Lauren Kyle McDavid’s Orange Chicken and Cashew Lettuce Wraps Recipe, plus Spicy Palomas

If you read Edify’s profile of Lauren Kyle McDavid, in our October 2025 issue, you were probably thinking that the designer and business owner mustn’t have much spare time on her hands. Caroline Gault, who wrote the article, counted five businesses that Kyle McDavid owns or co-owns. Yet somehow the young entrepreneur has also found time to write a cookbook. The Atelier Table, which launched on Jan. 30, is a more than 300-page collection of flavour-forward recipes with each chapter organized around themes and events — such as girls’ night, game day and brunch. Each menu serves six people and is designed to be served family-style, offering recipes for a complete evening, dessert and cocktails included. Kyle McDavid even outlines how to design and style each meal and tablescape, hence the book’s title, which nods to her interior design career.

“For me, hosting is about creating an atmosphere where people feel comfortable, welcomed and inspired to slow down,” says Kyle McDavid. “I’ve always believed that making things beautiful, whether it’s the food, the table or the space itself, is a way of showing care for the people you’re inviting into your home.”

In celebration of the launch of The Atelier Table, Kyle McDavid shared her recipe for orange chicken and cashew lettuce wraps, along with a recipe for her spicy palomas, both of which appear in the Girls’ Night In chapter.

We think you’ll find them as delectable as we do.

Orange Chicken and Cashew Lettuce Wraps Recipe

This recipe can be served to a larger group as an appetizer, or can make a meal for two or three people.

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cup cooked white rice
• ¼ cup raw cashews
• ½ cup boiling water
• 4 tsp vegetable oil, divided
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• ½ cup water
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
• ¼ cup grated carrot
• ¼ cup thinly sliced purple cabbage
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 15 large butterhead lettuce leaves, gently washed and dried (~2 medium heads)

Instructions

1. Blanch cashews by adding to a ceramic bowl with just-boiled water and letting sit for 20 minutes.
2. Drain the cashews and set aside.
3. In a large saucepan on medium heat, combine 1 tsp vegetable oil, garlic and ginger.
4. Cook, stirring just until the garlic and ginger start to turn golden and smell fragrant.
5. Add orange juice, water, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil to the saucepan.
6. Using a wire mesh sieve, sift the cornstarch into the saucepan in 2 or 3 additions, whisking between each addition.
7. Bring to a boil, whisking until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy and gooey.
8. When the sauce is as thick as molasses, remove from heat.
9. In a skillet, add remaining vegetable oil and heat to medium-high.
10. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the cubed chicken and stir-fry on all sides.
11. When the chicken has started to brown and is cooked through, transfer it to the large saucepan along with the cooked rice, cashews, carrot and cabbage.
12. Mix well into the sauce.
13. Place the sticky chicken and rice filling in a serving bowl, and put the mixture on a shallow serving platter.
14. Arrange the lettuce leaves around the bowl.
15. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of filling into the middle of a lettuce leaf and carefully fold or roll it up. This is a finger-food meal! Have plenty of napkins available.

Spicy Palomas Cocktail Recipe

Cocktail recipes in Kyle McDavid’s book are for six people. We have adjusted this fresh take on a classic cocktail to make two servings. Save the leftover jalapeño syrup in a lidded jar in the fridge — use it in future cocktails, salad dressings and marinades.

Ingredients

• 1 fresh jalapeño, sliced into thin half-rounds
• 2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 1 large grapefruit
• 4 oz blanco tequila
• 2 oz jalapeño syrup (recipe below)
• 2 oz sparkling water

Jalapeño Syrup Instructions

1. Reserve 2-4 jalapeño slices for garnish and add the remaining slices to a small saucepan with 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring.
3. As soon as it boils, remove from heat.
4. Cool and strain through a wire mesh sieve into a glass container with a lid and set aside.

Cocktail Instructions

1. Place 2 limes on the counter and roll them back and forth under your palm a few times, pressing down.
2. Juice the limes to produce 2 oz of juice.
3. Cut the grapefruit in 2 pieces crosswise, with one “half” slightly larger than the other.
4. Juice the larger piece of grapefruit.
5. Cut the remaining grapefruit piece into 2 half-round slices and reserve as garnish.
6. Add the lime juice, grapefruit juice, tequila and jalapeño syrup to a large cocktail shaker.
7. Stir with a bar spoon and fit the strainer lid onto the shaker.
8. Add 3 ice cubes each to 2 large-bowled wine glasses or tumblers.
9. Divide the cocktail evenly among the glasses.
10. Top each glass with about 1 oz of sparkling water.
11. Remove seeds from 8-10 jalapeño half-rounds to reduce the heat level.
12. Garnish each cocktail with a half-round of fresh grapefruit and 4 or 5 jalapeño half-rounds.