Condensed Sweet Milk Bread with mistake バターミルク、コンデンスミルクパン

Over time my wife has made several variations of Japanese milk bread*. Recently we bought some commercial bread from Whole Foods advertised as Japanese milk bread. While it was not bad, it was certainly not as good as the milk bread my wife has made. As a result, I found myself yearning for the taste of the bread she makes. At my request, she agreed to make some. In previous versions of milk bread, she used cream cheese and/or sweet condensed milk. In response of my request, she made the version that uses condenses milk; condensed milk bread. After making it, she realize half a can of condensed milk was left over so she decided rather than letting it go to waste, she would make another version of sweet condensed milk bread.

In her usual fashion she made several substitutions to the recipe such as replacing the plain milk called for in the recipe with buttermilk thinking it might add more flavor. She also adjusted the amount of flour so it made 2 loaves instead of one very large one. In addition, she made a mistake. The recipe called for one large egg. It was supposed to be used as an egg wash (which we usually skip). But not carefully reading the recipe, she added it to the dough mixture instead. Despite this, this bread turned out to be actually better than the original version. The first thing we noticed was an incredibly wonderful smell as it came out of the oven. The texture was very soft and pleasantly moist probably from the added egg. The most outstanding feature was its wonderful flavor from a combination of the rich slightly tart buttermilk and the pleasant sweetness of the condensed milk. Despite the changes my wife made (several intentional and one by mistake), this is a wonderful bread. This will be our “go-to” recipe for milk bread in the future. 

*What constitutes classic Japanese milk bread or “Shoku-pan 食パン” as opposed to just generic milk bread is debatable. For me, classic Japanese bread emulates the texture and taste of the thickly cut and toasted  shoku-pan I ate in Japanese “Kisaten 喫茶店” coffee shops. As far as I can tell classic Japanese milk bread is made with plain milk and tangzong or “Yudane 湯種” .  Since the classic milk bread in Japan is made with milk, a product for which Hokkaido is famous, outside Japan this kind of  bread is often referred to as “Hokkaido Milk Bread”. Where did this style of bread in Japan come from? The origin must have been “English bread” or Pain de mie which was emulated and modified by Japanese bakeries in the early days of Japanese contact with Europeans. The present style of Japanese “shoku-pan” became popular after WWII when wheat flour became ready available. The variations of milk bread my wife makes use ingredients other than just plain milk such as condensed milk or even cream cheese. So they may not be “classic” Japanese milk breads but variations that are enjoyable nonetheless.

Ingredients: (makes two loaves)
3 3/4 cups bread flour (this was a slight increase from the amount called for in the original recipe.)
2 1/4 tsp yeast 
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk (this was the substitute for milk called for in the recipe) 
1 Tbs. butter
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk (up to 1 cup will also work)
1 egg lightly beaten (added to the dough not used as a wash before baking)

Directions
Add 3 cups of flour, the yeast, sugar and salt to the bowl of the stand mixer. Stir in the butter milk followed by the butter, condensed milk and egg. Add the remaining flour a 1/4 cup at a time. Mix until a dough forms. Knead for 7 to 10 minutes then turn out onto a lightly floured board and form into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowel turning to grease all over. Place in the proofing box set for 81 degrees until double in size. Punch down and form 2 loaves and put into greased loaf pans. Put into the proofing box again until the loaves double in size. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Take-out Sashimi 刺身テイクアウト

Our long time go-to Izakaya/sushi bar “Tako Grill” quietly closed in December 2025 after nearly 40 years of operation. Since COVID, Tako Grill had been an only take-out restaurant. Take-out suited us just fine since it was relaxing to eat our favorite sushi at home without worrying about driving home in the dark after having some sake. Nonetheless while it was an eat-in restaurant, we really enjoyed stopping by after work.

In the absence of Tako Grill, we had been getting frozen sashimi items from several places but one problems was that we could not get a wide variety of sashimi grade fish and whatever sashimi grade fish we could get came in large portions. Once a large block of tuna sashimi is thawed, you have to finish it quickly. Under those conditions thawing other large blocks of sashimi items is not practical unless you are having a party.  More recently, we found a Japanese restaurant called “Rakugaki” located very close to us. It is part of a small chain of restaurants and the quality and variety of the food it sells is quite good. Although we occasionally eat at the restaurant, we kinda got spoiled doing take-out during covid, so we have continued doing that with Rakugaki. Our favorite take-out is ”Tokujo Sashimi 特上刺身盛り”. As shown in the picture, it is a large assortment of sashimi including tuna 鮪 (akami 赤身 and chutoro 中トロ), salmon 鮭, hamachi はまち, “tai” 鯛 red snapper, “kinme-dai” 金目鯛 golden eye snapper, as well as some other white fish. It also includes  “uni” 雲丹 sea urchin and “ikura” いくら salmon roe, “ama-ebi 甘エビ” sweet shrimp, “tako” 蛸 ocutopus and scallopsホタテ. We like this assortment because we can enjoy reasonably sized portions of so many different items at once and the quality is extremely good. 

As shown in the next picture, I usually re-plate the take-out order once we get it home. I slice each piece of sashimi into two pieces so we can prolong the flavor enjoyment by eating two slices instead of just one. (I know; silly but we like it that way.) I also serve the ikura in a cucumber cup and the uni on a cucumber boat (shown in the picture on either side of perilla in the 8 and 12 o’clock positions.) Since the octopus can be fairly chewy I shallow score the pieces and add some “perilla miso 大葉味噌” (shown in the 7 o’clock position).

Since the amount of sashimi included in this order is very generous we have the additional benefit of setting aside some of the tuna, salmon and white fish to eat the next day. I usually marinate the fish I set aside and then make it into a small appetizer dish. Any remaining sashimi, I re-plate in two servings. We usually include an order of California roll (made from real crab) which we share as a perfect ending of the meal.

Okonomi-yaki, Hiroshima style 広島風お好み焼き

We mentioned that the two major styles of okonomi-yaki are Osaka- 大阪風 and Hiroshima-style 広島風. We have been making variations of Osaka-style since Hiroshima-style appears more difficult to make at home. It is usually made on a grill and requires more technically difficult flipping traditionally done with a  special type of spatula. In addition because a type of fried egg and cooked noodles are added to the pancake, cooking these items to add to the okonomi-yaki requires additional cooking space. So it is more difficult to make Hiroshima-style at home especially if you do not have a fairly large grill and would have to make it in a frying pan.

We saw a few Youtube videos in which two frying pans were used to circumvent these difficulties. So, we decided to try it. The top layer of this version is a fried egg (yolk broken but not beaten before cooking) followed by the noodle, pork belly, tempura bits, scallion, cabbage and the bottom layer of the thin pancake/crepe. The picture shows the okonomi-yaki cut into serving pieces (by scissors), but before adding the topping and sauce.

The next picture is the cut surface showing the layers of the dish after toppings (julien of picked ginger, aonori) and sauces (okonomi-yaki sauce and Kewpie mayo) were added. This version is good with nice noodles but the crepe was basically non-existent. Compared to the Osaka-style in which the batter incorporated the cabbage, a thin crepe layer as used in the Hiroshima style made of the same batter has much less impact. We like this version with noodles but we prefer the Osaka-style especailly since it is much easier to make. There is also a variation of Osaka-style which includes noodles. It is usually called “Modan-yaki* モダン焼き. We may try that next.

*The origin of the name “modan” has two theories; one is that it was derived from the English word “modern” indicating this is new kind of okonomi-yaki, the other theory is it comes from a Japanese phrase “mori-dakusan 盛りだくさん” meaning “so many good things” which got abbreviated as “mo-da-n”.

This recipe, especially the directions, are mostly based on a YouTube episode by Koh Kentetsu using 8 and 10 inch frying pans (in Japanese).

Ingredients:
Batter (rather thin like crepe batter adjust the liquid amount)
50 grams Okonomi-yaki flour (or cake flour)
80 grams water or broth

3 scallions chopped (#3)
2 tbs tempura bits (#3)
2 strips of thin sliced pork belly
100 grams (more or less) shredded cabbage
1 package of  yakisoba noodle with seasoning (thawed or microwaved, see #5)
1 egg
2 tbs vegetable oil

Directions:
Add half of the batter to oiled small frying pan (8 inches) and make a thin crepe (#1) and set aside.
Add the pork belly to the larger frying pan (10 inches) on medium-low flame (#2). Place the shredded cabbage, scallion and tempura bits (#3) on top of the pork belly.  (The original instructions suggest putting more cabbage on top and drizzling the remaining batter on top of the new cabbage, which I forgot to do).
Cover the mound of cabbage with the crepe (#4), cook for 4-5 minutes. Place the noodles (#5) in the small frying pan with oil and cook for a few minutes, season and set aside. (The seasoning can be soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or okonomi-yaki sauce but I used the seasoning that came with the noodle package). Then add the some oil and one egg, to the small frying pan. Break the yolk and spread it around with the egg white (#6). While the egg yolk is still runny place the noodles on top (#7). 

Slide the cabbage and crepe shown in #4 over the noodles and eggs shown in #7 using a spatula to form 4 layers; with the egg on the bottom covered with the noodles that are covered with the cabbage and topped with the crepe. 

Cook for about 1 minute. Place the now empty larger frying pan on the top of the small frying pan and flip the contents of the smaller pan into the larger pan. So the 4 layers are inverted with the egg layer now on top in the larger pan (#8). Cook 2 more minutes to make the crepe (which is now the bottom layer) slightly brown and crispy.

Easy-peesy, right? This is a pretty good okonomi-yaki but the bottom crepe was non-existent. We could have made the whole thing without okonomi-yaki batter crepe and never would have missed it. However, covering the cabbage with the crepe is important to steam/cook the cabbage under the crepe (#4). In addition, this is probably the style we ate in Japan which left us so under whelmed. It was good to try making this Hiroshima style but our recent liking of okonomi-yaki is probably based on our new found discovery of Osaka style.

Okonomi-yaki, Osaka-style Summary 大阪風お好み焼き総括

Here is a summary of the various “Osaka-style” okonomi-yaki we have experimented making recently. The picture shows an approximately 8 inch okonomi-yaki made with pork belly and all the toppings. I just wanted to post a summary of where we were able to get all the Japanese ingredients for an okonomi-yaki as well as the standard way to cook and top it.

Ingredients (basic or essential):
Cabbage キャベツ: Japanese or Taiwanese cabbage work best. Japanese cabbage is available from Suzuki Farm and Taiwanese from Weee. Compared to the American variety, the cabbage heads are flatter and not as round. We also think the leaves are more tender, sweeter and easier to separate than the american variety.

Scallion ねぎ: Chopped scallion either mixed into the batter, added as a topping or included both ways. 

Batter: There are two main ways to prepare the batter
Using either “Okonomiyaki” flour (#1 in the composite) or regular cake flour. The main difference is that the Okonomi-yaki flour already has kelp powder in it (which is one of the primary flavor elements, in addition to bonito, in Japanese dashi broth). So the batter can be made just using water instead of Japanese broth.  In addition because it does not include bonito, it is vegetarian. Cake flour can also be used as the base for the batter. While just plain water can be used as the moisture element in batter made with cake flour, it does not have any additional flavoring, either kelp or bonito, the resulting batter will not taste the same as one made with the Okonomi-yaki flour. So Japanese broth (made traditional style with kelp and bonito, or vegetarian style with kelp and dried shiitake mushroom) is generally used to achieve a similar flavor profile when using cake flour. The Okonomiyaki flour is available either from “Otafuku” US web site or “Weee”. Also vegetarian Japanese broth can be made with kelp and dried shiitake instead of bonito. In addition, (to make things even more complicated) both flour versions can also include grated “nagaimo” Japanese mountain yam which, while not adding additional flavoring, makes the texture more moist. (But I only used it in the cake flour version)

“Tenkasu” 天かす Tempura bits (#2). These bits can be either vegetarian or flavored with dried squid or shrimp.  Otafuku offers only vegetarian while Weee offers both. Although this can be omitted it is a standard ingredient. We like putting this on the pancake rather than mixing it in the batter because when you flip it, the tenkasu gets browned and crispy. Otherwise if you mix it in the batter, it sort of disappears

Toppings:(we got these toppings from Weee. Some are also available from Amazon)
1. Kizami shouga 刻み生姜. Julienne of pickled  ginger. This gives a nice ginger taste (#6)
2. Aonori 青海苔. Dried green laver. 
3. Katsuo-bushi flakes 鰹節 or kezuri-bush 削り節 which is thinly shaved fermented dried bonito and is the main ingredient of Japanese dashi broth. (Since it is made from dried fish, it is not used in the vegetarian version of okonomi-yaki).
4. Mayonnaise, specifically Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise (#5) which we got from Weee. Since we have never used Kewpie mayo, we were interested in how it compared to our standard American Hellman’s mayo. We found Kewpie mayo is smoother, slightly tangier and sweeter than Hellmann’s. Hellmann’s can be made to emulate Kewpie by adding rice vinegar and sugar. Conversely, we read, there is an American Kewpie, (which we have not tried). It is made differently from the Japanese variety. but was reported to taste like any other American mayo.

Sauce:
The mayo can be omitted but the okonomi-yaki sauces are a must. As far as we are concerned they make the dish. In general, regular okonomi-yaki sauce is available at Otafuku, Weee or any Japanese grocery store. However the Otafuku website also offers a spicy version (#4) in addition to the regular (#3) both of which are vegan. I also saw a “deluxe” version of the sauce at Otafuku which is not vegan and much more expensive. 

I suppose it is easy to make “regular” sauce into “spicy” sauce by adding your favorite hot sauce to the regular okonomi-yaki sauce.

Basic Directions to make okonomi-yaki

Directions for batter I made:
1) with water:
56g “Otafuku” okonomiyaki flour

92g water
1 egg

2) with Japanese broth and grated nagaimo:
50 grams cake flour 
40 grams Japanese broth (either vegetarian or traditional)
1 egg
40 grams grated Nagaimo 長芋 (which is available from Weee or a Japanese grocery store)

Directions for assembling the pancake:

1. Mix the batter, egg, cabbage, and scallion
2. Add the oil to an 8 inch frying pan on medium-low heat and pour in the batter to form a round disk about 2 cm by pressing the batter lightly with a spatula. 
3. Add the tempura bits and spread the pork belly on top if using. (#1 in the composite below)
4. Cook uncovered for 4 minutes
5. Flip and cook for 4 more minutes (you can either put on the lid or not as your preference.) We did not think the lid made much difference to the final product but most of the instructions include placing the lid (#2) in the composite below. We also found that when cooked with the lid on the pork belly was less crispy and more chewy. 
6. Flip the pancake again. The meat and tempura bits should be brown and crispy. (#3 in the composite below) Cook uncovered (if used the lid in the step 5) for 2-3 minutes
7. Remove the pancake to a plate or cutting board. Spread the mayo and sauce and top with the ginger, aonori, and bonito flakes (#4 in the composite below).

After making several version of okonomi-yaki, we learned;

1. Cake flour with graded nagaimo and broth (either vegetarian or bonito and kelp) vs. Okomoni-yaki flour mix (from Otafuku which is vegan containing just powdered kelp) did not make a big difference. Actually we may slightly prefer using the Otafuku flour mix which is also much easier to prepare. 

2. Rather than mixing tempura bits into the batter, it is better to layer them on the top. Otherwise, they totally disappear where as they become nicely crunchy when layered on the top.

3. We found whether or not a lid should be used after the first flipping is debatable.  Although, some recipes indicate placing the lid will make it more tender and fluffy, we found that it may also make the pork meat (if using) less crispy and more chewy. We did not see any significant difference in the okonomi-yaki itself.

4. Using Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise may be authentic but not essential

5. In terns of proteins, thinly sliced pork belly is the standard. We also tried substituting smoked bacon for the pork belly. (We call an okonomi-yaki made with smoked bacon “Bethesda Maryland style” which we like better than one made with pork belly). Seafood versions can be made with shrimp, scallops etc. A vegetarian version can be made with the addition of mushrooms such as shiitake, carrot etc and/or abura-age deep fried tofu as vegetarian simulation of the traditional pork belly

In any case, this dish is quite forgiving and you can make it with less or more ingredients once the base of the batter and shredded cabbage has been made. 

Blueberry Yogurt Popsicle ブルーベリー ヨーグルト アイスキャンディー

We were trying to take advantage of the local blueberry season and, as a result of our exuberance, we ended up with an excess of blueberries. My wife prepared blueberry puree which can be used for many things such as muffins, sauce for pancakes or added to yogurt. This time, she wanted to make a cold desert using the blueberry puree. We took an easy way and made this blueberry popsicle (rather than ice cream which would have required an ice cream churn) (Picture #1). I remembered that we have a silicon mold which could be used to make a popsicle. The original purpose of the molds was to make “Bacon Cheese Egg bites”. But designed to be multipurpose they included some lids and sticks so the molds could be used to make popsicles.  The resulting popsicle is shown in picture #1. Actually we did not eat it as a popsicle but removed the stick and cut it in half and served it. This is easy to make and not bad for a cold dessert.

Ingredients:
For the Yogurt Base:
1 cup strained blueberry puree 
5 1/2 ounces (3/4 cup; 155 g) full-fat Greek yogurt, 5% milk fat (my wife made Greek yogurt from her home made full-fat yogurt)
2 ounces granulated sugar (1/4 cup; 55 g)
2 ounces (1/4 cup; 55 g) heavy cream (we used light cream)
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon (we omitted this )
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

Directions
For the Blueberry Purée: In a 2-quart stainless steel saucepan, stir together blueberries on low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally with a heat-resistant spatula, until the blueberries soften and exude some juice. Puree the mixture until very smooth with an immersion blender, about 15 seconds. Strain the blueberry purée through a fine-mesh strainer set over a small bowl to remove skin fragments (you should have 1 cup of strained purée).

For the Yogurt Base: In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, sugar, cream, lemon juice, and salt until well combined.

To Make the Popsicles: Whisk blueberry purée into yogurt base until thoroughly combined. Divide the popsicle base evenly between six 3-fluid-ounce popsicle molds (#2). We covered them with the lid that came with the mold and inserted the stick that also came with the mold (#3) (these may not have needed since we did not consume this as a popsicle).

These were a very refreshing conclusion to dinner on a hot summer’s day. They were creamy in texture and unlike the sorbet we made recently could be divided into pieces without the help of a “chisel”. The blueberry flavor also came through very nicely.

Pork Okonomi-yaki 豚バラお好み焼き

This is a probably the most standard version of Osaka-style okonomi-yaki which is made using pork belly. As you can see, after placing sauces and toppings on the pancake it is difficult to see which version of okomoni-yaki this is (although, it can’t be vegetarian since the toppings include bonito flakes). As usual, this is topped with mayo, okonomi-yaki sauce (we used Otafuku brand, both regular and spicy), pickled and julienned red ginger, aonori dried laver and finally bonito flakes. Actually, this is the third time we tried okonomi-yaki with pork belly. We were trying to find a way to make the pork crispy rather than chewy. This time, the result was the best. We’re really starting to like okonomi-yaki.

Ingredients: (makes one 8 inch pancake)
For batter
56g “Otafuku” okonomi-yaki flour (or you can just use cake flour)
92g water
1 egg

150g shredded cabbage
3 scallions, finely chopped
Tenkasu tempura bits
1/2 tbs vegetable oil (for cooking)

4 slices of thinly sliced pork belly (or smoked bacon; to make “Bethesda Maryland style” okonomi-yaki)

For toppings
Mayonnaise
Okonomi-yaki sauce (I used a mixture of regular and spicy sauces)
Julienned ginger in sweet vinegar or “Kizami ginger 刻み生姜”
Dried “aonori 青海苔” laver
Kezuribushi 削り節 bonito shavings

Directions:
Mix the flour, water, and egg, add the cabbage and scallion and mix. Add the oil in the frying pan on medium-low flame (400F using laser thermometer). Add the batter mixture into the frying pan and press into 2cm thick round. Top it with the tempura bits and thin slices of pork belly seasoned with salt and pepper (#1). Cook for 4 minutes. Flip it (#2). Put on the lid and cook for 4 minutes. Remove the lid and flip again (#3). Some of the tempura bits will get browned. Cook without a lid for another 3 minutes. Take it our to the cutting board or plate.

Smear the surface with the mayo (I added a small amount of sugar and rice vinegar to emulate Japanese Kewpie mayo) and sauce (#4). For toppings, scatter the ginger and aonori (#4). Finally add the bonito flakes (the first serving picture).

This version really worked. The pork came out more crispy than the previous pork versions of okonomi-yaki (which we did not blog about). The oil of the pork belly adds additional flavor to the pancake. (We found using the smoked bacon used for the Bethesda style okonomi-yaki came out more crispy than the pork belly. The bacon also added more rich meat flavor.)

Seafood Okonomi-yaki 海鮮お好み焼き

Although, as we mentioned in a previous blog, we had it several times in Japan and were not impressed, we are re-discovering “Okonomi-yaki お好み焼き” the Japanese style savory pancake. We are finding we like the ones we are making much better than the ones we had in Japan. “Okonomi” means “as you like” or “whatever you like”. “Yaki” means grill/fry. So the literal translation of Okonomi-yaki means “whatever you like fry”. As you would expect, given its name, this pancake is made with whatever you prefer or have on hand which is then added to the traditional cabbage and batter base. Since we had shredded Japanese cabbage (from Suzuki Farm), we decided to finish up the cabbage by making a okonomi-yaki for lunch one day. We decided to go with seafood as the protein topping. We had frozen shrimp and frozen bay scallops. This turned out to be really great okonomi-yaki. Both the shrimp and scallops were not over cooked and all the toppings including bonito flakes worked. We shared one okonomi-yaki between the two of us and it was quite a filling lunch.

Ingredients: (makes one 8 inch pancake)
For batter
56g “Otafuku” okonomi-yaki flour (or you can just use cake flour)
92g water
1 egg

150g shredded cabbage
3 scallions, finely chopped
Tenkasu tempura bits
1/2 tbs vegetable oil (for cooking)

For seafood (#1 in the composite picture)
3 medium shrimp, shelled and halved and cut into small portions
12 bay scallops

For toppings
Mayonnaise
Okonomi-yaki sauce (I used a mixture of regular and spicy sauces)
Julienned ginger in sweet vinegar or “Kizami ginger 刻み生姜”
Dried “aonori 青海苔” laver
Kezuribushi 削り節 bonito shavings

Directions:
Mix the flour, water, and egg, add the cabbage and scallion and mix. Add the seafood (I cut the shrimp into small chunks except for two halves which I placed on the top (#2). Add the oil to the frying pan on medium-low flame (400F using laser thermometer). Add the batter mixture into the frying pan and press into 2cm thick round. Top it with the tempura bits (#2). Cook for 4 minutes. Flip it (#3). Place on the lid and cook for 4 minutes (later we tried with the lid or without and decided no need for the lid). Remove the lid and flip again (#4). Some of the tempura bits get browned. Cook without lid for another 2 minutes.

Smear the surface with the mayo (I added small amount of sugar and rice vinegar to emulate the traditional Japanese Kwepie mayo used) and sauce (#5). Scatter the ginger and aonori (#6). Finally add the bonito flakes (the first serving picture).

We are really liking these okonomi-yaki. Although we never made one with American style cabbage, the Asian style cabbage we used is much more tender. So, we think it is probably closer to the cabbage traditionally used and probably works better than the American cabbage. The pancake is tender and with all the ingredients has a good range of flavors. The shrimp and scallops in this version added a tender slight sweetness. The toppings, especially the ginger and mixture of spicy and regular okonomi-yaki sauce are a must have.

Okonomi-yaki Vegetarian Version ベジタリアンお好み焼き

Okomoni-yaki お好み焼きis a type of a Japanese savory pancake. It is especially popular in the cities of western Japan such as Osaka 大阪 and Hiroshima 広島 where many restaurants specialize in okonomi-yaki. Many years ago we had okonomi-yaki for lunch when we visited Himeji castle 姫路城. We went to a  local  okonomi-yaki restaurant we happened to see on our way to the station. The okonomi-yaki we had there must have been “Hiroshima-style”. We don’t remember the details of the dish we ate but we were both seriously under-whelmed. So, we have not tried it since then even on subsequent visits to Japan.

Recently, we got together with some good friends, who had recently visited Japan. They mentioned that they really liked okonomi-yaki. The wife is a vegetarian and, apparently, she had vegetarian okonomi-yaki in Japan and really liked it.  When they got back home they tried to recreate their enjoyable Japanese experience. Her husband called around to various Japanese restaurants in the area and while okonomi-yaki was on the menu of several of them none of them offered “vegetarian” okonomi-yaki.  They were extremely disappointed. Seeing how disappointed they were, my wife suggested that even though we were not particularly wild about the okonomi-yaki we had in Japan, maybe, given our access to Japanese ingredients and our experience in using those ingredients, we could make a vegetarian okonomi-yaki for our friends. Since we have never made one before, we had to study and experiment with this a bit.

We learned that there are two basic styles; Osaka and Hiroshima-styles. In both, two essential ingredients are a batter made of dashi broth and flour and shredded cabbage. In the Osaka style, the ingredients are mixed into the batter and cooked like a pancake. Hiroshima-style makes a thin pancake and layers it with the cabbage, noodles, and fried eggs. To make this at home, Osaka-style is easier, so that’s what we decided to make.

In terms of getting the sauce and premixed flour for okonomi-yaki, “Otafuku” U.S. web site is the best place. The “Otafuku” Japanese web site has instructions (in Japanese) and videos on how to make either Hiroshima or Osaka-style okonomi-yaki at home. It appears most of the items such as vegetarian sauces, and tempura bits are available from the US Otafuku site. We got their okonomi-yaki kit (which included a vegetarian “Otafuku” pre-mixed flour and two vegetarian sauces; one the traditional sauce and one a spicy sauce) as well as a bag of vegetarian tempura bits. (Traditionally the tempura bits have dried squid or shrimp in them so it required some effort of make sure the tempura bits I got were vegetarian.)

As a test, we first made an okonomi-yaki in the non-vegetarian traditional style with thin strips of pork belly. Although the “Otafuku” pre-mixed flour I bought was vegetarian this was the first okonomi-yaki I ever made and I wanted to see how something made with the correct mixture of ingredients would turn out. The resulting okonomi-yaki was pretty good. So, I got adventurous and decided to make a vegetarian version from scratch using a recipe I found on the internet. I made the pancake batter with cake flour, grated nagaimo 長芋 (Japanese mountain yam) and homemade vegetarian broth. We topped this with mayo, spicy “otafuku” sauce, “aonori” 青のり dried laver, and “kizami shoga 刻み生姜” julienned pickled ginger. The “spicy” sauce was not too spicy but gradually the heat creeps up on you. Although, the pancake we made was the size usually served to one person, we divided the pancake between the two of us and it was more than enough. This was quite a decent okomomi-yaki. (Infinately better than the one we remembered). The difference between using the “Otafuku” pre-mixed flour vs homemade vegetarian batter was subtle but the homemade one was a bit more moist maybe due to the grated “nagaimo”.

Ingredients (makes one 7-8 inch pancake)
50 grams cake flour
40 grams vegetarian broth*
1 egg
40 grams grated Nagaimo 長芋
100 grams shredded cabbage (I basically eyeballed the amount)
4-5 fresh shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced
Abura-age 油揚げ, half (optional, I used it to suggest the flavor of pork meat in a vegetarian version)
finely chopped scallions (3-4 tbs but the amount is arbitrary)
1 tbs vegetable oil

Tenkasu 天かす tempura bits (3-4 tbs but the amount is arbitrary)

Topping
Mayonnaise (the authentic Japanese mayo is Kewpie)
Okonomi-yaki sauce (I used the ones I got from Otafuku; one regular and the other spicy, both are vegetarian)

Julienned ginger in sweet vinegar (Kizami-shouga 刻み生姜), store bought
Dried “Aomori 青のり” laver 

* I made this from kelp and dried shiitake mushrooms. Add dried kelp (3x2inch) and 3-4 small dried shiitake mushrooms to cold water and let hydrate for 30 minutes. Then place the pot on a low flame. When it starts boiling, turn off the heat and let it steep for 1-2 hours until the broth cools to room temperature. Remove the kelp and shiitake mushrooms.  

Directions:
Mix the flour, broth, and egg to make a batter, add the cabbage and mushroom and cook in an 8 inch non-stick flying pan with vegetable oil on medium low flame, Top with the tempura bits and, (if using) place the fried tofu on the top (#1 in the composite picture) and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes. and then flip the pancake (#2). Place the lid on the pan and continue cooking for 3 more minutes then flip it again (#3). Let it cook for 3 more minutes with the lid off . 

Smear on the mayo, scatter the ginger (#4). Smear on the sauces and sprinkle on the aonori. Serve hot (the first picture).

The two versions of okonomi-yaki we made (the non-vegetarian version is the subject for a separate post) were much better than what we remembered. The pickled ginger and a combination of the traditional and spicy sauce are a “must have” really making the entire enterprise. 

Air-fried Baby Corn エアーフライ ベイビーコーン

We like to have local (meaning North American) seasonal produce like corn and blueberries when they are in season. Although we have already had fresh corn quite a few times this season, we realized we have not had fresh baby corn for some time. In general fresh baby corn is not readily available in the local grocery stores but we found that Weee carries it so we ordered some. We pondered how to cook it and decided to try air frying. We served this with miso-marinated grilled Chilean sea bass, cauliflower puree, ratatouille and sautéed green asparagus (picture #1). I cooked the fish in a dry stainless steel frying pan covered with parchment paper to produce a cooked effect similar to grilling. All worked well and the baby corn added as a nice crunchy and refreshing side.

we did not do anything special to the corn. Just coated it with olive oil and seasoned it with salt and pepper. We air fried it at 370F for 15 minutes but it did not brown. We raised the temp to 450F and cooked an additional 5 minutes which produced a nice browned surface (picture #2).

I am not sure air frying has any improvement over simply sautéing. Either way baby corn is a summer treat.

Watermelon sherbet スイカのシャーベット

We recently got a very good “seedless-mini” watermelon. Although this was a mini-watermelon, there was still a lot of it. We finished about half but time was passing and we were afraid it would go bad. So we came up with the idea of maybe preserving it a bit by somehow freezing it. We consulted a few recipes and decided on making watermelon sherbet (picture #1). It appears, the essence of the recipes is to freeze individual small chunks of watermelon placed far enough apart so they do not touch each other (picture #2). The frozen watermelon is pureed in a food processor/blender along with a liquid sweetner such as simple syrup until it forms a slush/sherbet. Some recipes call for adding lemon juice which we did not do. In any case we winged it and, with some difficulty, (read: considerable difficulty) made sherbet (#1). (After some consideration maybe this process would have gone better if the frozen pieces had been considerably smaller. We’ll try that next time.) The resulting sherbet was not as smooth as we hoped and was sort of a hybrid between granita and sherbet. After it was completely frozen, the only way we could get it out of the container was to scrape the surface like you would for granita (picture #3). As a result it required a bit of effort to put together a serving for desert. Nonetheless it was a very cool refreshing dish. The taste of watermelon came through strongly. Above all else we were able to finish the watermelon before it went bad.

We did not follow any particular recipe but got the general idea and winged it. We used about half a mini-watermelon (x2 of what is seen in picture #2).

Ingredients:
About 4 cups of watermelon, cut into small chunks (picture #2).
1/4 cup of simple syrup (equal amount of sugar and water)
Additional hot water as needed.

Directions:
Freeze the watermelon chunks arranged on a parchment paper lined baking pan so that the watermelon chunks do not freeze together (#2 again). (The process may go better than it did for us this time if the frozen chuncks are considerably smaller than those shown in the picture.) Add the frozen watermelon chunks and the syrup to a blender. Puree until smooth. (We did this in two batches using the Vitamix blender and this was a difficult procedure. We had to add hot water several times and use the “plunger” that comes with the Vitamix to push down the unblended watermelon chunks so they could be pureed). After some struggle, we accomplished a “sherbet-like” consistency. (We tasted it and it was nice smooth and sweet). (After some thought maybe the process would have gone better if the frozen pieces were considerably smaller. We’ll try that next time.) We placed the it in the plastic container in the freezer (picture #3).

We had to scrape of the surface like granita to serve (picture #3) since it was rather solidly frozen.

So, this was partial success but we did not waste good watermelon and it was a quite refreshing summer dessert if not quite a sherbet in consistency. 

Miso Sauce with Green Perilla 大葉味噌

This is a variation of flavored. miso dipping/sauce. Miso can be flavored with kinome 木の芽 (young leaves of the Japanese pepper tree),  Yuzu (Japanese orange), other Japanese citrus or perilla (shiso or ooba in Japanese). Since our herb garden is mass producing Japanese green perilla “Ooba 大葉”, I made “Ooba-miso 大葉味噌”. This is a versatile condiment. We first tried it with cucumber sticks (picture #1). For that iteration, I used regular miso and the condiment came out a bit salty. I adjusted the saltiness by adding some Japanese broth and sugar especially since after cooling the sauce was a bit too stiff. This worked out well after the adjustments. The perilla really added nice flavor. I have also made a dipping sauce for fresh cucumbers using sweet “Saikyo miso 西京味噌” . I suspect if I used that instead of the regular miso in the perilla sauce the sauce would have come out less salty. Maybe I’ll try that next time.

There appears to be some variations in the recipe. I looked at several and came up with the simplest.

Ingredients:
40 leaves of Japanese perilla leaves, finely chopped
6 tbs miso
4 tbs mirin
4 tbs sake
1 tbs dark roasted sesame oil
4 tbs ground white sesame (I re-roasted the white sesame seeds and coarsely ground them in a Japanese Suribachi)

2-3 tbs Japanese dashi broth (optional)
1-2 tsp sugar (optional)

Directions: 
Add the miso and sesame oil to a small frying pan and mix well. Add the mirin, and sake. Cook on low heat stirring constantly for several minutes until slightly thickened. Taste and if needed add the sugar. Add the perilla and stir. Add the sesame seeds. Adjust the thickness by adding dashi broth or water.  It became thicker when refrigerated. The miso mixture can be stored in a clean glass jar (picture #2). It should last several weeks in the refrigerator.

Air-Fried Pork Tenderloin without Panko Crust エアーフライ豚のヒレ肉

When we order pork tenderloin from the grocery store, it comes two to a package. This time when we got the two tenderloins we experimented with cooking them in the air fryer. So we made one by marinating, then breading it with pre-browned panko and cooking it in the air-fryer. (Discussed in a previous blog.) It was a great success. With this success, we tried cooking the other tender loin that came in the package by marinating it and then air-frying it without the panko crust. This was another success! Unlike the last time instead of relying on a specified cooking time I relied on reaching an internal temperature of 145F and that turned out to have occurred at about 20 minutes. The meat was perfectly done. I served the pork slices with julienne salad or “kizami sarada 刻みサラダ” and skinned Campari tomato soaked in cold Japanese broth.

Again, I used a mixture of mayo and miso to marinate the pork. This is just a note so that I can remember what I did.

Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin, cleaned and trimmed (trimming can be used in other dishes).

Marinade:
2 tbs mayonnaise
2 tbs miso (this time I used the same amount of miso and mayo)
2-3 tsp mirin

Directions:
Mix the marinade ingredients and place it in the Ziploc bag. Add the pork. Cover all the surface and massage. Remove the air as much as you can. Let it marinate for 20-30 minutes in room temperature or couple of hours under refrigeration. Before cooking remove any excess marinade by hand and cook 450F or until the center register 145F.(In this case it took about 20 minutes) (Picture #2).

The increased ratio of miso did not change the flavor much. The surface got nicely browned. Although the meat was perfectly cooked and moist, “air-fried with panko crust” version appears to have retained moisture a bit better.  Certainly not having browned panko crumbs make this method much easier.

Air-fried Spicy Tofu エアーフライピリ辛豆腐

This is a variation of “Baked marinated tofu” which morphed into “Braised marinated tofu”. We thought the morphed preparation was easier and a better way to add a nice char to the surface. This time we “morphed” it further into “air-fried” spicy marinated tofu. This turned out to be the best way to make this dish. As you can see in the picture #1, the surface browned/charred nicely making a thick crispy crust around a soft interior. The tofu was house-brand medium-firm tofu from Weee. We like “medium-firm” tofu for this dish rather than “firm” or “extra-firm” tofu.

There is no difference between this and the original marinade but I list it here for our convenience.

Ingredients:
One block of medium-firm or firm tofu, drained and cut into bite sized pieces (I usually halve the thickness horizontally, then cut vertically into four blocks. I then cut each block into three equal sizes, see picture #2)

Marinade:
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 medium clove garlic, pressed or finely chopped (or from a tube)
1-inch piece peeled ginger root, grated (or from a tube)
1 teaspoon or more hot chili paste (I use Sriracha)

Directions:
In a large enough Ziploc bag, add the marinade and the tofu. Remove as much air as you can from the bag and seal it. Let the tofu marinade several hours at room temperature or longer in the refrigerator.

Pre-heat the air-fryer (or in our case, smart toaster oven on air fry mode) at 450F. Drain excess marinade and pat the tofu dry. Place the tofu cubes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and parchment paper, with space between them. Air-fry for 15 minutes, turn the tofu 90 degrees and air-fry an additional 5-10 minutes or until the surface browns (picture #2)

We tried this a  second time without turning the tofu and cooking it just for 15 minutes. It did not bown as much but it tasted pretty good.

Air Fried Pork Tenderloin with Panko Crust エアーフライ、ヒレ肉トンカツ

In the past, pork tenderloin was a staple in our cooking repertoire. We used it for quite a few dishes. Recently, however, we have not cooked pork tenderloin as much. Since we had an unqualified success with the air fried chicken tenders we made recently, we decided to try the same recipe and cooking method using our old favorite; pork tenderloins. The result was fantastic! It was the same level of success as the air-fried chicken tenders. I did this building on the previous success by marinating the pork in the same mayonnaise and miso marinate and coating it with pre-browned panko crumbs like I did with the chicken. Since this was a new cooking experience, and I was not following an explicit recipe, I was not sure how long I should cook the tenderloin. So “winging-it” I took the internal temperature of the pork after 15 minutes, it was still too low around 115-120 F. So, I cooked it another 15 minutes. The temperature rose quickly during that time and in the end it was 170-180F and the meat was a bit over done. (I was aiming for 145F. Turns out the cooking time has to be determined by how long it takes to reach the intended temperature.) Nonetheless despite being slightly over-cooked the meat was tender and succulent and the crust was nicely crunchy. I served slices of the tenderloin with my version of ratatouille (zucchini, marinara sauce seasoned with anchovies paste), steamed broccolini, and skinned Campari tomato soaked in Japanese broth (picture #1).

Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin

Marinade:
2 tbs mayonnaise
1tbs miso
1tbs mirin

Browned panko (Sauté panko in olive oil until brown).

Directions:
Remove the silver skin and clean the tenderloin (I removed the two tapered ends to make the length of the tenderloin equal in diameter. I’ll use the trimmings for other dishes)
Place the tenderloin in a Ziploc bag and add the marinade, massage to cover all the surface and remove as  much air from the bag as you can. Marinate 15-30 minutes at room temperature or several hours to over night in a refrigerator. Coat the tenderloin with the browned panko and air fry at 450F for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145F with an instant-read thermometer (picture #2). (The actual time to reach that temperature may vary depending on the size of the tenderloin and whether it just came out of the refridgerator.  A tenderloin of this size was somewhat overdone when cooked 30 minutes but a one a larger size may require the full 30 minutes to reach the required temperature) 

As I said before this was a great success. It was much better than the way we used to cook tenderloin in the toaster oven. It was very tender and juicy. The crust was very crunchy and added a nice contrast the to flavorful tender meat.

Blueberry Pudding Cake ブルーベリープディングケーキ

This is another one of my wife’s baking projects. This came about due to the convergence of two factors; one was the excess of blueberry puree we recently made from fresh blueberries for other baking projects and the other was that this is a variation on the theme of  PA Dutch chocolate pudding cake. Like the chocolate pudding cake, during the baking process, a cake layer forms on the surface and a pudding/sauce layer forms on the bottom. This recipe came together very quickly and the result was a nice vanilla cake with a rich blueberry pudding/sauce on the bottom. In this serving picture, in order to emphasize the lovely blueberry custard sauce, we scooped some of it on top of the piece of cake we served.

This is based on a recipe from the “Food and Wine” website but my wife deviated from the original recipe by substituting vanilla extract for the lemon juice/zest called for as flavoring in the original.

Ingredients
1 cup of pureed blueberries, 
1 cup of fresh whole blueberries not pureed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2  teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing
1 1/4 cups boiling water

Directions:
To prepare the blueberries: Gently heat the blueberries on low heat until the skins burst and the berries exude juice. Puree the berries with an emersion blender. 

To prepare the cake layer: In a bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. In another bowl mix the milk, melted butter and vanilla. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined. Transfer the batter to a greased baking dish and spread in an even layer.* Spread the pureed blueberries over the batter. Arrange the whole fresh berries on the batter, pressing down slightly. Carefully pour boiling water evenly over the batter; do not stir.

Bake in a 425 F oven until the cake is golden brown and a warm, pudding-like sauce has formed on the bottom, 25 to 27 minutes. 

* I used the small square pyrex baking dish for this recipe but it was a bit too small. (It measured 7”x7”x2”) Although all the ingredients initially fit nicely in the dish, when the cake layer formed it expanded and the blueberry juice underneath fountained out all over the edges of the baking dish. Luckily I had put a tray under the baking dish when I put it in the oven otherwise it would have been quite a mess. Next time I will use a larger baking pan. (The next larger pan measures 8”x8.5”x2.5”)

This desert was as good an addition to the pudding cake family as the chocolate one mentioned above. The vanilla flavored cake was complemented by a thick blueberry flavored custard that formed underneath it. The custard had a very pronounced blueberry flavor and the fresh blueberries embedded in the batter formed nice additional burst and texture of blueberry. This was a wonderful summer dish celebrating blueberry season. 

Strawberry, Pretzel Cheese Cake いちごチーズケーキ

This is based on a dish called “Strawberry Pretzel Salad” which appears to be popular in the South and Midwest. Although the original name includes “salad” this is clearly a “desert”. Reportedly, this recipe first appeared in “The joys of Jell-O” cookbook published by General Foods in the 1960s. There appear to have been some variations on the original recipe “down-the-road” over time but basically all the variations have a crushed pretzel layer on the bottom, a nice cream cheese layer in the middle topped with a strawberry-flavored Jell-O layer (which is red and clear) covering a layer of fresh strawberry slices.

Since my wife happens to be the Queen of aspic salads and other gelatin concoctions, this was the “cat’s meow” for her. We are in strawberry season and have very good fresh strawberries available. She had already made fresh strawberry puree for her other baking projects, and did not go for using “strawberry-flavored Jell-O”*. So, she made the strawberry gelatin layer from all-natural fresh strawberry puree. Since this layer is made with real strawberry puree, it is not clear like the strawberry flavored Jelly-O so a layer of fresh strawberry slices under the puree would not be visible. She used fresh strawberries as a topping and garnish (picture #1). This is a wonderful desert perfect for strawberry season. Although my wife’s modifications may be sacrilege to the devotees of the traditional Jell-O desert/salad, we really like it.

*Looking into the ingredients that make up strawberry flavored Jell-O we discovered that it does not include anything strawberry except the artificial flavoring.

My wife’s recipe is based on a recipe that appeared in the Washington Post. So as not to offend the people who grew up with their mother’s version of this dessert, she change the name to “Strawberry, Pretzel Cheese Cake”.

Ingredients:
4oz (114 grams) pretzels
1/8 Cup Sugar
6 tbs butter

4 oz cream cheese
¼ Cup sugar
I tsp vanilla
1 cup cream

½ lb fresh strawberries made into puree
1 tsp gelatin
1 1/2 tbs water
1 cup of the resulting strawberry puree.

Directions:
Make the crust:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. In a food processor, pulse the pretzels and sugar until coarsely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined. Transfer the
pretzel mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. (I used the square pyrex baking dish). Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press into an even layer. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the crust is fragrant and just beginning to brown around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool slightly, about 20 minutes.

Make the cream cheese filling:
Clean out the food processor. Add the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla and process until smooth, about 5 seconds. Add the heavy cream, pulse a few times to blend with the cream cheese, then process until thickened, about 30 seconds. Do not over process. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cooled crust, making sure to go all the way to the edges of the pan to completely cover the pretzels. Refrigerate until set, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Make the strawberry topping:
Cook the fresh strawberries in a pan on low heat until they get soft and exude liquid. Use an immersion blender to puree the cooked strawberries. Bloom the gelatin in the water in the top of a double boiler, Heat until the gelatin is melted. Add the puree stir until the gelatin and puree are completely blended. Cool to room temperature

Assemble the dessert:
Once the cream cheese filling has become firm pour the room temperature strawberry puree over it Refrigerate uncovered until firmly set, at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Cut into rectangles and serve chilled (#2).

We can see why this type of salad/dessert is so popular. It is a great combination of flavors and textures. The pretzel crust provides a crunchy saltiness. The cream cheese layer is very light, slightly sweet and very creamy in texture. (For future reference it would be very useful as a creamy layer for other “desert” dishes. You may see it again in other contexts.) The puree layer adds a nice rich tangy fresh strawberry flavor that is a good contrast to the soft sweetness of the cream cheese layer.

Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins サワークリーム、ブルーベリー、マッフィン

This is another blueberry muffin variation to celebrate blueberry season. We saw this blueberry muffin recipe in a “Web Spoon” episode. We thought just placing fresh blueberry in the muffin tin and pouring the batter on the top would not work well but we tried it anyway. My wife was interested in making the muffin batter because it was quite different from the ones she usually makes. This was quite a good muffin. It had a very fine texture and was more cake-like than other batters we have made. Also, the blueberries stayed on the bottom of the tin and were not encased by the batter as was shown in the Web Spoon episode. (picture #1). But the muffins were very good nonetheless.

I ask my wife to fill in the details.

Ingredients:
2 Eggs 
1 cup sugar 
pinch of salt 
240 grams sour cream
100 ml oil
Lemon zest of one lemon and 2 Tbs lemon juice (We did not use this but recommend vanilla for future muffins)
250 gm AP flour 
10 grams baking powder
1 package of blueberries

Directions:
In a bowl mix together the flour and baking powder. Set aside. Whip the eggs and sugar in a stand mixer with the whip attachment until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the salt, sour cream, oil and vanilla and continue whipping. On a lower speed add the flour mixture and mix just until completely combined with the egg mixture. Do not over mix.

Distribute the blueberries into the bottom of a muffin tin lined with paper cups. Pour the batter on top of the blueberries. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until the muffins are firm when touched and a skewer inserted into the muffin comes out clean (Picture #2).

These muffins were very tender and cake-like in texture. They took a surprisingly long time to cook and did not turn brown even though they were quite firm and a skewer came out clean. The flavor was very subtle but still good. Next time we may try to better incorporate the batter with the blueberries.

Spinach Feta Cheese Frittata Bites ほうれん草とフェタチーズのフリッタータバイト

This is the third iteration of the small egg bites series my wife made. This time she used spinach and dill. She also reused a “feta cheese dip” which we initially made for another dish but didn’t use because we thought it was too strong by itself. This was quite a good bites. Hopefully we may derive some health benefit from the added veggie greens.

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup Buttermilk
1 garlic  clove 
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard 
1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 large package of  spinach, cooked without adding water, drained, finely chopped
Feta cheese dip*
1/2 log of goat cheese

*fetacheese dip
8 oz good-quality teta cheese (block form)
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together the ingredients eggs through salt and set aside. In another bowl, mix together the feta cheese dip and the goat cheese until completely combined. Add the cooked spinach to the cheese dip and completely combine. Scoop the cheese mixture into mini muffin tins lined with paper cups. Do not fill completely. Gently pour the egg mixture over and around the cheese mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the eggs are set (shown in picture)

These cheese bites were quite different from the other ones my wife made recently. The feta cheese dip by itself was quite strong flavored but the addition of the spinach and goat cheese really tamed it down making it pleasantly savory. The egg mixture essentially formed a shell around the cheese mixture (which can be clearly seen in the cross section picture). The dill really added a good additional flavor dimension.

Mashed Potato, Roasted Pork and Cheese Bites version #2 マシュポテト、ローストポークチーズバイト V2

This is another edition of my wife’s “small bites” series. This time it is a variation on “Pork, Potato, Goat Cheese Bites”. For this version she did not have mashed potato and parsnip cooked in the Weber. So she made mashed potatoes by cooking a Russet potato in the microwave. This is quite good but the original had a bit more flavors due to inclusion of parsnip and juice from the roasted pork.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup mashed potato (from potatoes cooked in pork barbeque)
6 eggs
8 oz sour creme
2 diced onion
8 oz  roasted pork, diced.
Cheeses (I used smoked gouda and cheddar cheese

Directions:
Microwave a russet potato for 5 minutes or until done. Peel and mash the potato. Saute the onion. Add the onions to the potatoes. When the potato and onion have cooled to room temperature add the eggs sour cream, and roasted pork. Scoop the potato mixture into mini muffin tins lined with paper cups. Top with a layer of cheese. (I topped it with a layer or smoked gouda and another layer of cheddar.) Cook in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

These were also very good cheese bites. They didn’t have quite the complexity in flavor that the previous batch had because they did not include mashed parsnips and were not cooked in the Weber. Again the diced pork was crucial. The cheeses were fairly strong tasting and really added to the dish.

Pork and Potato and Goat Cheese Bites ローストポーク、ポテト、ゴートゴートチーズバイト

This is another of my wife's “small bites” series.  This particular one came about since we had roasted (in Weber grill) hot-smoked pork and mashed potato/parsnip which was also roasted in the Weber with the pork. She was looking for a new recipe to use the leftover mashed potato/parsnips and found one called “smoked salmon frittata”. Being the substitution queen that she is when it comes to cooking, she substituted the “hot smoked roasted pork” for the “smoked salmon” and the mashed potato/parsnips for the potatoes called for in the recipe. Since she diverted significantly from the initial recipe, she renamed her rendition “Pork and Potato Goat Cheese Bites” as a new entry into her “bites” dishes series. This was quite a good small bite. It went very well with a glass of wine.

I ask my wife to continue.

Ingredients:
2 oz mashed potatoes with parsnip (cooked in aluminum foil in the Weber. Peeled and mashed. Butter, salt and any juices that come out of the roasted pork added). 
3 eggs
2.5 oz sour cream
1/3 tsp Salt
1/3 tbs butter
1 small onion, diced finely
1 1/3 oz goat cheese
2 oz smoked pork cut into small dice

Directions:
Saute the onions. Add them in a bowl to the potatoes, eggs, sour cream, salt, butter and smoked pork. Mix until completely blended. Scoop the potato mixture into mini muffin tins lined with paper cups. Top with a piece of the goat cheese. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

These were very satisfying hearty cheese bites. The smoked pork really makes this dish. The onion, sour cream, pork and goat cheese is a complex combination of flavors that really shine in such a small bite. They reheat very nicely in the toaster oven. 

Tomato-Spinach Roulade Bread トマトとほうれん草のルラード

This is another one of my wife’s baking projects. This is based on a recipe in the “Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook”. When I made “no-cook tomato sauce” and “marinara sauce” using “Cento San Marzano Tomatoes” for Neapolitan-ish pizza, we ended up with extra tomato sauce. Since the bread recipe called for canned Italian tomatoes and we had left over tomato sauce made with canned Italian tomatoes, my wife saw an opportunity and asked if she could use the left-over sauces. I, of course, said “By all means”.  This is a very complicated bread recipe and I would not even consider trying it but my wife is not deterred by complex baking recipes. In any case, the pic shows the bread she produced. This is a very soft tender bread with lots of flavors. The spinach and ricotta cheese spread does provide a nice color and texture contrast to the surrounding bread but it didn’t bring much additional flavor to the show. In my humble opinion, the bread could be made with the marinara as a simple loaf omitting the spinach spread, especially since this would make this bread much easier to make. (Wifey’s comment: In my humble opinion I agree.)

Here comes my wife to continue.

Ingredients: 
For Bread
14 ounces (half 28-ounce can) Italian plum tomatoes (We used the marinara sauce we made for pizza)
2 packages active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried basil (We didn’t include this)
1 tablespoon dried oregano  (We didn’t include this)
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds (We didn’t include this)
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup grated Swiss, mozzarella, or Fontina cheese (We used mozzarella)
5 to 6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

For spread
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cups finely chopped fresh spinach (We precooked the spinach)
½ cup Mascarpone or ricotta cheese (We used ricotta)
1 tablespoon Marsala
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
For bread 
In a saucepan sautee the onions and garlic. Purée the tomatoes with their liquid in a blender. Add to the onions and garlic, Stir in the sugar and salt. Then add the grated cheese and stir to mix and melt the cheese. If you are using them stir in the basil, oregano, and celery seed. (We just used the left-over marinara sauce we made for pizza. We used the same amount as the tomatoes called for in the original recipe.) Cool to room temperature. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the yeast and 3 cups of flour to start. With the machine running add the tomato mixture. Stir in enough additional flour, 1 cup at a time, to make a firm dough. Knead in the mixer for 7 to 10 minutes. Turn out onto a floured surface and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary (#1). 

Place the dough in a buttered large bowl and turn to coat with butter. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1½ hours.

For the spread
While the dough is rising, melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent. Stir in the spinach and cook 5 more minutes. (We precooked the spinach). Stir in the cheese, Marsala, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate covered until firm enough to spread.

Assembly:
Punch the dough down and divide it in half. Roll each half into a rectangle about ¾ inch thick and spread with the spinach filling (#2). Roll up each rectangle like a jelly roll (#3) and place on greased baking sheets. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375°F. 
Bake until the loaves are lightly browned (#4) and sound hollow when lightly thumped, 40 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes.  
Turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.



The bread had a very soft tender texture. The flavor was very complex melding together all the flavors of the tomato/marinara sauce and cheeses. The filling made a nice texture contrast but despite the many varied flavors that went into it, particularly the marsala, their flavor didn’t really come through. It is a very unique (in a good way) bread.