Simply Ming

- Season 11

(2017)

It's time to go crazy for coconut this week with Carla Hall, co-host of the Emmy-award winning television show The Chew and owner of her own Southern restaurant in Brooklyn. This week, Carla joins Ming in his loft to make her fragrant Calaloo-a Crab and Coconut Spinach Soup and Cassava in Coconut Sauce. Then, Ming counters with a Creamless Watercress Soup with Honey Apple Salsa and Coconut Shrimp. Soup's On this week on Simply Ming.

The legendary Jacques Pepin, who is best-known for his PBS cooking series as well as his history of cooking with Julia Child, keeps things fun and simple this week. Jacques and his granddaughter Shorey swing by Ming's loft to make curly dogs with pickle relish, mayogrette dressing and potato salad. Ming cooks up some quick Chinese sausage buns. Simple ingredients make delicious dishes on Simply Ming.

You may recognize one of the world's most distinguished Latin chefs, Aaron Sanchez, from his roles as judge on "Chopped" and alongside Gordon Ramsay on "Masterchef". Today, Aaron visits Ming in his loft to cook his albondigas tacos while Ming makes beef and salted watercress scallion pancakes. It's on fuego this week on Simply Ming.

This week on Simply Ming, two-time James Beard Award-winner, author, and restaurateur Chef Barbara Lynch is joining Ming in the kitchen. Barbara, the creator of seven different restaurants, cooks up a ricotta ravioli with black olive croutons and a simple tomato pan sauce. Ming follows with an Asian-inspired ginger edamame ravioli with a Chinese vinegar and brown butter sauce.

It's cauliflower two ways this week on Simply Ming. Ming's longtime friend Chef Todd English, known for his landmark restaurant Olives in Charlestown, Massachusetts, as well as his restaurants across the country, shares how to make a cauliflower risotto as only he can do it: Italian style. Ming puts his own spin on this trendy vegetable with his delicious soy-honey-lime beer battered cauliflower.

Amanda Freitag from the Food Network's "Chopped" and "Iron Chef America" joins Ming to create two different pork dishes. It's all about the sear as Amanda prepares pork chops with crispy pancetta in a cast-iron skillet, while Ming whips up a pork scaloppini with lap chong and leek salsa and caramelized apples.

PBS's own Chef Rick Bayless visits Ming in his loft this week to share his Mexican flavors. Rick, who has several restaurants in Chicago including the Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, which received the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant in 2017, cooks up Mexican street corn tacos with homemade corn tortillas, while Ming makes his new egg omelet wrap with a corn, tomato, watercress and fermented black bean salsa.

Ming is joined this week by Top Chef alum Tiffani Faison, owner of Boston's Tiger Mama and Sweet Cheeks, for two different approaches to a classic - chicken. From high atop Boston at Ming's loft, our chefs head outside to grill their poultry. Tiffani shares her recipe for Grilled Tandoori Chicken with a fresh Tomato and Herb Salad. Meanwhile, Ming cooks up a Tea-Smoked Whole Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and a Fermented Black Bean Pesto.

It's all about Team USA for the Bocuse d'Or competition this week as Ming gives a toast to Per Se's Executive Sous Chef, Mathew Peters, for winning the 2017 gold medal. Matt cooks a new version of his winning chicken and crayfish, and Ming complements it with a surf-and-turf dark chicken and shrimp stir fry with snap peas and 3-2-1 Sauce.

Chef Ken Oringer, owner of restaurants all over Boston and beyond, including Uni, Toro, Coppa, and Little Donkey, joins Ming in the kitchen to cook up a crowd favorite: fried chicken. Ken prepares an out-of-this-world fried chicken sandwich with a kimchi brine, while Ming makes a fried chicken bahn mi. It's fried chicken two ways this week on Simply Ming.

This week on Simply Ming, our viewers' favorite couple is back again-yes, Mom and Pops will be here with Ming in the kitchen. Together Mom and Pops cook up a delicious steamed whole fish with zesty chiles, inspired by Ming's recent trip to China with Pops. Ming follows with a family favorite - a spicy ground pork stir fry with whole wheat scallion pita. It's family cooking this week on Simply Ming.

Adam Richman joins Ming in his loft. They start off with a fun cocktail called a Port-Au-Prince sour; then, it's on to making their own styles of BLTs. Adam makes a salmon BLT while Ming prepares a kosher BLT without the bacon, lettuce, or tomato.

Chef Joanne Chang, mastermind behind Boston's Flour franchises and restaurant Myers and Chang, joins Ming. Joanne flexes her pastry prowess by preparing delicious Vietnamese espresso ice cream-filled profiteroles with spicy ganache. Ming counters with a pâte à choux two ways-tea smoked salmon with cream cheese, chives and lemon, and devil's balls.

Chef Chris Hastings prepares classic southern flavors with his creamy shrimp and grits. Then, Ming cooks Jook, a savory rice porridge, with a brown and white mixed house rice.

James Beard Award-winning chef Jamie Bissonnette swings by Ming's loft to turn up the heat with eggplant. While Jamie prepares a spicy shrimp with Thai eggplant, Ming cooks up eggplant with an Asian twist-a tasty, spicy Sichuan eggplant dish called Yu Xiang Qie Zi.

New York's chef Seamus Mullen, owner of tapas restaurant Boqueria, shares his health-focused philosophy as he prepares a lamb meatball stew with quinoa, baby carrots, sugar snap peas, and herbs. Ming complements with a lamb and leek pilaf with lemon cucumber tzatziki.

Chef Leah Cohen, the owner of the Pig and Khao restaurant in New York, cooks up her Korean honey butter chicken wings, while Ming makes his famed blue ginger Laos chicken wings.

Chef Michael Schlow joins Ming to prepare an Italian spicy seafood stew called cacciucco. Ming complements with his tasty Thai seafood stew.

Ming visits Iceland, where he explores the coastline with chef Gisli Matthias Aundunsson. They also forage for "sea truffles" among other seaweeds on Reykjavik's dramatic coast. Aundunsson makes a whole roasted cod head with angelic emulsion and angelic potato salad while Ming makes rice paper-wrapped cod with mushroom compound butter.

In Iceland, Ming visits a fifth-generation farm where lamb is herded from the mountains to the mossy, grassy fields. Then, he meets up with chef Thrainn Freyr Vigfusson at his Lebanese and Moroccan food-inspired restaurant, Sumac, in downtown Reykjavik to prepare lamb. Vigfusson makes grilled lamb ribs with dried grapes, roasted almonds and lentils while Ming serves up his lamb fried rice with sumac skyr. Ming also makes a stop at Iceland's most famous lamb hot dog stand.

Ming's third visit in Iceland is to chef Fanney Dora Sigurjonsdottir, who is head chef at Skal!, an experimental bar and restaurant in Reykjavik's Hlemmur Food Hall. Ming meets chef Sigursjonsdottir at the Reyka Vodka distillery, where they learn about the volcanic rock-purified water that goes into making their special liquor and get inspired for making cocktails back at the bar. Then, they gather up produce at Hlemmur Food Hall together and prepare arctic char.

It wouldn't be a visit to Iceland without experiencing its geothermal energy. Ming visits Freidheimar, a tomato greenhouse in Iceland that runs off of geothermal energy to make over 370 tons of tomatoes a year. Ming picks tomatoes off the vine to bring to Fishmarket Restaurant in downtown Reykjavik where he meets chef Axel Bjorn Claussen to make some explosive cocktails along with his sous chef Kirill Ter-Martirosov.

Ming makes a stop in Minneapolis to explore what makes this up-and-coming foodie hub unique. He meets up with chef Gavin Kaysen at his restaurant Spoon and Stable for a quick breakfast bite; a salmon mi cuit with sauce meurette. Next stop is the Grand Café, where chefs Jamie Malone and Erik Anderson are breathing new life into a classic French establishment. Ming prepares salmon en papillote with Chinese black beans, leeks and maitake mushrooms with brown butter couscous as they make cocktails.

Ming is on the road again: this time, in England. For his first stop, Ming is welcomed to England with a classic dish: fish and chips. Ming visits one of England's biggest fish auctions at the Brixham Fish Market with chef Craig Maw and his partner Nikki Mutton to pick out fresh cod and haddock at the auction. Then, it's off to their restaurant Kingfisher Fish and Chips in Plymouth to see what makes their take on fish and chips the "Best of 2017." Ming does his own version of the British classic.

Ming explores the English Riviera. In the seaside town of Torquay, he meets chef Simon Hulstone, owner of the Elephant Restaurant. Chef Hulstone has represented England in culinary competitions more than 20 times, twice in the prestigious Bocuse d'Or culinary contest. The two chefs head to the stunning Sharpham Estate to taste and gather their English countryside soft cheeses and regional wines. Then Ming and Chef Hulstone prepare cod two ways paired with wines from Sharpham.

Ming wraps up his tour of England in London, where he connects with French chef Daniel Galmiche at the iconic Gore Hotel's 190 Queen's Gate restaurant. Before they cook, it's off to the Valley Smokehouse outside Bristol to sample and source smoke fish. Then, back at the Gore, they prepare cocktails in Bar 190, which famously hosted the Rolling Stones' "Beggars Banquet album" launch. While Galmiche prepares a pan-fried steelhead trout, Ming makes a trout "pho" with lemon-ginger broth.