Beef Hot Pot (Bo Nhung Dam, Shabu Shabu)

If you're a beef and seafood lover, this Vietnamese-style beef hot pot recipe is for you. Bộ những đám (literally beef dipped in vinegar) is the Vietnamese equivalent of the Japanese dish called shabu shabu, but with additional seafood ingredients. The broth is made with coconut soda, chopped onions and tomatoes. On a separate platter, gather the raw beef, shrimp, baby squid and octopus, fresh pineapple, cooked rice noodles, bánh tráng (dried rice paper sheets) and various aromatic herbs. The prep work is quite labor-intensive; you have to have a lot of company to make the meal worthwhile. The more, the merrier.

Place an electric hot pot in the middle of the dining table and let everyone dip and cook the beef and seafood in the fragrant broth and assemble their own rolls using the rice paper sheets. Dip the rolls in mắm nêm dipping sauce. It's made of fermented fish paste, which is very strong. If fermented fish paste is too overwhelming, you could ultimately use nước mắm chấm (fish sauce) or soy sauce (nước tương chấm) for a milder flavor.

Vietnamese beef hot pot is a very festive meal because it's fairly expensive and quite time-consuming to prepare. It's what one of my uncles would call "đặc biệt", or "only for special occasions" in English. On my Papa's side of the family in France, all my cousins (including me) married non-Vietnamese spouses but I can guarantee you they all know the meaning of the word "đặc biệt" (which means special). Whenever, we're invited to my uncles' homes, they offer a lot of đặc biệt meals. "Lulu, it's đặc biệt, you should try this, it's delicious!" as one of my uncle always says to my husband. So this recipe is dedicated to my uncle François, whom I call Chu Bay (Uncle #7. He's Papa's 7^th brother and that's how you show respect in the Vietnamese tradition).

It's perfect for a winter meal and just in time for the Chinese New Year, which is coming very soon.

Black Forest Cake

Black forest cake is a very moist chocolate cake made with crème fraîche and cocoa powder and layers of kirsch (cherry liqueur), cherry jam, mascarpone, maraschino cherries and chocolate shavings. I baked the cakes in mini heart-shaped springform pans, perfect to surprise my husband Lulu for Valentine's Day! Of course, now that I've written it here, he won't be surprised. I'll have to come up with something else. What can I say; his loss is your gain.

I had my first black forest cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte) in 8^th grade during German class. We were learning the German words for different ingredients and I remember that it made us all very hungry. In the German textbook, there was a recipe for black forest cake. One of the girls in the class decided to make the cake and brought it in the next day. It was so delicious that I've kept the recipe ever since, though with a few changes. Guten Appetit!

Hot Chocolate

Every once in a while, the girls enjoy making their own hot chocolate. They usually top it with whipped cream and marshmallows. But with Valentine's Day coming soon, I wanted to make a special version of chocolat chaud for my husband. I used cocoa powder, real chocolate, cream, milk and a few spices such as nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. I added espresso coffee because it enhances the flavor of chocolate in the drink. This ingredient in particular is an easy way to give a new twist to an old classic. As another option, you could also give the drink additional heat for Valentine's Day by using red chiles.

I personally don't think you have to wait until Valentine's Day to make a cup hot chocolate for your special someone.  They'll appreciate it just as much if you make it tonight!

Chicken Skewers Glazed with Kiwi Chutney

Kiwi chutney helps bring chicken to life by infusing the meat with sweet, tangy and spicy flavors. It's an exotic and flavorful twist on what could otherwise be a boring chicken dinner. I served the skewers with raita (yogurt sauce) and some more of the sauce made from the kiwi chutney. For the vegetarians in the house, I deep-fried tofu cubes, placed them on skewers and brushed them with kiwi chutney. Everyone got to share almost the "same" meal, which is very rare in my home.

I got the jar of kiwi chutney pictured below from our friend Laura. It's just one product in a long line of lovely creations that she has shared with us. Laura makes an amazing French marmalade, flavored with French vanilla beans. I don't have the recipe for the marmalade, but last year, she was kind enough to share her recipe for making vinegar on Pham Fatale.

If you don't have a friend like Laura, or can't find kiwi chutney at your local market, you can always try using other sweet chutneys such as mango or tamarind. No matter what, you'll have a tasty new chicken dish to share with your family and friends.

Kale with Caramelized Kumquats

This side dish couldn't be easier to make. Onions and kumquats are slowly caramelized with ginger and agave nectar and added to slightly sautéed kale. What could be better than a dish that's delicious, healthy and simple?

I was inspired to make this dish by a reader. Chef Doreen T. Ross is a culinary artist and consultant from North Carolina. Doreen sent me a recipe suggestion using kumquats (I've asked for recipes using this ingredient) with wilted kale. I've adapted Doreen's recipe and added an Asian twist to it. Sunny and Lulu were my guinea pigs, and they loved it. Merci Doreen!

As I've said several times, I'm just a home-cook who is passionate about food and has had no professional training. Creating this site has really broadened my culinary horizons. I've received many lovely messages filled with kind words and a ton of tips and culinary tricks. Thank you all for your support, and please keep those messages coming.