Serves: 4
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour (for walnuts)

CHEF’S NOTE
The papaya salad was inspired by a light, refreshing salad we used to eat in Vietnam. The beauty of the dish is its simplicity and balance of flavors and textures. The green papaya has a nice satisfying crunch, seasoned with the slightly sweet and tangy dressing. The herbs lend a light freshness and the spiced walnuts add great texture and unexpected spiciness. It’s a great start to whet your appetite for the next dish.

SALAD INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup green papaya, shredded (use a vegetable peeler to peel slices off, then use a knife to cut into strips)
• ½ sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 4 small bunches watercress, hard stems removed
• ¼ cup mint, leaves picked
• 1 cup spiced walnuts (see recipe below or purchased at the market)
• 1 lime, for juice
• ½ cup herb vinaigrette (see recipe below)

PROCEDURE

1. In a bowl, combine shredded papaya, onions, some vinaigrette, salt, and a squeeze of lime juice. Toss.
2. Add the watercress, mint, and other greens (if using). Lightly toss so that the greens do not wilt too much.
3. Layer salad on a plate with walnuts.
4. Drizzle with a little more vinaigrette over the top.

VINAIGRETTE INGREDIENTS

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ cup lime juice
• ⅓ cup canola oil
• 1 bunch mint, rough-chopped
• 1 bunch scallions, rough-chopped

PROCEDURE

1. Combine herbs, lime juice, garlic in a blender. Purée.
2. In a bowl, combine and purée remainder of ingredients. The dressing should taste balanced with acidity and sweetness.

SPICED WALNUT INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups walnuts, whole
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon chile powder

PROCEDURE

1. Combine water, sugar, chile in a pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Add walnuts.
3. Cook until the liquid has a syrupy consistency and coat the walnuts (approx. 45 minutes to 1 hour).
4. Strain walnuts from liquid. Fry at 350°F until brown.

Serves: 1
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

CHEF’S NOTE
The cold sesame noodles hail from China, and onfirst inspection may look deceivingly simple. That’s the fun part because once you mix all the ingredients together, you end up with a dish that has amazing complexity. People are usually floored by how flavorful and nuanced the noodles are and how all the components work together, creating a symphony of flavors and textures.

NOODLE INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons cold noodle sauce (see recipe below)

• 2 cups cooked noodles—Chinese dry wheat noodles, or an Italian dry pasta like spaghetti or chitarra.
• 3 tablespoons walnuts, toasted and rough-crushed (into approximately the size of a pea, you want to feel texture of the walnuts as you eat the dish)
• 3 tablespoons Persian cucumbers, batons (approx. 2 inches in length, ¼-inch thick)
• 3 tablespoons young soy beans (aka edamame), blanched quickly in heavily salted boiling water
• 2 tablespoons scallions, green part only, cut into small rounds
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
• ½ cup cilantro, rough-chopped (with some stems attached, the stems are full of flavor)

PROCEDURE

1. Cook according to package instructions.
2. Set aside. Chill noodles before serving.

COLD NOODLE SAUCE INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons ginger, grated
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
• 1 tablespoons sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons pickled mustard stems, minced (optional)

PROCEDURE
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, whisk together.

PLATING

1. Place sauce on the bottom of a serving bowl.
2. Add noodles on top of sauce.
3. Garnish with walnuts, cucumbers, soy beans, scallions, sesame seeds, and cilantro.
4. Instruct person eating the noodles to thoroughly mix noodles with the other ingredients.

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Serves: 4
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

CHEF’S NOTE
This recipe is courtesy of Cassia’s co-pastry chefs Zoe Nathan (a renowned restaurateur and author, she’s also one of my partners at Cassia) and Laurel Almerinda. It’s one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup organic sweetened condensed milk
• ½ cup organic whole milk
• ½ cup organic heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean
• ¼ cup espresso grounds
• ½ cup espresso
• 2 large organic eggs
• 3 tablespoons organic sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons organic unsalted butter
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

PROCEDURE

1. Heat condensed milk, milk, cream, vanilla bean, espresso grounds, and espresso to a scald in a large, non-reactive pot.
2. Meanwhile whisk eggs, sugar, salt, and cornstarch together in a large bowl.
3. Temper cream mixture into egg mixture. Return the custard to the pot and cook, stirring continuously, until thickened.
4. Strain through a fine mesh strainer onto the butter and vanilla extract.
5. Immersion blend until smooth and very well incorporated. Cool with plastic pressed to the surface to avoid forming a skin.
6. Once cool, dollop into cups and serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

CHEF’S NOTE

1. The pudding keeps up to 3 days refrigerated.