Category Archives: French gastronomy

美食, 観光, 農業, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Japan, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tourism

French Gastronomy: Early Autumn Appetizers at Pissenlit in Shizuoka City!

September 7, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Service: excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable to slightly expensive, good value.
Strong points: Interesting wine list. Great use of local products.
Entirely non-smoking!

Autumn is the season of plenty for gastronomic restaurants. This is a time when high quality fruits, vegetables, meat and fish seem to arrive from everywhere at the same time!
Chef Touru Arima at Pissenlit in Shizuoka City has the knack and talent of combining seasonal products of the land and sea from Shizuoka, Japan and abroad all the same time for the utter happiness of his customers!

For example the above amuse-bouche is a typical Shizuoka offering: organic vegetable pound cake and goya/bitter gourd (also organic). Incidentally all the vegetables introduced in this article ar organic and grown by Chizen No Chikara Farm in Shizuoka City!

On the other hand, this Landes Duck Foie Gras Terrine is a completely French concept except for the local orange marmalade.
Have you ever tried combining foie gras with orange marmalade and coarse black pepper? If not, you are missing something!

That terrine will make a sinner of anyone whatever Arnie might argue!
So simple in presentation! After all, who needs to conceal good products behind forests of vegetables or under lakes of sauce?

This saumon fume/smoked salmon mousse with fresh cream dressing and chilled steamed/baked tougan/冬瓜/Winter melon-white gourd-ash gourd is a marriage between a fish caught in the Atlantic Ocean and an organic vegetable grown in Shizuoka City!

Autumn colors?

Hoping I gave you a few ideas for a home party! LOL

PISSENLIT
420-0839 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajo, 2-3-4
Tel.: 054-270-8768
Fax: 054-627-3868
Business hours: 11:30~14:30; 17:00~22:00
Closed on Tuesdays and Sunday evening
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)
Credit Cards OK

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

美食, 野菜, 観光, 農業, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Tourism

French Gastronomy: Organic Eggplants, Foie Gras and Organic Burdock Root Sauce

August 25, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

As I said yesterday the seasons change and excellent gastronomy follows the same seasons! Fortunately it’s not all about the heavy rains we have been treated with these days!
It is the season for eggplants/aubergines in Japan and Shizuoka Prefecture!
This is the second of two creations I have just savored for lunch at Pissenlit: Eggplants/Aubergines, Foie gras and Burdock Root Sauce!

Incidentally, all the vegetables used in this recipe are organic and were grown by Shizen no Chikara Garden in Shizuoka City!

The eggplants/aubergines, a variety callled bei-nasu/美茄子, were first fried and then baked to allow them to basorb back their own juices while protecting the shape of their cuts and juicy tenderness!
They made for a soft bed for the foie gras whose strong taste they balanced so well!

For all the succulent calories it was also a very well-balanced healthy dish with the fibers and vitamins provided by the lettuce!

The foie gras!
It was simply sauteed/”poele” before its juices and fat were reduced with Madeira and Port wine and added to the burdock root sauce.

As for the burdock root, not only it was a true beauty but it was also a mystery!
Chef Touru Arima would only tell me that it consisted of finely chopped burdock root, a short and white variety, olive oil and juices of whatnot…
To think that such a simple root can be turned in the perfect sauce makes you the humbler for it!

To be continued…

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, 野菜, 観光, 農業, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, Gastronomy, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Tourism

French Gastronomy: Eggplants and Crab Terrine at Pissenlit!

August 24, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

The seasons change and excellent gastronomy follow the same seasons!
It is the season for eggplants/aubergines in Japan and Shizuoka Prefecture!
This is the first of two creations I have just savored for lunch at Pissenlit: Eggplants/Aubergines and Crab Terrine!

For once I will start from the bottom:
The tomato sauce is made with “mateta” tomatoes organically grown by Mr. Ishitani in Hamamatsu City!
As the terrine was warm, the colder sauce made for more a combination than a contrast contributing just enough sweetness to the aubergines!

As for the terrine itself the aubergines organically grown by Mr. Hirokawa in Mishima City were very probably first grilled and then peeled before being placed into a terrine dish with the snow crab/suwagani. The terrine was served warm (not hot) for a very pleasant soft touch on the palate!

As for the sauce with its beautiful golden color it was conceived with olive oil and curry powder.
When you realize that aubergines originally come from India, it is only natural to serve them in a manner reminiscent of the gastronomy of their birthplace!

Some garam masala powder added an artistic touch as well another spicy contribution to the whole dish!

The crown of the dish consisted of two unctuous gnocchi made with “kujyukuri kabocha/九十九里” (from Hokkaido) that Italians would kill for!

To be continued…

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, Dessert, Desserts, 観光, 農業, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Tourism

French Dessert: Shizuoka Soy Sauce Cake, Frozen Orange Compote & Orange Honey Sorbet at Tetsuya Sugimoto!

August 23, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Highly professional and friendly
Facilities: Great overall cleanliness. Beautiful washroom
Prices: Appropriate
Strong points: Freshest produce and ingredients only, mainly from Shizuoka Prefecture. Organic vegetables. Seasonal food only.

Map (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

This the fourth of the four-part report on the lunch I had the other day at Testuya Sugimoto in Shizuoka City!
And since it is the last episode, it is naturally the dessert!
But this dessert is a Shizuoka concept!

First of all, the bottom part of the “ice cream”!
It was made with a mandarine orange grown inside a greenhouse in Hamamatsu City, Western part of Shizuoka Prefecture.
Tetsuya first peeled it, cooked it as a compote and then froze it!

The sorbet was made with orange flower honey conceived in Nishiura, Numazu City, Eastern Part of Shizuoka Prefecture!

Now, the cake is even more striking!
It is basically a mousse firmed up with gelatin. The mousse was created with soy sauce from Shizuoka Prefecture!
As for the sugar used in the same cake, it comes from sugar cane grown in Kakegawa City in Central Western Part of our Prefecture!
Its bottom was lined with Genoise short cake and the top sprinkled with more crumbled Genoise.

The soy sauce used in the cake is called “Hon Maru Tei” and is made by Amano Co. Ltd. In Gotemba City in the Western Part of Shizuoka Prefecture!
Testuya explained that soy sauce is not all about a salty taste and that creations are practically unlimited with such an ingredient!

As for the sauce, the chocolate might not be of Japanese origin nut the mint is organic and from Shizuoka Prefecture!

To be followed…

Tetsuya SUGIMOTO
４２０－００３８ Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Umeya,２－１３，１Ｆ
Tel./Fax: 054-251-3051
Opening hours：１１：３０～１４：３０，１７：３０～２１：３０
Holidays: undecided
Credit cards OK
ＨＯＭＥＰＡＧＥ

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Chicken, 美食, 野菜, 観光, 農業, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Restaurants, Tourism, vegetables

Suruga Shamo and Organic Vegetables at Tetsuya Sugimoto!

August 22, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Map (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

This the third of the four-part report on the lunch I had the other day at Testuya Sugimoto in Shizuoka City!
Shizuoka Prefecture has been making itself a name all over Japan with its superlative chickens for quite some time now.
The chicken used by Testuya Sugimoto in this dish is Suruga Shamo bred by Mr. Moriyama up in the mountains of Shizuoka City in Ikawa!
These shamo chickens were originally Ikokku Chicken from Thailand bred in conditions and with food only found in our Prefecture to become a brand of its own!

Tetsuya uses only the males for their firmer and richer meat.
He will first fry the pieces on their skin before finishing them in the oven.
He does the same with the vegetables, all organic from Hamamatsu and Fujinomiya City.
As for the vegetables, he used okahijiki, Morokko ingen/large string beans, Sanjyaku susage, another long variety of string bean, mini carrots, Mangan Toogarashi, a variety of large mild chili pepper, Murasaki Shishito/violet chili pepper, butternut and Kouriuki gourd!

For another view!

As for the sauce he uses the juices of the chicken and vegetables with French Banyuls vinegar and Madeira Wine!
Incredible traceability for an extraordinary dish!

To be followed…

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, 野菜, 観光, 農業, French gastronomy, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tourism

Vegetarian Organic Steak at Tetsuya Sugimoto!

August 20, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Map (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

This the second of the four-part report on the lunch I had the other day at Testuya Sugimoto in Shizuoka City!
It certainly makes for an astonishing creation as it is a completely vegetarian hot dish conceived with local products of the highest quality!

All vegetables are organic, either from Hamamatsu City or from Matsuki Bio Farm in Fujinomiya City!

The large green eggplant/aubergine was first cut into a “steak” and fried/baked with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.
Actually all vegetables were cooked in the same manner!
These included 2 types of zucchini, green and yellow, violet onion, “Seniorita” sweet red pimento and “Nitakikoma” tomatoes which were first half-dried before being sauteed.
Can you recognize the vegetables at the left extremity?

And those in the middle?

Or those at the right extremity?

A photo from the top might help you!
Incidentally the Italian parsley is also organic!
Were it not for the dressing, it would be vegan!

Beautiful taste, satisfying bite and an artistic composition!

To be followed…

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, 観光, 農業, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, seafood, Tourism, vegetables

Appetizer at Tetsuya Sugimoto: Hamamatsu Eggplant & Mochimune Sardine Whiting!

August 19, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Map (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

It had been quite some time since I paid a visit to arguably the best French restaurant in Shizuoka Prefecture, namely Testuya Sugimoto in Shizuoka City.
Therefore, I went for lunch there today to “enquire” about the latest developments!
It ended up into a full lunch, and as it was a bit too long for a single article let me describe each dish in its individuality for easy reference!

Very slightly different photograph!

This is an appetizer combining the wealth of the land and that of the sea of Shizuoka Prefecture as well as both Japanese and French concepts/aproaches of gastronomy.
The whole is conceived as a cold appetizer.
The organic eggplant/aubergine from Hamamatsu City was first grilled. Then it was carefully peeled before being lightly marinated in the Japanese o-hitashi style.
The shirasu/sardine whiting from Mochimune was first steamed before being lightly chilled.

The white color of the shirasu was enhanced by the small cuts of various organic vegetables from Hamamatsu City placed in so artful a manner!
The whole was seasoned with a beautiful olive oil and Testuya’s lemon vinaigrette!

For the record I paired with a dry white wine from Koshu, Yamanashi Prefecture!

So healthy, artful and delicious (and simple!)!

To be followed…

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, 観光, 農業, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Hamamatsu City, Tourism

French Bakery & Restaurant: Ema L’Estaminet

August 11, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Service: Extremely friendly and attentive
Equipment: Supreme cleanliness and beautiful amenities
Prices: Reasonable. Very good value
Strong points: French gastronomy conceived mainly with local seasonal products. Beautiful bread baked on site! Parking available.
Entirely non-smoking!

Hamamatsu City contrary to Shizuoka City is spread all over the country and if you don’t have a car you will need either a taxi or a train to reach your destination!

Fortunately, my good friend, Bernard Herberle, Patissier/owner of Abondance, was on hand not only to drive me around but also to make me discover a gastronomic pearl with an unusual concept: Ema L’Estaminet!

Ema for short is both a French Bakery and a French Restaurant!
As a bakery (and a cafe) it is open from 10:00 to 16:00 although the bread will have practically disappeared by 14:00!
As a restaurant it is open from 11:30 to 13:00 (last orders), but it can sit only a maximum of 24 guests and if you want to have access to the whole menu, you had better reserve well in advance for a lunch at 12:00!

When the two of us arrived at 12:00 sharp the owner/chef/baker Yuusuke Ema/江間裕輔 greeted us with a great smile.
In fact, he and his gentle wife are models of absolute natural civility whatever you are, buy or order!

There was already not much left of the beautiful bread,…

and even less of the succulent-looking viennoiseries and cakes!
Yuusuke wakes up every morning to start baking his bread and will be busy at his establishment until 6 in the evening. No wonder the place is absolutely spotless!

The Master Of The House!

You can either sit at tables with chairs or sofa or sit at the minuscule counter!

There is a single menu everyday for 2,000 yen (~23 US$) with a large appetizer plate, a main dish, a dessert of the day and a drink (with a little extra fee for some)

You may have as much as bread as you wish!

As for the main dish you have at least a choice of 9 dishes! Bear in mind that some will disappear faster than others, so come early!

Check the extra card for more drinks (very reasonable including wine!).

The appetizer plate!

Look at the rillettes which took me back to France!

The bread basket will be kept refilled as long as you want!

After some soul-searching, Bernard opted for the Fricassee de poulet, local chicken fried and cooked in cream sauce with mushrooms, a typical French country dish!

For a closer look!
Don’t worry Bernard was very kind to offer me a piece!
Tender, succulent and beautifully balanced!

It was a touch and go with the Tourte de Poisson et Salade, but I finally ordered the Roti de Porc/ Pork Roast!

Shizuoka Prefecture has some extravagant pork. This particular one is Ohara Pork bred in Hamamatsu City!

As simple as it might look it is not an easy dish to prepare as the balance needs a perfect mastery of one’s skills!
Moreover, the vegetables are cooked in refreshingly traditional French manner in their sauce and juices!

Although the dish is wholly French in concept and ingredients, I would dare quite a few chefs back home to attain this mastery in presentation!

The dessert always comes a surprise as it is not announced on the menu!
Pineapple and verveine (verbena) jelly!

A beautiful dessert for a hot summer!

Well, this is only the first visit and I’m afraid (I’m not, actually! LOL) I will have to travel once and again all the way to Hamamatsu City for these beautiful seasonal lunches (and get surprised every time!)!

To be continued…

EMA L’Estaminet
431-3115, Hamamatsu City, Higashi Ku, Nishigasaki, 1088-1 (within walking distance from Nishigasaki Station, Entetsu Railway Line)
Tel.: 053-433-7700
Business hours: !0:00~16:00 (Bakery)
11:30~ 13:00, last orders (Restaurant)
Closed on Sundays and last week of August

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, 野菜, 農業, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Tourism

French Gastronomy: Shizuoka Komatsuna and French Summer White Truffles

August 4, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

I’ve decided it is about time that I ceased to describe the full dinners of some of my favorite restaurants for the simple reasons that so many dishes deserve an article of their own!
In the future you can expect a full dinner (not all, mind you, especially for the new establishments I’m bound to discover) to be fragmented into delicious episodes!

The other day Tooru Arima/有馬亨さん surprised me again with one of his typical creations: Shizuoka-grown komatsuna and French Summer White Truffles!
The komatsuna/小松菜/Japanese mustard spinach (they don’t taste like mustard!) were organic naturally, and from Hirokawa Organic Garden in Mishima City.
Komatsuna is usually stir-fried, pickled, boiled and added to soups or used fresh in salads. It is an excellent source of calcium.
It is very popular in Japan, Taiwan and Korea and Shizuoka is a big producer and exporter.

Since truffles, be they French or Italian, black or white, are naturally organic, the whole dish can be considered as fully organic except for some sauce ingredients.

Tooru kept things simple by frying the komatsuna in olive oil with a minimum of salt and pepper.
As the komatsuna produce a lot of juices when fried, Tooru added lemon juice and fond de veau/veal stock to the juices for the perfectly balanced light sauce the vegetables deserved.
He then “simply” sliced plenty of those white truffles all over them!
Extravagant!

Note that he could have made the dish completely vegetarian or vegan (he would on request!) by replacing the fond de veau with Madeira wine for example!

To be continued…

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, Desserts, 観光, 農業, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Fruit, Gastronomy, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Tourism

French Gastronomy: Shizuoka Dessert-Fig Compote and Dark Tea Jelly at Pissenlit

August 3, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Shizuoka City and Prefecture are not only famous for their vegetables, but also for their fruits, and figs are certainly very popular here!
Shizuoka Prefecture also produces more than 45% of the total green tea crop in Japan, but did you know it was also the birthplace of dark tea (black or red) in Japan?

Chef Tooru Arima/有馬亨さん has this knack and talent to combine French and Japanese gastronomies in a constant search for originality and new tastes!
I wonder how much time he spends on them as the simple complete peeling of a fig before cooking it in compote is painstaking and sticky work!

Preparing food is one thing, but presenting it is certainly another!
No wonder Tooru’s desserts are so celebrated in this town!
Incidentally, this beautiful mint is organic from Hirokawa Garden in Mishima City!

The jelly is made from dark tea cultivated and processed in Shizuoka Prefecture and laid over a granite made with the juices of the fig compote!

Yes, not only a spoon but you also need a fork and knife to fully enjoy and appreciate this superb dessert!
I do not need to explain the pleasure I had cutting the fig and admiring the colors!

And it was absolutely succulent and again perfect in this hot weather!
To be continued…

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, 野菜, 観光, 農業, French gastronomy, Gastronomy, Japan, Shizuoka, Tourism

French Gastronomy: Kakegawa Tomato Jelly and Gaspacho with Hokkaido Salmon at Pissenlit

August 2, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Kakegawa City and its neighborhood are celebrated all over Japan for its superlative tomatoes.
Chef Tooru Arima/有馬亨さん, who is very particular about his vegetables, obtains his tomatoes from Mr. Ishitani/石谷さん and comes with some very interesting, and delicious, creations with a vegetable which has become so common!

The tomatoes come into two facets of this beautiful dish:
First the tomato jelly which “rides” a piece of marinated salmon called “tokishirazu”/時鮭, a variety from Hokkaido. This jelly is made from sieved tomato pulp, gelatin and the strict minimum of (secret?) spices, salt and pepper.
Second the soup, or gaspacho, made with the same sieved tomato pulp and first-class olive oil.

For a better view!

The bed of lettuce is organic from Hirokawa Garden in Mishima City!
Served chilled, it makes for the perfect appetizer in hot summer! I can assure I didn’t leave a drop of the gaspacho!
And it is so healthy!

A little pice of the same marinated salmon with coarse ground pepper!

To be continued…

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, Dessert, 観光, 農業, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Non-smoking restaurants, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tourism, vegetables

French Gastronomy: Shizuoka Agricultural Products at Pissenlit (July 2011)

July 19, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

In spite of the flaming heat and the present typhoon restaurants in Shizuoka are still endeavoring to use and serve as many local products as possible to the point of sheer extravagance!
Last night we braved the rain to pay a belated visit to one of our favorite French restaurants, namely Pissenlit!
I don’t really need to introduce this celebrated establishment again so I’ll skip the niceties and comment on what we savored away from the rain!

Don’t forget to have a good look at the blackboard for the specialties of the day before ordering!
If you don’t read Japanese, don’t worry! French gastronomy vocabulary is the same all over the World!

The amuse-bouches were local vegetable pound cake and gougere (cheese puff)!

The first d’oeuvres were a hot terrine of organic potatoes (Shizen No Chikara Farm in Shizuoka City) and aji/鯵/Horse Mackerel from the harbor of Yui, Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City!
The tomatoes and onion confit are also organic!

For a better view!

The second hors d’oeuvres stretched over two continents:
Pan-fried foie gras in Madeira sauce on a galette of Kankan Musume corn grown by Mr. Ichikawa in Iwata City!

The third hors d’oeuvres also stretched over two continents:
6 kinds of organic potatoes grown by Hirokawa in Mishima City with cheese in Scarmozza style!

Talking of potatoes I should have mentioned 3 continents!

The fish dish was pan-fried kinmedai/金目鯛/Seabream from Sagara harbor in Omaezaki City with organic vegetables by Mr. Hirokawa in Mishima City! But the mushroom comes from Hasegawa Farm in Fuji City!

Kinmedai is one of the most popular fish in Shizuoka as it the skin stays the same color whatever the cooking technique!

Now for the meat dish we were served a classic of French Gastronomy: Blanquette de Veau/Veal Cream Stew!
The veal comes from claves bred outdoors in Fujinomiya City.
The vegetables are all organic by Mr. Hirokawa in Mishima City!

It reminded me so much of my Mum’s cuisine back in Bourgogne, France!

The first dessert:
Biwa/枇杷/loquat from Kita Asabata in Shizuoka City with vanilla ice cream and Dharjeling Tea jelly.
The colorful mint is organic from Shizen no Chikara Farm!

The second dessert:
Kabocha Caramel pudding!

The flying fruit is actually a tomato variety from Shizen no Chikara Farm!

To be continued…

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, 観光, French gastronomy, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Restaurants, Tourism

French Cuisine: Lunch at Chez Satsukawa In Shizuoka City!

July 8, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Very friendly and easy-going, more professional in the “room”.
Facilities: very clean and beautiful washroom!
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: French food in Izakaya style. Great sake and wines!

French Cuisine like all the noteworthy cuisines of the World evolves with the times, trends and ingredients, and also people.
When the latter still have the will and skills to adapt their own style to satisfy the new demands from new customers the result can only become one of superlative and reassuring gastronomy!
Fujio Satsukawa is a chef, who despite the long years spent servicing customers with top-class French cuisine still believes he is on the mission of teaching his customers what good food is all about.
His cuisine is definitely of the Classic style but ingredients are modern and the approach eclectic.

To make a long story short, I found myself very busy at lunch time the other day and although the hour had almost reached closing time in other establishments Fujio still agreed to concoct me a lunch out of what was “left” in his fridges and secret boxes!

The country foie gras terrine came out of the fridge but the vegetables were all fresh from Shizuoka gardens and fields!

Now, this is classical gastronomy I’m not inclined to give up: succulent foie gras (can you see it) and Shizuoka pork terrine with onions confits and home-baked bread!

Fujio bakes his own bread everyday with three kinds of flour, rye flour included!
This is what I call true service!

Eating such bread with the terrine is already savoring a full meal!

Before the next dish I was offered a chilled kabocha Vichyssoise to prepare my gustative glands!
Needless to say, the kabocha is local!

Sauteed black bass from Suruga Bay!
Fujio must be a happy man with so many ingredients from the land and sea avalaible all year round in our Prefecture!

Served atop sauteed aubergines/eggplants and flanked with ratatouille!

Now, Fujio’s desserts are another reason why I’m not ready to give up Classic gastronomy!

Taking a peek from the top at the beautiful fruit jelly and decorations!

It becomes a series of discoveries as you dig deeper and deeper!
The last layer is actually a combination of blanc-manger and Japanese sweetmeats!
There is plenty of room for happy experiments even in classical gastronomy!

To be continued…

CHEZ SATSUKAWA
420-0852 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Kooya Machi, 4-9, Matsunaga Kooya Machi Bldg, 2F
Tel.: 054-205-5133
Business hours: 12:00~14:00, 17:00~23:00
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
Credit Cards OK

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Cakes, 観光, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, Fruit, Gastronomy, Hamamatsu City, Tourism

French Cakes and Blueberries in Hamamatsu City: Abondance!

July 7, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

I paid a belated visit to Abondance owned by Bernard Heberle, a French national like me, in Hamamatsu City to see how well he was doing.
Mind you, I didn’t worry a iota as he has recently been elected the best Cake Shop in the Prefecture!

You can’t miss the elegant blue-colored shop in front of the Seirei Hospital!

Not many cake shops have a doormat, a sure sign of attention to customers?

The man himself who has been running his shop among many other concerns for the past 9 years!
Bernard hails from Souffleheim in Alsace, France!

His “Cuisinier de France” award!

Bernard has a passion for anything called a Citroen car!

Sophisticated biscuits are waiting for you!

And of course elegant macarons!

And now the cakes!
I didn’t have much time checking the names for fear to bother the customers!
Taking photographs was already quite a scramble!

I love the marbled chocolate finish!

Cassis cakes with locally-grown blueberries and raspberries!

Snow in Summer?
Don’t forget to check Abondance’s Homepage for the right names!

A fruit rainbow?

Cream to savor with a fork?

True millefeuille!

A favorite of mine with the little macarons!

Those two look like intimate lovers!

Bernard’s best seller!
Now, where do all these blueberries come from?

Well, Bernard always tries to get his seasonal fruit locally and his blueberries are grown for him at Aoitori Blueberry Orchard in Hamamatsu City!

Bernard with Satoshi Satoh/佐藤聡さん, first-generation blueberry grower for the last five years!

You can also pick blueberries there in season for a very reasonable fee!

A very clean and modern orchard where no pesticides are allowed!

Satoh San cultivates 20 varieties of these beauties for a regular supply.
Incidentally, he also grows some trees for Bernard’s sole use!

Aerial water supply!

Bernard’s trees are hidden behind these!

All fruits are ripened on the trees. These will be late bloomers.

Can’t wait to eat these when fully ripe!

Impressive crop!
Next, bernard is trying to convince Satoh San to grow raspberries!

ABONDANCE
430-0906 Hamamatsu City, Naka Ku, Sumiyoshi, 2-14-27
Tel.: 053-473-8400
Business hours: 10:00~20:00
Closed on Tuesdays and 3rd Wednesday
HOMEPAGE

AOITORI ORCHARD
431-1202 Hamamatsu City, Nishi Ku, Gomatsu machi, 2497
Tel.: 053-487-1092
Fax: 053-487-2750
Mobile: 090-7672-7886
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, 農業, French gastronomy, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes

French Cuisine with Shizuoka Ingredients: Stuffed Zucchini!

July 4, 2011 dragonlife 8 Comments

I always check the Agriroad Market in Miwa, Shizuoka City, where they sell products grown by local farmers’ wives and I have a weak spot for those enormous round yellow zucchinis!
Yesterday as I had a little more time than the Missus I prepared dinner and cooked us a stuffed zucchini!

I would have needed both of my hands to circle it completely!

Although it looked plain and seedless, it actually contained many soft large seeds inside.
I scooped all the inside with a sharp spoon first.

Once I had emptied the zucchini of its seeds there was not much left of its flesh which suited me fine as I didn’t want the vegetable to have too thick walls before cooking it.
I chopped whatever was left finely.

I also finely chopped 1/4 of a medium-large onion, 1/4 of a medium-sized carrot and two big cloves of garlic.

I fried the finely chopped vegetables in some olive oil until they had lost most of their water.
I used about 250 g of minced pork and beef mixture, 2 very full teaspoons of freshly grated parmegiano cheese and plenty of fresh basil leaves from my balcony.
I first thoroughly mixed the meat with the vegetables and cheese seasoned with coarsely ground pepper and hot spices. No need for salt as there was enough in the cheese (and the bacon later!). Mind you, this is where you can play with spices, herbes and salt according to your preferences!

I first lined the whole inside of the zucchini with soft bacon.

I lined the bottom half with basil leaves.

I stuffed the bottom half with the meat filling and lined the top half of the zucchini with more basil leaves.

I finally filled the zucchini with the rest of the meat.
I tapped the meat until I was sure there was no air pockets inside.

I topped it with its “hat”, sprinkled olive oil all over it and baked it in the oven first for 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

That is how it came out first. The meat was still raw inside.
Next I put it back with the hat off for 15 more minutes into the oven at 200 degrees Celsius.