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French Dessert: Lemon and Cointreau Souffle

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lemomsouffle.jpg

I thought all day about having a go at Jenn, Kamran and other friends’ sweet tooth and I came with that old sweet souffle recipe of mine:
Lemon and Cointreau Souffle!
It is easier than it sounds! You might have to keep the kids off it, though (LOL)

INGREDIENTS: For 4 people
-Almond powder: 50g
-Sugar: 100g (+ 30g for coating inside of molds)
-Flour: 50g
-Milk: 250cc
-Butter: 50g (+ 20g for coating inside of molds)
-Cointreau (or orange liqueur): a quarter of a cup/50 ml (more is no problem!)
-Eggs: 4
-Lemon (clean!): 1
-Glazing sugar
-Salt

RECIPE:

-Coat insides of molds of 4 small souffle molds with butter and then sugar.

-Preheat the oven at 6 (180 degrees Celsius).

-Grate the lemon skin and press out the juice. Put aside.

-Separate egg yolks from whites.

-In a saucepan, on a small fire, melt butter, mix on flour and cook, stirring gently all the time for 2 minutes, making sure the colour does not change.
Add milk and mix on a stronger fire until thick.
Take off fire. Add sugar, almond powder, grated lemon skin, lemon juice and Cointreau, and last the the egg yolks one by one and mix well.
Beat the whites with a pinch of salt until very firm. Fold the whites in the mixture delicately with a soft spatula.
Pour mixture inside molds up to their rims.
Cook for 20 minutes.

-Take out of the oven, sprinkle with glazing sugar and serve at once.

The next dessert will be the recipe for the basic Cheese Cake, Japanese-style!

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French Dessert: Hot Apple Souffle

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APPLE-SOUFFLE

Apples are everywhere on the markets these days. This is a good time to try something different. It might hot and humid now, but one can appreciate a hot dessert, especially when you are confined within an air-conditioned space all day and night!
Souffle has a repution of a difficult dish to realize. Actually it is dead simple. Once you matsered it, you cannot make a mistake!

INGREDIENTS: For 4 people
Apples: 1kg (green probably best)
Eggs: 6
Butter: 50g
Powder Sugar: 100g
5 Sponge Biscuits or the equivalent in Sponge (Short) Cake
Calvados (French Apple Brandy): 100cc

RECIPE:
-Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
-Wash the apples and wipe them dry.
-Take off stems, cut in four and cook as they are in a covered saucepan inside the oven for one hour.
-Take out and sieve flesh of apples. Pour this compote into a fry-pan and cook on a small fire for 5 minutes to take out excess water.
-Stop the fire and mix in the 6 egg yolks.
-Beat the whites with 50g of powder sugar. Fold in the beaten whites delicately inside the cooled down compote with a spatula trying to achieve the lightest possible mixture.
-Cut the sponge biscuits and imbibe them with the Calvados.
-Butter and sugar the inside of a souffle dish.
-Pour in half of the souffle mixture.
-Then spread the calvados-imbibed biscuits and top with the rest of the souffle mixture.
-Cook for 15 minutes at 200 degrees celsius.

-Take out and eat at once!

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French Dessert: Nectarine Tart

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NECTARINE-TART

Peaches are already on the market, and nectarines will appear soon!
These peaches being smaller and a lot firmer, they make for a great fruit in tarts.
Here is a simple enough recipe you could apply for other fruit such as apricots, apples and even mangoes!

INGREDIENTS: (for 6 people):
Pastry:
flour: 200g
butter: 75g
egg: 1
powdered sugar: 50g
water
salt
Filling:
nectarines: 750g
butter: 100g
powdered sugar
almond powder: 125g
eggs: 2
rum: 1 tablespoon
minced pistachio: 1 tablespoon
glazing sugar: 2 tablespoons

RECIPE:

A) Pastry:
In an all-purpose bowl mix eggs with sugar until smooth. Then mix in butter (softened) until smooth. Add a pinch of salt. Then mix in flour little
by little to obtain a homogeneous paste. Mix in water little by little until pastry is “as soft as your earlobe”. Wrap in cellophane and leave in refrigerator for an hour.

B) Take pastry out of refrigerator and knead a little until soft enough to spread.
Spread inside tart dish and punch a few holes with a fork.

C) Preheat oven to 6 (180 degrees Ceslius). Melt the butter and pour it in an electric blender (if you do not have one, use some elbow power and mix in all-purpose bowl), add almond powder, sugar, whole eggs and rum. Blend util smooth and pour on pastry.

D) Clean nectarines in cold water. Wipe and cut them in thin slices. Put them onto almond paste pushing them each a little onto the paste so as to make a nice regular pattern for better impression and easier cutting. Sprinkle with glazing sugar. Cook for 50 minutes.
Take out of the oven and out of its mold onto a dish or cake grill. Let it cool. Sprinkle with minced pistachio before serving.

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Japanese Vegan Snack: Ume-Shiso Kyuuri/Cucumber, Pickled Plums & Perilla Salad

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CUCUMBER-SHISO-UME

Here is one simple recipe I consider as a Japanese “National” snack that will have all vegans and vegetarians rushing for:
Ume-Shiso Kyuuri/Cucumber, Pickled Plums & Perilla Salad!
Ingredients might not be easy to find, although they are probably available on the Internet under various forms.

INGREDIENTS:
-Cucumbers. If possible, Japanese style, long, thin and crunchy
-Shiso/perilla leaves: 4
-Umeboshi/Japanese pickled plums (there are salty and slightly sweet varieties. Either is fine!)
-Salt: 2 small pimches
-Sesame oil: a little

RECIPE:
-Wash cucmbers under running clear water and wipe them thoroughly with kitchen paper.

-Cut both ends of cucumbers and discard. Tight-seal cucumbers inside a vynil pouch and break (instead of cutting) them roughly into bite-sized pieces by hitting them with pestle over a kitchen wooden board.

-Discard pip/stone inside umeboshi and cut into small pieces.
Cut the shiso into very thin strips.

-In a bowl, mix thoroughly by hand cucumber, umeboshi and shiso.
Add salt an sesame oil. Stir and serve.

Note: Will be very tasty after being chilled inside the fridge.
The best umeboshi for this recipe are the sweet ones pickled into honey.
Make sure that the cucumber are dry after first washing them or the dish will be running with water.
I personally add some sesame seeds for effect and taste!

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Soft Peach and Cheese Cake

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CREAM-CHEESE-PEACH-1

I’ve heard that Japanese Cheese Cakes are very popular in North America.
Since I already Have posted a snack and a chicken dish today, I thought I ought to finish it up wit a dessert before going back to work! LOL
It is also peach season right now in Japan. If you want to use fresh peaches for this recipe, choose them firm or make a compote with them first!

INGREDIENTS:
-Cream Cheese: 250g
CREAM-CHEESE-PEACH-9
This is the Cream Cheese most used in Japan. Does it exist in North America?
-Fresh cream: 100~130 ml according to preferences
-Canned white peaches: 1 can
-Sugar: 40~50 g
-Canned syrup: 35 g (from the peaches can!)
-Eggs: 2
-All-purpose flour: 30 g

RECIPE:
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Take peaches out of the can. Keeping six slices apart for topping, crush the other peach slices with a fork.

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Soften cream cheese inside microwave oven for 20~30 seconds. Strongly stir it inside a bowl until it becomes absolutely smooth.

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Add sugar and syrup and stir well.
Make sure the whole is smooth and without any “solid” parts left.

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First add egg one at a time and stir until completely smooth. Add flour and stir until completely smooth (important!).

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Add fresh cream. Mix until smooth. Add crushed peaches. Mix until smooth.

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As on the picture above, inside a baking mold/dish place lightly oiled (light vegetal oil) wide strips of kitchen paper. This will help takinf\g the cake out of the mold as it is very soft!
Pour in the whole cake mix and place peach sliced on top for decoration.

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Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes.
As all ovens have their own “character”, check the colour until you are satisfied.
Stab with a thin wooden toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready!

Note: The cake might be difficult to unmold as it is soft. Do it carefully.
If you have one, use a mold with a movable bottom.
It’s best to let cool first and leave it in the refrigerator for a night before serving.
The above recipe is for the whole family. Adults can add peach liqueur as a finishing touch!

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’09/46)

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BENTO-09-06-30a

The Missus felt a more grumpy than ususl today. What with my recent antics at cricket and my busy schedule, she feels like a mid more than a partner….

She was in the mood to make something too fancy and had to think about her own lunch.

BENTO-09-06-30d

The main dish consisted of cold ramen boiled and lightly seasoned with a little sesame oil and chopped thin leeks. On top she placed pieces of lettuce, thinly chopped carrots, cucumber and string beans, thin slices of pork, first lightly boiled then seasoned with gomadare/sesame dressing, sweet ammera rubbins mini tomatoes and home-made cucumber and aubergine pickles.
The was first soft-boiled then marinated in soy sauce, cut in half and served sprinkled with black sesame seeds.

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Her is a side-view!

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I was provided with men-tuyu/めんつゆ ascold stock soup for the ramen.

BENTO-09-06-30c

Simple and tasty dessert with South African grapefruit and Japanese blueberries!

I left the whole in the office refrigerator until lunch, making a “cool”/refreshing lunch!

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Seaweed-pickled Cucumbers

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SEAWEED-PICKLED-CUCUMBERS

Cucumbers are in season, and the Japanese pickle a lot of them before they become scarce and more expensive!
Here is a very simple recipe to preserve them and enjoy them anytime (with a cool drink?):
Seaweed-pickled Cucumbers!

INGREDIENTS: For 1~2 persons
-Cucumber: 1 fairly long. Japanese cucumbers are comparatively thin and crunchy. Be aware that the large soft cucumbers found in “Western” countries might not be appropriate. Moreover, the Japanese eat the cucumbers whole.
-Salt: a pinch
-Salted seaweed (shio konbu): to taste. I personally like quite a lot!
-Sesame oil: to taste (do some pesonal research/experiments as to how much you would fancy!)
-White sesame seeds: to taste. i use quite a good amount myself!

RECIPE:
-Cut both extremities of the cucumber and discard.
Wash rapidly.
Close inside a vynil pouch and strike cucumber with a wooden pestle or the equivalent to break cucumber in uneven pieces.

-Take out. Drop cucmber pieces into a bowl. Add salt. Stir with yoyr hand. Let rest for a while.
Discard water which has seeped out of the cucumber.
Add salted seaweed. Stir the whole gently by hand for a little while.

-Transfer onto a dish. Arrange it for presentation. Sprinkle with sesame oil, then sesame seeds.

Note: Some people like it without the salt.
Washing the cucumber will take acidity out.
Breaking the cucumber by beating it will allow other ingredients to penetrate it more efficiently. If you don’t like the breaking method and prefer to cut the cucmber instead, let it rest for 10 minutes before adding the salt.

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Watermelon non-wheat flour mini-Cakes

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SUIKA-PUDDING-1

This particular recipe is dedicated to This Cat Can Cook who amused me with his comments and has a love for Watermelon.
Now, wheat flour allergics will be glad to know that none of it is being used!

INGREDIENTS: for 9~10 cakes
-Watermelon, red part, no pips: 150 g
-Eggs: 2
-Rice flour/powder: 60 g
-Sugar: 25 g
-Butter: 50 g

RECIPE:
SUIKA-PUDDING-2

Cut 100g of the watermelon in small cubes 1x1x1 cm. Blend rest into juice (40 ml).

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Melt butter in electric oven at 5~600W for 40~50 seconds or until it is completely melted. Keep warm.
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

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Mix sugar and eggs together. Warm sufficiently until it gets to your “skin temperature”.
Beat up at High Medium speed until it forms a bubbly but fine paste. Continue to beat at low speed for 3 more minutes.

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Add rice flour and delicately with a spatula.

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Mix in melted butter and watermelon juice delicately.

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Pour in molds.

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Place a watermelon cube on top and bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

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Let the cakes cool before taking them out of their molds.

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Serve them upside down decorated with mint leaves.

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’09/45)

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BENTO-09-06-29a

Back to some rice at last! I must confess i eat more rice than the Missus who is obsessed with anything in the shape of pasta or noodles!

BENTO-09-06-29b

The bento was definitely adult-size (or hungry high school stdent-size!)

BENTO-09-06-29e

The “musubi/rice balls” consisted of fresh syeamed rice mixed with very tiny pieces of red cucumber pickles and umeboshi/Japanese pickled plums, the whole wrapped inside a shiso/perilla leaf.

BENTO-09-06-29c

The garnish consisted of meat rolls: boiled string beans rolled inside cheese, bacon and chicken, the whole fried with soy sauce and I don’t know what (?). Succulent with the French cornichons and the minuscule and very sweet Ameera Rubbins tomatoes exclusively grown in Shizuoka Prefetcure!

Naturally some feshly-made tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette (beware of the cheap article sold at markets wrapped and all. Thay are full of sugar and preservatives!).

BENTO-09-06-29f

The salad, a very simple affair, consisted of cress (Shizuoka-grown), walnuts, kiwi and American dark cherries!

Alright, I reckon the Missus worked hard on that one!

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Non-Mayonnaise Avocado and Soy Beans Coleslaw

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AVOCADO-CLOESLAW-1

Here is a simple coleslaw recipe that vegans, vegetarians and omnivores alike can enjoy in Summer:
Non-Mayonnaise Avocado and Soy Beans Coleslaw!

INGREDIENTS: For 4 people
-Cabbage: 4~5 leaves
-Onion: half a large one, shredded, washed in cold water and drained before usage
-Avocado: 1 large
-Lemon Juice (or apple vinegar): 1 large Tablespoon
-Soybeans: 100 g. Boiled in water, cooled and drained (if uanavailable, can be replaced with any kinds of beans or chick peas)
-Salt and Pepper: to taste

RECIPE:
Cut the cabbage in vey thin strips (chopped). Drop into a large bowl. add a little salt. Mix and little while.
As explained above, mince onion, washi in clear cold water and drain thoroughly to take off the onion acidity.

AVOCADO-CLOESLAW-2

Once the cabbage has become softer, mix with onion, cut avocado and lemon juice. Mix the whole, crushing/mashing the avocado in at the same time.

Once mixed to you liking, add soy beans and check taste. Rectify if necessary.

AVOCADO-CLOESLAW-3

Note: Put chopped onion inside a stocking-style fined netting piece. Keeping it close with your hand, dip it in cold clear water for a while, then take out and press water out. If you do it stongly enough, no need to waste kitchen paper!
Careful about the amount of salt added to the cabbage. Too much and the cabbage will become soggy. If there is too much salt, watch it with clean cold water. The cabbage will taste and feel better if still a little crunchy.
Serve inside a half avocado “skin” (keep some sprinkled with a little lemon juice and securely closed inside a Tuperware box in side the fridge until usage).

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Zucchini and Cheese Patties

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ZUCCHINI-CHEESE-1

Zucchini are in season right now.
Here is a healthy idea for a hot snack to go with your cold drink:
Zucchini and Cheese Patties!
I dedicate this recipe to Lojol as it is very easy and great for adults and kids alike!

INGREDIENTS: For 5, 6 people
-Zucchini: 300 g
-Eggs: 2
-Shredded cheese: 120 g
-Flour: 3 large tablespoons
-Saltand pepper: a littke (to taste)
-Oil: a little

RECIPE:
ZUCCHINI-CHEESE-2

Shred the whole zucchini with their skin and put inside a large mixing bowl.

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Add eggs, shredded cheese and flour. Mix well.
Just before cooking add salt and pepper. Mix well.
Note: If you add salt and leave alone for too long, water will come out of the zucchini!

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Heat thick frypan ell. add a little oil and fry patties until they attain a rich light-brown colour.

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As there is enough to make 15 small patties, do it in two sequences.
Great as they are or in addition to a bento.
Really easy, think as them as a children’s cooking lesson!
Adults can work on the recipe and add all kinds of ingredients, or serve with differents sauces!

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Avocado and Watermelon Salad

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WATERMELON-AVOCADO-SALAD

Here is a very simple and basic recipe for a summer snack or starter that should please vegans, vegetarians and omnivores alike: Avocado and watermelon salad!

INGREDIENTS: For 2 ~3 people
-Watermelon flesh without skin or pips/seeds: 50~60 g
-Freshly pressed lemon juice: half a large tablespoon
-Avocado: 1 whole, ripe
-Thinly chopped onion: 1 large tablespoon
-Shiso/perilla leaves: 2~3
-Salt: 1 pinch
-Soy sauce: a little (according to taste)
-Coarsely ground black pepper: a little (according to taste)

RECIPE:
-Cut watermelon in 7~8 mm cubes and sprinkle with lemon juice.
Chop shiso/perilla thinly after having rolled them together.
Take meat out of avocado and mash it.

-In a bowl mix avocado, chopped onion and shiso together. Add salt and soy sauce. Mix well.

-On a plate place avocado mix first. decorate with watermelon. Last sprinkle the coarsely ground black pepper on the watermelon.
Serve.

This still leaves you with plenty of leeway for improvisation and variation!
Enjoy!

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Tofu Recipe: Tofu and Wakame Seaweed salad

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TOFU-WAKAME-SALAD-1

Here is another very easy recipe to help you and the “Tofu Tribe” (Terecita, Elin, Jenn and Jennifer modify and preserve tofu for all kinds of usages!
I’d like to take the opportunity to apologize to Tinako for my past mistake!
Tofu and Wakame Salad!

INGREDIENTS: For 2~3 people
-Tofu: 300 g
-Salt-preserved wakame: 20 g
If bought dried, let it “come back” in lukewarm water first.
If you are worried about the salt, let them rest in water for a while first and drain.
-Kawaire daikon, or any fresh sprouts available: To taste.
-Ponzu: 2 large tablespoons
-Sesame oil: half a large tablespoon
-White sesame seeds: to taste

RECIPE:
TOFU-WAKAME-SALAD-2

Leave tofu in clean cold water for 30 minutes. Wash and clean wakame seaweed and cut in bite-sized pieces. Cut sprouts in thirds.

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In bowl mix seaweed, sprouts, ponzu and sesame oil.

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Drain tofu and cut in bite-sized pieces. Mix in.
Place salad in serving bowls and sprinkle white sesame seeds.

Note: You can use either kinu tofu or momen tofu.
You may use green shiso/perilla leaves vinaigrette instead of ponzu.
In summer add cut plum tomatoes.
I personally like to add a little sweet umeboshi/pickled Japanese plums!

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Shiso/ Perilla Leaves

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I felt compelled to answer again questions from foodie friends like Rowena and provide some useful information on “shiso” or perilla/beefsteak plant in a simple posting that I hope will help Japanese food lovers and vegetarians!

First of all, one can grow shiso, be it green or violet, almost anywhere as long as you have plenty of sunshine and water at opportune times (as long as you water it yourself, fine!).
For example, Rowena presently lives in Italy and has successfully grown some from seeds I sent her.

Seeds should be planted in March/ April in the Northen atmosphere, although until June would be fine in Japan and south east Asia. The hotter the prevailing climate, the earlier it should be done. Prepare some moist vegetables-growing soil and make small shallow holes on top at a comfortable distance from each other. drop 2 or 3 seeds in each hole. Cover with more soil and spread a newspar sheet over the lot. Keep in shade. Once the first shoots have come out, take newspaper out and expose to sun all day long. Water morning and evening at the base of the stems, not on the leaves (or they would “burn”!).


By August (or earlier) to September the shiso will start flowering!
These flowers, if picked early enough, are edible!

(Pic taken at Tomii)
Reputable Sushi and Japanese restaurants extensively use them all year round. They make for exquisite decoration and are really tasty!

Now, if you want your own seeds, wait until the flowers and stems turn brown and shake them over a plate. You should get plenty of minuscule seeds for the following year. I checked this very morning with my neighbour, a retired farmer who is looking after his own garden. He said there is little use to keep them indoors in winter unless you want to start a green house business with all the hassles involved! Just collect the seeds and replant! Actually such seeds could become a source of business in Italy and elsewhere!

Now, the leaves can be accomodated in hundred of ways. Pick them up young and tender enough. The Missus keep them in a plastic Tupperware-type box with a sheet of clean kitchen paper imbibed with clean water (put it at the bottom of the box) before storing it in the fridge vegetables compartment.

You can wrap them around nigiri/rice balls instead of nori/seaweed.


(Pic taken at Oddakui)

Make a liberal use of them with sashimi!

They are also great as tempura!
Do not hrow away the small or damaged leaves. Chop them fine and add them to fresh salads or to any stews and ratatouille!

The violet variety is edible of course, although the Japanese do not use for decoration like the green one, except for the flowers.
They usually pickle them for their sake or add them to other pickled vegetables such as cucumber.
They also make juice, sherbet or sauces with them, too.


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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’09/44)

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BENTO-09-06-23a

Apparently as far as the Tuesday’s bentoes are concerned, the Missus has turned into “Sandwich mode”!

BENTO-09-06-23b

Now, for the greens, she had come with the interesting notion of a veg sticks dip with celery, boiled asparaguses, cucumber and red radishes (and their leaves). One half-boiled egg for the balance and mayonnaise/mustard dip.

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The sandwich, once again, was a big affair.

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As for the filling, she first fried duck confit, then potato sticks in the remaining fat and inserted them in the French bread (soft type) with lettuce, cassis mustard and French conichons.

This time she didn’t forget the dessert: Japanese cherries!

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