Lauren Shockey

Small Bites

Crab-and-Perilla Summer Rolls Recipe

An easy summer appetizer with crab and herbs

Jul 20, 2011 9:16 am

Photo: handels on Flickr

Didier Corlou, the chef at La Verticale in Hanoi, made summer rolls using a single large shrimp wrapped inside a thin slice of mango in a dramatic presentation. But I love the taste of crab, and I was inspired by the flavor combination of California sushi rolls when inventing this dish. Perilla (or shiso, its Japanese version) can be hard to find outside of Asian markets in major...

Chef Talk

Talking with Chef Lauren Shockey

Life as a stagiaire in NY, Hanoi, Tel Aviv & Paris

Jul 20, 2011 9:16 am

Burned out from her cubicle job in public relations, writer Lauren Shockey did what a lot of people do in the same situation — she quit and signed up for culinary school. Yes, it’s easy as that. Maybe you should try it?

But what...

Sweet Tooth

Spiced Chocolate Cake Recipe

Piment d’Espelette adds spice to chocolate cake

Jul 20, 2011 9:16 am

Photo: jules:stonesoup's on Flickr

Piment d’Espelette is a chile pepper that comes from Espelette, a Basque enclave near the Spanish border, but is popular throughout France. If you can’t find piment d’Espelette, cayenne pepper is a great alternative. Don’t worry if the center of the cake is still molten after baking; that’s how it’s supposed to be.