Apple Cider Pudding Cake アップルサイダープディングケーキ

This is a variation on the theme of pudding cake and a continued celebration of the seasonal joy of apple cider. My wife has recently been trying various recipes baking with apple cider. Several of them used cider that had been concentrated to increase the cider flavor. My wife realized that the pudding cake recipes she had been making used about a cup of plain water poured over the raw dough before cooking to make the base pudding layer. She thought, “how ‘bout replacing the plain water with concentrated apple cider?” So she tried it using the basic recipe for vanilla pudding cake. This turned out to be very good. The top is a nice vanilla flavored cake layer covered with a of crispy crust (left lower) and the bottom is a nice pudding/sauce layer with a rich sweet/tart apple cider flavor.

Ingredient's
4 1/2 cups apple cider concentrated to 1 3/4 cups.
1 stick (4 ounces or 113g) unsalted butter
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (143g) all-purpose flour, divided: 1 cup or 120g for the batter and 3tbs or 23 g for the topping.)
150 g granulated sugar, divided: (100g for the batter and 50g for the topping.) 
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
To concentrate the apple cider 
Put the cider in a sauce pan. On low to medium heat slowly simmer, stirring occasionally until it is reduced to 1 3/4 cups concentrate. Keep it hot to pour over the batter. 

To make the batter: 
the Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put the butter in a glass 8x8-inch baking dish. Set it in the oven so the butter melts as the oven preheats.

Meanwhile in a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup (120g) of the flour, and 100 g of the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the milk and vanilla until smooth. When the butter has melted, remove the baking dish from the oven. Pour the batter over the butter.

To make the topping:
In a small bowl, mix the remaining 3 tablespoons (23g) of flour and the remaining 50g sugar. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter. Slowly pour the hot concentrated cider over the topping (do not stir).

Bake the cake until the top is golden brown and the cake is set on top with a gooey pudding layer underneath, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it stand until slightly cooled, about 10 minutes.

This cider experiment really worked. The vanilla apple cider cake was an extremely good desert. As the cake cooked the whole kitchen was filled with a very pleasant rich apple cider smell. The thick pudding that formed under the tender vanilla flavored cake layer topped with a sweet crunchy crust had a sweet/tart rich apple cider taste that went with the smell that had filled the kitchen. This is an absolutely wonderful combination of vanilla cake complemented with the sweet tartness of the apple cider. A great celebration of autumn.

Vanilla Pudding Cake

This is another of my wife’s baking projects. This is a variation on the various flavored pudding cakes she has been making recently. This time it was “Vanilla Pudding Cake” . This reminded her of PA Dutch cakes she likes to make. The recipe went together rather quickly and we had it as a desert. The cake layer on the top with vanilla sauce on the bottom. Very nice desert.

The recipe is based on one in the Simply Recipes.

Ingredients
1 stick (4 ounces or 113g) unsalted butter
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (143g) all-purpose flour, divided: 1 cup or 120g for the batter and 3tbs or 23 g for the topping.)  
1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar, divided: 1 cup or 200g for the batter and 1/2 cup or 100g for the topping.)
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups hot water
Powdered sugar, for serving

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put the butter in a glass 8x8-inch baking dish. Set it in the oven so the butter melts as the oven preheats.

Meanwhile, make the batter:
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup (120g) of the flour, 1 cup (200g) of the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the milk and vanilla until smooth. When the butter has melted, remove the baking dish from the oven. Pour the batter over the butter.

Make the topping:
In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/2 cup (100g) sugar and 3 tablespoons (23g) of flour. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter. Slowly pour the hot water over the topping (do not stir).

Bake the cake until the top is golden brown and the cake is set on top with a gooey pudding layer underneath, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it stand until slightly cooled, about 10 minutes. Dust evenly with powdered sugar and serve warm.

This is a very satisfying desert. Like the other pudding cakes my wife has made it has a slightly crunchy crust on a soft layer of cake with a layer of pudding underneath. While my wife had made chocolate and blueberry flavor this one was a very nice vanilla. Can’t go wrong with this as a desert.

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. 

Chocolate Brownie Pudding チョコレートブラウニープディング

When my wife made “Lemon Sponge Pudding” using a recipe from Marsha Adams’ “Cooking from Quilt Country”, she spotted this recipe for “Chocolate Brownie Pudding”. It is made in the classic “Pennsylvania Dutch” style basically with a batter put on the bottom of a baking pan and the makings of a chocolate syrup poured over the top. Then as it bakes they reverse with a brownie like cake forming on top and a chocolate sauce forming on the bottom. She had never tasted it before so she decided to make it. This pudding is not particularly photogenic but the taste is really great, moist and very chocolaty. The recipe recommended to served this upside down so the brownie part is on the bottom and chocolate sauce/goo is on the top making it look somewhat like an amorphous dark mass (picture #1). The pecans added nice crunch in contrast to otherwise soft consistency.

After it was cooked, the top became a brownie and bottom was a chocolate sauce (picture #2).

Ingredients: 
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
I teaspoon salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder, divided (2 Tbs. used in batter, 4 Tbs. used in sauce) (I used King Arthur double dutch dark cocoa) 
1/2 cup milk 
2 tablespoons butter, melted 
I teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup chopped pecans
1 cup brown sugar
1½ cups boiling water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the cocoa into a large bowel Add the milk, butter, and vanilla; mix until smooth. Stir in the pecans transfer to an oiled 1-quart (10 x 6-inch) baking dish. 

In a medium bowl combine the brown sugar and the remaining 4 tablespoons cocoa. Sprinkle over the cop of the chocolate mixture. Pour the boiling water over all. Do not stir in. 

Bake 40 minutes or until the top appears to be firm. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting. 

This is without a doubt one of the best desserts ever. The brownie/sauce texture combination is extremely pleasing. The taste is a rich velvety chocolate. This one went really fast! 

Table of Contents 2026

January 2026
January 1     Happy New Year 2026 明けましておめでとうございます
January 2    “Ozoni” New Year’s Soup お雑煮 2026
January 5    Osechi from Sushi Taro 2026 すし太郎のお節
January 8    Chocolate Brownie Pudding チョコレートブラウニープディング
January 11    Japanese “Kabu” Turnip Simmered in Broth 蕪の煮物
January 14    Japanese Sweet potato Blini さつまいもビィリニ
January 17    Simmered “Satoimo” taro with squid 里芋とイカの煮物
January 19    Grilled Beef Tongue 牛タンの焼肉
January 20    Persimmon in Tofu Dressing 柿の白和え
January 23    Cauliflower-puree Blini カリフラワーピュレー　ビィリニ
January 25    Gingerbread Pancakes with Date Sauce ジンジャーブレッドパンケーキ
January 26    “Bento” Lunch Box 弁当
January 29    Chestnuts and Apple Blini 栗とリンゴ味のビリニ

February 2026
February 1    Warm sake on a cold night 寒夜の燗酒
February 4    Cranberry sauce muffins クランベリーソースマフィン
February 7    Appetizers; one with Shad Roe 酒のつまみ
February 10    Custardy Apple Cake カスタードアップルケーキ
February 13    Salted “Kabocha” 塩かぼちゃ
February 16    Fried “Renkon” Lotus Root with “Aonori” dried seaw...
February 19    Valentine‘s day sashimi dinner バレンタインデイ刺身ディナー
February 22    Valentine’s day cake バレンタインデイケーキ
February 25    Crispy Cheese Rice Puffs チーズライスパフ
February 28    Persimmon and “Kabu” turnip salad 柿と蕪のマリネ

March 2026
March 3    Peanut butter pancake ピーナッツバターパンケーキ
March 6    Cold Jade Eggplant in broth 茄子の翡翠煮
March 9    Cream Cheese Biscuits クリームチーズビスケット
March 12    Roasted Red Pepper Sauce V2 赤パプリカのソース
March 15    Pan-fried Oyster Mushroom 平茸の洋風ソテー
March 18    English Muffin Loaves イングリシュマフィンローフパン
March 21    Honey Oatmeal Roll 蜂蜜とオートミールのロールパン
March 24    Shrimp and Grits with Poached Egg 温玉のせ海老とグリィツ
March 27    Sweet potato gnocchi さつまいものニョキ
March 30    Japanese Fluffy “Soufflé” Pancake (version 2) 日本風フ...

April 2026
April 2    Hanami 2026 花見2026
April 5    Hanami 2026 #2 and #3 花見2026、二回目、三回目
April 8    Baked Spaghetti (angle hair) Cup with meatballs オー...
April 11   “Atsu-age “ Fried Tofu 厚揚げ
April 14    Mango Crumb Bars マンゴークラムバー
April 17    Vegetarian Buttermilk Cotta ベジタリアンバターミルクパナコタ
April 20    Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes 苺とクリームチーズのカップケーキ
April 23    Stir-steamed “Kimpira gobo” Burdock-root 蒸し炒め金平牛蒡
April 26    Mini Cheese Grits Casserole ミニグリッツキャセロール
April 29    Duck Leg Confit アヒルのもも肉のコンフィ

May 2026
May 2    Pan-fried Grits Cake フライパンで焼いたグリッツケーキ
May 5    Lemon Ricotta Cake レモン、リッコタチーズケーキ
May 8    Roasted Carrot Soup にんじんスープ
May 11    Shrimp and Scallop Rice Krispies Bites エビとホタテのライスク...
May 14    Rice Krispies Pancake ライスクリスピーパンケーキ
May 17    Walnut Cheddar Loaf くるみとチェダーチーズのローフ
May 20    Norwegian Lefse Flatbread ノルウェイのレフシイ フラットブレッド
May 23    Grape-puree Muffin ブドウのピューレのマフィン
May 26    Pork Vindaloo served in Soup Curry-style スープカレー風豚肉...
May 29    Honey Curry Bread 蜂蜜カレーパン

June 2026
June 1    Morning Glory Muffin 朝顔マフィン
June 4    Three Eel Dishes うなぎの蒲焼料理3種類
June 7    Meatloaf ミートローフ
June 10    Air Fried stuffed Chicken Wings エアーフライ手羽餃子
June 13    Air Fried Chicken Wings エアーフライ手羽
June 17    Air Fried Eggplant エアーフライ茄子
June 20    Grilled Tofu-puff with Egg Yolk Miso 柚子胡椒入り玉味噌の焼き油揚げ
June 23    Goat Cheese Popover ゴートチーズ　ポップオーバー

June 26    Sausage Encased in Cookie Dough (Full Moon Pastries)
June 29    Raspberry Muffin Bites ラズベリーマッフィンバイツ

July 2026
July 1    Raspberry Muffin Bites ラズベリーマッフィンバイツ
July 4    Salmon Pate サーモンパテ
July 7    Chicken Liver Cooked in Ketchup and Worcestershire...
July 10    Air Fried Zucchini エアーフライズッキニ
July 13    Garlic Chive and Cucumber Salad ニラとキュウリの和え物
July 16    Blueberry Cream Cheese on Blueberry Muffin ブルーベリーチ...
July 19    Neapolitan-ish pizza ナポリ風ピザ
July 22    Tomato-Spinach Roulade Bread トマトとほうれん草のルラード
July 25    Pork and Potato and Goat Cheese Bites ローストポーク、ポテト、...
July 28    Mashed Potato, Roasted Pork and Cheese Bites versi...
July 31    Spinach Feta Cheese Frittata Bites ほうれん草とフェタチーズのフリ...

August 2026
August 3    Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins サワークリーム、ブルーベリー、マッフィン
August 6    Strawberry, Pretzel Cheese Cake いちごチーズケーキ
August 9     Blueberry Pudding Cake ブルーベリープディングケーキ
August 12    Air Fried Pork Tenderloin with Panko Crust エアーフライ...
August 25    Air-fried Spicy Tofu エアーフライピリ辛豆腐
August 28    Air-Fried Pork Tenderloin without Panko Crust エアー...

September 2026
September 1    Okonomi-yaki Vegetarian Version ベジタリアンお好み焼き
September 4    Seafood Okonomi-yaki 海鮮お好み焼き
September 7    Pork Okonomi-yaki 豚バラお好み焼き
September 10    Blueberry Yogurt Popsicle ブルーベリー ヨーグルト アイスキャンディー
September 14    Okonomi-yaki, Osaka-style Summary 大阪風お好み焼き総括
September 17    Okonomi-yaki, Hiroshima style 広島風お好み焼き
September 25    Take-out Sashimi 刺身テイクアウト
September 27    Condensed Sweet Milk Bread with mistake バターミルク、コンデ...
September 30    Ricotta Rolls リコッタチーズ入りディナーロール

Lemon Sponge Pudding/Pie レモンスポンジプッデング

This is another one of my wife’s PA Dutch baking projects. This is based on a recipe in Marsh Adams “PA Dutch cookbook”. My wife made this as a pudding by cooking it in a ramekin. But it can be cooked in a pie crust making it a pie. (The original recipe made it as a pie.) In both cases as can be seen in the following pictures, the top is a nice sponge cake with a lemon custard on the bottom. This is not too sweet and nice light dessert. Here she comes.

Ingredients:
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell if making a pie, otherwise several small ramekins

4 eggs, separated
2 cups sugar
6 tbs. AP flour (or 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs.)
1/2 stick butter melted
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 lemon rinds
2 lemon lemon juice 

Ingredients ( X1/2)

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell if making a pie, otherwise several small ramekins

2 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
3 tbs. AP flour 
1/4 stick butter melted
1/4 tsp salt
1 cups milk
1 lemon rinds
1 lemon juice

Directions for pudding:
Preheat oven to 400°.  Beat egg yolks until smooth. Beat the egg whites until stiff. In a large bowl combine the sugar, flour, melted butter, egg yolks and grated rinds. Then add the lemon juice, salt and milk and blend. Fold in the egg whites, then pour into the ramekins. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce temperature to 350 for an additional 15 minutes. Let cool completely before eating.

Directions for pie:
Preheat oven to 425 F. Use a deep dish pie plate and set out the pie crust in it. (If making the 1/2 recipe use a regular pie pan.) Beat egg yolks until smooth. Beat the egg whites until stiff. In a large bowl combine the sugar, flour, melted butter, egg yolks and grated rinds. Then add the lemon juice, salt and milk and blend. Fold in the egg whites, then pour into the pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce to 350 for an additional 20 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting

This is a lovely light dessert. The contrast in texture between the chiffon topping and the lemon custard underneath is quite nice. This is a classic.

Indian Pudding インディアンプディング

This is another of my wife’s baking projects. Although my wife is not PA Dutch, she grew up in rural Pennsylvania and is very fond of the PA Dutch dishes she ate as a child. As a result she has collected quite a few PA Dutch cookbooks. While she was browsing through the cookbooks, she found this recipe called “Indian Pudding”. ** This was one of her favorite childhood desserts and she had not tasted it in years, so she decided to make it. I found this to be a somewhat unusual dish—I had never tasted anything like it before. But it was a success and quite enjoyable as a dessert (#1). It has a nice but not too strong molasses flavor combined with a complexity of cinnamon, and ginger spices plus a burst of sweetness from the raisins. The consistency is like an extremely wet cake referred to as “pudding” consistency. While this was new to me I see why my wife likes it and now I do too. 

** Indian pudding originated with New England colonists in the 17th century, who adapted a traditional British "hasty pudding" to incorporate cornmeal, a staple crop learned from Native Americans. The name refers to the colonists' term "Indian meal" for cornmeal, not to the modern country of India. It became a quintessential American dessert, especially popular during the colonial era.

Ingredients:
(X1)
1/4 cup cornmeal 
1 cup milk, scalded 
1/2 tablespoon butter 
1/8 cup table molasses (1/16 molasses, 1/16 karo), 
1/3 cup raisins 
1 large egg, lightly beaten 
1 tablespoons granulated sugar 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger 
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1 cup milk 

(X2)
½ cup cornmeal
2 cups milk, scalded
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup table molasses (golden, barrel, or King Syrup), do not use baking molasses
⅔ cup raisins
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Stir cornmeal into hot milk with whisk, stirring until smooth. Add butter, molasses, raisins, egg, sugar, salt, ginger, and cinnamon. Blend thoroughly and let stand until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Pour into buttered 1-quart baking dish. Top with remaining cup(s) milk. Bake for 1 1/2 hours  (2 hours if double recipe) or until set. I used the small square corning bake dish. Serve warm.

We were not sure how the milk poured on top would work out. But as the picture we took while it was in the oven shows (#2) it eventually formed a crust topping which added another dimension of texture to the overall dish.

This is a picture of the final product (#3). Isn’t it a beaut?

This is a homey, hearty, savory dessert. It somehow evokes the image of a comfort food on a cold winter’s night. This was truely an old friend rediscovered for my wife and a new friend met for me.

Table of Contents 2025

January 2025

January 2     Happy New Year 2025 謹賀新年2025
January 5     Sushi Taro Osechi box 2025
January 8     Sushi Taro New Year Soba 手打ち蕎麦
January 11    Grilled “Tai” Perch Seasoned Rice 鯛飯もどき
January 14     “Karasumi” Japanese Bottarga from Maruhide 丸秀の唐墨
January 17    Bottarga/Karasumi Taste Test 日本の唐墨とサルジニアのボタルガの味比べ
January 20    Apple Pie Muffin and Pan Cake アップルパイ　マフィン
January 23    “Endless” Konnyaku 無限コンニャク
January 26    Mock Tofu 擬制豆腐
January 29    Apple Fritter アップルフリッター

February 2025

February 1    Braised Eggplant with Ground Chicken 茄子のそぼろ煮
February 4    Sashimi Daikon Garnish 刺身の大根つま/けん
February 7    Wild Rice Salad ワイルドライスサラダ
February 10    Apple Pie Muffin Made with Juiced Apple アップルパイマフィン
February 13    Chocolate Milk Bread チョコレートミルクパン
February 19    Ricotta Lemon Cookie リコッタチーズ　レモンクッキー
February 21    Assorted Japanese Mini-pans 日本のミニ菓子パン各種
February 24    Quesadilla with Mini-corn Tortilla and Browned Cheese
February 27    Burdock Root Kelp Roll ごぼうの昆布巻き

March 2025

March 2    Anchovy Onion Cocktail Biscuit アンチョビイと玉ねぎカクテルビスケット
March 6    Shrimp Chicken Gyouza エビと鶏肉の餃子
March 9    Chickpea fries ひよこ豆フライ
March 19    Babka Cookie Muffin バブカ　クッキー　マフィン
March 22    Nappa Cabbage Cream Stew 白菜のクリームシチュー
March 30    Jubako for “hanami” cherry blossom gazing 花見用市松模様の重箱

April 2025

April 2    Hanami 2025 花見2025
April 5    Hanami #2 花見＃2
April 8    “Cotton Candy Grape Muffin” “わたあめブドウ” のマフィン
April 11    “Cotton Candy Grape” Panna Cotta “わたあめブドウ“ パンナコッタ
April 14    Carrot Salad Muffin 人参サラダ入りマフィン

June 2025

June 12    Tokyo Kyobashi Areas Izakayas (part 1) 東京の居酒屋　東京駅八...
June 15    Cream Cheese with Pickled Daikon クリームチーズ　沢庵入り
June 18    Tokyo Kyobashi Areas Izakayas (part 2) 東京の居酒屋　東京駅八...
June 21    “Renkon” Lotus Root in sweet vinegar 酢れんこん
June 24    Tokyo Kyobashi Areas Izakayas (part 3) 東京の居酒屋　東京駅八...
June 27    Lemon Crumb Bar レモンクラムバー
June 30    Tokyo Kyobashi Areas Izakayas (part 4) 東京の居酒屋　東京駅八...

July 2025

July 3    Matcha Almond Pancake (again) 抹茶アーモンドパンケーキ
July 6    Izakaya in Kanazawa 金沢の居酒屋
July 9    Topping of Katsu-Don カツ丼のあたま
July 12    Kyoto Izakaya in Kyoto Station area part 1 京都駅付近の居...
July 15    Vinegar Cured Mackerel Sushi with Shiro-ita Kelp バッテラ
July 18    Kyoto Izakaya in Kyoto Station Area Part 2 京都駅駅付近付...
July 21    Pea, Ricotta ad Mint Gazpacho えんどう豆、リコッタチーズとミントのガス...
July 24    Tottori Izakaya and Shinkansen “Izakaya” 鳥取の居酒屋と新幹...
July 27    Pea, Avocado and Mint Blini グリーンピー、アボカド、ミント　ガスパッチョ
July 30    Izakaya in Sapporo Part 1 札幌の居酒屋パート1

August 2025

August 2    Chilean Sea Bass in Sweet “Saikyo” Miso メロの西京味噌焼き
August 5    Izakaya in Sapporo Part2 札幌の居酒屋パート2
August 8    Cream Cheese Muffin クリームチーズマフィン
August 11    Sapporo Lunch Places Part 1札幌の昼ごはん パート1
August 14    Pork Vindaloo with Baby Corn and Edamame ポーク “ビンダル...
August 17    Izakaya in Sapporo Part3 札幌の居酒屋パート3
August 20    Impromptu Eggplant Mushroom Stir-fry 茄子と椎茸のオイスターソース炒め
August 23    Sapporo Lunch places part2 札幌の昼ごはん　パート2
August 26    Cold Udon with Sesame Sauce 胡麻ソース和え冷製うどん
August 29    Izakaya in Sapporo Part 4 札幌の居酒屋パート4

September 2025

September 1    Savory Breakfast Mini Cheesecakes ミニチーズケーキ
September 4    Izakaya in Sapporo Part 5 札幌の居酒屋パート5
September 7    Mapo (sort of) Eggplant “麻婆風” 茄子
September 10    Izakaya in Sapporo Part 6 札幌の居酒屋パート6
September 13    Oyster Mushroom and Chiku-wa Stir-fly with Yuzu-ko...
September 16    Cheese Straws チーズツイスト
September 19    Small Dishes or “Sake-no-sakana” 酒の肴
September 21    Prosciutto, dates, and goat cheese bites
September 24    Cabbage and pork belly stir-fry キャベツと豚バラの炒め物
September 27    Scallop fry ホタテのフライ
September 30    Yellow Squash Garlic Bites イエロースクワシュ、ガーリックバイツ

October 2025

October 3    Green Yuzu, “Kinome” Japanse pepper leaves 青柚子と木の芽
October 6    Japanese “Mizu” eggplant Asazuke 水茄子の浅漬け
October 9    Spanish Mackerel dumpling Soup topped with “Kinome...
October 12    Cucumber with Miso Sauces 味噌胡瓜
October 15    Moon gazing 10/6/2025 月見
October 18    Dishes from Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi Block キハダマグロ刺身の柵
October 21    Scallion Cheese Pinwheels ねぎとチーズの渦巻き
October 24    Hiyaoroshi Sake and Matsutake ひやおろし酒 “如空”と松茸
October 27    Funny cake ファニーケーキ
October 30    Julienned vegetable salad 刻み野菜サラダ

November 2025

November 2    Salmon Shrimp Pâté with Shiitake 椎茸入り鮭とエビのパテ
November 5    Cheese Pennies チーズ (ペニー) バタークッキー
November 8    Japanese Cucumber with “Sudachi” Miso 酢橘味噌胡瓜
November 11    Indian Pudding インディアンプディング
November 14    Kabocha Blini かぼちゃビリーニ
November 17    Brioche ブリオーシュ
November 20    Caramelized onion pizza 飴色玉ねぎピザ
November 23    White Pizza “Pizza Bianca” 白いピザ
November 27    Vanilla Shoofly Pie バニラシュウフライパイ
November 30    Simmered “Ni-Yakko” tofu 煮やっこ

December 2025

December 2    Nutmeat Pate 木の実のパテ
December 5    Wood-ear Mushroom in Sesame Sauce キクラゲの胡麻和え
December 8    Lemon Sponge Pudding/Pie レモンスポンジプッデング
December 11    Scallops and Shrimp with Yuzu Galic Butter Sauce ホ...
December 14    Sweet Potato muffin with Dates and Cranberries サツマ...
December 17    Chili Crisp Cottage Cheese Flatbread カッテージチーズフラットブ...
December 20    Chilean Sea bass with Steamed with Japanese Turnip...
December 23    ”Boti Gosht” Indian style Meat Cubes インド風の豚肉キューブ
December 25    Roasted Bone-in Leg of Lamb 骨付き子羊脚ロースト
December 28    Lotus root salad with Yuzu-kosho Mayo 柚子胡椒マヨ蓮根サラダ

Fresh Corn Blini コーンビリニ

It is a local corn harvest season and my wife bought 12 ears of fresh corn. We rarely eat corn on the cob but often remove the kernels from the cob, then “milk” the cobs by scraping them with the back of a knife to extract all the goodness of the corn. Using a Vitamix blender, we then puree the fresh corn without adding any liquid. With this batch of corn my wife made, corn sage muffins, corn pudding/cake, and corn broth from the cobs. But there was still some corn puree left. We contemplated how to use it and my wife came up with the idea of corn blini. This was based on her previous experience with roasted red pepper blini and pesto blini. Turned out to be a pretty good addition to the crowd. 

Ingredients: makes 14 blini
2 cups corn puree
6 tbs melted butter
3/4 cup cream
6 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup corn meal or corn flour 
1 Tbs + 1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
In a food processor, puree the corn until smooth; scrape into a medium bowl. (If you are not going to use the corn right away put it in a pan and bring to a boil to eliminate any potential bacteria from the corn).  Add the egg, the melted butter and cream, then add the flours, baking powder and salt and whisk until well blended. (You may need to add more liquid so the batter is the consistency of pancake batter.)

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Use the melted butter in a cast iron platar, to grease each of the platar cups before adding the batter . Pour the batter into the cups until they are full using the largest ice cream scoop. Cook over moderately low heat, turning once, until set, about 5 minutes or more per side. Repeat with the remaining butter and batter.

These blini were wonderful. They had an incredible and strong corn taste that was very pleasant. The texture was lovely and moist. Tasted great slathered with butter for breakfast.