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How VIETNAMESE SHRIMP RILLETTES TOASTS aren't already a traditional dish I'll never know. We've got pate all over the place (like on banh mi sandwiches), we've got shrimp all over the place (like, I don't know, shrimp toast), and yet there isn't a proper Vietnamese Shrimp Rillettes. Well, there's about to be. Rillettes, for the uninitiated, is like a shredded, spreadable pate of sorts. Often made with pork cooked in its own fat until shredable and spreadable, and there's plenty of versions with things like salmon, duck, etc. Calling my shrimp version a "shrimp confit spread" wouldn't be accurate, but it wouldn't be entirely wrong either. Fresh shrimp simmered in brown butter with a ton of aromatic ingredients, chilled, chopped, and whipped. Serving this with crostini makes it complete, and that's what I'll be doing. But we can do even better, so I'll be making a completely non-traditional nuoc cham jam to go along with this, which will be like that awesome dipping sauce you love at your local Vietnamese place but cooked down until it's... jammy. This dish is unique, no doubt, but it's also quite easy to like if you're into this sort of cuisine, and deserves to be a classic.

Having a "fresh" aspect to a meal is always important, even more so with Vietnamese food. CHILLED DAIKON & CUCUMBER WITH CRISPY SHALLOTS is going to provide that freshness for this week's meal, and it's very good, with a simple, focused flavor profile. This one doesn't take long to explain, and brings in some great Northern flavors to the mix... fresh fine-cut daikon radish and cucumber, fresh cilantro, a lime and fish sauce dressing that forgoes the expected sweetness, and savory crispy shallots on top. I guess this is technically a salad, but I think that downplays how nice it is... even though we're positioning this as a side dish, this is something that can definitely stand on its own.

They say don't mess with a classic, and I'm not one to argue. "Claypot" dishes are a hidden gem in Southern Vietnamese cuisine, often overshadowed on restaurant menus by more famous classics like Banh Mi or Pho. Besides being traditionally served in a clay pot, these "claypot" dishes all have one thing in common, and that's the sauce and seasonings. The sauce is where the magic happens, and cooking things in this way is pretty novel and very Vietnamese. Here's how it's going to work for this week's CARAMELIZED CLAYPOT PORK. I'll start with the secret to this whole thing: caramel. Without getting too much into the science, caramelizing sugar changes it on a molecular level, and the further you take it, the less sweet it is (because we're literally changing the sugar into something else.) When you caramelize sugar into a deep, deep dark brown syrup, it creates something that's still a touch sweet but has a multitude of other wonderful flavors. So we're going to take this magical substance and thin it out with some fish sauce, shallots, ginger, and a few other things to create a wonderfully complex sauce with lots of savory notes and some sweetness too. This sweet-savory combo makes the braising sauce for the pork, and the result is intensely flavored and unique. While some versions add fiery chili peppers, I'll be providing a homemade garlic-chili sauce on the side for those who need a little heat. This dish is divine over some plain steamed rice, and if you haven't had it or if you've never even heard of it, you should definitely give it a try.

We need something bright and seasonal to round out our meal, but something that also mirrors the flavor gravity of our star this week. Well well well, SAVORY SESAME SNAP PEAS fits the bill just right, and I'll be giving this dish a slight non-traditional flare to keep things interesting. Blanched snap peas of course, a nice dose of sesame oil, and a savory tarragon-maggi glaze with crushed cashews to finish. The tarragon give us just enough of that anise flavor (which is what makes Thai basil different from Italian basil) to tie things together, and the sesame and maggi seasoning ground things with their savory edge. These are just great veggies, but if you've had truly great veggies you know there's no "just" about it.

Our dessert this week isn't properly authentic, but my Asian desserts rarely are. What I do is try to keep the soul of the Asian dessert intact, but present it in a way that makes more sense. PINEAPPLE-COCONUT PANNA COTTA definitely falls into that category, presenting Vietnamese flavors in a way that keeps things interesting and feeling like a real dessert. Coconut panna cotta topped with lime-macerated pineapple and toasted coconut. Simple, cooling, delicious, and mostly-Vietnamese.