Gather Around My Table

The debut cookbook from NYT Cooking contributor Kay Chun, featuring 100 accessible, globally inspired recipes for every table.

Gather Around My Table is a master class in recipe writing and home cooking. Here is an artist who cooks with a quiet restraint that makes you lean in. There’s a precision to Kay Chun’s recipe development style, yet whimsy in the way she combines flavors and ingredients that aren’t usually found together. Through her food, Kay proves that we all have more in common than we don’t. Our disparate cuisines touch at the edges, and when combined, deliciousness ensues. What a delight!”— Eric Kim, author of Korean American

Where does a great recipe come from? For Kay Chun, it’s all about the inspiration. And to a lifelong New Yorker, inspiration is all around. Drawing from a global pantry of ingredients—the Korean influences she grew up with and the many flavors that have shaped her—she shares fresh yet familiar dishes the whole family will love.
In Kay’s hands, dumplings are tossed with butter and Parmesan rather than soy sauce. Doenjang steps in for tomato paste, caramelized to add complexity and richness to sauces. Kimchi seasoning creates a punchy salad dressing. Gather Around My Table embraces cooking without boundaries: Think Pan con Tomate Bodega Rolls, Fava Bean and Sweet Pea Caesar, Creamy Scallion and Doenjang Midnight Pasta, Saturday Salmon and Rice, Brisket Matzoh Ball Soup, Korean Sunday Sauce, and tofu as you’ve never used it before (in smash burgers! And meatballs!). There’s an entire section on infused rices (so easy, so delicious), pickles for the table, and, to end your meal, a chapter of “Not Too Sweets.” These are flavor-forward recipes for every day of the week. In Kay Chun’s hands, the question “What’s for dinner?” will never have a boring answer again.

*Cooking for a crowd? Try the Smoky Eggplant Dip with Parsley-Dill Oil, Doenjang Carnitas, the Marinated Trout Ssam Bar, or a big pot of Korean Sunday Sauce.

*Dumplings for days! From Mixed Veggie and Tofu Dumplings to Spicy Boiled Dumplings in Habanero Sesame Oil to Butter and Parm Shrimp Dumplings to a show-stopping Crispy Dumpling Pancake.

* Seven different types of extra-special infused rices, like Smoky Kelp Rice, Extra-Nutty Rice, Mushroom Rice, and Roasted Barley Tea Rice.

* Easy weeknight dinners from Smoky Soy Sauce Chicken and Flounder in Sesame Seed Meuniére to Pantry Pasta for Tinned-Fish Lovers, Crispy Sesame and Shredded-Wheat Cutlets, and Spiced and Caramelized Tofu Noodle Bowls.

* Salads and veggie sides like the Italian Chopped Salad with Fried Hot Peppers, Mixed Chicories in a Caper-Raisin Vinaigrette, Fast Romaine Stir-Fry, Blistered Beans and Okra, or a stunning Mushroom and Swiss Chard Galette.

* Crowd-pleasing desserts like Sticky Date Snacking Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce, Coconut and Passion Fruit Eton Mess, Cherry Cornmeal Torte, and Sweet Rice Beignets with Toasted Sesame Pastry Cream.