Gather Around My Table: Simple, Flavorful Recipes from My Global Pantry: A Cookbook
About this book
The debut cookbook from New York Times Cooking contributor Kay Chun, featuring 100 accessible, globally inspired recipes for every table.
“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.” — 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.
Gather Around My Table embraces cooking without boundaries: 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. 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, or the Marinated Trout Ssam Bar
•Dumplings for days! From Mixed Veggie and Tofu Dumplings to Spicy Boiled Dumplings in Habanero Sesame Oil 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 Pantry Pasta for Tinned-Fish Lovers to 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, 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, and Cherry Cornmeal Torte.
Author: Kay Chun
Publisher: Knopf
Published: 2026-10-06
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9780593537404
Praise for this book
This scrumptious book reveals the secrets behind one of the culinary world’s most meticulous talents. Kay’s cuisine is a love letter to home cooking, filled with flavor building techniques, invaluable tips and wrapped in a bundle of joy. This book will live on top of my kitchen counter where I will cook from every page.
Gather Around My Table is a gorgeously delicious feast that tells the tale of a life spent cooking and eating in New York. Kay Chun's recipes are uncomplicated but expressive, rooted in the stories of her Korean family, at the counter of her local deli, and from around the world. Her dishes are bright and briny, familiar and cozy, and made to be cooked and loved at every table.
Trust me, Kay Chun is the flavor architect you want rebooting your pantry and whispering in your ear every time you make dinner. Her recipes are electric, effective and remarkably healthful–delivering a mini flavor revelation on your plate night after night.
Quoted in excerpt, with attribution. Follow a source link for the full review.