My Favorite Recipe is a column where we ask America's Test Kitchen cooks, cast members, and luminaries about the recipes they can't stop cooking.
Published Jan. 24, 2022.
My Favorite Recipe is a column where we ask America's Test Kitchen cooks, cast members, and luminaries about the recipes they can't stop cooking.
I’m enjoying getting to know my colleagues through their favorite recipes. It’s even better when dishes they particularly like are featured in their upcoming cookbook.
For Elle Simone Scott, America’s Test Kitchen TV cast member, food stylist, and executive editor, making food look good is what she does. But she believes flavor is just as important. Elle varies her diet in a way that shows her deep appreciation for the complexity of food and also how it affects her body. Her two favorite recipes reflect this perspective and are both included in her upcoming cookbook, Boards: Stylish Spreads for Casual Gatherings.
Elle Simone Scott: Definitely the Dakgangjeong (Korean Fried Chicken Wings). They are the crispiest, crunchiest wings and so, so good. They only take 10-15 minutes to crisp up.
They’re best hot out of the fryer, and while your oil is heated, why not go all out and add in a batch of one of my other favorites, Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Bites? They also have an ultra-crunchy coating like the wings, but are a little more crumbly and brown. I love it.
ES: I’m a weekday vegan and a weekend carnivore—it’s kind of my thing. I think it’s a good balance. Some people who are interested in eating more vegan recipes might be intimidated by the thought of having to shop for certain ingredients. But this cauliflower recipe is very straightforward. Cauliflower is one of those easy transitional ingredients that you don't have to think about. And for this recipe, there aren’t a bunch of ingredients you have to source. It's kind of a no-brainer, really.
ES: Yes, they’re both in Boards as part of the “Wings Board”—and they’re always a hit! You can toss them in the sauce or leave the sauce on the side for dipping, like we show in the book. Just pile the wings and bites on a large platter according to flavor and set out extra sauce. While I love them in the summer, they’re the sort of recipes you can eat anytime of year.
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