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.

06-27-2011

Why these cookies were being offered as a class in June I will never know, because I'm certain they're almond Christmas cookies.  They sure taste heavy like Christmas.  Anyway, Christmas in July then.  Although I don't think they know what that is in Japan...

06-26-2011

In an attempt to eat healthier, as well as preventing spoilage, I'm trying to combine as many fresh ingredients as possible.  Seems like a no-brainer, right?  Not in Japan, not always.

06-21-2011

Japan loves to cook with liqueur.  I think they believe alcohol is luxurious, which would explain the drinking culture here in Tokyo.  Anyway, this orange custard is flavored with Cointreau and can curl your toes while you're making it if you get too close after heating.

It was also a test of my knife skills.  Have you ever cut a half an orange into twelve slices?  I have and nearly got myself a few times, even with safe knife precautions.  A task for a mandolin?  Are they sharp enough to cut oranges?

6-13-2011

The summer seasonal bread classes are truly exceptional. Some of the rotating menus they choose are awful, but I'm very impressed with the Italian-influenced offerings this time around.

This bread is based on semolina flour and olive oil and has olives and chopped bacon inside, making a very pasta-like feeling. It's also a very soft bread, but still has the crust of a real bread. I will definitely make this again.