The Dish: "Top Chef" alum Kristen Kish

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Kristen Kish was adopted at just four months old by a couple from Michigan and grew up in a typical suburban Midwestern home. At age five, she fell in love with cooking shows and TV chefs. After culinary school and jobs in some of Boston's most acclaimed restaurants she gained her own TV success when she became the season 10 winner of "Top Chef." Kish now adds author to her list of career achievements with her new cookbook called "Kristen Kish Cooking." 

Here are some of Kish's signature recipes: 

Beef ribeye steak with leek fritters

Steak ingredients

1 (2-pound) beef rib eye steak
Grapeseed or other neutral oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 shallots, quartered lengthwise
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
8 fresh thyme sprigs
3 fresh sage sprigs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter 

Directions

1.Place a large cast-iron or heavy-bottomed pan over high heat, pouring in a thin layer of grapeseed oil. Season the rib eye generously with salt and pepper. 

2. When the pan is very hot and the oil is shimmering, sear the steak until a golden-brown crust has formed, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high and turn over the steak. 

3. Arrange the shallots, garlic (cut-sides down), thyme, and sage around the steak. Continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. I like my meat medium-rare. Using a digital meat thermometer, when the internal temperature of the steak hits 118°F, add the butter, allowing it to foam, then baste the steak fifteen to twenty times. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. The final internal temperature will climb to 123°F to 126°F.

Leek fritters ingredients

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced ¾ inch thick
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground coriander
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground caraway
¾ cup whole milk
Soda water
1 cup grapeseed or other neutral
oil, plus more as needed
Kosher salt

Directions

1. Soak the leek disks in water for 20 minutes, lightly swishing them in the water with your hands. Drain the water and repeat once more. Drain and lay the leek disks on a kitchen towel or paper towels to dry. 

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cumin, coriander, and caraway. Whisk in the milk and add soda water as needed: the consistency should be smooth and like that of thick pancake batter. Stir in the leeks. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

3. Put a medium saucepan filled with a few inches of water on to boil over medium heat-you'll need this when you make the mustard sabayon after the steak is cooked.

Mustard sabayon ingredients

4 large egg yolks
¹⁄₄ cup whole-grain mustard
¹⁄₄ cup dry vermouth
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt 

Directions

1. In a stainless steel or heat-resistant bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, mustard, vermouth, honey, and a pinch of salt. Set it over the pan of hot water over medium-low heat. Make sure the bottom of your bowl does not come into contact with the simmering water to ensure the egg mixture doesn't curdle. Whisk constantly until the sabayon nearly triples in volume and turns a pale yellow, about 10 minutes.

2.The sauce will become thick enough to hold a ribbon: when you raise your whisk and let the sabayon pour off the end of the whisk back into the bowl, that ribbon of sauce should sit on the surface of the sabayon for a couple of seconds before melting back into the mixture. Turn the heat off but keep the bowl sitting on top of the saucepan to keep warm. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the sabayon to prevent a skin from forming.

3.Using a new pan or cleaning out the pan you used to cook the steak, bring the 1 cup of grapeseed oil up to 350°F over medium-high heat. Drop two-tablespoon dollops of leek batter into the hot oil and shallow-fry, flipping the fritters over if they're not completely submerged in the oil, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt immediately.

TO SERVE: Serve family-style: slice the rib eye on the cutting board, stack a pile of the leek fritters next to the meat, and add a bowl of the mustard sabayon and a spoon.  

Stuffed cabbage rolls with creamy cucumbers

Cabbage rolls ingredients

1 or 2 large green cabbages, enough for 12 to 15 large leaves
4 cups of your favorite sauerkraut
2 cups tomato juice
5 smoked bacon slices (optional)
1 pound ground pork shoulder (Boston butt)
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon sweet, smoked, or hot paprika (I like a mix)
2 teaspoons ground fennel seeds
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
¹⁄₄ cup grated white onion
1¹⁄₄ cups uncooked white rice
Kosher salt
Grapeseed or other neutral oil 

Directions

1. You'll need 12 to 15 nice large leaves to make these rolls. Gently peel off the outer leaves of the cabbage, then steam these over a pot of boiling water until pliable, roughly 15 minutes. Lay them out on a kitchen towel to cool and dry. Chop up the remaining cabbage (up to ½ head) into medium chunks.

2. In a large bowl, mix together with your hands the pork, beef, paprika, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, coriander, black pepper, garlic, onion, and rice, adding a generous sprinkling of salt. Shape a very small patty of the mixture and, in a hot small frying pan lightly coated with oil, cook it for 2 minutes on each side. Taste for salt and adjust your overall mixture accordingly.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll up ¼ cup of the stuffing into each steamed cabbage leaf, like you would roll a burrito, and tuck each roll into a deep baking dish, seam-side down. Pour a light layer of the sauerkraut juice and all of the tomato juice over the rolls. Insert small pieces of the cabbage heart(s) in between each roll, then top with the sauerkraut and more of its juices: the overall amount of liquid should come three fourths of the way up the cabbage rolls. I like to add some slices of smoked bacon over the top to add flavor while the dish cooks, but it's your choice. Cover tightly with a lid or buttered foil, and bake for 2½ to 3 hours, until tender.

Creamy cucumbers ingredients

1 English cucumber
¹⁄₄ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Slice the cucumber into rounds about the thickness of a nickel. Combine in a nonreactive bowl with the vinegar, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature. Drain off the cucumber liquid. Mix the cucumbers with the sour cream, dill, remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Squash and coconut milk custard

Ingredients

2 acorn squashes, halved from
tip to stem, seeds scooped out
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
6 fresh sage leaves
3 tablespoons Brown Butter
¹⁄₄ cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
3 tablespoons Brown Butter (for garnish)
¹⁄₄ cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (for garnish)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Trim a small sliver off the skin side of each squash half to create a flat surface so the squash halves sit evenly, like bowls. Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet pan.

2. Next drizzle ½ tablespoon of the olive oil over each half and season with salt. Tear the sage and sprinkle it over the squash. Roast the squash for about 25 minutes, or until just over halfway cooked.

Custard ingredients

2 cups canned coconut milk
1 cup heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
Grated zest of ½ orange
2 teaspoons freshly ground
black pepper
Fleur de sel

Directions

1. While the squash is roasting, in a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar, orange zest, pepper, and fleur de sel to taste. Remove the squash from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. 

2. Wrap the outside of each squash half tightly with foil, in anticipation of the impending water bath. Transfer the squash to a baking dish or roasting pan. Pour the coconut custard into the well of each squash, allowing it to seep in and fill up. Next, add hot water from the tap to the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the squash halves. Bake until the custard begins to set, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.

3. When you move the squash to test the custard, it should jiggle a bit like gelatin. As it cools slightly, it will set up further. I like to serve this at room temperature, but it's also good piping hot.

To serve: Serve family-style on a small platter in halves, as roasted, or quartered. Drizzle brown butter over the top of each squash half and sprinkle with the toasted walnuts.

Sour cream cake 

Ingredients

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup whole milk
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups crème fraîche
¹⁄₄ cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons malted milk powder 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch spring form pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high until pale yellow in color and slightly fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes, stopping the machine once or twice to scrape down the sides and bottom to make sure the sugar and butter are evenly mixed. 

2. With the machine running on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, and continue mixing until each egg is fully incorporated.

3. Next add the sour cream and vanilla and mix, again stopping the machine to scrape down the sides once or twice, until incorporated.

4. Switching to the lowest speed, add one third of the flour mixture. When it begins to incorporate, and with the machine running, add half of the milk and mix lightly. Add another third of the flour mixture, followed by the remaining milk. Then add the final third of the flour mixture and mix until the batter just begins to come together.

5. Stop the stand mixer and, using a spatula, fold the batter until all the ingredients are fully incorporated, being sure not to over-mix it. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared cake pan. In a small bowl, toss together the pecans, brown sugar, and salt. Sprinkle evenly over the batter, using your hands or the back of a spoon to press the nuts into the cake really well so that they sink into the pan (this will help the cake cook more evenly-especially in a home oven). Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

6. Meanwhile, prep the garnish: By hand, or using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the crème fraîche, confectioners' sugar, and malted milk powder until medium-stiff peaks form. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

To serve: Cut the cake into desired portions. Scoop a large quenelle of the whipped crème fraîche alongside each serving.