Jessica's Dinner Party

by jessica yoon

garlic

Greek Yogurt Buttermilk Dressing

Greek Yogurt Buttermilk Dressing | Jessica's Dinner Party

This post is part of a 30th birthday dinner party series. 

Oftentimes, salad is the most uninspired dish in my dinner spread. I usually just toss some greens with a simple vinaigrette, but I wanted to try something different so I went digging for inspiration online. I came across this article on Bon Appetit that mentioned something called a “hand salad,” basically a crudité with romaine leaves and Greek yogurt dressing. Apparently some of the editors weren’t into the concept, but I fell in love with it. It sounded perfect for a dinner where guests slowly trickle in and I felt like it would be a dish that would keep the party going until well into the night (ever hear of second wind?). I used the recipe in the article as a starting point and eventually came up with a Greek Yogurt Buttermilk Dressing with chives and garlic that tastes rich but is actually quite healthy.

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Roast Rack of Lamb with a Garlic Crust

Roast Rack of Lamb with a Garlic Crust | Jessica's Dinner Party

This post is part of a 30th birthday dinner party series. 

I hosted a 30th birthday dinner for a dear friend last week and served this juicy roast rack of lamb as the main dish. I wanted a strong centerpiece that would root the whole table together and this lamb fit the bill perfectly. Of everything I cooked that night, this recipe was hands down the easiest. With only 4 ingredients (or 6 if you include salt and pepper) it comes together quickly and makes for a great showstopper.

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Crudite and Dips

I love getting fresh local produce at the farmer’s market or local grocery store. The fruits and vegetable are always so beautiful, colorful, and very fragrant.  It makes me feel really good that I’m eating healthy and being friendly to the environment.  However, I don’t know why, but I don’t like to cook with the fresh produce. I feel guilty, as if I was tainting the pure flavors with my amateur cooking skills. I’m slowly changing my mentality, but I tend to eat a lot of my fruits and vegetables raw.  I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but sometimes it can get a little boring.

So, for the picnic I decided to bring crudite and dip!  It’s a mix between enjoying the fresh flavors of summer and adding a little extra flavor.  As usual, since I couldn’t narrow it down to just one, I made two.  I made a hummus from a recipe that I had tagged in a Food and Wine magazine and a dip called Peacamole from the popular food blog, Chocolate and Zucchini.

 

  

  

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Browned Tofu In Spicy Soy Sauce

In general, I don’t cook Korean very often.  I have a tendency to be drawn towards rustic Italian dishes or interesting ingredients like quinoa and wheat berry.  These foods feel more exotic to me so many times I skip the Korean and cook up something I’ve never eaten before.  I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but I do think it’s a bit sad that I barely know how to cook what I call my comfort food.


To redeem myself a little bit, there is one Korean dish I know well and have almost mastered.  It is a browned tofu in a spicy soy sauce.  In Korean it’s called tubu chorim, 두부조림, which roughly translates to tofu boiled in sauce.  It’s very easy and fast.  It does require a couple of Asian condiments like soy sauce and sesame oil, but if you don’t have those in your pantry I highly encourage you to get them.  Soy sauce is well known, but sesame oil may not be.  It is a vegetable oil made from sesame seeds that is intensely fragrant and used in many Asian dishes.

 

 

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