The Culinary Institute of America

Executive Chef John McConnell of Clif Family Winery’s Bruschetteria Food Truck shows us how to make an Almond Apricot Cake with Almond Butter Frosting and Toasted Almonds. Almonds have long been a staple ingredient in baked goods, and in this recipe, Chef McConnell uses almond flour, almond butter, and decorative sliced almonds. Almonds and apricots are a classic duo in desserts, and he uses apricots in this cake to add a sweet, tart fruity contrast to the nutty almonds. Find the recipe at: http://www.almonds.com/food-professionals/recipe-center/almond-cake-almond-butter-frosting-apricots-and-toasted-almond

Executive Chef John McConnell of Clif Family Winery’s Bruschetteria Food Truck shows us a unique take on Cuban-style “Arroz con Frijoles.” In this version he braises whole toasted almonds as the “beans” until they are soft, a process that takes 5-6 hours. He serves the almond beans with crispy plantains and mojo sauce. Find the recipe at: http://www.almonds.com/food-professionals/recipe-center/cuban-style-%E2%80%9Carroz-con-frijoles%E2%80%9D-mojo-and-crispy-plantains

Executive Chef John McConnell of Clif Family Winery’s Bruschetteria Food Truck shows us how he makes Tomato Brûlée with Almond-Miso Butter and Shredded Shiso. Chef McConnell deeply roasts the almonds, almost to the burning point, to create a slightly bitter flavor. He bridges this with miso, brown sugar, mirin and sesame oil, grinding the almonds into a butter that he then spreads on top of sliced tomatoes. He torches the almond miso butter for a smoky charred flavor and tops them with shiso leaves. Find the recipe at: http://www.almonds.com/food-professionals/recipe-center/heirloom-tomato-brulee-almond-miso-butter-and-shiso

Executive Chef John McConnell of Clif Family Winery’s Bruschetteria Food Truck prepares Carrots Almondine with Yogurt and Dill Pollen. “Almondine” is a technique traditionally used to coat fish with almonds, but in this vegetarian dish, Chef McConnell roasts carrots and tops them with sliced roasted almonds. The almonds add a sweet nutty flavor, crunchy texture, and appealing contrast to the cool creamy yogurt sauce. Find the recipe at: http://www.almonds.com/food-professionals/recipe-center/carrots-almandine-yogurt-and-dill

Chef Luc Wen at Taipei Marriott Hotel shows Chef Steve Jilleba how he makes their Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup. The rich broth is made over 3 days and served with hand-pulled noodles and caramelized short ribs. The tomato that tops the soup is roasted with beef fat and chili. Download recipes and watch the full series at http://www.ciaprochef.com/WCA/taiwan/

KF Seetoh and Cathy Chao from Fim Media take us to Gang Yuan, a restaurant in Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City that has been serving Beef Noodle Soup daily for the last 65 years. They show us how to enjoy the noodles topped with green onions, garlic and chili. Download recipes and watch the full series at http://www.ciaprochef.com/WCA/taiwan/

Taiwanese pineapple cakes are a type of shortbread pastry filled with sweet caramelized pineapple. Open since 2008, Taipei’s SunnyHills Pineapple Cakes is known for having the best the city has to offer. Customers enjoy a cup of tea with their complimentary pineapple cake while relaxing in the shop’s quaint ambience. Here to tell us about SunnyHills Pineapple Cakes is Joan and K.F. Seetoh Download recipes and watch the full series at http://www.ciaprochef.com/WCA/taiwan/

Chef Ivy Chen of Ivy’s Kitchen in Taipei shows Steve Jilleba how to make Taiwanese Stir Fried Water Lily. Water lily grows in fresh water and can grow several meters long. She heats oil in a wok and adds garlic, and the water lily, which has been sliced into 2-inch pieces. When the water lily turns bright green it is seasoned with salt and served. Download recipes and watch the full series at http://www.ciaprochef.com/WCA/taiwan/

KF Seetoh takes us to Taipei’s Wu Pao Chun Bakery where he talks with owner and award-winning baker Wu Pao Chun. Wu Pao Chun was awarded Master Baker in the bread category of the 2010 Bakery Masters competition held in Paris, and his Rose and Lychee Bread and Red Wine Longan Bread have won numerous medals in world bread making competitions. Download recipes and watch the full series at http://www.ciaprochef.com/WCA/taiwan/

Chef Ivy Chen of Ivy’s Kitchen in Taipei shows Steve Jilleba how to steam big eye snapper and grunt that has been marinated in ginger and green onions. She adds shredded ginger, pickled plum cordia before placing the fish in a bamboo steamer for 10 minutes. Download recipes and watch the full series at http://www.ciaprochef.com/WCA/taiwan/

Chef Ivy Chen of Ivy’s Kitchen in Taipei shows Steve Jilleba how to make a classic Taiwanese dish: Stir-Fried Noodles with Vegetables and Black Bean Soy Sauce. She heats oil in a wok and stir fries sliced shiitake, sliced white onion, shredded pork, carrots, shredded cabbage, rice wine and black bean soy sauce, and alkaline noodles. Download recipes and watch the full series at http://www.ciaprochef.com/WCA/taiwan/

Ivy Chen of Ivy’s Kitchen, has been teaching Taiwanese cooking at the Community Services Center in Taipei for more than fifteen years. She also writes articles about food for several magazines. Here she shows Steve Jilleba how to make a classic Taiwanese dish: Black Chicken Soup with Bamboo Shoots and Mushrooms. She uses special Taiwanese chicken with black meat, which she simmers for about 25 minutes with morels, shiitake, ginger, fresh bamboo, and rice wine. Download recipes and watch the full series at http://www.ciaprochef.com/WCA/taiwan/

At Chef André Chiang’s RAW, next generation chefs re-interpret classic Taiwanese flavors. We talk with chefs and restaurant partners Alain Huang and Zor Tan about elevating Taiwan’s seasonal produce through their innovative creations. The 60-seat restaurant serves a vibrant “bistronomy” cuisine, a new wave of cooking style born in Paris, offering experimental haute cuisine at a reasonable price. They demonstrate for us how to make their dish “All About Duck”: Duck liver, duck heart, duck breast, Taiwanese red quinoa, and barley served with duck liver soup. Their dish “Taco Tako T.A.C.O.S.” is an octopus “taco” with a mini spring onion pancake, quail egg, cabbage and avocado. The next dish is called “Onion Onion Onion” made with zucchini puree topped with smoked fish, fermented black beans, pearl onions cooked in apple juice, uni, spring onion oil, and chives. For dessert, they show us how they make Mango Tartar with a Meringue Snow Ball and Milk Snow. Download recipes and watch the full series at http://www.ciaprochef.com/WCA/taiwan/

Fu Hang Dou Jiang Restaurant is an enormously popular breakfast spot in Taipei. Here to tell us about their famous Taiwanese breakfast offerings are Joan and K.F. Seetoh. The thick shaobing, a sesame flatbread, is their most famous dish. The shaobing youtiao is a classic breakfast sandwich filled with fried dough. They also serve freshly made hot or cold soy milk, savory soy milk stew, scrambled egg and green onion crepes called dan bing, and flaky pastries filled with shredded radish or caramel. Download recipes and watch the full series at http://www.ciaprochef.com/WCA/taiwan/

Founded in 1977 by Lee Xiu Ying, Shin Yeh Restaurant serves classic Taiwanese banquet style cuisine. Chef Lee Xiu Ying started her restaurant wanting to serve traditional comfort food to families. Joan and K.F. Seetoh take us to the restaurant’s kitchen and show us their Three Cup Chicken, Stir Fried Taro Leaves, and Steamed Buns Filled with Pork Belly, Chili, and Salted Vegetables. Download recipes and watch the full series at http://www.ciaprochef.com/WCA/taiwan/