David Chang's Bo Ssam

Here is the Bo Ssam recipe I posted on facebook a few months back. I didn't think it needed the extra step with the brown sugar. It was succulent and scrumptious. You could use this pork for quesadillas, tacos, nachos or just about anything. I sautéed an onion in olive oil, sesame oil and soy with salt and pepper. I served it with the pork over brown rice with lettuce leaves and the ginger-scallion sauce below. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we all did. Momofuku Bo Ssam By SAM SIFTON Serves 6 to 10

Pork Butt 1 whole bone-in pork butt or picnic ham (8 to 10 pounds) 1 cup white sugar 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt 7 tablespoons brown sugar

Ginger-Scallion Sauce 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced scallions, both green and white parts 1/2 cup peeled, minced fresh ginger (I grated on a microplane) 1/4 cup neutral oil (like grapeseed) 1 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce 1 scant teaspoon sherry vinegar 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste Just an idea by Lulu: Add a little honey and some sriracha depending on your taste buds. The next time I make it I am going to add lime zest and juice.

Ssam Sauce 2 tablespoons fermented bean-and- chili paste (ssamjang, available in many Asian markets, and online) 1 tablespoon chili paste (kochujang, available in many Asian markets, and online) 1/2 cup sherry vinegar 1/2 cup neutral oil (like grapeseed) Accompaniments

: 2 cups plain white rice, cooked 3 heads bibb lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried 1 dozen or more fresh oysters (optional) Kimchi (available in many Asian markets, and online).

1. Place the pork in a large, shallow bowl. Mix the white sugar and 1 cup of the salt together in another bowl, then rub the mixture all over the meat. Cover it with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight. 2. When you’re ready to cook, heat oven to 300. Remove pork from refrigerator and discard any juices. Place the pork in a roasting pan and set in the oven and cook for approximately 6 hours, or until it collapses, yielding easily to the tines of a fork. (After the first hour, baste hourly with pan juices.) At this point, you may remove the meat from the oven and allow it to rest for up to an hour. 3. Meanwhile, make the ginger-scallion sauce. In a large bowl, combine the scallions with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and taste, adding salt if needed. 4. Make the ssam sauce. In a medium bowl, combine the chili pastes with the vinegar and oil, and mix well. 5. Prepare rice, wash lettuce and, if using, shuck the oysters. Put kimchi and sauces into serving bowls. 6. When your accompaniments are prepared and you are ready to serve the food, turn oven to 500. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining tablespoon of salt with the brown sugar. Rub this mixture all over the cooked pork. Place in oven for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, or until a dark caramel crust has developed on the meat. Serve hot, with the accompaniments. Adapted from “Momofuku,” by David Chang and Peter Meehan.

I froze the left over pork in ziploc bags. The following week I was having a dinner party so I defrosted the leftover Bo Ssam and used it to make quesadillas and nachos. They were a big hit.

For the nachos I used avocado, red onions, cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese and Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. And baked in the oven on at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Crack Pie

This recipe came from David Changs restaurant Momofuku in NYC. You don't need a mixer to make this recipe. Use a little elbow grease like Mattie and I did, we used our hands. The kitchen we used was devoid of any kitchen utensils and it still came out great! Try it with melted bittersweet chocolate on top. Its just plain decadent. Next time I'm going to mix unsweetened coconut flakes and dark chocolate in to the filling. Hopefully it will make it taste like a mounds bar.

Momofuku's Crack Pie

Total time: 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling and chilling times

Servings: Makes 2 pies (6 to 8 servings each)

Note: Adapted from Momofuku. This pie calls for 2 (10-inch) pie tins. You can substitute 9-inch pie tins, but note that the pies will require additional baking time, about 5 minutes, due to the increased thickness of the filling.

Cookie for crust

2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (3 ounces) flour

Scant 1/8 teaspoon baking powder

Scant 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter

1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar

3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) sugar

1 egg

Scant 1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) rolled oats

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Whisk the egg into the butter mixture until fully incorporated.

5. With the mixer running, beat in the flour mixture, a little at a time, until fully combined. Stir in the oats until incorporated.

6. Spread the mixture onto a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking sheet and bake until golden brown and set, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to the touch on a rack. Crumble the cooled cookie to use in the crust.

Crust

Crumbled cookie for crust

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine the crumbled cookie, butter, brown sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until evenly combined and blended (a little of the mixture clumped between your fingers should hold together). Divide the crust between 2 (10-inch) pie tins. Press the crust into each shell to form a thin, even layer along the bottom and sides of the tins. Set the prepared crusts aside while you prepare the filling.

Filling

1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar

3/4 cup plus a scant 3 tablespoons (7 ounces) light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon (3/4 ounce) milk powder

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

3/4 cup plus a scant 2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 egg yolks

2 prepared crusts

Powdered sugar, garnish

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, salt and milk powder. Whisk in the melted butter, then whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla.

3. Gently whisk in the egg yolks, being careful not to add too much air.

4. Divide the filling evenly between the 2 prepared pie shells.

5. Bake the pies, one at a time, for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake until the filling is slightly jiggly and golden brown (similar to a pecan pie), about 10 minutes. Remove the pies and cool on a rack.

6. Refrigerate the cooled pies until well chilled. The pies are meant to be served cold, and the filling will be gooey. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.