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.

Neapolitan-ish pizza ナポリ風ピザ

I have been making  home-style pizza for some time first using the regular oven and a pizza stone, then, more recently, using the “Pizzaiolo” pizza oven. Although, in general, we like the pizza I make, I am always looking for ways to improve it. Recently, we got a new pizza cookbook from King Arthur called  “The Book of Pizza”. This is quite an encyclopedia on pizza. It covers pizza from classic Neapolitan and other Italian styles to American regional versions. This inspired me to do some experiments/improvements.

With is experiment version I had three goals in mind. #1. try to make the dough/crust as close as I could make it to “authentic” Neapolitan style. #2. determine wether Italian canned plum tomatoes (I got “Cento San Marzano” canned tomatoes) are better than the domestic canned ones? If so, are they worth the cost? #3. Compare “no-cook” tomato sauce (to make a classic “Pizza Margherita”) to the Marinara sauce I make using the same tomatoes for both sauces. (Rest assured that I am not going to make a classic Neapolitan cheese-less “Pizza Marinara”. We like cheese on our pizza.)

I made a pizza half with the  no-cook tomato sauce (left side) and the other half with the Marinara sauce (right side) (picture #1).  I did this so that both sides are identical except for the sauce. For both, I used low-moisture Mozzarella cheese and fresh basil from our window-sill garden.

It appeared I succeeded in making classic “cornicione” on the edge of the crust (pictures #1 and #2).

Just for my own record of what I cooked, I will post the recipe.

Pizza dough:

Ingredients: (makes 4 small pizza with dough weighing about 215 grams each with hydration of about 65%)

520 grams “00” flour (from King Arthur)

340 grams water

8 grams of salt

1/4 tsp active yeast

Directions:

In a food processor fitted with a kneading blade, add the flour, salt and yeast and mix. While the blade is turning on low speed, add the water in a steady thin stream until a dough ball forms above the blade. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes (for even distribution of moisture). Turn the food processor to low speed again to knead for another minute or two. Turn the dough out onto a flour dusted kneading board and knead for a few minutes. Then make the dough into a tight ball. 

In a large enough mixing bowl, add a small amount of olive oil to thinly coat the inside. Add the dough ball, turn to coat all the surface with the olive oil. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let it ferment (bulk fermentation) for about 1 hour (I use a Brod and Tylor bread proofer at 86F). 

Fold and deflate the dough and make 4 dough balls (about 215 gram each). As with the bulk fermentation add a small amount of oil to a bowl and coat each of the 4 dough balls with the olive oil. (I generally use the bowl in which I did the initial bulk fermentation to save on the number of bowls that have to be washed.) Then put each ball individually into a small Ziploc bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal the bag. I place the Ziploc bags in the refrigerator. I will keep the dough at least over night or a couple of days. After that if I do not use the dough, I move it to the freezer.

The next day, I take the Ziploc bags with dough balls in them out of the refridgerator about 1 hour before cooking to warm them up to room temperature.

Sauces:

1. No-cook pizza sauce (“No-cook”  is not quite accurate since the tomatoes were cooked during the canning process but we do not cook it):

Ingredients and directions:

Canned tomatoes, hand torn or cut, drained. (Retain the juice that was in the can.) Place the tomatoes in a cylinder-shaped container and blend using an immersion blender. Add salt to taste. (The Cento brand we used contained sea salt and basil leaves so we did not add salt).

2. Marinara sauce:

Ingredients: 

28oz can of  Cento San Marzano tomatoes, hand crushed and liquid separated but retained 

1 medium shallot (or small onion), finely diced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 tbs olive oil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1 bay leaf

Salt to taste

Directions:

Add the olive oil in a sauce pan on medium-low flame. When heated, add the shallots sauté for a few minutes. Then add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and the juice reserved from the can, oregano and bay leaf. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Taste and season with salt if needed. (When I use the domestic canned tomatoes, I usually add some sugar and baking soda to compensate for the tomatoes excess acidity. This was not needed at all for the Italian canned tomatoes.)

Assembly and cooking:

I assembled the pizza as usual but payed particular attention not to deflate the edge.

I cooked it in “Neapolitan pizza” mode (it is called “Wood Fired” or about 700F) on the Pizzaiolo oven for 2 minutes.

We reach three conclusions concerning the goals I mentioned earlier:

#1. Compared to domestic canned tomatoes, the Italian Cento brand canned tomatoes we tried were much better. It is worth the higher cost.

#2.  Both of us liked the marinara sauce side of the pizza better than the no cook tomato sauce side. The marinara sauce has much more flavor. Although classic “Pizza Marinara” has no cheese, as you can see in the picture we broke with tradition because we like cheese on the pizza.

#3. The crust was soft, pillowy, and chewy. Did we like it?? We’re not sure. This sort of confirms what we said previously that “00” flour without oil in the dough was too chewy for us.  Actually, we preferred the left-over pizza we made for this experiment reheated in a toaster oven because the crust became much crisper. Lesson learned? We like a bit more crispy crust.  I may try to make New York style next.

Blueberry Cream Cheese on Blueberry Muffin ブルーベリーチーズクリームのせブルーベリーマフィン

We are in local (meaning North America) blueberry season. We are getting quite good blueberries. So, besides enjoying them fresh or with yogurt, we are making the usual blueberry items such as blueberry pancakes, and blueberry muffins. My wife uses both whole and puree of blueberry to enhance the blueberry flavors of the blueberry baked goods she makes. One such example is the blueberry muffin shown on the right in picture #1. We call that muffin “double blueberry” because the batter includes both whole blueberries and blueberry puree. One of her recent innovations was blueberry cream cheese spread. Which, when spread on the double blueberry muffin as shown in picture #1 on the left triples the blueberry flavors. 

The picture #2 is a close-up of the blueberry cream cheese spread. She made blueberry purée and then mixed it into cream cheese. I will ask my wife to continue.

Ingredients:
1 package of fresh blueberries (amount is actually arbitrary)
1 8 oz. package of Philadelphia Cream cheese

Directions:
Put the fresh blueberries in a saucepan cover and heat on very low heat until the blueberries burst open releasing juice. Puree using a hand held immersion blender. Set aside to cool.
When the puree has cooled add the cream cheese to a mixer and mix until smooth. Add the blueberry puree. (The amount is arbitrary and to taste. The more puree added the stronger the blueberry taste). Mix until the cream cheese and puree are completely blended.

This is extremely easy to make. My wife got the idea for this because we had gotten some commercially made tubs of blueberry cream cheese. When my wife tasted them she thought they were pretty good but we were at the height of blueberry season why not try to make some blueberry cream cheese ourselves using fresh blueberries. This made a very nice spread to use on anything; pancakes, muffins, or bread. The main thing we discovered was that it takes time for the blueberry flavor to come through. When we first made it we could hardly taste any blueberry flavor and initially we were disappointed. But several days later the blueberry flavor was nicely pronounced making the experiment well worthwhile.

Garlic Chive and Cucumber Salad ニラとキュウリの和え物

Many years ago, we grew garlic chives in our herb garden which was a mistake. For one thing, the garlic chives were a very fibrous and tough. No matter how long we cooked them they were basically inedible. For another thing they grew like weeds and while the flowers were very pretty the garlic chives were rapidly out of control. They have very deep roots and are extremely difficult to weed. In desperation, we asked our gardener if he would weed the herb garden. When he saw that garlic chives were involved he immediately raised the price he would charge for the job. Even now, the garlic chives are still coming up.

Despite all this I yearned for the distinctive taste garlic chives contribute to a dish so recently, we’ve been getting them from Weee (much less weeding involved.)  I have used these blanched garlic chives, for “ohitashi おひたし” with soy sauce-based  dressing or for another garlic chives dish with grilled tofu-puff or “abura-age 油揚げ”.  This time, however, we got the garlic chives from “Suzuki Farm”. This happened in a round about way because I saw that Suzuki Farm offered Japanese cabbage. Previously, the closest thing we could get to Japanese cabbage was Taiwanese cabbage from Weee. So I decided to get some of the Japanese variety from Suzuki Farm but I needed some other items to round out the order and included garlic chives.  In any case, I blanched half of the garlic chives I got and used them to make a salad of garlic chives and Japanese cucumber with a seasoned abura-age garnish. I used a dressing made of mayo and yuzu kosho  柚子胡椒マヨネーズ. The combination and yuzu kosho mayo worked. This is a nice small dish that was just the right way to highlight the distinct flavor of the these garlic chives and above all else they were tender. 

Ingredients: (amounts are arbitrary but this is about 2 servings)
1/2 bundle of garlic chive
1/2 Japanese cucumber
1/2 Abura-age fried tofu puff seasoned (optional)

Dressing:
1 tbs mayonnaise
1 tsp yuzu juice
1/2 tsp yuzu kosho

Directions:
Blanch the garlic chive for 30 seconds, place it in ice water to cool, squeeze out moisture and cut into 1 inch length
Slice the cucumber thinly, salt it and mix, let it stand for 5 minutes and squeeze out moisture
Place the garlic chive and the cucumber in a small bowl add the dressing and top it with the abura-age if using.

Air Fried Zucchini エアーフライズッキニ

Since we had a great success air frying eggplants, my wife suggested we air fry some zucchini. I essentially cooked them exactly like the eggplants and as expected they were great. I started with 15 minutes of air frying. The zucchini was hot but still a bit too crunchy. I did another 15 minutes (Picture #1) which was good but now it was a bit too soft for me. Maybe, a total of 20 minutes would work better.

Ingredients:
3 zucchini cut into 1 inch thick medallions (This one was fairly long and made 15 rounds about 1 inch thick)
Seasoned flour (1/4 cup AP flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, the amount of seasonings is to your liking)
1/2 cup panko
2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs grated parmesan cheese (optional)
1 egg beaten plus several tbs water

Directions:
Add 1 tbs olive oil in a frying pan on medium flame. Add the panko and stir until the panko is lightly browned. Let it cool. Add remaining olive oil and the parmesan cheese to the browned panko and mix well. Set aside.
Place the seasoned flour in a gallon Ziploc bag with the zucchini. Shake to coat all the eggplant surface with the seasoned flour. Shake off excess flour and dip each zucchini coin in the egg water to coat all sides and then bread it with the panko mixture, pressing both sides firmly. Place in the air frying basket with space between them (picture #2).

Since I breaded chicken tenders just before I breading the zucchini, I ran out of the previously browned panko. So, I just quickly mixed the panko and olive oil together without browning it in a frying pan like I did with the previous batch.  I used this “instant” breading on the remaining half of the zucchini shown as the pale ones on the left in the picture.

When, the zucchini finished cooking both the previously browned (right two) and “instant” un-browned (left two) panko breaded zucchini browned nicely (picture #3). The main difference was that the un-browned panko side developed uneven dark spots which I suspect must have been due to an uneven oil distribution. In addition, some oil dripped down onto the bottom crumb tray which did not happen when using previously browned panko. So, it appears the oil in the panko needs to be absorbed evenly and pre-sautéing in oil appears to work better.

Chicken Liver Cooked in Ketchup and Worcestershire Sauce 鶏レバーのケチャップ、ソース煮

Our favorite way of cooking chicken liver is simmering it in red wine, soy sauce and mirin 鶏レバーの赤ワイン煮 which goes well with a glass of red wine (naturally). I found this recipe in a Japanese food blog I follow. This is a quite different and we like it. This is much easier with less steps than red wine simmered liver. The Worcester sauce flavor is most dominating but curry flavor is definitely present.

Ingredients:
500 gram (18oz) chicken liver

Marinade:
2 tbs ketchup
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp grated garlic
1/2 tsp curry powder

Directions:
Clean the liver by rinsing in cold water and removing the connective tissue, and fragmented pieces. (Compared to Japanese chicken liver, the ones we can get are more fragmented and do not include the attached heart but the spleen is often attached).

Add the liver to the marinade for 15 minutes at room temperature or several hours refrigerated. 
Remove the liver from the marinade and place it in the non-stick frying pan and cook on medium heat with a lid on for 10-15 minutes turning once or twice.

The original recipe called for the liver to be cooked in a toaster oven. I chose to cook them in the frying pan with some of the marinade.

Salmon Pate サーモンパテ

When we get fresh salmon, we most often get a package of half filet of whole salmon which is quite large for us. It is not scaled so I have to scale it (since we consider the skin one of the best parts of the salmon). We make several salmon dishes besides individual filets and belly, including salmon cake/burger, Russian marinated salmon, Salmon “nanban” (fried salmon marinated in sweet vinegar) and others. A more recent addition was salmon pate of which I made two variations . This time, I made salmon scallop pate based on a recipe from the “Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook”. The original recipe is a bit complicated (as would be expected from this cookbook) so my version is a bit simplified and modified based on the ingredients I had on hand. For example, I only had a few left-over frozen bay scallops. Turned out I did not have enough scallops, so both the top and bottom scallop layers were a bit too thin. In addition, the bottom layer was too soft. (I may have to increase the amount of scallops and possibly add a binder such as egg white.). The original recipe called for a green layer of pate made from green peas and scallops. Instead I substituted chopped dill for the green peas to make a green layer. The original recipe also called for finely chopped un-cooked leeks. I thought that the uncooked leeks would be too strong in flavor so I sautéed the leeks in olive oil before adding to the pate. Despite the small size and soft consistency of the scallop layers, this was quite good as a starter. I served it with diced tomatoes and onions dressed with yuzu juice and olive oil (sort of tomato coulis)  (picture #1).

I substantially reduced the amount of ingredients from what was called for in the original recipe. (Many of the recipes in this cookbook are “restaurant volume”. We often reduce them in size to “household volume”.)

Ingredients:
For scallop pate
130 grams frozen bay scallops, thawed
1/3 cup finely chopped leeks, sautéed in olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt, pinch of grated nutmeg, pinch of cayenne  pepper
1/3 heavy cream, chilled 
1/4 cup finely chopped dill
Ground nutmeg and cayenne pepper to taste  

For salmon pate
200 grams of fresh salmon, skin and bone removed, cut into small chunks, chilled
1/2 cup finely chopped leeks, sautéed in olive oil
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 whole egg
1/2 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt, pinch of grated nutmeg, pinch of cayenne  pepper

Directions:
Add the scallopsbr /> with 1/3 cup of the leeks in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until smooth. Add the salt, pinch of nutmeg and cayenne pepper, and process again. With the motor running, dribble in about 1/3 cup of the chilled heavy cream in a slow steady stream. Remove half of the mixture to a bowl; cover and refrigerate. The remaining half, stir in lemon zest and dill. Cover and refrigerate. 
Clean processor bowl. Place salmon and remaining leeks in the bowl of the processor, fitted with a steel blade, and process until nearly smooth. Add the whole egg and tomato paste then mix. Season with additional ½ teaspoon salt, pinch of nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and process until smooth. With the motor running, dribble in the remaining 1/3 cup heavy cream in a slow steady stream. As soon as all the cream is in, shut off the processor and refrigerate immediately.
I used three small (2.5 by 5.5 inch) silicon baking loaf pans. Spoon the plain scallop mixture into the bottom of the pan. Then the salmon mixture over the scallop layer and smooth with a spatula. Finally, spread the dill and scallop mixture over the salmon layer and smooth it.
Wrap the loaf pans in aluminum foil and set it in a larger baking pan. Pour boiling water into the larger baking pan so that it comes about halfway up the sides of the loaf pans. Set the resulting bain-marie in the center of a preheated 350°F. oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer gives an internal temperature of 130°F.
Remove the loaf pan from the hot water and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight.
Because I used silicon baking pans, unmolding was easy.

I should have made more scallop pate. The scallop pate was a bit softer than the salmon pate. Next time, I will add just one green or dill scallop layer on the top of the salmon layer rather than one scallop layer on the bottom and one on the top (picture #2).

This made a great appetizer. It had a luscious creamy texture. The salmon flavor really shone through. The scallop layers were a bit muted but that could have been because they were rather thin. Overall quite a treat.

Air Fried Chicken Tender Cutlets エアーフライ鳥のささみカツレツ

Recently we have been trying out the air fryer function on our new toaster oven. This time, we tried chicken tender cutlets. Our favorite way of cooking these is to marinate them in mirin and ponzu, breading and deep frying them. This creates a nice flavorful and moist meat with a crunchy crust. So, this time our goal was to see if we could recreate the same flavor and texture profile of the oil fried tender using the air fryer. I changed the marinade a bit by including mayonnaise which, I’m beginning to think, is key for getting a good air frying result. Besides tenderizing the meat, the thin layer of mayo on the surface adds an oil component without being greasy as when the chicken is oil fried. In addition, I used panko crumbs sautéed and browned in olive oil. The air fried chicken tenders were a great success. The meat was very flavorful, extra tender and moist with a nice crunchy crust and no oiliness. We would even go so far as to say we like the air-fried version better than deep dried! We served this with home-made Greek (strained) yogurt dip seasoned with olive oil and salt (picture #1).

The idea of using mayo in the marinade is something I picked up from cooking blogs I follow (in Japanese).

Ingredients:
x6 chicken tenders

For marinade
2 tbs mayonnaise
2 tsp miso
1 tsp soy sauce (I used x4 Japanese noodle sauce)
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp grated garlic

For dredging
1/2 cup panko
2 tbs light olive oil
2 tbs grated parmesan cheese (optional0

Directions:
Mix the marinade and place it in a large enough Ziploc bag. Add the tenders (removing the tendon attached to one end) and massage to coat. Removed air as much as you can and let it marinade for few hours or over night in the refrigerator.

Add the olive oil in a frying pan on medium low flame. When oil is hot add the panko and stir and toss until oil is distributed and lightly browned for few minutes. Let it cool and if using add the grated parmesan cheese.

Take out the tenders from the marinade and dredge in the browned panko bread crumbs (see picture #2).

Air fry at 450F for 10 minutes and turn them over and cook a 5 more minutes (total of 15 minutes)

I think the secret to good air frying appears to be adding a bit of oily components on the surface of the item being cooked.

1. Thin layer of mayo on the surface. It adds thin oily layer and the breading (panko) easily adheres to it.
2. Panko crumbs sautéed and browned with olive oil*. It adds  nice brown color as well as absorbs oil without dripping while air frying.

*When we air fried zucchini (subject to another post) I tried panko crumbs mix with olive oil just before breading (since I ran out of sautéed and browned panko), this did not work as well. The oil did not absorb and distribute evenly. Although the panko browned but not evenly and some oil dripped down on to the bottom of the toaster oven.

Raspberry Muffin Bites ラズベリーマッフィンバイツ

We usually do not go for raspberries not because we do not like the flavor but because they have so many seeds and you cannot avoid them when eating fresh raspberries. My wife picked up fresh raspberries along with strawberries when we went to Whole Foods.  She said that they looked so good she could not resist. So we got fresh raspberry. I tasted them and they were really good but each bite included the grit of the seeds. Given her recent success with the strawberry muffin/cupcake, my wife decided to go for a variation on the theme of “berry puree” starring the raspberries. Specifically muffins from raspberry puree which would strain out the seeds but hopefully leave the raspberry flavor behind. (See picture #2, this was taken before straining out the seeds). The resulting mini muffins/bites were a great success (picture #1). The raspberry flavor came through very strongly without any seeds to worry about.

I ask my wife to complete.

Ingredients
Raspberry reduction:  one large package of fresh raspberries. 
There will be about 1 to 2 cups of raspberry reduction after it is cooked

raspberry cupcake
1 1/2 cups (180g) cake flour
1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons (85g) butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup raspberry reduction, from above. (This will leave about 1/2 cup of the reduction to use for other dishes)

Directions:
To make the raspberry reduction: Rinse the raspberries. Transfer the berries to a medium pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries have released their juices and softened, 3 to 5 minutes. 

Using a spoon and a sieve purée the berries off the heat to remove the seeds. Then return the puree to the stove. Bring the mixture to a low boil over medium heat and continue to stir for 6 to 8 minutes. The mixture will become foamy, slightly thick, and darker in color. (This concentrates the flavor). 

Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. You should have approximately 1 cup reduction at this point. The berry reduction can be made up to 5 days in advance. If making in advance, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a mini muffin tin with baking cups. In a cuisine art blender fitted with a blade combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and mix at low speed until the mixture looks sandy. (Similar to making biscuit dough). Beat in the egg, the extra egg white, and vanilla, then mix until no dry spots of flour remain. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl and beater attachment(s) as needed; the mixture will be thick.

Add the 3/4 cup strawberry reduction. Continue to mix on low speed until the batter is smooth. Stop to scrape the bowl and then mix again at low speed for 30 seconds. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake the cupcake bites for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove the cupcakes from the oven, and as soon as you can handle them, remove them from the pan and transfer them to a rack to cool (#3).

These raspberry cupcake bites were a resounding success. The raspberry flavor really came through. This is one of the best ways to enjoy raspberries without having to deal with the seeds.

Sausage Encased in Cookie Dough (Full Moon Pastries)

This is another appetizer based on a  recipe from “Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook”.  In the cookbook it is called “Full Moon Pastries” because of its round shape. But it is nothing similar to Chinese “Moon cake”. This is essentially a piece of sausage and cheese encased in a savory short bread cookie. This combo can’t possibly be bad. Although we did not have “Italian sausage” which is called for in the original recipe, we did have left-over “chicken and apple sausage” which we got from near-by gourmet market. My wife used that. Although this involved a bit of work it turned out to be a nice appetizer/finger food. Besides having it with wine in the evening, we had some for lunch served with green salad and cheese curd my wife made a few days ago (Picture #1).

You can see the sausage and cheese on the cut surface (#2).

Ingredients
For the pastry
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt

For the filling
sausage or any other hard spicy sausage, cut into ½-inch-thick slices (We used chicken apple sausage)
Dijon mustard (or hot sauce) to go on the sausage
slices of cheese to go on top of the sausage

Directions:
Mix the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until well blended. Add the flour and salt and mix thoroughly. Knead lightly and shape into a ball. Cut the ball into quarters. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or overnight (#A). 

The original recipe says to roll each ball into a circle 1/8 inch thick then cut into 2 inch circles used to wrap the sausage top and bottom. This dough is extremely soft and is extremely difficult (i.e. impossible) to roll out into a large circle and then cut out into round pieces on which to place the sausage. We ended up shaping the quarters into ropes slightly larger in diameter than the sausage. Using those ropes we cut off a slice. Using our fingers (because it is way too soft to use a rolling pin) formed it into a flat round piece slightly larger in diameter than the sausage. We placed the sausage on top. Topped the sausage with some mustard (or hot sauce), and a piece of cheese (#B). Using the same finger shaping technique we formed a second piece of the dough to top the sausage, crimping the top and bottom edges together to encase the sausage (#C).

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes (#D). 

As mentioned earlier this dough is extremely soft. We tried cooking the assembled pieces in the oven fryer but the crust was too soft. It disintegrated and melted into the grate before it cooked. So we put the next batch in the refrigerator for a while to firm up the crust then baked it flat on a cookie sheet in the regular toaster oven. That worked. We also recommend using a cheese like smoked gouda that doesn’t melt entirely. The cheddar cheese we used on one of the batches melted entirely into the dough. 

These are very nice appetizers. The crust is like a soft savory butter cookie. The sausage provides nice texture and flavor. They were best using a hot sauce rather than just mustard. They are a fair amount of work but they are worth it.

Goat Cheese Popover ゴートチーズ ポップオーバー

This is another one based on a recipe from “Silver Palate Good Times Cook Book”.  This is basically a variation of  “Yorkshire pudding”. My wife said that “back in the day” she used to make traditional Yorkshire pudding from the holiday roast drippings. Although Yorkshire pudding is not a popular item served at restaurants these days, we used to have it regularly at a brunch we attended with a friend of ours at a local club/restaurant.  When my wife saw this recipe, it called to her because it is a mini version of the old time favorite and goat cheese is involved. Since these types of recipes can be finicky and we were not sure it would work. To our delight it did! It puffed up nicely and the center was hollow with a nice eggy crust and goat cheese inside on the bottom (picture #1 and #3). This is a nice hors d'oeuvre as suggested in the recipe. I will ask my wife to continue.

Ingredients: (makes about 30 to 35 mini-bites)
6 eggs
1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Pinch ground nutmeg
2 cups milk
½ cup heavy or whipping cream
4 ounces herbed chèvre, cut into 18 to 20 piece

Ingredients (1/2 recipe. makes 16 to 17 mini-bites)
3 eggs 
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/8  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or cayenne)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 
Pinch ground nutmeg 
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cream
2 ounces herbed chèvre, cut into pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line mini muffin tin with paper cups.

Place the eggs, flour, salt, pepper, thyme, and nutmeg in a blender. Blend until well combined, about 10 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the container. With the blender running, slowly pour in the milk and cream and blend until smooth. (It will have a very watery consistency). Place the prepared muffin tins in the oven to warm slightly. Remove the warmed tins and fill each halfway with batter. Place a piece of the cheese in the center of each cup (#1). Pour in the remaining batter to fill each cup two-thirds. Bake the popovers 20 to 25 minutes or until puffed and golden (#2). Serve immediately (#4). 

These were unexpected perfection. Nice and crunchy with the pleasant taste of the goat cheese. Perfect as a little bite with wine as an appetizer.

Grilled Tofu-puff with Egg Yolk Miso 柚子胡椒入り玉味噌の焼き油揚げ

I made many variations of the Izakaya dish of grilled and stuffed deep fried tofu pouches or “abura-age 油揚げ” previously but I have not made it for some time.  This time, two extra egg yolks were available from my wife’s  baking projects and I remembered a Youtube episode of a grilled abura-age dish stuffed with egg yolks mixed with miso (which is called “Tama Miso 玉味噌” ) and seasoned with yuzu kosho* 柚子胡椒.

*It is a mixture of salt, chopped peel of a Japanese citrus called "yuzu" 柚子 and chili pepper (usually green chili pepper but it could also be red chili pepper). It is available through Japanese grocery stores or from Amazon.>

“Tama-Miso” is fairly common condiment/sauce in Japan with various variations. It can be used as a grilling sauce called “denegaku 田楽” on tofu and eggplant, dipping sauce (for cucumber sticks). I did not follow any particular recipe to make the “Tama Miso”.

I could have grilled the final product in the toaster oven but I cooked it in a frying pan (which is easier). Just grilled abura-age can be a good drinking snack (with grated daikon and soy sauce) but the addition of  various stuffings make it even more interesting and better. I had made and posted different variations of abura-age dishes including ones stuffed with cheese, nori with suriracha, gyoza stuffing and even nattou.

This rendition is a bit different from anything I posted before because of the use of “Tama Miso” and “Yuzu kosho”.  The rich favors of the tama miso and mild spiciness and citrus flavors, worked very well encased in crunchy grilled abura-age skin. I served this with steamed brocollini dressed in mustard soy sauce. This was a perfect small dish for the “home” Izakaya.

For “Tama Miso” with Yuzu Kosho:
Ingredients: (makes about 1/3 cup)
2 egg yolks
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp. or more of yuzu kosho (to taste)
3 tbs white miso (I used Saikyo miso which is a sweet white miso) or a combination of red and white miso
1 tbs mirin
2-3 tbs sake

Directions:
In a small sauce pan, add all the ingredients except for the sake and mix well until smooth. Add the sake and mix so that the consistency is loose like pancake batter. Place the pan on a low flame and stir constantly until the egg yolks are cooked and reduced to the consistency of the original miso before you added the sake. Let it cool. It will further thicken (#3 in the composite picture). It will keep at least a week in the refrigerator.

Assembly and cooking of the stuffed abura-age:
Thaw the abura-age if frozen (#1). Using a sharp paring knife, cut along three sides and open like a book (#2). Using a spatula, smear the tama miso (#3) on one side of the open abura-age (#4). Close and make sure both sides are adhering well. Place it in a dry frying pan on medium low flame and cook until lightly brown (a few minutes) turn it over and cook the other side a few more minutes. Cut into 4 pieces and serve warm.

This is a very satisfying snack. It has a nice crunch and toasty flavor from the cooked abura-age. The inside provides a mellow richness with a little spiciness from the yuzu kosho. Although it is a very light mouthful, it is full of a complex range of flavors. Great with either red wine or sake.

Air Fried Eggplant エアーフライ茄子

This is another example of us playing with our new toy; the air frier. This time the object of the fun is eggplant. I used “Japanese” eggplant; the light purple, long in length variety not the classic Japanese eggplant. Even though it is not the traditional Japanese eggplant variety, we like it better than the regular American variety. This turned out to be a great dish. It is better than the deep fried version since it is not cooked in oil so the eggplant does not absorb a lot of oil. (The only oil the eggplant comes in contact with is the small amount used to crisp up the panko coating.) The crust was light and crunchy and the eggplant itself was fairly soft but not oily at all. The air fried eggplant was a great success. The surface of the eggplant was crunchy and the center was soft and hot. Since the eggplant did not absorb a lot of oil, it was much lighter. I served it with air fried chicken.  The combination of air fried chicken wings and eggplant was a perfect dish (picture #1). I did not use any particular recipe but followed my instincts particularly on how to prepared the panko bread crumbs before breading the eggplant.

This is not a recipe per se but just a note to myself so that I can reproduce it.

Ingredients:
1 Japanese eggplant cut into 1 inch thick medallions (This one was fairly long and made 10 rounds about 1 inch thick)
Seasoned flour (1/4 cup AP flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, the amount of seasonings is to your liking)
1/2 cup panko
2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs grated parmesan cheese
1 egg beaten plus several tbs water

Directions:
Add 1 tbs olive oil in a frying pan on medium flame. Add the panko and stir until the panko is lightly browned. Let it cool. Add remaining olive oil and the parmesan cheese to the browned panko and mix well. Set aside.

Place the seasoned flour in a gallon Ziploc bag with the eggplant. Shake to coat all the eggplant surface with the seasoned flour. Shake off excess flour and dip each eggplant coin in the egg water to coat all sides and then bread it with the panko mixture, pressing both sides firmly. Place in the air frying basket with space between them (picture #2).

Air fry at 450F for 10-15 minutes. The panko breading further darkens to a nice golden brown (picture #3). No need to turn it over during the cooking.

This is the best way to prepare this style of eggplant. Not only does it taste like perfectly fried eggplant (sans the oil) but the left overs crisp up very nicely when re-air-fried for a few minutes.

Air Fried Chicken Wings エアーフライ手羽

This is another air frier episode. When we recently made the “teba gyoza 手羽餃子” variation with leftovers from the meatloaf my wife made, the skin browned unevenly. We wanted to try it again to see if we could make the browning of the skin on the wings more even. The package of chicken wings we got was labeled “cut pieces” and “contained both flats and drumettes”. We wrongly assumed the “flats” and “drumettes” were connected with only the wing tips cut off. But it turned out the flat and drumette pieces were cut apart. This makes stuffing the chicken wings unfeasible. In order to stuff the drumettes, it is necessary for the flats and drumettes to be connected because if they are cut apart both ends of the drumette are open and the stuffing will come out.  So, I just made unstuffed air fried chicken wings. I suppose I could have just air fried them but I decided to marinate them in a mixture of mayonnaise, ponzu shoyu and yuzu kosho which, somehow, came to my mind. I’ve used this combination, before as a dressing for “renkon” lotus root salad but this time, I used the concoction as a marinade. The marinade made the chicken meat very moist and tender. The surface layer of mayonnaise made the skin brown as if the wings were fried in oil (picture #1). The yuzu kosho added a slight spiciness and citrus flavor. As you can see both sections browned evenly. So we declare this an unqualified success, both because it browned evenly and tasted great!

Ingredients:

Chicken drumetts and flats (in our package, 4 each were included)

3 tbs mayonnaise

1 tbs ponzu soy sauce

1/2 tsp or more yuzu kosho

Directions:

In a Ziploc bag, add the chicken wings and the marinade ingredients. Massage well so that the marinade is well mixed and chicken parts are well coated. Remove the air as much as possible and close the bag. Let it marinade a few hours in the refrigerator.

I arranged the wings in the roasting pan that had a metal grate. I made sure the chicken parts were well spaced (picture #2). I air fried them at 450 F for 15 minutes. I then turned them over and cooked for another 5 minutes.

This was a great finger food. They went fast. We started with 2 pieces each but ended up eating everything.