Vietnamese Chili Salt: An Exotic Flavor Enhancer for Fruit

Muối ớt is a popular seasoning in Vietnam. If you've been to Asia, you've probably noticed street vendors at every corner, selling fruits accompanied by chili salt packets.

Salt brings out the flavor of the fruit and enhances its sweetness. Vietnamese foods call for chile in almost everything and eating fruits with chile is no exception. It's currently green mango season, and green mangoes with chili salt is a refreshing starter for a hot summer meal. You can also serve it as a salad; check the tips section for the recipe. It's called gỏi xoài in Vietnamese.

We've been gorging ourselves on mounds of this delicious fruit. It's very good by itself, but I always add a pinch of chili salt to liven up the flavor. Try chili salt with fruits such as Granny Smith apples, plums or oranges. I guarantee you'll never go back!

Asparagus Risotto Recipe

I recently made a rather unconventional risotto with bamboo. I chose bamboo because it has a very similar texture to asparagus, which is a very traditional element in risotto. You need to know the classics in order to come up with your own twist.

Lulu had a craving for the starchy arborio rice dish. Asparagus are in season so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to please my hubby and to share this recipe with you. Enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Fingerling Potatoes in Thyme and Butter

Fingerling potatoes are a small (probably the smallest) variety of potatoes. They have a very cute, narrow shape. The flesh is firm and yellow. They are not too starchy like Russet potatoes. I love roasting them and serving them as appetizers. It's a perfect bite-sized amuse-bouche, which literally means "playful in the mouth" in French. They will be a hit at your next fancy dinner party.

Butterscotch Creme Brulee

Crème brulées, though tasty by themselves, are a perfect palette for other flavors. My husband Lulu loves butterscotch, so I came to the fairly obvious conclusion that I should combine the two of them.

If you're not a big fan of butterscotch, you can substitute any other flavor that you like but you have to balance the sweetness of the dessert.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting

The idea of a gluten-free chocolate cupcake came up during a dinner with friends. Laura's husband has a gluten allergy and was telling me the challenges she faces. I found out that she often uses chickpea flour as a replacement for all-purpose flour.

Chickpea flour is common in savory dishes in Indian cuisine and is the main ingredient in paratha, a flat Indian bread. I was concerned that its heavy, grainy flavor would be too prominent and overwhelming for a dessert. I added a wide variety of flavorings like fresh ginger, cinnamon, rum, Medjool dates and of course chocolate to cover this up. The result was a dense chocolaty cake that has the internal consistency of fudge. The addition of cherry cream frosting is a nice complement to the fudgy cupcake and adds a bit of moisture to cover up any remaining grainy texture of the chickpea flour in the cupcake.