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TRY SOMETHING NEW 🤯

Glazed Brussels sprouts

Roasted, charred vegetable imparts a pleasantly bitter flavor — which are the perfect base for this “dynamic sauce” framework:

The sauce makes any roasted vegetables pop by leveraging the remaining 4 taste groups: sweet, sour, salty, & umami elements.

Whatever roasted vegetable you glaze with these ingredients will be a full palette experience.

Roasted Brussels sprouts

Brussels sprouts, sliced in half
Neutral Oil
Salt

Dynamic glaze components

1 Part Sweet: sugar, honey, fruit juices, mirin, etc
1 Part Sour: vinegar and/or citrus juice, hot sauce, etc
~1/4 Part Salty: soy sauce, bacon bits, anchovies, minced olives or capers, etc
~1/4 Part Umami: fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Maggi sauce, Miso paste, etc
~1/8 Part Aromatic or Spicy: grated garlic/ginger, diced chilies, sriracha, etc
- Optional thickeners: cornstarch slurry (optional) or cold butter

*All components are optional and to your preference.

Instructions

1) Roast the Brussels sprouts: Toss the brussels in oil and salt. Add to a preheated baking sheet in a 475F oven for 30-45min until roasted, crispy, and charred.

2) Make the sauce: Meanwhile, combine all of your ingredients of choice in a saucepot and simmer until reduced and syrupy.

Optional: strain out any aromatic solids, if using.
If using a thickener: stir in a cornstarch slurry and simmer to reach the desired texture, or emulsify in cold pads of butter off heat to thicken.

Taste and add ingredients as needed — it should be strong, but balanced.

3) Toss & serve: Toss the brussels in a bowl with the sauce until well coated. Serve warm.

THROWBACK TIME 🍳

Next-level chicken nuggets

Chicken kaarage is what chicken nuggets wish they could grow up to be.

The Japanese technique of using starch instead of flour, and then double or triple frying, makes for an insanely crispy bite.

Check out the video for a walkthrough, or read the recipe here.

Dip them on their own with sauce, or make a big batch and use them in meals throughout the week. Here’s how we’ve been using the extra:

THE LEFTOVER SHELF 🥡

Chicken chop salad

Get a few fresh ingredients and you can repurpose leftover kaarage nuggets into a quick weeknight meal.

Chop salad components

Leftover kaarage, thinly sliced
Leafy greens, roughly chopped
Toppings of choice: halved cherry tomatoes, onions, sliced hard boiled eggs, cheese crumbles, avocado, nuts or seeds, etc.
Dressing of choice: Anything works, or use up:
- Leftover kaarage sauce (see recipe)
- Leftover dynamic Brussels sprouts sauce, anyone?

To assemble

It’s a salad — you know how. Toss the greens and toppings with dressing, and serve with more chicken and extras on top. Enjoy.

FOOD TRENDS EXPLAINED 🚀

Steamy milk drinks

What’s this new “steamer” drink on coffee shop menus everywhere?

A steamer is a milk-based beverage without any caffeine.

It’s usually made with steamed milk (or milk alternative), granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and sometimes flavored syrups.

Why have these become popular?

Steamers are a good option for those looking to skip caffeine, people who don’t like the taste of coffee, or children.

It’s a smart move for cafes to include these options on the menu. Customers can still get the coffee shop ambiance without having to like usual offerings.

Have a trend or question you want to see covered? Reply to send it in!

READER Q&A 🧠

Keeping guac green?

Everyone knows avocados brown quickly when exposed to air. So for this week’s Q&A, we asked the Pickled Onion Club:

Question: “Any tips to keep guacamole green ?”

Answers: The consensus was all about minimizing surface contact with the air & using an acid, like lime juice, to help slow the oxidation process.

Jen from the community summed this up nicely with her method:

“Lime juice, and you probably need a lot more than you think! We also use little serving bowls with plastic lids that are easy to put on and cover them, but pretty much we douse the entire surface of the guac with an entire lime.”

If you don’t have citrus available, you can use mild vinegar for that acid pop and preservation, or you can also mix in a small sprinkle of dry citric acid if you want to keep the texture thick and chunky.

For longer-term storage, a thin layer of olive oil or pressing down plastic wrap onto the surface of the guac (or avocados) will create a barrier to slow oxidation/browning.

READER PHOTO SUBMISSION OF THE WEEK 🏆

Distinguished dumplings

This week’s dinner winner is Chaylin V., who nailed these pork and scallion dumplings with chili garlic sauce. Beautifully done, Chaylin!

Reply with a picture of the best meal you made this week for a chance to be featured in a future email.

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The Mouthful 🍳

Best ways to keep guac green?