Appetizers; one with Shad Roe 酒のつまみ

Those are two sets of appetizers I made on different evening. One unusual one is a variation of the nagaimo-tarako gellee 長芋とたらこのジェル寄せ. Instead of “tarako” cod roe, I used shad roe since it was in the freezer and getting old. I made several dishes from shad roe including American classic of cooked with bacon.  In the picture #1, from left to right; 1. nagaimo-shad roe gelee 長芋とシャドロウのジェル寄せ, 2. Wakame and cucumber in miso dressing 和布と胡瓜の酢味噌あえ, 3. picked herring (from a jar) topped with yogurt dip, 4. daikon “namasu”  in sweet vinegar 大根なます, and 5. daikon kimpira 大根の金平.

Nothing particulary new but two may deserve some notes:

1. Nagaimo-shad roe gelee: 
Japanese tarako is slat marinated but not cooked. I used tarako without further cooking for this dish. 
Since Shad roe is not slated or cooked, i modified my recipe. I first removed the roe from the sacs and  marinated in  the equal mixture of x4 concentrated Japanese noodle soup and mirin for several hours in the refrigerator (good amount of the marinade get absorbed). 
After draining the excess marinade, I cooked the roe in the frying pan with melted butter in low heat until the color changes (or cooked). Let it cooled down and use it like tarako. 

I used 1 cup of Japanese broth with 3/4 envelope of unflavored gelatin. Seasoned with splashes of dark sesame oil and tabasco or sriracha. For the nagaimo layer,  I seasoned with small amount of sushi vinegar.

2. Daikon Kimpira:
I had the last of a good daikon from Suzuki Farm. I peeled (a bit thickly) and cooked with a pinch of raw rice grains (which can be used in simmered dishes such as oden. I cut the peels with skin in match stick and made kimpira with daikon green (from daikon from Weee we just got) and fried “abura-age” tofu.

In the picture #2, i served the nagaimo-shad roe gelee (top center), kelp salmon roll 鮭の昆布巻き (left lower) and salmon nanban 鮭の南蛮漬け (right lower). 

Cranberry sauce muffins クランベリーソースマフィン

We gave up some time ago on having turkey for Thanksgiving. (My wife described the turkey as a “stuffing delivery system”.) So we decided to just have the stuffing and skip the delivery system. Even though we don’t have turkey I still make “Figgy Cranberry Sauce”. It actually goes very well with other meats such as the roasted duck breast we had this year. Now after Thanksgiving, we noticed many recipes using left-over thanksgiving food started appearing on the internet. My wife found one such recipe for muffins using cranberry sauce. Although she found several recipes she settled on this particular one which was among the most straight forward. This muffin turned out to be very good.

Recipe came from Allrecipes.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup leftover cranberry sauce*
¾ cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*Ingredients and directions for the figgy cranberry sauce is below.

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tray’s cups with paper liners. Beat the cranberry sauce, milk, oil, egg, and vanilla together in a bowl until well combined. Whisk the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt together in a separate bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the batter is just moistened. Pour into the prepared muffin cups.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

To make the figgy cranberry sauce: 

Ingredients:
Frozen or fresh cranberries (12oz bag) (Do not thaw if you are using frozen).
Dried figs, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
Sugar 1/2 cup
White wine 3/4 cup
Orange peel, 2 long strips without pith
Salt, a pinch
Orange flavored liquor (I used triple sec), 2 tbs

Directions:
1. Soak the figs in hot water for 20 minutes.
2. In a sauce pan, add the wine and sugar on medium flame. Once it starts to boil reduce the heat and mix to dissolve the sugar.
3.Add, the cranberries, drained figs, orange peel and cook for 10 -15 minutes stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens.
4. Cut the flame and add a pinch of salt and the orange liquor and mix.

These muffins were quite good. They don’t taste of cranberries per se; the added spices are the predominant flavors. The cranberry sauce does however provide a small crunch element from the very small seeds either in the cranberries or the figs which is a nice unexpected addition to the texture. Also, since I did not remove the orange peel I used in the sauce it appeared as a surprise burst of orange flavor in random bites of the muffins.

Warm sake on a cold night 寒夜の燗酒

At the end of January, it was brutally cold due to an Arctic vortex which swept over the continent. Lows were in the single digits, wind chills in the negative range and daily highs never got above freezing for many days. In addition, there was a winter storm that produced a significant snow accumulation. The snow was then coated with sleet and freezing rain becoming a solid block of ice which stayed for days due to the Arctic weather.

This was a perfect time to have hot pot “nabe 鍋” dishes and “kanzake 燗酒” warm sake. One day, we had “Ishikari-nabe 石狩鍋” with our favorite warm sake (Tengumai yamahai-jikomi junmai 天狗舞山廃仕込純米). Another night,  we had a special sake “Kiku-masamune junmai taruzake 菊正宗純米樽酒” warm. This is the sake we had when we visited an Izakaya in Tokyo called “Fukube ふくべ”. They had a large wooded cask or “taru 樽” of Kiku-masamune. We had it at room temperature but later we learned that the regulars have this “nuru-kan ぬる燗” or warmed even in summer. Taking heed of what we learned at the Izakayae in Tokyo, we took out our handy-dandy electric sake warmer (Picture #2) and enjoyed it warm as recommended. This sake is quite a character; its flavor changes based on the temperature at which it is served. When served warm the cedar flavor characteristic of its cooler state becomes a bit muted and integrates more subtly into the base taste of the sake.

No sake, no matter how good, can shine at its best if not accompanied by a some tasty small dishes. I served this sake with some “tsumami つまみ” appetizers. None of them were new to our repertoire but served the purpose well. Since we got “hoshigaki 干し柿” dried persimmon from Japanese taste, I made “daikon namasu 大根なます” and topped it with dried persimmon (lower right). Others included “Russian marinated salmon 鮭のロシア漬け” (upper left), pickled herring (from a jar) with sour cream dill sauce (upper middle), salmon kelp roll 鮭の昆布巻き and spicy tofu ピリ辛豆腐 (lower left).

Historic note: Placing sake in a Japanese cedar “taru” cask may have started before pasteurization. It was done to preserve sake as well as cover up unwanted flavors which may have developed in unpasteurized and non-refrigerated sake. In modern times, due to refrigeration, there is no need to place sake in a cedar cask but people developed a taste for the distinctive cedar aroma/flavor. This is a situation similar to the Greek wine “Retsina” which was flavored with the pine resin used to seal the amphora in which it was stored. Now even though those type of amphora are no longer needed, pine resin flavor is added to the wine.

In any case, this sake comes in a blue tinted bottle shaped like a traditional “tokkuri とっくり” which was used to buy/store/carry sake or other liquids in the old days. The rope on the neck of the bottle is for easy carrying or (in the old days) securing the tokkuri bottle to your sash (for handy access to a drink). One other sake we like served warm “Gekkeikan 月桂冠Black and Gold” also comes in a similarly shaped bottle.

For heating and maintaining the warm sake, we have been using the electric sake warmer shown in picture #2 for some time. It is a “must have” even if you drink warm sake only occasionally. I sure beats the old fashioned methods we used to use such as partially immersing the sake filled container in hot water or microwaving it. This little warmer heats up and maintains the sake at the specified temperature—no fuss no muss.

Although we have not tried many sakes warm, our rankings are #1 Tengumai Junmai, #2. Kiku-masamune Junmai Taruzake and #3 Gekkeikan Junmai “Black and Gold”.

Chestnuts and Apple Blini 栗とリンゴ味のビリニ

This is another one of my wife’s “variations on the theme of blini”. This started when I made “chestnut apple soup” as an autumnal dish. The soup was more of a potage than soup with a thick consistency, and good chestnut and apple flavors. While we were enjoying the soup, my wife mused that it would be a great ingredient for a blini. Thus, we have “Chestnut and Apple Blini”.

Ingredients:  makes 14 blini
2 cups of chestnut apple soup
6 tbs melted butter
6 large eggs, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour (next time I will try 1/2 cup chestnut flour and 1/2 cup AP) 
1 cup + 2 tbs. cake flour
1 Tbs + 1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
2 tsp salt
enough additional soup to make it the texture of pancake batter 

The ingredients and recipe for the chestnut apple soup are below. 

Directions:
Put the chestnut apple soup in a bowl. Add the egg, the melted butter and stir until combined. Then add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until well blended. (You may need to add of the soup so the batter is the consistency of pancake batter.)

In a cast iron platar, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Use the melted butter to grease each of the platar cups before adding the batter. Pour the batter into the cups until they are mostly full. Cook over moderately low heat, turning once, until set, about 5 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining butter and batter.

Recipe for chestnut and apple soup.

Ingredients: (made a bit over 4 cups of the soup)
100 grams of the prepared chestnuts (we used the brand called Gefen)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 large stalk of celery, string removed and chopped fine
2 carrots, peeled and cut into small dice
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped in small pieces
3 cups or more chicken broth
2 tbs olive oil and 1 tbs butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a pan on medium low flame, add the oil and butter. When it is hot and the butter is melted, add the onion and celery and sauté for a few minutes, Add the carrots and apples and sauté for few more minutes. Add the chestnuts (crumble as you add). Add the chicken broth and simmer for 30 minutes.
Using the immersion blender or mixer, blend the vegetables, add cream (optional).

Although the soup had a very definite chestnut apple flavor the blinis did not. They had a nice texture and tasted great slathered with butter for breakfast but they did not taste of chestnuts like the soup. Next time my wife said she would try using chestnut flour in place of some of the AP flour.

“Bento” Lunch Box 弁当

Since the occasion called for it, I made a bento box which is something I rarely do. As usual, I used an adult sized two tier bento box. I filled the layers with whatever we had on hand. I would have included cooked rice but since we had arancini, I used that instead.

#1: Simmered kabocha Japanese squash かぼちゃの煮物  and blanched green beans サヤインゲン. #2: Cucumber and nappa cabbage “asazuke” 胡瓜と白菜の浅漬け(nappa cabbage is hiding underneath). #3: boiled and marinated quail egg うずらの味玉 and skinned Campari tomato. #4: Carrot salad 人参サラダ. #5: Ricotta cheese meatballs in marinara sauce  トマトソースとミートボール. #6: Arancini made with shiitake mushroom risotto アランチーニ. #7: Japanese omelet seasoned with “Shiro-dashi” 白出汁味のオムレツ.

I made the omelet just for the lunch box (two eggs beaten and seasoned with shiro-dashi*). I made the meatballs shown here in the marinara sauce a few days ago. I combined the meatballs and marinara sauce by cutting the meatballs in half, adding them to the sauce in a frying pan and heating every thing until it was warmed up and the marinara sauce thickened. I finished this by adding grated parmesan cheese. I let these two dishes cool before adding them to the lunch box.

*Shiro-dashi 白出汁: A concentrated dashi soup base. Japanese dashi broth (made from kelp, bonito flakes etc) with added light colored soy sauce. This is most commonly used to make “Chawan mushi 茶碗蒸し. I used a commercial bottled one. It adds both nice flavors and saltiness without adding color like regular soy sauce or concentrated noodle sauce would do.

This was a quite filling and nice bento.

P.S. As a side light shown in the following picture, the Christmas amaryllis are in full bloom. What a treat on a gloomy winter’s day. 

Gingerbread Pancakes with Date Sauce ジンジャーブレッドパンケーキ

One Sunday morning, my wife suggested making something different for breakfast. She found this “gingerbread pancake” recipe in the Washington Post. So as usual, my wife whipped up the batter and I cooked it. In the past, coordinating the production of our morning coffee with breakfast pancake making required some effort. It was difficult to balance the timing of the coffee with cooking the pancakes so both were served hot.  But now we are using battery-powered (rechargeable), bluetooth-connected coffee mugs called “Ember”. They maintain a specific temperature set via app. We can make our latte and it stays warm while we cook the pancakes. The pancakes tasted of gingerbread and were very fluffy (see picture #2). Initially for the sake of time, we did not make the “date sauce” (picture #1) but later we did and had it on the pancakes the next day as shown in picture #2.

Ingredients (makes 4 pancakes) 
For the sauce
12 to 14 dates (8 ounces/227 grams) Medjool dates, (or any other kind available) pitted
3/4 cups (180 milliliters) milk
pinch of salt

For the pancake
1 1/3 cups (160 grams) whole-wheat pastry flour (or 2/3 cup (83 grams) AP flour and 2/3 cup (83 grams) regular whole wheat flour) 
1/2 cup (52 grams) almond flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus more for serving
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup (240 milliliters) milk 
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons (40 grams) molasses (I used one tbs. molasses and one tbs. corn syrup to reduce the strong molasses flavor which husbandito-wa does not like) 
1 tablespoon oil, or melted unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
For the sauce shown in the next picture:
If the dates are very dry, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes to rehydrate them, then drain. In a food processor, combine the dates with a pinch of salt and process until finely chopped. With the processor running, drizzle in 3/4 cup (180 milliliters) of the milk, and continue to process, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, as needed, until a smooth, creamy sauce forms. You should have about 1 1/4 cups. Set aside about half (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) of the sauce to serve with the pancakes. (Refrigerate the remaining sauce. It's great on toast, or as a topping for yogurt or oatmeal.)

For the pancake: 
In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole-wheat flour, almond flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt until well combined. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, the eggs, molasses, oil and vanilla until well combined. Add the flour mixture to the milk mixture and stir until just combined. It’s okay if some lumps remain.

Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot. Lightly oil the bottom of the skillet. ladle about 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) of the batter per pancake into the skillet. Cook until golden brown on the bottom and the tops are covered with bubbles, about 2 minutes, then flip and continue cooking until golden brown on the other side, about 2 minutes more.  Serve the pancakes topped with a dollop of the date sauce 

The pancakes had a very pleasant gingerbread flavor and were very light and fluffy in texture.  This was very different from our usual pancakes and made a nice change. We enjoyed them and they made Sunday morning special. We tried the date sauce with the pancakes the next day. It was very subtly sweet but truthfully didn’t bring much overall. But it was a good sauce and we will use what is left over on toast in the morning.

Cauliflower-puree Blini カリフラワーピュレー ビィリニ

This is one of my wife’s variations on the theme of blini. Besides classic blini with buckwheat flour, she made quite a few variations.  She made this because the cauliflower puree I made needed to be finished. I occasionally make cauliflower puree which is a nice item to have since it can be used as is or as a part of other dishes. We even enjoy it as a cold soup for lunch after adding some milk or cream. In any case, my wife decided to try Cauliflower-puree blini. We were a bit skeptical about how this would turn out but it turned out great. It was very moist and soft inside. The pleasing hardy cauliflower flavor really came through. The crust was nice and crunchy. We enjoyed it toasted and slathered with butter as a part of breakfast.

Ingredients(X3): makes 14 blini
2 cups of cauliflower puree
6 tbs melted butter
3/4 cup sour cream
6 large eggs, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup + 2 tbs. cake flour
1 Tbs + 1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
enough additional cream or buttermilk to make it the texture of pancake batter

Directions:Put the cauliflower puree in a bowl. Add the egg, the melted butter and sour cream, then add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until well blended. (You may need to add more cream so the batter is the consistency of pancake batter.)

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Use the butter to grease each cup of a cast iron platar, before adding the batter. Pour the batter into the cups until they are mostly full. Cook over moderately low heat, turning once, until set, about 5 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining butter and batter.