10 Things I Made This Summer (A Letter from the Blog Editor)

Author and Photographer: Alex Wang

A new year is upon us.

It’s a little bit sad to think that I have now spent more of my time at the University of Chicago remote than in person. But now that we are all back, I’m determined to make the most of it, and I know everyone at this university shares my excitement. Next week, we will welcome a new class to the Bite team, and not long after that, you will begin seeing some of their very first recipes, reviews, and articles. But before jumping into the new, I would like to selfishly enjoy a bit of the spotlight since there is no one else to contest my position on the front page, and take a look back at some of the dishes I’ve made this summer. In no particular order, here are my ten favorites.

1

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Other Ingredients: Lemon Thyme, Balsamic Vinegar, Parmigiano Reggiano

I made this salad for my mom’s birthday dinner. We were growing some heirloom tomatoes in the backyard, and along with some balsamic vinegar from my stepfather’s family in Modena, this was a bright refreshing start to a summer meal.

2

Miso Marinated Chilean Seabass

Other Ingredients: Mirin, Sake, Scallions

This dish was adapted from the miso-marinated black cod at Nobu. My stepbrother had always wanted to go to Nobu, and when we went there this summer for his birthday we were all blown away by how good this dish was. Black Cod and Chilean Seabass are basically interchangeable; they both are firm fleshed white fish with a lot of delicious fat, and are surprisingly forgiving to overcooking. The real key is the marinade, however. A reduced mixture of equal parts miso, mirin, and sake, it’s strong enough to stand up to the flavor of the fish without overpowering it. At Nobu, this dish is finished under a salamander to caramelize the miso glaze. At home, just turn up your oven as high as it will go.

3

Pan Seared Chicken with Smoked Beets and Parsnip Puree

Other Ingredients: Sumac, Micro Beet Greens, Red Amaranth

This dish was part of a five course tasting menu I did for a dinner party at the beginning of the summer. It was an amazing experience, but quite exhausting. All things considered, I think I spent 36 hours prepping, cooking and cleaning. The most time consuming part was smoking the beets, which I did in a rusty old fire pit on our wooden (!) back porch.

4

Lobster Rolls

Other Ingredients: Mayonnaise, Celery, Old Bay, Lemon

I can think of no better summer lunch than lobster rolls. In my house, they’re a treat enjoyed only once in a while, ideally after an hour-long drive back from sailing in Annapolis. I can make them in 15 minutes, and they’re gone in 5. Mainers would probably raise eyebrows at my use of brioche buns instead of New England-style hot dog buns, and my inclusion of Old Bay, but the former is easier to find, and the latter just makes sense to me.

5

Smoked Salmon Mousseline

Other Ingredients: Cauliflower Cream, Quick-Pickled Cucumbers, Sweet Peppers

Appearances can be deceiving; this was made with cling wrap and a microwave. Most people know mousseline as a kind of whipped cream enhanced with egg whites, but it also refers to a type of forcemeat roulade made with egg whites and cream. You might notice this pretty blue plate making an appearance in some other dishes. It’s my favorite.

6

Steak and Eggs “Karē Raisu”

Other Ingredients: Japanese Curry, Onions, Tarragon

In Japanese, Karē Raisu means “curry rice”. I’m not sure why I had to explain that, but it feels obligatory. This dish can be made in 20 minutes as long as you have some leftover rice already made. Just heat up the rice, sear the steak, put it in the oven to finish cooking, make a pan sauce from Japanese curry paste, onions, and beef stock, and fry some eggs. That sounds like a lot, but you can do them pretty much simultaneously as long as you get the order and the timing right. This kind of food is best eaten either at brunch, or at 1AM the night before.

7

Scallop Crudo with Passionfruit Foam

Other Ingredients: Ponzu, Micro Cilantro, Maldon Sea Salt

Passionfruit doesn’t grow year round, but you can find frozen pulp at many large grocery stores nowadays. It’s delicious, but a tricky ingredient to work with. It’s almost as sour as lemon, but add too much sugar to balance it out and it will taste candy-like, which is not something you want in a savory dish. I made a foam out of it using some egg white, and paired it with other fresh, strong flavors that complemented the raw scallop well.

8

Homemade Ravioli with White Bolognese

Other Ingredients: Potato, Parmigiano Reggiano, White Wine

This was my first time making ravioli from scratch, at a cooking class in Florence. I was scared I was going to flatten my finger in the rolling machine. The idea of a tomato-less bolognese might seem bizarre to Americans, but historically ragù alla bolognese was made without tomato. The lack of tomato allows the subtle lactic acidity of the pork sausage to take center stage, and a bit of nutmeg takes the sauce to stratospheric heights. Meanwhile, the filling of potato, parmesan, and lemon zest is delicious and satisfying without distracting from the bolognese.

9

Caesar Salad

Other Ingredients: Anchovies, Parmigiano Reggiano, Croutons

I’m very particular about salads dressings. I hate it when people give you dressing aside from your salad greens and expect you to pour it over yourself. Don’t be a coward, just toss the salad for me. If I’m not a fan of the dressing, that’s on me. With only a fork and knife, there is simply no way to get proper coverage without using far more dressing than you need to. And only a lunatic would try to make dressing from scratch using salt, oil, and lemon or vinegar at the table. Italians are often guilty of this practice, and it simply does not work because the salt can’t get dissolved into the dressing.

I find that people tend to use store bought salad dressings a lot, which is a shame because home-made dressings are incredibly easy to make. Even mayonnaise-based dressings like Caesar can be made in less than 5 minutes in the blender. And if there’s one dressing where you can spot the difference when made at home, it’s Caesar dressing. Store-bought dressings rarely use anchovies and real parmesan, whose combination of different kinds of glutamates give this dish basically perfect umami.

10

Olive Oil Cake with Peaches, Rose, and Coriander Seed

Other Ingredients: Peach Caramel, Peach Foam, Mint

Last but not least, it’s time for dessert. I don’t make a ton of desserts, but this was probably my best this summer. I think I could have omitted the mint, because it distracts from the look of the dish, and the peach caramel dots are a bit cheesy-looking. I’m still learning, but regardless of success, I this blog is at its heart a place for people who love food to express themselves, learning and experimenting as they go along. As blog editor, I’m excited to see what dishes the Bite team will come up with this year.

Alex Wang