Tag: Taste With The Eyes

Char Siu Duck Legs over Braised Cabbage

Char Siu Duck Leg over Braised Cabbage
Char Siu Duck Legs over Braised Cabbage
🦆 🥬 🦆 🥬 🦆
Celebrating the Lunar New Year

The year turns. The celebration continues…

Food is central to 🧧 Lunar New Year because the holiday is rooted in family reunion, symbolism, and wishes for the year ahead. The celebration isn’t just about marking a date — it’s about expressing hope, gratitude, and continuity through the shared table.

Lunar New Year, Bellagio Las Vegas
Lunar New Year, Bellagio Las Vegas

Char siu — literally “fork roasted” — is the Cantonese barbecue style known for its glossy, caramelized finish and sweet-savory depth. While traditionally associated with pork, the same lacquered glaze works beautifully with duck, where the rendered skin takes on a deep mahogany sheen and delicate crispness.

I served the duck over wedges of green cabbage slowly braised with sliced carrots and sweet onion in olive oil and chicken stock, then finished under the broiler so the vegetables picked up their own smoky edges.

The char on the cabbage mirrors the roasted notes of the duck, while the hearty winter vegetables anchor the dish in the season. A scattering of fresh cilantro sprigs brightens the plate and adds a fresh, herbal contrast. With poultry long associated with unity and celebration, it feels like a thoughtful festive way to mark the Lunar New Year.

Char Siu Duck And Cabbage Recipes

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Soupe de Volaille à la Truffe en Croûte

Soupe de Volaille à la Truffe en Croûte

Soupe de Volaille à la Truffe en Croûte

Valentine’s Day calls for something a little special—unique, beautiful, and just indulgent enough to feel like a celebration. This Chicken Truffle Soup is exactly that kind of dish. Served steaming hot beneath a golden, flaky crust, it feels luxurious and romantic.

What makes this recipe especially appealing is that it delivers true truffle character without requiring an extravagant splurge. By using sliced black truffles from a jar, a touch of truffle oil, and truffle salt, you get depth, aroma, and richness in every bite. And of course, if you’re lucky enough to have access to fresh black truffles, by all means use them—they will only elevate the dish further. Either way, this soup proves that a memorable Valentine’s dinner doesn’t have to be complicated or costly to feel truly special.

Happy Valentine’s Day
❤️❤️❤️

Soupe de Volaille à la Truffe en Croûte

Chicken Truffle Soup Recipe

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Reverse-Sear Kurobuta Double-Bone Pork Chop

Reverse-Sear Kurobuta Double-Bone Pork Chop

Reverse-Sear Kurobuta Double-Bone Pork Chop
Parmesan Polenta & Pickled Cherry Pepper Sauce

Back in January 2013, I shared a recipe for Old School–Style Pork Chops with Pickled Cherry Pepper Sauce, and it has remained one of my most popular posts, with tens of thousands of views. But for 2026, I wanted to revisit it, elevate it, and give it the treatment it deserves.

I upgraded the pork to a Kurobuta double-bone chop, refined the technique with a reverse-sear for perfectly juicy edge-to-edge doneness, and captured the process in action shots, from searing to plating, to highlight color, texture, and the drama of cooking.

There are pork chops—and then there is the Kurobuta double-bone pork chop. Thick, succulent, and left intact with two bones, this chop is impossible to ignore. At 1.37 pounds, it’s more than enough for one, and honestly, it’s best shared.

Kurobuta pork, from the Berkshire breed, is prized for marbling, tenderness, and deep flavor, which makes it perfect for a reverse-sear. Slowly roasting the chop in the oven at low heat first ensures even doneness, then finishing with a hot sear gives a golden, caramelized crust. The result is juicy, tender meat with a gorgeously browned exterior.

The chop is the obvious star of the plate, served over creamy Parmesan polenta, which provides a soft, tasty contrast. To balance the richness, it is dressed with the pickled cherry pepper sauce that made the original recipe a favorite. Bright, tangy, and mildly spicy, it lifts the pork and polenta while highlighting the depth of the Kurobuta chop without overpowering it.

Kurobuta Double-Bone Pork Chop, Pickled Cherry Pepper Sauce

Reverse-Sear Pork Chop Recipe

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Lobster Tail, Saffron Risotto with Fennel and Leek

Lobster Tail, Saffron Risotto with Fennel and LeekPetite Broiled Lobster Tail
Saffron Risotto with Fennel and Leek

A petite broiled lobster tail rests atop a bed of saffron risotto, with finely diced fennel and leeks folded in to lend gentle herbal and anise notes that play off the saffron’s floral warmth. The creamy risotto and tender lobster are balanced so that each element shines without overpowering the others, making every bite delicate yet satisfying.

This dish pairs beautifully with a chilled Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs Champagne. Its bright acidity and fine bubbles refresh the palate, while citrus and floral notes echo the saffron and herbs, lifting the flavors and making the combination of risotto and lobster light, aromatic, and memorable.

Lobster Tail, Saffron Risotto Recipe

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Leftover Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Leftover Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Leftover Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

This is a hearty, true wild rice soup, and the way it looks on day two is exactly what real ingredients do. The color comes from the wild rice itself — a natural, earthy hue that develops as the grains release their pigment and the broth, turkey, and herbs meld together overnight. The rice has burst, but it holds a gentle chew, never turning mushy nor remaining crunchy.

Instead of looking “styled,” the soup is rustic, grounded, and wholesome — the kind of bowl that tells you it’s going to taste good before you even take a bite. By the next day, the flavors have settled into something fuller and more cohesive, with the kind of comfort only time can give. And unlike many turkey & wild rice soup recipes, this one contains no heavy cream.

Leftover Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

When soup rests overnight, three quiet but important things happen — and these ingredients (turkey, wild rice, herbs, stock) are especially good at this:

While the soup simmers, the elements are still somewhat separate. Overnight, salt, fat, and aromatic compounds redistribute and settle, so instead of tasting “broth + rice + turkey + herbs,” it starts to taste like one unified soup.

The wild rice finishes absorbing flavor from the broth. As it sits, it draws in the savory notes of the turkey and herbs from the liquid it’s in. That’s why the flavor becomes more rounded and savory the next day.

Some of the starches relax and thicken the body slightly. This creates a softer, more cohesive mouthfeel — one that feels more satisfying even without cream. It’s essentially a slow, natural “marinating” that happens in the refrigerator. Nothing extra added, just time doing its job.

To serve, it’s finished with a drizzle of good olive oil for added depth and a silky finish — nothing doctored, nothing forced, just an honest soup made well. With our beloved Thanksgiving Leftovers!

Leftover Turkey and Wild Rice Soup Recipe

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