Stella's Favorite Recipes of 2019

When not baking away for work at Serious Eats, our resident Pastry Wizard still needs to eat. Here are the recipes she loves to make most at home.

By
Stella Parks
Stella Parks
Stella Parks
Editor Emeritus
Stella Parks is a CIA-trained baking nerd and pastry wizard, dubbed one of America's Best New Pastry Chefs by Food & Wine. She was the pastry editor at Serious Eats from 2016 to 2019.
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Published December 20, 2019
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The guys at Serious Eats never leave me short on inspiration for dinner, and every year a new handful of recipes find their way into my heart; while there are many more that I've bookmarked to try, these are the ones I've conquered and adopted into my own repertoire at home.

  • How to Make Shio Ramen

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    Okay, sure, there's some chashu in the photo, but the beauty of Sho's ramen is that it starts with a chicken dashi—a crucial detail for a ramen enthusiast who just so happens to be allergic to pork. I love the clarity and simplicity of this ramen along with the bright lemon notes, especially in chilly winter months.

  • French Onion Soup Tarte Tatin

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    Given all the sugar I eat for work, savory pastry projects are my personal favorite to tackle for pleasure, and this twist on tarte tatin was no disappointment! My attempt was as picture-perfect as Sasha's, and just as tasty as I imagined. Even better, the caramelized onion jam may just be my new favorite add-in for grilled cheese.

  • Charcoal Chimney–Grilled Sugar Snap Peas

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    I'm not exactly a grill master, but Sasha's guide to blistering vegetables atop a charcoal chimney was so straight forward that I felt confident enough to step out of my comfort zone to chimney-grill all kinds of vegetables this summer. Even if that's not a technique you're ready to try, don't sleep on that buttermilk-shallot dressing!

  • Bang Bang Turkey Salad

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    With all the ingredients for this numbing, Sichuan-inspired dish on hand already, I couldn't resist making Sasha's bang bang turkey for myself before it was even published (one of the benefits of working as an editor at Serious Eats). It came together lickety-split and is worth making fresh when leftover turkey isn't around—along with a little DIY chili oil on the side!

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  • Creamy Orecchiette With Spring Onions, Fennel, and Bacon

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    How to Make Creamy Orecchiette With Spring Onions, Fennel, and Bacon

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    Although I admittedly did not make this with the all-important addition of bacon (see above-mentioned pork allergy), I loved this rich and creamy, vegetable-based sauce for pasta. I was even able to veganize a batch for my brother with some coconut milk in place of cream—sorry, Sasha!

  • Deep-Fried Potato Cups

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    As a huge fan of Glasserie's ultra-thin and crispy "husks," I was delighted for Daniel to tackle something similar, so I could fry up a batch of my own. It's not everyday fare, to be sure, but a super-worth-it splurge for when the craving strikes between my trips to New York.

  • Asparagus, Mushroom, Leek, and Cheese Galette

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    As I've mentioned before, savory pastry projects are my personal favorite to make at home, especially as I always have a spare sheet or two of my own pie dough in the freezer (rolled into sheets and sandwiched between two pieces of cardboard for safekeeping). That means I'm always a quick sauté away from making Daniel's mushrooms, leeks, and asparagus galette to satisfy my post-sugar/end-of-day vegetable cravings.

  • Savory Cheese Soufflé

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    Sensing a theme? The more savory applications for the pastry techniques I love, the better. With so much of this recipe that can be knocked out in advance, I've had great success pulling it off as a fancy breakfast—because it's basically an omelette, right?

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  • Stovetop Paella Mixta for Two

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    I don't have an enormous paella pan (or mastery of open-flame cookery) to try this Spanish classic at home—or so I thought until Daniel demystified an adaptation for making smaller batches on the stovetop. For me, it's a manageable project I can undertake with the equipment I already have; and while a purist might say I'm not making an "authentic" paella, there's no arguing that it's a satisfying and hearty weeknight meal (at least when the sofrito is prepped in advance).

  • Kenji's Kimchi Fried Chicken Sandwich

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    Kenji's Kimchi-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwich

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    It's not every day that Kenji and I get to team up on a recipe, and while my contribution to this sandwich was small (and entirely optional), it was still a lot of fun to whip up some flaky, black sesame biscuits to go with his kimchi-brined fried chicken. I thought the pairing might be a little too heavy, what with the richness of a biscuit and fried chicken combined, but it turned out to be a great match after all.

  • Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

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    Last year, vegan chocolate chip cookies topped the list of my personal favorites for the recipes I developed for Serious Eats, and that proved to be the case this year as well! I love to experiment with vegan recipes and was so pleased to suss out another method for tackling this iconic dessert. After all, there are countless ways to make traditional chocolate chip cookies; why shouldn't we have multiple vegan options as well? This comes together without any specialty ingredients, so it's a great recipe to whip up at the last minute.

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