Crabcakes, ribs, banana splits for South Korea state dinner on the White House

Crabcakes, beef short ribs and a deconstructed banana split have made the cut for this week’s White House state dinner honoring South Korea’s seven many years of relations with the USA.

First lady Jill Biden and her team previewed the menu and decor on Monday.

Biden said her mother taught her that setting a table will be an “act of affection” and he or she learned from her husband, President Joe Biden, that “all politics is personal.”

“We hope to bring those two ideas together as we welcome the President and Mrs. Kim, honoring the 70 years of our alliances with symbols and moments of beauty that reflect each our countries,” the primary lady said, speaking of President Yoon Suk Yeol and Mrs. Kim Keon Hee.

Some 200 guests are expected at Wednesday’s glamorous black-tie dinner, which can be held within the East Room, the most important room in the chief mansion. Guests will move down the hallway to the State Dining Room to be entertained after dinner by a trio of Broadway stars: Norm Lewis, Lea Salonga and Jessica Vosk.

Jill Biden enlisted Korean American celebrity chef Edward Lee so as to add his special flair to the meal. Lee’s specialty is the intersection of American cuisine with Korean flavors.

“Chef Lee creates meals which might be each familiar and surprising,” she said. “A fusion of various worlds that finds an ideal balance.”

The crabcake appetizer features what Lee described as an updated coleslaw of cabbage, kohlrabi, fennel and cucumber topped with a vinaigrette made using gochujang, a red chili paste, and a small bowl of yellow squash soup. The most important course, braised beef short ribs topped with sorghum-glazed carrots are served atop a dollop of grits produced from butter beans as a substitute of dried corn.

Dessert is the deconstructed version of a banana split, an American classic, featuring lemon bar ice cream, caramelized bananas, fresh berries and mint ginger snap cookie crumble drizzled with a caramel sauce infused with doenjang, a fermented soybean paste.

“We actually desired to do spring, something that is fresh,” said Lee, who was born in Brooklyn, Latest York, and made his home in Louisville, Kentucky.

“I’ve desired to take a few of my favorite American foods and just, just tinker with it slightly bit, and this can be how I cook in my restaurants. Just add slightly little bit of Korean touches to it,” Lee added. “It isn’t traditional Korean food but just gives you slightly hint of Korean flavors.”

Asked which dish was her favorite, the primary lady said: “The primary. It is so American, the crabcake. But I like all of them.” She predicted that the president, who likes ice cream, would lean toward dessert.

“Joe’s favorite can be the last,” she said.

Guests can be seated at a mixture of round tables covered with light blue silk cloths or oblong tables with teal plexiglass tops. Every table can be topped with a towering 6-foot (1.8 meter)-tall vase centerpiece full of blooming cherry blossom branches, together with smaller arrangements of pink orchids and peonies. Azaleas, native to Korea, will adorn tables at a pre-dinner cocktail reception.

Wednesday’s state dinner can be the Biden administration’s second. Biden’s first state dinner was held last December, honoring America’s friendship with France.

The White House worked on the main points with Jung Lee, the Korean American founder and inventive director of Fete, a Latest York-based design firm.