Recipes By Genevieve Ko
159 recipes found
Oven Beans
The best way to cook dried beans? In the oven. The even heat keeps the water at a steady bare simmer, which results in beans that are tender all the way through — no hard spots or broken mushy bits — with almost no effort. Because the heat is dry, it also concentrates the inherent flavor of the beans and anything else thrown into the pot. You can simply simmer soaked beans in salted water or you can add aromatic ingredients, such as the garlic and dried chiles. Onion is also nice, and bacon and other cured pork products bring richness.
Marble Cake
Buttery and not too sweet, this pound cake has a fine, tender crumb that’s lovely with tea, coffee and on its own. Because chocolate tends to be the flavor that dominates marble cake, this version includes potent almond extract in the vanilla swirl and delicate orange blossom water in the cocoa batter, so the two tastes balance and complement each other. The cake develops even deeper flavors over time and keeps well at room temperature in an airtight container. It holds up in the freezer as well, wrapped tightly, for up to three months.
Adobo Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies amaze with a salted caramel richness that comes from bay leaves, soy sauce and vinegar, key ingredients in many savory Filipino adobo dishes, bound by toasty brown butter. This chocolate chip cookie recipe is adapted from “Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed” (Harvest, 2023) by Abi Balingit. In it, she writes of her “insatiable desire for new combinations of sweet, salty, savory, sour and umami in desserts,” and this cookie hits all of those notes. But Ms. Balingit balances those seasonings so no single flavor distracts from the thrill of tasting something familiar with a totally new depth. Crisp around the edges and soft through the centers, they also have a fruity, aromatic pop of pink peppercorns on top.
Clay Pot Rice With Chicken and Sausage
A satisfying blend of sticky rice and savory meat, clay pot rice is known in Cantonese as bo zai fan. This Southern Chinese dish simmers, then steams, rice with sausages, bacon or both, so that their fat coats the grains and helps create a crackling crust on the bottom of the pot. In this variation, marinated chicken is nestled into the mix, its meat making for a more substantial meal. Lop cheong, a Cantonese sausage that’s a little sweet, is available in Chinese markets, but other sweet cured pork, like maple bacon, works as well. Even though this meal is named for the pot in which it’s cooked, a Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet works, too.
Phở Gà (Chicken Pho)
The broth is the thing here: Simmering wings and drumsticks draws out the very essence of chicken, while toasted spices and charred onions, jalapeño and ginger bring bittersweetness and heat. Bone-in chicken not only results in more flavorful meat to eat with rice noodles, but also lends body and depth to the soup. You also can use chicken backs, feet and necks, if you have them. Cooks prepare phở gà in countless ways, creating a savory soup fragrant with alliums, spices and herbs. Here, cilantro stems add their aroma to the broth, and the leaves freshen the whole dish, along with bean sprouts and basil. The broth and chicken can be prepared and refrigerated for up to five days ahead. Any leftover broth can be frozen for up to three months.
Cozonac (Walnut and Raisin Easter Bread)
In Romania, this festive sweet braided loaf, cozonac, is most commonly baked for Easter and Christmas. There are countless versions among families and across regions and this one, from Irina Georgescu’s “Tava: Eastern European Baking and Desserts From Romania and Beyond” (Hardie Grant, 2022) is swirled with a blend of walnuts and raisins bound by sweetened and beaten egg whites. Tender and delicately sweet, this loaf is perfumed with both orange zest and orange blossom water. According to Ms. Georgescu, cozonac has been connected to pre-Christian celebrations and its baking process is still considered superstitious by some. She recommends making the sign of the cross over the dough before letting it rise for luck. Even if you skip that step, your bread will turn out just fine as long as your yeast is fresh.
Orange Rolls
Inspired by orange roll recipes from the 1910s and ’20s, these citrusy cinnamon rolls have an old-fashioned feel, an easy-like-Sunday-morning breakfast from simpler times. Perfumed with fresh orange zest in the base, filling and glaze, they come together in less than an hour, thanks to a fluffy, tender dough that doesn’t require yeast. To help the biscuit-dough base end up as soft as any yeasted treat, cream cheese and extra milk are mixed into the dry ingredients. But the most important part of these rolls is the fresh orange zest, plump with fragrant, flavorful citrus oils. Lightly grating the zest directly over the brown sugar ensures that the spritzes of oil don’t end up wasted on a cutting board or bowl. The fruit’s tangy juice blends with cream cheese for an icing that slouches, then sinks, into the spiced spirals. They’re as delicious with coffee as they are with tea or a glass of milk.
Roasted Beef Tenderloin
A whole beef tenderloin is a splurge, an ideal party centerpiece for Christmas or any other holiday, that tastes as good hot as it does at room temperature. It also looks impressive, especially if it’s evenly rosy through the center and nicely browned on the outside. To achieve that, a combination of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and sugar is mixed with butter to slather all over the meat. It helps create a caramelized yet delicate deep-brown crust without the hassle of searing and gives the mild meat a more complex savory flavor. So does a classic creamy horseradish sauce. This cut would also be delicious with herby chimichurri or a rich béarnaise and goes with just about any holiday side dish. An untrimmed beef tenderloin costs a lot less than one that comes peeled and tied. Follow the tip to prepare it yourself and use the trimmings to make stock.
Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
It’s not just that mashed potatoes can be made ahead; they actually end up creamier and fluffier when prepared in advance. When mashed potatoes chill, their starches firm up, and when reheated gently, they relax into a mash with an even silkier texture. But you can’t save potatoes that start out gluey. Shearing cooked spuds with any blade — food processor, blender or hand mixer — releases enormous amounts of starch and turns the mash into spackle. Here, you break up the potatoes by hand or with a stand mixer’s paddle attachment for an airy smoothness. If you have a ricer or food mill, you can use that instead.
Chile Crisp Fettuccine Alfredo With Spinach
Swirling chile crisp, a popular Chinese condiment, and spinach into fettuccine Alfredo gives you an immensely satisfying meatless one-dish dinner. The firecracker crunch of chile crisp intensifies when sizzled in butter before cream tempers its heat. Parmesan heightens the sauce’s savory umami, and pregrated cheese works just fine here. This astoundingly simple meal — it doesn’t even require any chopping — comes together in under 30 minutes but tastes as complex as anything you’d get at a restaurant.
Pulled Pork
This is party eating — and still easy enough to pull off for dinner whenever you want. Saucy and satisfying, it’s the type of dish that feels festive. Pulled pork from the American South ranges in styles, but usually balances the natural sweetness of the meat, slowly cooked until it slouches into tenderness, with tanginess and spice. Here, ground and whole dried chiles season the meat and blend into a sauce with fruity complexity and mild heat. The preparation is as inspired by barbecue pulled pork as it is by carne con chile rojo. That means that the glossy hunks and slivers of meat taste as good piled into buns as they do over rice or stuffed into tortillas.
French Toast
The best French toast feels like dessert, crackling and crisp on the outsides with pudding-soft centers. You get that effect quickly with this easy French toast recipe or you can take your time with Overnight French Toast, which tastes like bread pudding. Even though this version is fast enough for a weekday breakfast, it’s special enough for weekend brunch. Keys to This Recipe How to Make French Toast: Fully soak bread in an egg-milk mixture, then cook the slices over moderate heat, so the insides cook through without the outsides burning. If the bread starts to brown too quickly, turn down the heat. French Toast Without Dairy Milk: If you don’t want to use cow’s milk, you can substitute the same amount of almond or other nut milk or coconut milk (not coconut cream). Because oat milk is thicker, it isn’t as readily absorbed by bread. The Best Bread for French Toast: The formula below was designed for regular sliced sandwich bread, but works with any type of bread (either one thick slice or two thin ones). Rich and tender challah and brioche make for a sweeter breakfast, while sourdough and other crusty country-style loaves give the dish a nice chew and savory complexity. How to Make French Toast Ahead: If preparing French toast in batches, slices can be kept warm in a 200-degree oven on a baking sheet or wire rack set in a baking sheet. The Best Pan for Making French Toast: Wirecutter tested 25 options over many years to recommend the best nonstick skillets.
Honey Ham
A little honey soaks into the slices and crackles on the brown sugar crust of this celebration ham, which ends up with a just-right salty-sweetness. Gently simmering presliced ham on the stovetop before blasting it quickly in a hot oven to caramelize its honey-mustard coating keeps the meat moist and makes it intensely flavorful all the way through. Warming a sliced ham with only an oven bake invariably dries it out and takes a long time. This faster method will give you a juicy ham with the surprising piney perfume of juniper berries and the warmth of cloves. You can double the ingredients below for a spiral-sliced half-ham and use a bigger pot. Leftovers make stellar sandwiches or a perfect filling for an omelet.
Hot Cross Buns
With their signature crossed tops, these lightly spiced hot cross buns are a delicious symbol of the Easter season. Stories of their origin stretch back to ancient Greece and Egypt, and they’re now best known as an English bun, forbidden during the reign of Elizabeth I except on Good Friday, Christmas and at burials. In the 18th century, a passage in Poor Robin’s Almanack refers to “one or two a penny hot cross buns,” which has evolved into well-known rhymes and songs. Some buns have a sugary icing cross. This version showcases a chewier bread with a dough cross baked right in, so you can — and should — eat them hot. Studded with raisins and candied orange peel, they’re just sweet enough to be a breakfast or teatime treat. If you have orange blossom water, be sure to add it to the glossy top for its floral perfume that evokes spring. (Watch the video of Genevieve Ko making hot cross buns here.)
Roasted Orange Chicken
Whole tangerines, peel and all, roast alongside chicken in a sweetened soy sauce that thickens into a glaze and lacquers the bird. The fruit wedges soften in the syrupy sauce while infusing it with their floral bittersweetness. Reminiscent of savory Cantonese soy sauce chicken and tangy American Chinese orange chicken, this dish also combines the warmth of ginger with the bit of heat from ground hot chiles. You can eat the tangerine wedges along with the chicken, which is delicious with its sauce over steamed rice or boiled noodles. Serve with stir-fried brussels sprouts or bok choy.
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
This quick batter cooks into the most tender pancakes for the most comforting breakfast. Milky ricotta and butter, along with tangy buttermilk, lend a soft, sweet creaminess, and well-beaten eggs keep them fluffy and light. Lemon- and vanilla-scented sugar makes the pancakes sweet enough to eat on their own, but they’re fun to serve with blueberry syrup or your favorite toppings. If you prefer soufflé-like pancakes, separate the whites from the yolks and beat them to stiff peaks. Mix the yolks in with the wet ingredients, fold the whipped whites in after the dry ingredients are incorporated and cook as directed below. (Watch the video of Genevieve Ko making lemon ricotta pancakes here.)
Tang Yuan
This Chinese dessert is a favorite for Lunar New Year, or really, any time. Rice flour rounds filled with black sesame are simmered in sweet ginger soup until bobbing and shiny like pearls. When you scoop a dumpling with a spoonful of soup, then take a bite, you first taste the subtly sweet wrapper, which yields like nougat to the soft, toasty, nutty center. Be sure to refill the spoon with soup before the second bite, because you want the ginger’s warmth to play sharp against the rich filling. Making tang yuan is as fun as eating them and nearly as easy. Soft and forgiving, the glutinous rice flour dough is simple to form and patch, no rolling pin needed.
Tang Yuan (Sweet Sesame Dumplings)
This Chinese dessert is a favorite for Lunar New Year, or really, any time. Rice flour rounds filled with black sesame are simmered in sweet ginger soup until bobbing and shiny like pearls. When you scoop a dumpling with a spoonful of soup, then take a bite, you first taste the subtly sweet wrapper, which yields like nougat to the soft, toasty, nutty center. Be sure to refill the spoon with soup before the second bite, because you want the ginger’s warmth to play sharp against the rich filling. Making tang yuan is as fun as eating them and nearly as easy. Soft and forgiving, the glutinous rice flour dough is simple to form and patch, no rolling pin needed.
Maple-Baked Salmon
Salmon baked at a low temperature until medium-rare delivers a silky texture that tastes special enough to make it a festive centerpiece. This easy dish works any night of the week, since it comes together in less than half an hour. Maple syrup sweetens the glaze, which gets a savory pop from whole mustard seeds in Dijon. Even though salmon is naturally fatty, a dollop of mayonnaise adds extra richness while thickening the glaze to help it seal onto the fish. The herbaceous aroma of cilantro stems baked into the sauce brightens the dish, as do tender leaves scattered on top. Fill out your feast with any combination of steamed rice, roasted potatoes, green beans or salad.
Overnight Oats
Overnight oats are, of course, a healthy breakfast and they’re easy to make, but they also feel like a special treat, sweet with dried fruit. Unlike oatmeal, uncooked but softened oats retain a fresh flavor and taste delicious cold. Top it with nuts just before eating for an irresistible crunch against the creamy oats. Keys to This Recipe How to Make Overnight Oats: Simply mix oats and milk in a 1 to 2 ratio and add sweeteners, salt or other add-ins, such as dried or fresh fruit, nuts or seeds, according to your tastes. For one breakfast serving of overnight oats, start with 1/4 cup oats and 1/2 cup milk. The Best Oats for Overnight Oats: Old-fashioned oats, also known as rolled oats, become tender and creamy when soaked. Quick-cooking oats, which are smaller, can end up pasty and steel-cut oats, which are sturdier, stay quite firm even after soaking. Milk Options for Overnight Oats: Dairy and non-dairy milks work well for overnight oats. Coconut, soy and oat milk yield thicker mixtures, which you can thin with more milk before serving if you’d like. If you use sweetened non-dairy milk, taste the soaked oats before adding more sweetener. Sweeteners for Overnight Oats: Soaking dried fruit — use your favorite — alongside the oats sweetens the mixture nicely, but you can stir in additional sugar, maple syrup or honey to taste just before eating.
Migas Breakfast Tacos
Tortilla chips in tacos may seem like overkill, but they’re not. Set into scrambled eggs that are loaded with onions and poblanos, they soften and enrich the mix while keeping some crispiness. A slice of avocado on top — along with melted cheese — adds a nice creaminess to the mix. These tacos work well with red or green salsa, so use your favorite. While these would impress at a weekend brunch, they also come together quickly on weekday mornings, and can be wrapped in foil to be eaten out of hand.
Couscous Salad With Turmeric, Chickpeas and Tomato
Turmeric highlights the golden hue of couscous while adding a welcome bit of flavor. The grains are paired with tomatoes, which have been left to sit in red wine and vinegar, infusing them with flavor and making the dressing even more juicy for the couscous-chickpea mix. If you want the onion to be nice and crisp and to take its raw edge off, put the slices in a bowl of ice and water before you cook the couscous. Drain them right before tossing them in. You can add even more crunch by topping the salad with sliced celery or chiles, if you like your food spicy. Either thinly sliced fresh chiles, such as fresno or jalapeños, or preserved ones, like peppadews or hot cherry, work well.
Texas Sheet Cake
Expansive yet barely an inch tall, this chocolate-on-chocolate special of the Lone Star State starts with a cake that’s even lighter than devil’s food. A hot cocoa icing sheens its surface and soaks into the warm cake a bit, deepening its richness. Variations abound among cooks, but baking the batter in a shallow pan is key to achieving the just-right, fudgy-fluffy balance of icing to cake. While some recipes include pecans in the icing, this version keeps them on top of the cake so they stay crisp. It also calls for enough nuts to generously cover the whole top so there’s crunch in every bite. If you’d like, you can sprinkle the top with a little flaky or coarse salt too.
Butter Mochi
Tender and chewy, this big-batch dessert — as comforting as cake and as fun as bar cookies — is always a hit at parties. Mochiko, sweet rice flour, not only gives it its distinctive marshmallow-like softness, but it also lends a natural sweetness. This version of butter mochi uses only coconut milk for its richness and subtle nutty taste, but you can substitute equivalent amounts of whole milk, evaporated milk or a combination of those liquids. Butter mochi develops a crackly top that stays crunchy the day it’s baked, making it a delicious dessert to eat without adornment. But, if you’d like more crunch, you can sprinkle dried shredded coconut evenly over the top before baking, or, for a tangy, colorful top, you can coat it with the passion fruit glaze below. (Watch the video of Genevieve Ko making butter mochi here.)