There's Always a Place for You at Our Table

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It’s the month of giving, and as we ask you to give to our holiday campaign, we want to give you something in return.
There is always a place for you at our table, so sit back and relax as we share some of our favorite recipes…
with our own little twist!

 

Week of December 9

There used to be a bakery and cafe in Park Slope called Sweet Melissa. Every time I would get together with my friend Sasha, we’d meet up at Sweet Melissa and I’d get the honey chestnut madeleines. Oh my goodness. They were the best madeleines I had ever tasted – full of flavor and texture. Not blandly spongey like most. These were not your nostalgic Proust cookies. These snapped you into the present moment and declared “you are here!”

I tried in vain to find that recipe and recreate it. But ironically these honey chestnut wonders have faded into memory. So, I decided it was time to figure out something different and new – my own madeleines. I took a recipe from Dorie Greenspan and tweaked it a bunch to come up with Orange Cardamom Madeleines. They are citrusy and peppery and a little finicky – but so am I in this present moment. I hope you enjoy them or decide to make up your own recipe.

ORANGE CARDAMOM MADELEINES
Makes 12 large or more than 36 mini madeleines

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch of salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons fragrant honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Orange Glaze (see below)

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, salt and pepper and keep at hand.

Working in a mixer bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment, add the eggs to the bowl and beat until the mixture is light, fluffy and thickened; beat in the honey, then the vanilla. Then, very gently fold in the dry ingredients followed by the melted butter. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the batter and chill for 3 hours or, if you have the time, overnight.

Getting ready to bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Let the oven stay at this temperature for at least 15 minutes before baking. Butter 12 full-size madeleine molds (or 36 mini-molds), dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Place the pan on a baking sheet.

Spoon the batter into the molds, filling each one. Bake the large madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes and the minis for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the madeleines are golden and the tops spring back when prodded gently. Remove the pan from the oven and release the madeleines from the molds by rapping the edge of the pan against the counter. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. Once cooled, dip each madeleine into the orange glaze and let the glaze set before eating. Then you can enjoy!

ORANGE GLAZE
1 teaspoon of orange zest
2 teaspoons of fresh orange juice
3/4 cup of powered sugar

Mix ingredients. That’s it.

I’ve listed amounts here, but this is really more about feel and consistency. You may have to use more or less juice – you may need to add more powdered sugar. What you are going for is a glaze with a thicker consistency – if it’s too runny it won’t stay on the cookie and if it’s too thick it will just taste a bit chalky. It should thickly drizzle off a spoon. You’ll figure it out.

There’s an Arabic phrase you say when someone makes you a meal – ysalem dayatek – which basically means “bless your hands”. Food in my family has always been a means to express love and gratitude. The holidays, of course, are showtime. An opportunity to give so much love that you’re all set through the New Year. Each bite gives us the opportunity to celebrate the hands that came before us and to embrace those in our lives that we hold dear. This core value is something we all share at TMT – there is no better way to care for someone than to break bread with them.
When I married my partner, it was important to me to continue this celebration. I didn’t know where to start with Cantonese cooking, so I turned to the The Woks of Life by the Leung family. This cookbook is beautiful, varied, and for a complete noob like me, a warm and generous welcoming. It felt like strangers took me into their home and placed their love and traditions into my hands for me to begin my own. This is how I learned how to make Char Siu, an iconic dish that is easy enough for a weeknight but with enough star power to be the diva on your holiday table.
CHAR SIU BBQ ROAST PORK – serves 6
3 garlic cloves finely minced
¼ cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
2 teaspoons of fine sea salt
2 teaspoons molasses (honestly, I never have this so I just use either maple syrup or brown sugar)
½ teaspoon of five-spice
½ teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
¼ teaspoon of white pepper
1/8 teaspoon of red food coloring (this is optional but sort of not if you want it to look like it came from a restaurant)
3 pounds of boneless pork shoulder or butt (with plentiful fat!)
Mix all of your ingredients into a bowl. Congrats! You made the marinade.
Cut the pork into long strips of chunks about 2-3 inches thick and 1 pound each. Don’t trim off the excess fat (unless it’s like, crazy, use your judgement). Add the sliced pork to your marinade, mix, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Okay, usually, you roast char siu in the oven for what feels like ages, and it involves a lot of changing oven times and checking constantly. But here’s the twist, I use the air fryer and it comes out perfect every time (not an ad).
Place the pork in your air fryer in a single layer. Do this in batches if you need to. Brush the pork with the marinade. Air fry at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes, brushing the pork with more marinade every couple of minutes and moving them around a bit. Cooking times can vary, so keep your eye on it. You’ll know it’s done when it smells amazing, and you can see the charred pieces on top.
Enjoy with rice and vegetables!

Did you enjoy our little twists on recipes? Great! Please consider giving to our holiday campaign, as we prepare for one of our biggest productions yet in 2025, Show/Boat: A River. Your donation at any amount will help us bring this reimagining to life.