A Korean Masterpiece 

We bypassed the traditional New Year’s Eve menu this year. Robin plunged into the exotic with the Korean dish Bo Ssam.  (Yes, that’s the spelling of the porky concoction.)

On the chop block

Checking on the port butt that takes 6 to 7 hours to cook.

This headliner—-that resembles a Korean taco—-comes from Chef David Chang’s kitchen at his famed New York restaurant, Momofuko.

To give you an idea of its appeal, his innovative dish got a solid 5-star review from more than 7,000 of New York Times’ foodies.

Wow! A Real Flavor Bomb!    

Just dry brine a Boston butt overnight after a generous drizzling of salt and sugar. The next day roast the pork in a low oven for 6 hours, or more, or until the chunk of meat collapses.

Collapses? 

Hmm . . . I was a bit skeptical of this requirement, but Robin soldiered on, assuring me she had made the dish before and that collapse was a good thing. It meant having the roast slump into a heap, she said. The NYT likened the cooked roast to a deflated football. 

With the addition of brown sugar and a bit more baking, the skin on the roast began to glisten.

Getting the Bo Ssam Under Wraps

Now It’s time to serve it up. Let guests tear the meat off the bone and wrap it in Bibb lettuce topped with their selection of condiments: kimchi, rice, pickled carrots or daikon radishes, hot sauces, and ginger-scallions sauce.

Condiments: edamame, bean sprouts, kimchi, and spinach.

A Side of Kimchi Rice  

Austin cooked the NYT recipe Sheet-Pan Kimchi Fried Rice. It was amazing! A happy blend of sweet, sour, and savory.

Rather than a wok, the recipe uses a sheet pan that ups the cooking surface of the dish. Definitely a keeper.

A Flaming Finale: Baba au Rhum

For dessert, Robin chose a Flaming Baba au Rhum. Some say the Persian dessert is old-fashioned; others say it’s timeless. Whatever, it’s doggone good. Since a baba is made with yeast, you might say it’s part bread; part cake. 

The baba cooks up beautifully in a Bundt pan. When saturated with flamed rum, it becomes a memorable indulgence. (Despite its rummy-ness, the baba didn’t flame up excessively. Still, it was good to the last rum drop.)

Happily, a new year offers us an excuse to experiment with new foods as well as enjoy the old favorites. I’m ready for both.