This was my first time making congee at home, and it was a huge success! A big bowl of creamy Chinese porridge is topped with sweet, tangy pork, crispy shallots and fresh herbs.

The balance of sweet, salty and tangy is really nice in this dish. The textural contrast is great, too - creamy porridge, tender pork and crispy shallots. The fresh cilantro and green onions on top bring it all together.

It's no wonder this dish won over the judges on Top Chef. It was a big hit at my house! It took a lot of work but it was well worth it.

Just a note - the recipes from Blue Apron call for "1 bunch" of herbs, and that correlates to the size of the "bunch" they send if you're using their service (which I'm absolutely in love with!). I'd say their bunches are about 1-2 tablespoons.

Congee & Caramelized Pork with Crispy Shallots and Black Garlic
Blue Apron - Top Chef's Mei Lin

Makes: 2 Servings
Calories: About 700 Per Serving

10 Ounces Ground Pork
½ Cup Sushi Rice
2 Scallions
1 Bunch Cilantro
2 Cloves Black Garlic
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Teaspoons Chinese Black Vinegar
2 Teaspoon Congee Spice Blend (Ground Galangal, Garlic Powder, Ground Ginger, Ground Lemongrass, Cayenne Pepper)
1 Shallot
¼ Cup Coconut Palm Sugar
¼ Cup All-Purpose Flour

1. Prepare the ingredients:
Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel the black garlic cloves. In a small bowl, using a fork, mash the black garlic cloves into a paste; add 1 tablespoon of water and stir to combine. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions; thinly slice the scallions, separating the white bottoms and green tops. Pick the cilantro off the stems; discard the stems. Peel and thinly slice the shallot into rings; separate the rings and place in a bowl of cold water.

2. Make the congee:
In a large pot, heat 2 teaspoons of oil on medium-high until hot. Add half the white parts of the scallions and half the spice blend. Cook, stirring frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the rice; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the rice is toasted and starts to crackle. Add 6 cups of water; cook, stirring occasionally, 23 to 26 minutes, or until the rice is tender and creamy. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Start the pork:
After the rice has cooked for about 5 minutes, in a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of oil on medium-high until hot. Add the ground pork and cook, frequently breaking the meat apart with a spoon, 1 to 3 minutes, or until browned. Add half the soy sauce and the remaining white parts of the scallions and the remaining spice blend. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 4 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out the pan.

4. Make the caramel & finish the pork:
Place the coconut palm sugar in the same pan used to cook the pork. Heat on medium-high, without stirring, 2 to 3 minutes, or until melted and dark amber in color. Turn off the heat and add the black vinegar, mashed black garlic mixture and remaining soy sauce. Stir until well combined. Add the cooked pork (along with any juices on the plate) and ¼ cup of water. Cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until well combined and heated through. Remove from heat.

5. Cook the shallots:
Drain the shallot rings. Place the flour in a small bowl. Add the drained shallot rings to the bowl of flour and toss to thoroughly coat. In a small pan, heat a thin layer of oil on medium until hot. Tap any excess flour off the shallots. Add them to the pan in a single layer. (If necessary, work in batches to avoid overcrowding.) Cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately season with salt.

6. Plate your dish:
Divide the congee and caramelized pork between 2 dishes. Top with the crispy shallots and green parts of the scallions. Garnish with the cilantro. Enjoy!

Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars

Years ago, Dino told me about one of his most special, traditional Italian holiday foods memories - Pizza Rustica. It's basically a stuffed pizza full of high quality meats and cheeses that was reserved for special occasions.

It sounded incredibly rich and decadent, and I never thought it would be something I'd try to make at home... until I saw a recipe from Michael Lomonaco's mother in a cookbook.

First things first - this dish takes a few hours to make from the time you start the dough to the time you're able to serve it. So plan accordingly.

Also, don't forget to add the butter to the dough, remembering only after you've kneaded it by hand for 5 full minutes. Oops.

(And yes, the dough felt MUCH better the second time around. I'm just glad I realized what I had done before I assembled the pizza and put it into the oven!)

I used a 9-inch springform pan, and it was really tough to get the dough all the way up the sides to be able to seal the crust. I was definitely worried about it while it was baking, but it worked out just fine. Next time, I'd cut even less for the top crust so there would be more for the bottom.

One other thing to note - the recipe instructs you to preheat the oven first - before the dough chills in the fridge for an hour. I waited until I was about to roll the dough to preheat.

This pizza was a HUGE hit at the dinner table! My husband was in heaven! He had been raving about this dish for years, but had only had it once before now. My mom and aunt were in town, so they got to enjoy this decadent pizza, too.

The sweetness of the crust goes so perfectly with all of the saltiness from the salami, prosciutto and pecorino Romano. A healthy amount of ricotta and mozzarella make it nice and creamy.

This pizza takes a while to cool off, and you want it to cool off before you eat it so that the cheese has a chance to solidify, giving you these gorgeous, clean slices.

This wasn't as much hands-on work as I thought it would be, so it's definitely something I'll do again sometime.

Pizza Rustica
Mom’s Secret Recipe File – Chris Styler
Michael Lomonaco's mother

Makes 8 to 10 servings

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading the dough
½ cup sugar
¼ pound (1 stick) sweet butter, cut into pieces
¼ cup cold water
6 egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ teaspoons ground black pepper
1 pound fresh ricotta cheese, preferably made from sheep's milk
8 ounces sliced Genoa salami, chopped
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced into ¼-inch pieces
4 ounces sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped
¼ cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
Olive oil

1. Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Combine the flour, sugar, butter, water, 3 egg yolks, salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper in the work bowl of a food processor. Process until they form a ball of dough. Remove the dough, place on a floured work surface, and knead fro 5 minutes, adding flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands and the work surface. Cover the ball of dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

2. In a bowl, stir together the ricotta, salami, mozzarella, prosciutto, Romano cheese, the remaining 3 egg yolks, and 1 teaspoon of pepper until well blended. Refrigerate while you prepare the pastry shell.

3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut one-third off to be used as the top crust. Roll the larger piece out on a floured work surface, to a 12-inch-wide circle. Brush the inside of a 10-inch springform pan with oil and transfer the circle of dough to the pan. Using your fingertips press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan, making sure the dough has a flat bottom and is tucked into the seam of the pan. Pull the dough up the side to reach the top edge of the pan. Pour the filing into the dough and rap the pan sharply on the countertop once or twice to settle and distribute it evenly. (See Note.) Roll the remaining smaller piece of dough into a 10-inch circle and place this over the filling. Pinch the edges of the two pieces together to seal the edge completely. Cut a cross into the top crust so that the steam can escape during baking. Set the pan on a baking sheet and bake until the top is well browned, 45 to 55 minutes.

4. Remove the pizza from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge to loosen the crust from the pan and open the springform pan. Cool completely before serving at room temperature.

Note: Depending on the thickness of the ricotta, you may have to spread the filling into an even layer with a metal spatula.

Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars

One of my favorite childhood food memories is of my aunt's beef stroganoff. She used to make it with beef straight from her farm - it was pure comfort food.

So when she joined my mom for a road trip to come visit us last week, I knew I wanted to try to make some beef stroganoff for them. I found this recipe from Sara Moulton's mom in a cookbook and thought it sounded like a fun spin on the classic dish that I grew up with.

Meatballs are browned and added to a creamy sherry infused mushroom sauce that is studded with fresh dill. I served it over extra wide egg noodles, and it was a huge hit at the dinner table!

The meatballs were super tender, and the fresh dill really made it taste unique. I thought the thickening method for the sauce was interesting, too. You stir four into softened butter until it's smooth and then add that mixture, bit by bit, to the sauce. This is definitely a meal I'll be making again and again!