Chiyo Ueyama, Recipe Tester

A list of all the recipes Chiyo Ueyama has tested.

Chiyo Ueyama

First and foremost, Chiyo Ueyama loves to eat. She grew up in a three-generation household where food was the most frequent conversation starter. Meal prep was always in progress in the small urban kitchen where written recipes were rarely seen.

Fast forward to 2008, all grown up and still thinking a lot about food, she stumbled upon Leite’s Culinaria during a random recipe search and became a recipe tester. Having no experience as a professional cook and no formal culinary education, she calls herself an “enthusiastic home cook” and embraces her small minimally equipped kitchen. Her tools for testing and reviewing recipes are her inquisitiveness and love of words. (Visit museums much? She has many years of experience writing and editing descriptions of artwork, like those labels you see in exhibition spaces.) She credits her longevity with Leite’s Culinaria to her friends who are always happy to serve as “tasters,” and are good sports when the results are less than impressive.

Some of her favorites on Leite’s Culinaria are Spiced Maple Pecan Pie with Star Anise, Moroccan Lentil Soup, Orange Olive Oil Cake, Buttermilk Drop Biscuits, Lemon and Thyme Risotto, Portuguese Mini Lemon-Orange Cakes, Masala Chai Crème Brûlée, Sheet Pan Chicken with Apples, Bacon, and Brussels Sprouts, Flaky Ribbon Pancakes, and Buttery Crab Pasta.

A bowl of shredded Instant Pot chuck roast with a plate of tortillas, a bottle of hot sauce, and some cilantro nearby.

Instant Pot Chuck Roast

Tender, flavorsome, and moreish chuck roast that’s ready in half the time. Tuck it into tacos, pile it on top of rice, devour it anyway you please.

Three plates, each with a crème caramel on them with spoons resting on the side.

Crème Caramel

Similar to flan in its delicate texture, this classic creme caramel is as simple as it is sophisticated. You’d expect nothing less from the French, yes?

A large rectangular pan with bacon cornbread in it and a large knife.

Bacon Cornbread

There’s cornbread. And then there’s cornbread enhanced with bacon, corn, and good ol’ bacon drippings. Just as God intended, folks who’ve made it have been saying.

Pumpkin cider soup in a blue and white teacup, garnished with crème frâiche and chives.

Pumpkin-Cider Soup

This pumpkin soup gets a boost from apples and a bite from a cupful of Irish cider. The soup, with its intense pumpkin flavor, makes for great fall fare.

A peach and crème fraîche pie sitting on a window sill with a pitcher nearby.

Peach and Crème Fraîche Pie

Whether you seek convention or innovation, you’ll find it in this haute yet humble peach pie, which draws on tradition yet still wields some surprises.

A plum kuchen on a sheet of parchment with three slices cut from it and a collection of forks, a spoon, and two coffee cups nearby.

Plum Kuchen

Breakfast. Brunch. Dessert. Midnight nosh. Heck, there’s no time of day or night that we don’t welcome this classic plum kuchen.

A peach berry sonker in a square baking dish with one serving missing.

Peach Berry Sonker

That’s right. Sonker. And it’s the simple yet unforgettable fruit dessert—sorta like pie meets cobbler—that you’ve been missing your entire life.

A sliced steak chimichurri with a gravy boat filled with chimichurri on the side.

Steak Chimichurri

Chimichurri-induced happiness can be yours with this foolproof, fuss-free, Argentine-approved answer to what’s for dinner.

Several plates with slices of pistachio-lime polenta cake topped with confectioners' sugar and chopped pistachios

Pistachio-Lime Polenta Cake

This lime-infused polenta cake boasts a light texture and rich, buttery flavor. It’s perfect for teatime or dessert, but we won’t judge if you sneak a slice for breakfast.

A challah grilled cheese sandwich with pastrami jam torn in half, still connected by melted cheese.

Challah Grilled Cheese with Pastrami Jam

“HELLO PASTRAMI JAM! Where have you been all of my life?!” That’s what someone shouted after experiencing this extra indulgent grilled cheese that boasts quite a few surprises.

A fork resting in a tangle of gorgonzola and walnut linguine on a green and white plate with a bowl of toasted walnuts on the side.

Gorgonzola and Walnut Linguine

An indulgent pasta made with toasted walnuts, cream, mascarpone, and gorgonzola. Worthy of a special occasion but on the table in just 25 minutes. Boom.