by jessica yoon
Ten years ago, I started Jessica’s Dinner Party as a space to house my growing interest in food. What was meant to be a hobby, grew into something bigger, and eventually led into a career in food. JDP has captured such an incredible decade of my life–I could’ve never imagined many of the things that happened since that first post. And so in honor of my ten year anniversary, I thought I’d share ten of my favorite blog posts, and why they’re so memorable to me.
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If I had to choose just one type of cookie to eat for the rest of my life, it would be the shortbread cookie. I know! It’s so granny of me, but I love the buttery flavor and sandy texture. No matter how many I eat (even the plain ones!), I never get sick of them. Plus, there are so many different ways to dress them up and make them seasonal or holiday friendly. For my holiday tin this year I made a matcha version with pistachios & cranberries. These matcha cookies are nutty and crisp with the slightest hint of green tea.
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Biscotti has never been a memorable or crave-worthy cookie to me, until I made these chocolate biscotti with almonds. They hands down rocked my holiday treat playlist this year. The cocoa tinged cookies just meld into the milky flavors of the white chocolate chips and finish on a nutty crisp note. They are not too sweet, just the right amount of chocolatey goodness, and can be eaten as a semi-indulgent breakfast (hey! sugary cereal is no different than cookies for breakfast) or as a night cap before bedtime. Perfection.
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This post is part of a 30th birthday dinner party series.
Before I left New York a year and a half ago, I stocked up on one of my favorite tea blends called the White Duke from Bellocq, a beautiful tea atelier in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The tea blend is similar to an Earl Grey, but is made with white tea leaves instead of black making it lighter on the palate. I used it to make a chocolate Earl Grey mascarpone cake to cap off the birthday celebrations of my dinner party. Despite the fancy ingredients, this is really a simple black and white cake that looks sophisticated, but is fairly easy to make.
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This post is part of a 30th birthday dinner party series.
When I started developing this roasted potato dish, I was looking to create a super crisp and almost fried-like potato. I came up with a great recipe using a very hot oven, but realized the day before my dinner party that it wasn’t the best idea. Crispy potatoes are like fries, they need to be served hot and immediately or else the texture and taste are compromised. With just one oven, there was no way I would be able to serve the roasted potatoes at its prime state! I made a last minute decision to forego the crispiness and instead cook them at a lower temperature. This way I could roast the potatoes and my other veggies at the same time (efficiency!) and not worry about texture too much (aka potatoes can be served warm instead of hot). The dish ended up being a little different than I initially planned, but that’s the beauty of hosting your own dinner party! There is always room for flexibility and last minute changes, after all it’s your kitchen!
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