When I was very young, one of the foods we had on repeat was the ubiquitous rice porridge known most commonly as congee. Or in my case, jook.

To clarify , all jook is congee, but not all congee is jook.

What’s the difference? Jook, as I know it, is specifically from Canton (Guangzhou), in southern China. It's made with a higher ratio of water to rice and and it's cooked a long time, until the rice almonst dissolves into the liquid and becomes silky smooth and creamy. In congee, the rice retains a bit of shape and texture, even though it is soupy-smooth.

As a child, I ate jook, but never liked it. And when I was in my twenties, I might have made it once or twice. It was only much later, when I had Chef Jonathan Sundstrom's version of congee before he launched his award-winning restaurant Lark, that I understood all of the dish's amazing possibilities!

I definitely prefer congee, with the rice still defined, albeit soft, yet with texture. And today, I realize it has always been a comfort food for me, even if I didn't find it soothing or delicious as a child

The best part of having a pot of congee on hand is that it is a perfect canvas for dressing up or down. Some simple garnishes could include scallions, pickled vegetables, chopped pickled or cooked fresh vegetables, dried shrimp, strips of ham and salted or poached eggs. Oils like pumpkin seed and walnut add a nice visual. Soy sauce and toasted sesame oil are also good options. Salt and black or white pepper are perfect for seasoning.

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This is the recipe my Mom used, though I think it was just a reminder of the elements and then she would do what she always did. I do not know what those personal mods she did were, though I know she liked her jook to be very, very smooth with no lumps at all. And she liked hers to be made with water adding chicken broth later, almost as a condiment.

To make your own congee try different ratios of water and short and long grain rices. The rice variety makes a difference, though perhaps not as critical as the water ratio.

Cooking with ginger and bones all day long is a variation you can try.

I like my congee to have some texture of the rice and like to cook in water now since I want to have leftovers for days. I find the addition of stock or fats doesn't allow the congee to keep as well.

If you make stock you can cook the rice in that. Consider heating the rice in the pan and then add the stock constantly stirring as you go...oh wait that is how you make risotto.

What are the best toppings for congee? There is no best, the answer is just about anything you like.

Think of scallions or green onions, bite-sized cooked chicken pieces, grated ginger (cooking with is a good option), soy sauce, ketjap manis, salted duck egg or really all kinds of eggs, crispy shallots (make them in the microwave), sweet pickled vegetables like mustard plant stem, dried shrimp, gomasio / furikake, pan fried spam, oyster sauce, sesame oil.

Think textures, sweet and sour and flavor combinations is what makes the toppings work. Have fun and experiment!

See Mom's Jook Recipe here!

If there is only one risotto you ever make, this is a good place to start!

Risotto (riso = rice) is defined as rice cooked until it reaches a creamy consistency. It is not just any creaminess. It, when done to perfection, is like no other rice dish in any culture that we know of.

It all starts with the rice itself. The rice is important because not all types of rice can create a creamy texture without being mushy. A good rice creates a delightful creamy texture with definition. There are many options and many more opinions for which rice to use.

See the Risotto coi Fagiolo Rossi Recipe here!

This works with any fowl, like a good chicken

This is a recipe where you need to "feel" your way as you go. Changing out and adding and reducing to match your palate. Use your instinct. You can't really overdo it.

See the Grilled Chicken w/ Rice and Vinegar Recipe Here!

These black currants are like little candy raisins.

Add dried black currants to your next risotto, to your next wild duck dish, or the Grilled Chicken w/ Rice and Vinegar recipe. These dried currant raisins are versatile, add punch, mix it up and are good for you! The best thing is that they are dried, so today or tomorrow, they keep, ready for your next whim.

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In France, everyone associates the southern town of Montelimar with nougat, that delicious confection of honey, sugar, egg whites and roasted almonds. Nougat has long been produced in Montelimar, but fame arrived in the 19th century, when both train travel and vacation time for workers became de rigueur in France. When trains en route to Mediterranean beaches stopped at Montelimar, the travel-weary passengers bought French nougat for a pick-me-up snack.

Since 1837, the artisanal Arnaud Soubeyran company has produced authentic Montelimar nougat there, using straightforward, pure ingredients and old-fashioned techniques. Today, the small factory still uses copper caldrons to cook the nougat; when it's ready, it's laid out and cut on marble slabs into the nougat candy bar we all know and love.

To earn the designation "nougat de Montelimar," French nougat must follow certain specifications regarding proportions of ingredients, including a certain amount of "miel toutes fleurs" - mixed-flower honey. At Arnaud Soubeyran, this "toutes fleurs" honey comes locally from Provence, as does the lavender honey also used.

If you ever find yourself in Montélimar, stop by for a visit! Arnaud Soubeyran offers a terrific little museum where you can watch nougat-making in progress, as well as learn about the process - starting with entering a walk-in model of a beehive to learn about honey! - and check out all sorts of antique nougat-making gadgets.

Shop now for Nougat de Montelimar!

International Chocolate Awards 2019: European Bronze Award
Academy of Chocolate Awards 2019: Silver Award

It's hard to find a good dark bar with raspberries, this one from Karuna succeeds. The bright red raspberries are embedded within the 70% Belizian dark chocolate. The chocolate gives a nice earthy backdrop to the lively raspberries; the natural citrus notes meld nicely with the intense freeze-dried raspberry flavor and the raspberry seeds add a little crunch to the creamy texture of the chocolate.

Shop now for Karuna Chocolate Organic Belize Dark 70-Percent Bar with Raspberries!

As you bring the jar close to your nose it doesn't take more than just breathing for you to feel the peppery peppers tingle inside!

It looks glossy and almost liquidly but, when you dip your spoon in, it's much firmer and more jelly like than you would think. Keep in mind this is not a big spoonful, it is more of a dip-your-toe-in kind of approach. You know it's going to be spicy.

After shaking off much of what the dipped spoon had on it, I gingerly stuck my tongue out to the bottom of the spoon to taste. Initially it's warm and fuzzy almost chocolatey and not too hot...moments later the heat will kick in, it is quite pleasant but definitely has some heat.

Unlike many sauces that are full of heat, like a chili sauce, this is much more well rounded. A perfect marriage of heat and flavor enhancing punch.

You can imagine immediately adding this sauce to add sparkle to any dish.

It's this richness of flavor that you get initially that is really wonderful. The tingle it gives to your mouth and the heat it gives to the back your throat is a pleasant spicy. It is really enjoyable.

If you're not a hot person of any kind, this probably is not for you. If you're a mild to medium or even a hot lover, this is a pretty special sauce.

Use it like ketchup or use it in a sauce like a chili dish. Add to a hot pot or a potato dish. It will add some super flavor, enhancing and opening up the dish. Think sandwich!

It's bright and I think once you taste it, you will be intrigued on how to use it next.

Shop now for BomBom Gochujang Korean Chilli Paste!