Salmon Shrimp Pâté with Shiitake 椎茸入り鮭とエビのパテ

About 3 years ago, at the recommendation of my wife’s sister who used to live in the Philadelphia area before moving to California, we stumbled across an old cookbook called “Frog Commissary Cookbook”. In its hey day, this cookbook was a “must-have” especially in the Philadelphia area.

We completely forgot about this cookbook until a few days ago when my wife was looking through our blog for an “Appetizer” to make and she came across “Salmon and scallop pâté”.  We realized the recipe came from this cookbook. My wife quickly located the book and we started looking through the recipes. My wife found a few she would like to try. (You may expect to see them here at some later date.) We remembered that the salmon scallop pâté was quite good. So, I decided to make the pâté again but realized we did not have any scallops and we did not have any spinach to make the center layer. But we did have shrimp which I could substitute for the scallops and a cooked shittake mushroom/shallot mixture which I could substitute for the spinach used in the center of the pâté (#1B).  Making the layers this way was much easier than the original recipe. I served the salmon shrimp pâté with a wedge of Myer lemon and leaf of arugula from our window sill veggie garden (#1).

In the original recipe, the center is spinach and scallop mousse (#1B). Although it looks nice it is more work than my current variation and the spinach didn’t really add much flavor. In terms of texture, the original salmon/scallop version was a bit softer. But the scallops basically only contributed to the texture not the taste; The main flavor was salmon. In my salmon/shrimp version, you definitely taste the shrimp.

Ingredients:
(The original recipe was essentially restaurant sized and too large for our home consumption. When I made it last time, I scaled it down to 1/4 of the original amount which made one small loaf of  pâté. This time I essentially halved the original amount and made two loaves of pâté).

175 grams salmon, skin removed and cut into small cubes.
175 grams shrimp, shell removed and cut into small cubes.
1 whole egg (Original recipe called for just the egg white.)
120 ml cream (I used light cream, the amount of cream depends on the consistency of the mousse. You want a consistency that is not quite “pourable” but not too loose.)
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper (to taste)
14 ml brandy

(for the center layer)
4 tbs of minced and sautéed shiitake mushrooms (mostly chopped up stems) and shallots*

*When we get fresh shiitake mushrooms from Weee, I remove the stems and small caps and chop them up into small pieces. I sauté them in olive oil with finely chopped shallots seasoned with salt and pepper. This can be used in many other dishes such as meat balls, risotto etc. I put the remaining whole caps into a Ziploc bag with a paper towel. This keeps them fresh much longer than if left in the original packages.

Directions:
Add the salmon, shrimp, egg, and about the half of  the cream into a food processor (I used a mini-food processor) and make a smooth mousse. Add more cream to get the right consistency and season the mixture.

(for the center layer)
Take 1/3 of the salmon shrimp mousse and add the shiitake-shallot mixture and blend well.

I made the pate in 2 small loaf pans (14x6.5x5cm) (I used a silicone pan. No need to oil or line it with a parchment paper). Fill the bottom of one of the the pans with 1/4 of the salmon-shrimp mousse and smooth the surface with a silicon spatula (#2 right) and top it with half of the mushroom mousse to form the center layer (#2 left). As was done with the bottom layer smooth the mushroom layer with the spatula. Add another 1/4 layer of the salmon-shrimp mousse to form the top layer and smooth the surface (#3). Repeat the process for the second pan. Cover the loaf pans with aluminum foil.

I preheated the oven (I used the toaster oven in a convection mode) to 350F.

I placed the loaf pans in a larger baking pan with a high rim. Poured hot water to the middle of the depth of the loaf pans (bain-marie) and cooked for 35 minutes (internal temperature of 135F).

Un-mould and let it cool (#4).

Slice (#5) showing the center mushroom layer.

As far as I was concerned, this was as good as the original salmon-scallop pate. (My wife said she liked it better because in the original version the spinach layer didn’t “bring much flavor to the show”. In contrast the mushrooms in this version added a lot of complexity to the flavor which was very good. This version was also a bit firmer in texture and had a lovely shrimp flavor. The only mistake I made was salt. I pre-salted the mushroom mixture and also shrimp after thawing. All this accumulated and the pate was a lightly salty side for our taste but still extremely good. We had this without sauce or just with lemon juice which was all it needed.

Scallion Cheese Pinwheels ねぎとチーズの渦巻き

This is another one of my wife’s baking projects. This could be eaten as a part of breakfast or appetizer. Nice slightly sweet biscuits with layers of cheese and scallion is a good combination. (#1) The picture below shows a sliced cross section of the of the pinwheel (on the left and in the middle) and the whole baked pinwheel (on the right).

Ingredients:

Ingredients for the cream biscuits dough 
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (130 grams) cake flour
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons fine salt, divided
1 1/2 cups (340 grams) heavy cream

Ingredients for the pinwheels 
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups (165 grams) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese (or any combination of cheese you like)
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus more for garnish (We used chopped scallions.) 
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (We used 1/8th tsp of cayenne instead ) 
1 large egg, 1/8 teaspoon fine salt for glaze. 

Directions:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.
Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Directions for Biscuit dough:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Add the cream and stir with a flexible spatula until no loose flour remains. (If the dough is too loose to work add more flour until a smooth dough is formed.) 

Directions for pinwheels:
Transfer the biscuit dough to a generously floured work surface and knead it a few times until it comes together and is smooth. 

With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a rough 14-by-10-inch rectangle with the long side facing you, and spread the mayonnaise over the dough, leaving a 1/2- to 1-inch border at the edges. 

Evenly sprinkle the cheese, chives and pepper over the mayonnaise, pressing down lightly with your hands to help it adhere.

Starting from the long edge of the rectangle closest to you, begin tightly rolling up the dough, until a 12-inch long log is formed. Pinch the dough with your fingers to seal the seam and the ends. (#2)

Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into 16 equal pieces (each about 3/4 inch long) — the dough will be sticky — and place them on the prepared baking sheet. (#3) Transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes. (I didn’t do this and it didn’t seem to make a difference.)

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and salt until combined. Using a pastry brush, brush each pinwheel with the egg wash and transfer to the oven.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the tops and bottoms of the wheels are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. (#4)

These pinwheels are very good. The dough is very soft and almost has the texture of a dough made with yeast. The mayonnaise makes the filling very rich. The flavor of the cheese and scallions comes through very nicely. This is a great appetizer to go with a glass of red wine.

Yellow Squash Garlic Bites イエロースクワシュ、ガーリックバイツ

The other day, my wife picked up two yellow squash from Whole Foods. This led us to question, “What is the difference between “zucchini” and “yellow squash?*” Our conclusion is that both belong to the squash family and “yellow zucchini” exists but “yellow squash” is not “yellow zucchini”. We ate one of the squash sautéed for dinner which meant there was one left. My wife decided to use it before it went bad by making this dish inspired by the recipe she saw on-line called “Zucchini Garlic Bites”. As usual, she made some changes mostly due to what we had on hand. (For one thing we had “yellow squash” on hand not zucchini.) I helped by prepping the veggies. This came out rather nicely; with crunchy outer crust and soft, moist interior with subtle garlic and onion flavors. The cayenne pepper added a nice zing. Perfect nice bites. They actually got better with time as the various flavors melded together. Instead of making a dipping sauce, we just used the marinara sauce I made which we keep in the fridge mostly for pizza. This went very well.

*It appears that ”Yellow squash” is not a common vegetable in Japan. I see descriptions and recipes for dishes made of “zucchini” but not yellow squash.

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded yellow squash drained well** (The original recipe calls for zucchini)
1 clove garlic grated fine
2/3 cup breadcrumbs (used Panko)
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh green onion (the original recipe calls for chives)
(the original recipe calls for 1 tbs chopped parsley)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried), we used dried
pinch of salt and cayenne pepper (1/8 tsp or more)
tomato sauce for dipping

** I use a potato ricer to squeeze out the moisture. This works better than other methods we tried.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Cover a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Set aside.
Use a box grater to grate the yellow squash. Using a potato ricer, squeeze out moisture (in batches).
Mash the garlic using a garlic press.
Add the shredded squash, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan, green onion, basil, oregano, salt and cayenne pepper to a medium bowl. Mix well to combine. 
Shape a tablespoon of the mixture into your hands, pat into small balls. (You may need to add more breadcrumbs if the mixture is too wet to hold its shape). Place on the baking sheet.
Bake for 15-18 minutes in the preheated oven until golden. Serve warm with marinara sauce. Recipe makes about 16 bites.

Prosciutto, dates, and goat cheese bites

This is another one of my wife’s baking projects. She wanted to make savory small bites which will go well with red wine. Since we had extra prosciutto, she wanted to use it up. After searching recipes on-line, she found a recipe using pancetta, dates and goat cheese at Washington Post. Although the recipe specifically called for pancetta, we have learned that among the trinity of Italian cured pork, i.e. prosciutto, pancetta, and guanciale, the major difference between them is the part of the pork they come from; i.e. thigh, belly, and jowl, respectively. So my wife figured she could substitute the prosciutto she had for the pancetta she didn’t have in this dish. The recipe also called for dates. Upon inspection of the back of the pantry, we discovered that the only dates we had were an unopened package of dried dates which had passed their BUB (best-used-by) date by a large margin. We tasted the dates. They tasted OK but the skin was getting a bit hard. So we soaked the dates in hot water to see if that would help and it did. The dates were perfectly usable. In addition the recipe called for making the batter into a loaf of bread but my wife wanted something small to nibble with wine so she cooked the recipe in mini muffin tins. Thus these small bites or muffins were made. The dates added sweetness and prosciutto added a nice saltiness. They both went well with the goat cheese which made the muffin moist.

Ingredients:
3 ounces prosciutto (or pancetta), chopped into pea-size pieces (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 medium onion, minced (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
12 pitted dates, chopped into pea-size pieces (about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley (optional)
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves (optional)
2 teaspoons minced fresh chives (optional)
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
1/2 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
About 3 ounces (1/3 cup) fresh goat cheese, crumbled into pea-size pieces

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a mini muffin tin by either greasing it or lining it with paper cups.

Cook the prosciutto in a dry skillet over medium heat until crisped, about 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the prosciutto to a plate to drain. As needed, pour off all but about a teaspoon of the rendered fat in the pan, then return to medium heat and add the onion. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is wilted and lightly browned in spots. Remove from the heat.

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and herbs (if using them) in a mixing bowl. Add the pieces of goat cheese. Using a pastry blender cut the cheese into the flour until it is evenly distributed as you would if making biscuits. Add the onion mixture and stir until evenly distributed. Add the chopped dates and use your fingers to break up the sticky pieces and coat them with the flour mixture. This will help keep those solids from sinking to the bottom during baking.

Whisk together the oil, milk and eggs until well incorporated. Using a flexible spatula gently stir and combine the liquid and dry ingredients, scraping the dry ingredients up from the bottom of the bowl regularly.

Scoop the dough into the prepared mini muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

These are very flavorful little bites. The combination of savory prosciutto and goat cheese with the sweetness of the dates is a very pleasing contrast. Perfect with a glass of red wine.

Small Dishes or “Sake-no-sakana” 酒の肴

This is another presentation of small dishes (#1) I served one evening as starters. They are perfect little nibbles to go with sake. On the left of the white rectangular plates are skewers of Nibuta 煮豚, marinated boiled quail egg ウズラの味玉 and Ginko nuts 銀杏. All toasted in the toaster oven and then skewered using small bamboo skewers with knots called “noshi-gushi のし串*” (The skewers were for decorative purposes and I used them just because I had them.)

Note: I did not toast/grill the food on the skewers since the bamboo skewers would burn. Instead I toaster-ovened the food and after cooked put it on the skewers for presentation.

*Noshi-gushi are a take-off of a better known item called “Noshi-bukuro のし袋”  which is the special envelope containing money given as a gift at happy/festive occasions (wedding etc) or at funerals. The envelope has two decorations; one is called “noshi” and another is called “mizuhiki 水引”. Mizuhiki is a traditional Japanese decorative knot. The knot on the “noshi-gushi” is thought to be reminiscent of the  “mizuhiki” of  the “noshi-bukuro”. Make sense? 

Here is the close up (#2) of the skewered nibuta, quail egg and ginko nuts all toasted/grilled (the ginko nuts were coated with salt before toasting). Since the noshi-gushi are very thin, the ginko nuts can be skewered without splitting them. This combination worked well. The marinated boiled quail egg had a nice creamy yolk and savory flavors from the marinade they were soaked in.  I also served “Mock tofu 擬制豆腐” (#2 right). Since I thawed “ikura イクラ” salmon roe the day before, I served some on cucumber cups (#3). I seasoned the cucumber with sweet vinegar and also added a bit of Japanese noodle sauce on the ikura. Although not shown in the picture, just before serving I garnished this with threads of dried nori seaweed or “kizami-nori 刻み海苔”.

In a small covered container resembling a miniature Japanese lidded soup bowl, I served squid shiokara イカの塩辛” (frozen in a pouch) (#4).

The variety of flavors and textures were a treat thoroughly enjoyed with our favorite house sake.

Cheese Straws チーズツイスト

We like small snack-y foods that go well with wine or sake. My wife, for some reason, decided to make these “Cheese straws” which are based on a recipe she found on the web. When she took out the frozen puff pastry sheets, however, she saw they were significantly past the BUD (best-used-by-date). After pondering a while and looking at what condition the puff pastry was in, she decided to take a chance and make this dish. She needed to modify the recipe mainly because of the cheeses on hand. She used smoked gouda and sharp cheddar. Despite the “passed BUD” puff pastry, this was quite good. Light, crispy and airy with cheesy flavors.

Ingredients:
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. light brown sugar
1 frozen puff pastry sheet
All-purpose flour, for rolling
4 oz. smoked cheddar cheese, finely shredded (about 11/2 cups), divided
1 large egg, beaten

Directions  
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir together the smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and sugar in a small bowl until combined. Unfold the thawed puff pastry sheet on a floured work surface. Roll the pastry into a 16-by-12-inch rectangle, with long side parallel to edge of counter. Sprinkle about half of smoked paprika mixture over the surface of pastry. Sprinkle half the cheese over half of the rectangle lengthwise. Carefully fold the rectangle in half lengthwise over the cheese. Press the edges together to seal. Gently roll the folded pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle (about 1/8 inch thick). Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the pastry into 16 (1-inch-wide) strips. Transfer the strips to the prepared baking sheets. Twist the ends in opposite directions to form spiraled sticks. Press the ends of the strips into the parchment paper, if needed, to help them hold their shape.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. (Cover with plastic wrap if refrigerating for more than 1 hour.). After removing from refrigerator sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and remaining smoked paprika mixture. Bake in 375 degree oven until cheese straws are golden brown and puffed, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating trays and moving between top and bottom racks halfway through.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Despite the fact the puff pastry was past the BUB date these were perfectly OK; spicy crunchy and flavorful. Perfect to have with a glass of wine. 

Savory Breakfast Mini Cheesecakes ミニチーズケーキ

This is another one of my wife’s baking projects. This time it was small cheesy bites called “Savory Breakfast Mini Cheesecakes” which she found on-line. She made quite a few modifications using her CCK (Common Culinary Knowledge). For example just looking at the list of ingredients for the crusts  listed in the recipe on the web she knew there was no way they would be enough to form crusts on 24 full sized muffin tins. She doubled the amount of ingredients and it was still not enough to fill all the mini muffin tin. Also the three 8 ounce packages of cream cheese (a total of 24 oz.) seemed a bit excessive so she significantly reduced the amount she used. (She wonders if sometimes the people who publish some of the recipes on the web have actually made them). The list of ingredients listed below includes all the specific alterations my wife made. Despite the numerous alterations in ingredients the cheese bites certainly turned out pretty well. They had a nice crunchy crust and cheesy center which cannot go wrong. But with the amount of eggs, cheese and butter that went in, this has to be more spectacular to be repeated.

Ingredients:
1 cup dry bread crumbs (I used Panko)
2/3 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese (I used parmesan)
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 package (8 oz.) cream cheese (or 1/2 package cream cheese plus1/4 chive and onion cream cheese)
2 large eggs
1 cup shredded cheese (gruyere, cheddar, smoked gouda)
2 pieces cooked bacon crumbled
1/4 teaspoon salt
other items could include cooked shallots, green onions, red peppers).

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24 mini muffin tin cups with cooking spray or use paper liners.

Mix bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and melted butter together in a small bowl. Spoon about 1 teaspoon mixture into each of the prepared muffin cups. Using your fingers press down the bread crumbs to form a crust for the cheese filling. (This procedure is the very definition of tedious). 

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time until combined. Stir in the cheeses, bacon and any other additions you might be using. Scoop the cheese mixture into the bread crumb crusts. (I used the smallest ice cream scoop). 

Bake in the preheated oven until cheesecakes are firm to the touch and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in muffin tins for 10 minutes.

These were not bad. The crust was crispy because it was essentially oven fried. The cheesy filling was smooth and very pleasant. The bacon somehow didn’t stand out as much as we would have liked. It also made a nice cheese bite to go with wine. Subsequent note: These actually got better with time. Somehow the flavors stood out more and the crust actually was a good addition. 

Cream Cheese Muffin クリームチーズマフィン

This is another of my wife’s baking/muffin projects. This time, she tried to use up some smoked trout cream cheese dip she made and Greek yogurt dip which we had and enjoy as an appetizer on crackers. They were both getting a bit old. The cream cheese dip has a nice dill and smoky flavor from the trout. The Greek yogurt dip has a nice rich olive oil flavor that blends well with the flavor of the Greek yogurt we make. She looked for “cream cheese muffin” recipes on the internet and modified one she found for cream cheese and garlic. The recipe called for plain cream cheese, plain yogurt and garlic for which she substituted the smoked trout cream cheese dip, Greek yogurt dip and eliminated the garlic. We were not sure how this would turn out with these substitutions. We were pleased that it came out quite nicely with some smoky flavor coming through. Its a nice savory small bite perfect to accompany wines (#1).

Ingredients (made 24 mini muffins) 
280g flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
200 g plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt dip)
150 g cream cheese (I used cream cheese smoked trout dip)
1/4 cup oil

Directions:
Combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt in a bowl.
In a second bowl combine the wet ingredients: eggs, oil, yoghurt, and cream cheese.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (do not over mix).
Scoop dough into prepared muffin tins (well greased or paper-lined). I used the small-bite tins (#2). Bake in the preheated oven at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until well risen and golden brown (#3).

Despite the substitutions of ingredients these little muffins were quite nice. They were crispy on the outside and moistly tender on the inside. They have a robust slightly smokey/dill flavor. They make a perfect little appetizer bite.

Cranberry Camembert cheese bites クランベリーソース、カマンベールチーズ バイツ

We, especially my wife, like small appetizers or bites. She came across this recipe on-line and decide to make it. We had leftover “figgy cranberry sauce” which I had made for Thanksgiving. The original recipe called for brie cheese but she used camembert instead. These small bits are good but the cheese did not melt much and did not impart much flavor. This can be improved upon but has potential to be a very good appetizer. She tried two versions; one with the cranberry sauce on the top (picture #1) and one with the cranberry on the bottom (#2). Both tasted the same but the cranberry sauce on the top looked better to us.

The original “Cranberry Brie Bites” recipe came from “All Recipes”.

Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) round Camembert cheese
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (suggest pie crust or wonton skin could be used too)
1⁄2 cup cranberry sauce (we used figgy cranberry sauce)
1⁄2 cup finely chopped walnuts sea salt to taste

Directions
Remove and discard rind from Camembert cheese. (Place cheese in the freezer for 20 minutes to make it easier to cut).
Meanwhile, oil a 24-cup mini muffin pan with butter.
Roll puff pastry sheet out into a 10x14-inch rectangle. Cut sheet lengthwise into 4 even strips and then crosswise into 6 even strips, making 24 squares. Separate squares and gently press each one into a prepared muffin cup (#3). (Following these instructions resulted in rectangular squares which did not fit well into the muffin cup. We found the pieces had to be either square or round to fit properly.) 
Remove chilled Camembert from the freezer; cut into 24 pieces, approximately 3/4-inch in size.
Add 1 teaspoon cranberry sauce to each pastry-lined muffin cup, then press in a piece of Brie and top with 1 teaspoon chopped walnuts. Season each bite with a pinch of sea salt. Transfer muffin pan to the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes, or cover and chill for up to 3 days. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Bake bites in the preheated oven until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes (#4)

The most difficult part of the recipe is making the pastry cups. My wife said, she saw little point in using puff pastry since there was little room for it to expand in this preparation. She said next time she may use either commercial pie crust or wonton skin. The combination of the cranberry sauce and walnuts worked very well together. The cheese contributed little flavor but a slightly chewy texture. Next time we’ll try a nice savory cheddar.

P.S. Recently we were expecting 3-6 inches accumulation of snow overnight. Fortunately, the temperature was not low enough for that to happen and the accumulation was much less than expected. In addition most of the snow melted from the pavement. The grassy areas and trees, however, were covered with snow including the Japanese plum tree in our back yard that was in full bloom. This has happened several times in the past. It is one of the remarkable characteristics of this type of plum tree. It blooms early in the year; late January to early March. Yet the tree and blossoms survive even when hit with the snowy cold weather characteristic of that time of year. Also, the blossoms exude a lovely fragrance which gently wafts across the yard when it is in bloom. It is a remarkable experience to breathe in that lovely smell while looking at blossoms completely covered in snow such as the ones shown here. 

11 (or 12) Appetizers 11種類の酒のつまみ

This is another version of multiple small appetizers dishes. I used the divided plate with space for 9 dishes. But I had more than nine to serve so I doubled up in the divided space.  But I still needed to add two more small bowls for a total of 11 small dishes. If you count each part of the doubled up item (lotus root tsukune 蓮根つくね was divided and served with quail eggs and ginko nuts) (bottom row left and center), it would be 12 appetizers. None of them are new recipes. Even though the single portion is small, we were quite full after working our way through 12 of them.

To highlight a few the one shown below is Name-take mushroom なめ茸 (top row right),

simmered taro “satoimo” 里芋 potato and carrot with “Kouya-dofu” 高野豆腐* and sugar snap スナップ豌豆の塩びたし (middle row right)

and two small bowls; tofu and shimeji with oyster sauce 豆腐としめじのオイスターソース(top),

simmered shirataki and deep fried tofu 白滝と油揚の煮物 (bottom).

*Kouya-dofu is freeze dried tofu (for preservation I suppose) which creates unique texture and absorbs whatever liquid it is cooked in.

These appetizers are mostly comprised of vegetables and provide so many different textures and tastes. We really like this type of classic Japanese multiple appetizers.

“Name-take” as a part of 9 Appetizers 自家製なめたけ

This is another installment of 9 appetizers served on 9 divided plate. There are a few repeats but no store-bought items.  Among these 9 items, the new ones are home-made “name-take” なめ茸* (in the center) and seasoned and grilled quail eggs 味付けうずらの卵 (in the bottom row, center). 

The top row from left to right are fig and edible chrysanthemum イチジクと春菊の和物 (I added sesame dressing this time), sugar snaps in salt broth スナップ豌豆の塩びたし,  simmered mushrooms “tsukudda-ni” キノコの佃煮.  The he middle row left to right are “hoshigaki” dried persimmon with daikon namasu 干し柿大根なます, nametake なめ茸, “kinpira gobo” burdock root 金平牛蒡.  The bottom row left to right are grilled “ginnan” ginko-nuts with salt 銀杏**, grilled seasoned quail eggs 味付けうずらの卵   lilly bulb with ikura salmon roe 百合根のイクラ載せ.

*I thought I have not posted home-made Name-take but when I searched my blog I found two enoki mushroom dishes one is home-made name-take in 2011. I will list the recipe again for my own convenience. Nametake is most commonly available as a rice condiment in a jar.

** It may be spelled as “gingko”. We used to be able to get a small can of boiled ginko nuts but in recent years, it has disappeared. This may be due to the fact that ginko nuts contain a small amount of toxin called MPN, or 4'-methoxypyridoxin. If consumed in a large quantity, especially among children, could produce intoxication. We could harvest ginko nuts since ginko trees are around, the preparation (to remove the meat of the fruit) is messy and smelly which I am hesitant to do). Very recently, however, we could get boiled and packaged ginko nuts (China product) from Weee.

Nametake:

Ingredients: (the seasoning can be more stringer/salty (more soy sauce)
I package (200 gram) Enoki mushroom
2 tbs sake
1 tbs mirin
2 tbs soy sauce (or x4 concentrated Japanese “mentsuyu” noodle sauce

Directions:
Cut off the end of the enoki, cut in half, separate the bottom parts
Place it in a small pot and add sake on low heat with a lid on. After 5 minutes, stir to mix. The consistency changes and thickens. Add the seasoning and increase the heat, stir until no free liquid remains.

Imitating the commercial products, I put  the home-made nametake in a jar (below) after sterilizing the inside of the jar with 50 proof Vodka.

The way this is cooked and seasoned are identical to mushroom tsukuda-ni but the difference is that “Enoki mushroom” cooked this way produced unique texture on the surface of the mushroom (somewhat slippery coating).

Seasoned quail eggs: (I think we figured out how to boil and peel)

How to boil and peel the quail eggs
In a pan add enough water and boil. When the water started boiling, add small mount of cold water to stop rapid boiling and add the cold (refrigerated) quail eggs using a slotted spoon. Gently stir in first 1-2 minutes so that the egg yolks center. Cook in gentle boil for 4 minutes then soak the eggs in ice water (mixture of ice cubes and cold water).
After 10-15 minutes, make multiple cracks on the shell (I used the back of the knife) and put them back to the ice water for 10-15 more minutes.
Peel the shells using a thin stream of cold water could help peel the shells.

Marinading the eggs:
I simple marinate the eggs in x4 Japanese concentrated “Mentsuyu” 麺つゆ noodle soup. Alternetively mix equal amount of mirin and soy sauce as a marinade.

Before serving, I toaster oven for 5-6 minutes.

We like these small dishes. The quail eggs have delicate seasoning from the marinade and creamy yolk. The grilled ginko nuts with salt is unique texture and taste for autumn and a quintessential drinking snack in Japan.

Nine appetizers served in nine divided plate version 2

This is the second version of nine small appetizers served on the nine space divided plate. Although it was not intentional it turned out that I did not have even one repeat of the items I presented in the previously posted nine appetizers. But this time I did include two store-bought items that I got from our Japanese grocery store; Chinese-style octopus salad and fish cakes. But I made the remaining 7.

The top row left is blanched edible chrysanthemum or “shun-giku” 春菊 shown in detail below, dressed with x4 Japanese noodle sauce and mixed with generous amount of dried bonito flakes or “kezuri-bushi”  削り節. It has very distinct flavors which we really like.

The 1st row, middle is my ususal “dashi-maki” だし巻き Japanese omelet. This time I added dried green nori or “aonori” 青のり. I garnished it with julienne of green perila or “aoziso” 青紫蘇.

The next dish is a Chinese-style octopus salad or 中華風タコサラダ. It is pretty good and we like it.

The center row, left is hijiki seaweed, deep fried tofu and carrot stir fry or ひじきと油揚の炒め物.

The 2nd row center is one I just made this morning. Fried egg plant and mushroom simmered in broth or ナスと椎茸の揚げ浸し. The mushrooms include fresh shiitake and brown shimeji. This is served cold with garnish of blanched green beans.

The 2nd row left is my usual burdock root stir fry ゴボウのきんぴら.

The 3rd row left is a cold skinned Campari tomato. I cross cut the top halfway-through and poured on some Irizake  煎り酒 and special sushi vinegar (both from the Rice Factory). Irizake is boiled down sake seasoned with “umeboshi” picked plum 梅干し, kelp and bonito flakes. The sushi vinegar is a special kind from “Echizen 越前” or present day Fukui 福井.  It tastes milder and better than our usual (Mizkan brand). I topped this with fine julienne of  “Gari” がりsweet vinegar marinated thinly sliced ginger root (usually use to accompany sushi) and perilla. I got this idea from one of the food blogs I follow but I did not follow the recipe exactly.

The 3rd row center is store-bought fish cake which I heated up in the toaster oven and dressed in x4 Japanese noodle sauce and yuzukosho.

The 3rd row right is my usual “asazuke” 浅漬け picked (salted) vegetable which includes cucumber, carrot, nappa cabbage and daikon radish. I also added “shio konbu” 塩昆布, and ginger. The asazuke is about two weeks old but still tasted fresh (I attribute this to the fact I added a bit more salt - more than the usual 3% - and added a small amount of Vodka when I made it. While it didn’t alter the overall taste, I think this makes the asazuke last longer without becoming sour).

After enjoying these 9 small dishes both of us were quite full and did not eat anything else. All the wonderful different flavors and textures made a really enjoyable dinner.

New Divided Plate and 9 Otoshi Appetizers 9つ仕切り皿にのせたお通し9種類

This is on the theme of multiple small “otoshi” appetizers. Previously we used a 5 segmented plate to serve 5 appetizers. A few days ago, I found a 9 segmented square plate available on Amazon which was reasonably priced so I got two. I thought it would be hard coming up with 9 appetizers but I managed it with 8 dishes I made. The ninth dish was an exception since I didn’t make it. It was the fried shrimp head which came from Tako Grill when we had our sashimi/sushi take-out. (Shrimp head is a by-product of “botan-ebi” 牡丹海老 sashimi/sushi). In any case, I was surprised that once I started thinking otoshi I was on a roll and could have served two or three more appetizers if I wanted to. This was a nice start of the evening but even very small dishes are filling for us and we ended up with a  “shime” 〆ending dish after this.

In the 1st row, left, is a sugar snap in salt broth スナップ豌豆の塩びたし. We used to be able to get decent sugar snaps from our regular grocery store but recently, we have had to go to gourmet grocery stores to get decent ones This was crunchy, sweet soaked in salt dashi broth.

In the 1st row, center, are cucumber onion salad and stir fried shirataki, jalapeño pepper and enoki mushroom.

In the 1st row, right, is the cheese curd my wife made  but instead of jalapeño pepper, she added “Yuzukosho” 柚子胡椒, soy sauce and cream. I added a dab of yuzukosho on the side to provide an added “schmear” of yuzukosho flavor if desired.

Tsukune on a slice of lotus root 蓮根つくね.

“Uni-shuto” ウニ酒盗 from Maruhide. As I stated before this is the best uni aside from fresh uni. I served it with cucumber and perilla leaves.

I refried the shrimp head kara-age which was part of take-out from Tako Grill a few days ago. Shrimp head has a good amount of meat and is very crunchy but you have to be careful how you eat the prickly legs so as to not injure your mouth.

Recently, we discovered that Whole Foods carries fresh quail eggs. We really like boiled quail eggs. Although we can get canned boiled quail eggs, boiled eggs prepared from fresh quail eggs are much much better. I served it with marinara sauce, basil and sprinkle of salt.

Blanched asparagus with sesame mayonnaise. The dressing is a mixture of mayo, Japanese sesame paste or nerigoma 練りごま and soy sauce.

Salmon salad. My usual. The dressing is mixture of mayo, Greek yogurt and Dijon mustard.

We really like our new plates. If I serve 9 appetizers for two of us in small bowls, we have to wash a total of 18 bowls but here we had to wash only two plates. We really like the many small dishes we had here; true Izakaya-style.

Broccoli Balls ブロッコリボール

Since we are getting home grocery delivery, the amount of broccoli we get per order is out of our control. For some reason they are extremely generous with the amount they provide; we get three large heads of broccoli in one order. I usually, wash and separate the broccoli into small florets and steam them. Afterwords, I divide the steamed broccoli into small batches and freeze them for later use leaving a few days worth in the refrigerator. In addition, sometimes we get free-be cookbooks with the grocery delivery. My wife was purusing one of these little cookbooks called “from Freezer to Table” and came across a broccoli-centric recipe. This combined with seeing the abundant supply of broccoli we had just received led to a conjunction of the recipe/ingredients planets and my wife decided to make her own version of this recipe.  The original recipe (as would be expected coming from a cookbook about frozen food) used frozen “riced” broccoli and cauliflower. While we had the broccoli (non-frozen, of course) we did not have the cauliflower so my wife used mashed potatoes instead…(don’t ask). In any case, this made a quite good small appetizer that also heat up nicely in the toaster oven.

Ingredients:
1 cup steamed broccoli chopped in the small food processor
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (any cheese would work)

1 cup shredded smoked gouda cheese
1 cup mashed potatoes
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/4 to 1/2 tsp onion powder (to taste)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp garlic powder (to taste)
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp salt (optional)

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients (#1). Using medium ice cream scoop drop scoop fulls into small muffin cups lined with muffin papers (#2). Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown (#3 and #4).

These were very flavorful, crispy bites perfect for appetizers. The garlic, onion and herb flavors were very rich and satisfying. The potatoes added a slightly creamy texture inside the crispness of the outside shell. One word of advice, go light on the salt. The cheese is salty. I used 1 tsp of salt and that was too much. I reduced it in this version of the recipe. These really crisp up nicely the toaster oven.

Marinated Camembert Cheese カマンベールチーズのかえし漬け

I was browsing one of the Japanese food blogs I follow when my wife stopped me and asked what the picture on the screen was showing. It happened to be slices of Camembert cheese marinated in “Kaeshi” かえし*. Although the blog was about a “soba” Japanese noodle restaurant in Tuskiji 築地長生庵 their menu included a selection of sake and dishes that go with sake in addition to soba. (Judging from the blogs, it is a popular watering hole among sake drinkers).

*Kaeshi: Kaeshi is the concentrated soba noodle sauce made of soy sauce, mirin and sugar. It is transformed into soba noodle sauce by diluting the kaeshi with dashi broth. So since this was a soba noodle restaurant, good kaeshi must have been readily available.

Since we had just gotten a wheel of Camembert cheese and we also had a bottle of concentrated noodle sauce which is equivalent to Kaeshi, we decided to try to make the cheese dish shown in the blog. The original dish was topped with freshly grated horse radish. Although we had prepared horse radish in a jar, in general we find it too harsh in flavor. So my wife suggested the next best alternative; grated daikon. I thought that was a great idea since the spiciness of both daikon and horse radish comes from the same/similar chemical substance called “allyl isothiocyanate (AITC)”. Usually daikon is not as spicy as horse radish but sometimes grated daikon can be extremely hot (atomic) which we have experienced in the past.

Since Camembert cheese is fatty and does not easily absorb liquid marinade, we sliced the cheese and marinated it in x4 concentrated Japanese noodle sauce. We marinated it in the refrigerator for several hours. It came to be rather firm.

Fortunately, the grated daikon had a just right amount of spiciness and went very well with the marinated Camembert. This is an unusual West/East hybrid dish akin to miso-marinated cream cheese. We really like this. (And it does go very well with sake).

Feta, spinach and pine nuts in phyllo dough フェタ、ほうれん草と松の実フィロ包

This is a small finger food based on a recipe from “Frog Commissary Cookbook“. It is phyllo-covered spinach, cheese and pine nuts filling. This is very good with crispy multiple layers of phyllo and cheesy savory center. As good as it is, this was a quite tedious work to make. Unfortunately, even for my wife who patiently makes various baked goods requiring tedious multiple steps, folding the phyllo dough was a bit too time consuming and tedious. I helped toward the end since she was getting very tired. When we finally got them in the oven we concluded that in the future it may be easier to buy this type of appetizer from a holiday season gourmet catalog rather than making it ourselves. 

Ingredients: (makes about 30)
Spinach-cheese filling
1/4 lb feta cheese
1/2 log (4oz) fresh goat cheese
2 bags of baby spinach, cooked covered over low flame without adding water, squeezed and finely chopped
1/4 cup dill (we used a bit more), finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 scallion finely chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts, dry roasted in a frying pan
Olive oil for sautéing

Directions:
Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil for few minutes and let it cool in a bowl
Add the spinach and dill
Flake and mix the feta and goat cheese
Add the pine nuts
(we made this one day before and refrigerated)

Assembly:
One roll (15 sheets) frozen phyllo dough, thawed. Cut the 15 sheets in half making 30 half sheets.
Separate one of the 30 1/2 sheets of phyllo, paint with melted butter and fold it lengthwise in half (#1) and paint again with butter. Place one tsp of the filling (approximately shaped like an Isosceles Right Triangle i.e. a right-angle triangle with two equal sides) on the left corner of the beginning of the phyllo (#2) Fold like folding a flag until to the end (#3) and paint more butter.
Bake it in a 375F oven for 25 minutes (#4).

The folding process made multiple layers of phyllo dough which was very light and crispy in contrast to the cheesy savory filling. The combination of feta and goat cheese really worked. After enjoying these for several days as appetizer, we may have modified the opinion we expressed earlier and decided it was worth it to make them again ourselves rather than buying them from the holiday gourmet catalog. Next time we will divide up the folding. My wife will fold 15 of the 30 phyllo half sheets and I will fold the other 15. If we manage to do this simultaneously it should take only 1/2 the time. Wish us luck.