Love: Everyday Asian Recipes and Stories From the Heart” (Prestel), one of my favorite cookbooks of 2021. It’s by Hetty McKinnon, the gifted food writer and Aussie transplant who now makes her home in Brooklyn.

I may be an omnivore and my husband, aka Meat Boy, an avowed carnivore, but the recipes in this vegetarian cookbook never cease to satisfy. Indeed, neither of us ever feels wanting, despite the meat-free dishes.

“Steamed Tofu with Trumpet Mushrooms with Ginger, Scallion and Soy” is ready in a blink of an eye. In fact, it’s so easy that you’ll practically be able to make it from memory again the next time.

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My Top 10 Eats of 2021

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What a year. On the downside, normal is still far more of a concept than a reality. But on a bright note, my favorite eats this year are not comprised solely of takeout foods. I actually was able to dine outside at restaurants, and a couple times even indoors when the situation felt especially safe. So, there is that.

Whether you are comfortable dining indoors, only outdoors or just through delivery or takeout orders, please continue to support your local restaurants, which still need you more than ever.

To stoke your appetite to do so, here are my Top 10 eats of this year, in no particular order:

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Ringing In A New Year With Chocolate Brioche Buns

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They look intricate, but aren't as difficult to make as you might think.
They look intricate, but aren’t as difficult to make as you might think.

You know how I like to start a new year?

With “Everything Chocolate.”

Actually, if given my druthers, I’d start every single day that way.

Good thing “Everything Chocolate: A Decadent Collection of Morning Pastries, Nostalgic Sweets, and Showstopping Desserts” is the exact title of the cookbook (2020) by America’s Test Kitchen, of which I received a review copy. Best yet, the 376-page cookbook is chock full of techniques, photos, and recipes for all things chocolate.

Get your fix with everything from “Midnight Chocolate Cake” and “Chocolate Croissant Cookies” to “Nutella Tartlets” and “Chocolate-Peanut Butter Creme Brulee.”

I was smitten with “Chocolate Brioche Buns” from the moment I spied the photo of these coiled, S-shaped tantalizing treats.

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Chocolate-Almond Pear Tart

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Treat yourself to this beautiful chocolate-almond-pear tart. You deserve it.
Treat yourself to this beautiful chocolate-almond-pear tart. You deserve it.

Who needs one last blowout, showstopping dessert for the year?

We all do.

I mean, it has been that kind of year, right?

But deep, dark chocolate combined with fresh, juicy, sweet pears will set just about anything right.

“Chocolate-Almond Pear Tart” is from Pastry Chef Kristen Hall of Bandit Patisserie in Birmingham, AL. The recipe was published in the Sept. 14, 2021 issue of Bon Appetit magazine.

Red Anjou pears are fanned over the top of this tart.
Red Anjou pears are fanned over the top of this tart

With pear slices fanned out just so over the top, a rim of sliced almonds, and a light dusting of powdered sugar, it’s a beaut, isn’t it?

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Seared Duck Breast with Caramelized Orange Butter

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Seared duck breast with a most buttery sauce.
Seared duck breast with a most buttery sauce.

Southern grit is definitely what Chef Kelsey Barnard Clark exhibited when she triumphed against a tough field on “Top Chef” season 16 and also snagged “Fan Favorite” honors.

It’s also the apt title of her cookbook. “Southern Grit: 100+ Down-Home Recipes for the Modern Cook” (Chronicle Books), of which I received a review copy, that embodies Barnard Clark’s Alabama roots and Southern charm. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, she went on to work at Cafe Boulud and Dovetail, both in New York before returning to Alabama to start a catering company and eatery, KBC.

The more than 100 recipes in this book are definitely not aimed at those counting calories. Be fair-warned that here is an eye-popping abundance of butter and mayonnaise used throughout. The homey dishes include the likes of “Squash Casserole,” “Smoked Gouda Grits with Redeye Gravy,” “Creole Tomato Gravy Shrimp,” and “Golf Cart Cinnamon Rolls.”

Case in point: “Seared Duck Breast with Caramelized Orange Butter.” The easy sauce is made with an entire stick of butter. For two servings. Oh, my!

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