Crab cakes, beef short ribs and a newfangled banana split have made the cut for this week's White House state dinner honoring South Korea's seven decades of relations with the United States.
First lady Jill Biden and her team previewed the food and decor on Monday.
Some 200 guests are expected for the state dinner, which will be held in the East Room, the largest room in the executive mansion. Guests will move down the hallway to the State Dining Room for after-dinner entertainment by a trio of Broadway stars.
Round and oblong tables will be decorated by towering 6-foot-tall arrangements of flower cherry blossom branches, along with pink orchids and peonies.
Edward Lee, a Korean American celebrity chef who was invited by the first lady to help with the event, specializes in preparing American food with Korean influences.
Jill Biden said his meals are “both familiar and surprising.”
“I wanted to showcase the best of American cuisine merged with a touch of Korean flavors,” Lee said.
The crabcake features an updated coleslaw of cabbage, kohlrabi, fennel and cucumber topped with a vinaigrette made using gochujang, a red chili paste. The braised beef short ribs are topped with sorghum-glazed carrots and is served on a dollop of grits made with butter beans.
Dessert is the deconstructed version of an American classic: lemon bar ice cream, fresh berries, mint ginger snap cookie crumble, drizzled with a caramel sauce infused with doenjang, a fermented soybean paste.
