07-30-2011

After making the Limone, it got me thinking how I could vary the recipe to make similar filled breads.  I thought about making curry bread and other things, but just wasn't feeling it.  Sweet bread it is.  Here's a cute, little strawberry milk bun, with creamy insides and fresh strawberry slices on top.

07-25-2011

For some reason Japan thinks of Italy when it's summer.  The summer-themed breads at my school are all Italian-inspired this time around.  These lemon cream-filled buns aren't Italian in my opinion, but they are good. The #1 producer of lemons is currently India, where they are thought to have originated.  Italy is #10, but they were first introduced to Europe through southern Italy.  Maybe they were thinking lemon granita!  Anyway, this recipe was exceptionally interesting because it's my first truly filled bun.  This has so many possibilities!

See a variation inspired by this recipe here.

07-19-2011

Pumpkins are fantastic.  You can make art from them, eat the flesh, eat the seeds and so much more.  There are varieties of pumpkins from all over the place, it's great.  The Japanese version, also known as a kabocha, have dark green skin and are smaller than the orange jack-o-lantern varieties.  They're also sweeter, making them perfect for these ultra-sweet pumpkin braids.

07-11-2011

Fish paste weirds me out.  It doesn't matter if it's the shrimp paste Moo Cow uses in his seafood pasta or the anchovy paste in these, it's weird.  But I'll concede it tasted good in these sunny rings.  Part of the summer series at my cooking school, they were named Il Sol, the Italian word for their sunny influence.

07-05-2011

Summer in Japan is defined by fireworks, street food and summer festival games.  This dessert is supposed to resemble the water balloon yo-yos kids get at summer festivals.  It's also made using gelatin and plastic wrap, hmmm.