1. Lin'an Specialty: Crab-Stuffed Orange Ingredients: Roe-rich female crab in season, ideally from Taihu; deep…
1. Lin'an Specialty: Crab-Stuffed Orange
Ingredients: Roe-rich female crab in season, ideally from Taihu; deep-golden orange with the stem cap still on
Method: Cut a lid from the orange and set it aside. Remove the flesh, leaving a little juice in the shell. Fill the orange with the crab meat and roe, then replace the lid. Set it in a small steamer and steam with wine and vinegar until cooked through. Season lightly with salt and serve.
Tasting Notes: The orange fragrance lifts the crab and tempers its richness. The crab meat is creamy and full, balanced by the orange's gentle sweetness and fresh acidity. The only complaint is that there is never quite enough of it.
2. Kaifeng Winter Dish: Mountain-Stewed Lamb with Apricot Kernels
Ingredients: Ribs or leg from a young lamb; Shayuan apricot kernels, skinned and ground
Method: Cut the lamb into pieces and place it in a clay pot. Add scallion and pepper, and there is one secret to it: use a few pounded apricot kernels. Cook over a lively fire until the meat is tender and even the bones have softened.
Tasting Notes: The meat is tender but still holds together, and the broth turns white as milk. A little coriander at the end freshens the dish and lightens its richness. It is especially satisfying in winter, when it warms the body through. Do not overindulge in summer, though, as it can leave you feeling overheated and prone to heartburn.
3. Scholar's Table: Petal-Pasta Soup
Ingredients: Winter plum blossoms from Jianyang; Triple-sifted wheat flour; Aged ham
Method: Lightly steep the plum blossoms with a pinch of sandalwood powder, then use the fragrant liquid to make a dough like that for wonton wrappers. Roll it thin, stack the sheets, and cut them with a five-petaled iron mold in the shape of a plum blossom. Cook and serve in broth.
Tasting Notes: The dough pieces are delicate and almost translucent, with a faint plum fragrance that lingers on the palate. The broth is clear and fresh, and does not overpower the floral note. A refined dish, though a little too understated in flavor.
4. Winter Treat: Rosy Hotpot
Ingredients: Rabbit loin; Ginger citrus sauce
Method: Freeze the rabbit until firm, then slice it very thinly. Drop the slices into boiling bone broth and cook only until just done. Serve with the dipping sauce.
Tasting Notes: The slices are thin as paper and turn rosy the moment they meet the broth. The ginger citrus sauce brings brightness and fragrance, with a lively tartness that keeps the dish fresh on the palate. With a good wine alongside, the dish becomes finer still.
5. Signature Cold Dish: Crystal Aspic
Ingredients: Fresh sea bass; Fragrant fermented lees
Method: Blanch the fish slices very briefly in boiling water. Place them in an earthenware bowl with the fermented lees and ginger juice, then chill in a snow cellar until set. Cut into pieces and arrange with chilled lotus root.
Tasting Notes: Clear and glistening like amber, the fish aspic melts almost at once in the mouth. The lees give it depth and fragrance, while the lotus root provides a crisp contrast. Set it beside a bowl of hot rice, and you will not want to put your chopsticks down.
6. Kaifeng Morning Market: Spit-Roasted Pork Rind
Ingredients: Pork neck skin; Coarse salt
Method: Skewer the pork skin on an iron spit and roast it quickly over charcoal, turning constantly. As the fat renders, sprinkle with spiced salt. When the skin blisters and crisps, slice it and lay it over flatbread.
Tasting Notes: The rind is crisp, amber in color, with rich meat and fat beneath. The peppered salt draws out the smoky aroma so thoroughly that it can be smelled from several lanes away. The only trouble is that it depends entirely on careful control of the fire. Get that wrong, and all you get is a dry, joyless bite.
7. Lin'an Summer Dessert: Snow Pearls
Ingredients: Glutinous rice flour; Rock sugar; Plum syrup
Method: Roll the glutinous rice flour into small balls and boil until they float. Chill thoroughly in an ice well, then pour over sugar syrup and plum syrup. Garnish with carved preserved plums to make what is called the "Three Friends" ice-bowl garnish.
Tasting Notes: The dumplings are soft and chewy, set against crushed ice cold enough to sting the teeth. The syrup is clean and sweet without becoming cloying, with the crunch of the ice shards providing a delightful contrast to the soft pearls. A fine thing to eat on a summer afternoon.
8. Tavern Supper: Lees-Cured Lamb Trotter Slices
Ingredients: Lamb trotters; Fragrant fermented lees; Yellow mustard
Method: Cook the lamb trotters until tender, then remove the bones. Wrap in cloth and press into a square. Soak in lees brine for three days, then slice thinly and serve with yellow mustard.
Tasting Notes: The tendon and gelatin set into a glossy, firm slice. The lees fragrance runs deep, and the mustard gives the dish a sharp finish that cuts the richness well. It is a perfect dish for winter nights spent reading by candlelight.
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