The Oscar de la Renta Kitchen When the Atelier is Closed

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bernhard

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Besides fashion, Laura Kim’s love of food and her family is apparent. The Oscar de la Renta designer often shares pictures of all three, from home-made gourmet bites to behind-the-scenes snaps of her and partner Fernando Garcia at work and play. The co-creative directors have even made it a tradition to gather the entire Oscar de la Renta team for meals in its New York City headquarters. And when Ms. Kim, Laura’s mom, is in town, the atelier knows it’s in for a treat as she often whips up home-cooked dishes for the Oscar de la Renta family.

This custom started at the fashion house’s annual holiday potluck lunch, according Ms. Kim. “Laura asked me to make one of her favorite childhood appetizers, pigs in a blanket,” she tells CR. “Now it’s a tradition.”

While everyone has their requests–one of Garcia’s recent favorites was Ms. Kim’s Japanese soufflé pancakes–the at-home chef enjoys experimenting with new recipes, reading cookbooks, and learning culinary techniques from YouTube videos. She particularly loves making desserts. “One of my proudest moments as a cook was when I recreated a special pie for Alex [Bolen, CEO of Oscar de la Renta] that he used to get with his grandmother called the Shoney’s Big Boy Strawberry Pie,” Ms. Kim says. “For the past two years, Laura and I have baked it for him. This past year, we ordered very special strawberries from Oishii berry. It’s a Japanese strawberry farm in NYC. You can only order them online and pick them up at the Oculus in downtown NYC. They are delicious!”

The Oscar de la Renta team will surely be missing Ms. Kim’s Asian fried spicy chicken sandwiches this Easter (another dish that has become a staple at the ODLR headquarters) with the atelier closed in light of safety concerns around the coronavirus, but she’s still keeping busy in the kitchen. “I enjoy cooking for my husband because he’s not picky,” Ms. Kim shares. “When I am home in Canada, we eat simple and clean seasonal vegetables. One of our family’s favorites is called Goo Jul Pan and it’s a traditional Korean dish.”

Home-cooked meals are perhaps the ultimate comfort food, and while we are all physically separated from team lunches, date night dinners, or family feasts, recreating beloved dishes and sharing them over video chat can still curb your appetite. For you next Zoom dinner party, consider making one of Ms. Kim’s recipes, one which she has shared with friends, family, and now CR:

Ms. Kim’s Vegetable Wheel Pie

As annotated by Laura

Ingredients

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1 Tbsp. cold water

For the filling:
7 oz. ricotta cheese
3.5 oz. parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Salt
Paprika to taste
3-4 medium zucchini (green and yellow)
1 medium Eggplant
2-3 large carrots
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil

Directions

For the Crust:

  1. Mix flour, salt, and butter. Combine until it resembles crumbs. Add the water and knead the dough. Mom always works quickly so the dough does not get too warm. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge 30-60 minutes.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 ̊F (180°C). Grease a 10-inch tart tin. On a floured surface, roll out the dough a little bit bigger than the tart tin. Carefully place the pastry into the tin and press the dough to the bottom and the sides. Place it in the fridge for another 10 minutes to cool down.
  3. Take the tin out of the fridge, line it with baking parchment and fill with a second tin a bit smaller than the one with the dough. Blind bake it for 15-20 minutes. My mom will make sure that the edges are slightly golden in color before taking it out of the oven and setting aside.

For the filling:

  1. Mix the ricotta with the salt and other seasoning and stir in. Set aside.
  2. Wash the vegetables and cut them into thin strips with a vegetable slicer or a sharp knife (Mom recommends the slicer). The strips should have about the same height–so you might have to half them or cut parts off. You will need a lot of those strips, so keep slicing! When done, place them flat on a plate and season them with salt and pepper.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375 ̊F (190°C). Fill seasoned ricotta into the pre-baked crust and spread evenly. Start rolling the vegetables, mix colors. Season with salt and pepper and brush with some olive oil.
  4. Bake for 40-50 minutes. The vegetables tend to get dark too soon, so mom recommends covering the pie with aluminum foil and continue baking. And voila! Ready to serve at warm temperature.


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