For Doris Hồ-Kane, baking is a way to preserve her Vietnamese culture. Hồ-Kane’s family moved to the United States with nothing but the memories they held dear. As the Vietnamese community grew in Dallas, specialty grocers began importing essential ingredients, including agar, a gelatinous substance derived from seaweed. This opened up new possibilities for Hồ-Kane’s family, allowing them to recreate the fruit jellies known as thạch rau câu with their signature bouncy texture.

After moving to New York City for higher studies, Hồ-Kane discovered that baking offered her solace and a means to express herself. She began developing her own dessert recipes, incorporating Vietnamese flavors into Western-style treats. One of her early successes was a line of butter cookies inspired by the beloved Royal Dansk Danish Butter Cookies. Her versions feature unique Vietnamese twists, such as ube, sesame, and tamarind flavors.

Hồ-Kane’s creations gained popularity among friends and family, leading her to open Bạn Bè in February 2021. The bakery provides a daily-changing menu, showcasing sweet and sometimes savory options inspired by her upbringing. Each dish she creates is a reflection of her personal experiences and a celebration of Vietnamese-American heritage. So, if you find yourself in Brooklyn, make sure to visit Bạn Bè and indulge in the delightful treats that will transport you to the vibrant world of Vietnamese-American flavors. It’s a place to find emotional connections to their memories, nostalgia, and representation.

It’s a well-known fact that citrus fruits are an amazing source of vitamins and natural fiber, making them a very healthy snack. But they also have a way of being as delicious as they are beneficial.

The tasty treat for which the recipe is listed below is quite refreshing, sweet, and vegetarian. Same as with any dessert, the presentation is half the work. Luckily, the colorful fruit makes it an easy task to create a visually-appealing dish.

What is Needed for This Citrus Dessert

This recipe makes enough servings for 8 people but can easily be scaled up or down depending on the needs. The ingredients required for this salad include:

• 10 clementines
• 2 grapefruits
• 6 oranges
• 2 tablespoons of minced, crystallized ginger
• ¾ cup chopped roasted almonds, salted
• ¼ cup of sugar (white or brown)

How to Make the Salad

This recipe wastes nothing, as the first step is to finely grate the zest of all the citrus fruits. Combine the zest of the oranges and grapefruits into one bowl and mix in the sugar. Peel the fruits with a sharp knife, making sure to remove all the white parts since they can be very bitter. The fruit is then cut carefully between the membranes to separate the sections, which are then placed into the bowl. If there is juice left in the membranes, squeeze it over the fruit. The clementines are then cut into eighths and added to the bowl. Finally, sugar and ginger are added, and everything is gently stirred. When serving, add a dash of chopped almonds for that extra crunch.

It’s important to note that using a freshly-sharpened knife to cut the fruit will allow for a cleaner cut and therefore, a better presentation in the end. This recipe is an excellent choice during winter because the ingredients are generally available in stores all year long. It’s also very healthy and can bring back a taste of summer at any time.