Apple Cider Muffins アップルサイダーマッフィン

Fall is here and it is apple cider season. In any case, although we don’t usually use apple cider, my wife saw some the last time we were at Whole Foods and, for some reason, couldn’t resist buying it. Upon her first sip nostalgia set in and she was transported back to her childhood fall season in Pennsylvania*.

We have been enjoying the cider as a juice for breakfast.  But my wife was interested in what could be made from the remaining cider. She found several recipes which used concentrated apple cider to intensify the flavor. Given her recent success this summer using concentrates made from various summer fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries, this was a “must-do”. So she made these apple cider muffins which used concentrated apple cider. This is a good muffin, but despite using reduced apple cider, the apple cider flavor did not come really come through strongly. Nonetheless we really enjoyed having this as a part of breakfast.

* Since apple cider was not part of my childhood fall season in Japan, I wanted to know more about it. This is what I learned and thought it might be useful information especially for the Japanese contingent, so I am including it here. Although both apple cider and apple juice come from the juice of crushed apples they are very different. Apple cider is not-filtered and has no added sugar. It is brown, turbid and has a tangy sweet apple flavor. It is seasonal and popular in North America and Canada when apple harvest occurs. Commercial apple cider generally is pasteurized but unpasteurized varieties may be available at country fairs or from apple producers.  If the cider is unpasteurized it will quickly ferment to alcohol and then to vinegar. (Letting apple cider ferment was a popular way for college students to get an alcoholic beverage back in the day). Apple juice, on the other hand, is pasteurized, filtered (clear) or made from apple concentrate, with sugar added.

This is based on the recipe by Sally’s baking.

Ingredients
3/4 cup (180g/ml) fresh apple cider (NOT apple cider vinegar) (reduced to 1/2 cup or 60 g/ml)
1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (113g/120ml) vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
1/2 cup (100g) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature 
1/4 cup (60g) unsweetened applesauce (We didn’t have any applesauce and the recipe suggests substituting mashed banana, sour cream, or plain yogurt. My wife used sour cream in the same amount as the applesauce.) 
1/2 cups (210g) peeled and shredded apple (about 1.5–2 apples)
3/4 cup (90g) chopped walnuts

Directions:
Reduce the apple cider: In a small saucepan, bring the apple cider to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until it has reduced to 1/4 cup (60g/ml), about 20 minutes. It won’t necessarily be any thicker, but it should be a bit darker. Cool to room temperature.

Make the muffins: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg.

In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, applesauce (or whatever substitute you may be using) and the reduced apple cider until combined. Pour the oil mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until combined. Fold in the shredded apple and chopped walnuts (if using).

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin liners, filling all the way up to the top.

For full sized muffins Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. (The recipe states the initial high temperature will quickly lift the muffin tops so they become extra high then the centers bake during the lower temperature bake time. ) Continue to bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15–16 minutes more. Cool the muffins in the pan set on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then transfer the muffins from the pan to the rack.

If making mini muffins bake at 350 F the entire time skipping the initial high temperature. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

These muffins were quite moist and tender in texture. They had a flavor profile reminiscent of morning glory muffins without all the ingredients and fuss morning glories require. Maybe because of all the spices they did not have a strong apple flavor and the cider component did not come through at all. It is still a good seasonal muffin. 

Addendum: As a celebration of fall, the winter cyclamen we have in our garden finally emerged into a beautiful autumn display bringing an end of season spark of joy to the harbinger of the coming winter.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Shrimp and Scallop Rice Krispies Bites エビとホタテのライスクリスピーボール

Some time ago, my wife got a great big box of rice Krispies cereal (and mini marshmallows). Her reason was that, as a kid, she used to like “rice Krispies treats”. Recently, she purchased some from the grocery store but thought they were not as good as she remembered. So, she wanted to make some herself from scratch thinking they should be better than the ones she just bought. (I could enjoy some homemade rice Krispie treats too, since I was “deprived” of the experience as a kid; they were not part of my Japanese childhood).

We were not sure how much rice Krispies would be needed to make the treats so we got the “big” box…it was gigantic. Over some time, no Krispie treats were forthcoming.  I started teasing her about the huge box of Krispies in the pantry and would she need all of that for the treats? In response she went to the rice Krispies website  and found a few recipes she wanted to try and thought would reduce the volume of Krispies we had. This is one of those recipes. Of course there were a few modifications. The original recipe called for shrimp and crabmeat but we did not have crabmeat. We did, however, have frozen bay scallops which we had used to make salmon pate. So we substituted the scallops for the crab.  I made a sauce with Greek yogurt, mayonnaise yuzu juice (from the bottle) and Japanese not-so spicy spicy chili oil with garlic bits. The final dish is shown in (#1). It was quite a nice savory bite with a little crunch on the crust courtesy of the rice Krispies.

On the cut surface, you can see some scallop but the shrimp became a binder and disappeared (#2).

Ingredients:
For the fish bite:
30 mL (2 tbsp) grated Parmesan cheese
175 g (6 oz) bay scallops, thawed, finely chopped
125 g (4 oz) cleaned raw shrimp, finely chopped
 500 ML (2 cups) rice Krispies cereal crushed
2 egg whites, or 1 egg
50 ml (1/4 cup) finely chopped celery
30 ml (2 tbsp) low-fat mayonnaise
2 ml (1/2 tsp) dijon mustard
1 ml (1/4 tsp) cayenne

For the sauce
3 tbsp greek yogurt 
3 tbsp mayonnaise
30 ml (2 tbsp) Dijon mustard
yuzu juice to taste
Japanese  chili crunch oil (“taberu-ra-yu” 食べるラー油”)

Directions
In a small bowl mix together 1/2 cup of the crushed cereal and Parmesan cheese and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the scallops, shrimp, remaining cereal, eggs, celery, mayonnaise, mustard and cayenne until thoroughly mixed. Scoop out part of the mixture using the second to smallest ice cream scoop and form into balls. Roll balls in the crushed cereal mixture. Place on baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with sauce. 

Sauce: In small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, greek yogurt, mustard, yuzu juice and Japanese chili crunch oil.

The sauce really sets this fish bite apart from ordinary. The Krispies bite itself was really good. But my comment was “why do you need to use rice Krispies?” We could have made this using panko bread crumbs. Nonetheless this is certainly a nice appetizer. Also, after all this, the rice Krispies treats are still not forthcoming. Still waiting…patiently.

Mango Crumb Bars マンゴークラムバー

We regularly eat home-made yogurt with fruit as a part of breakfast. Among the fruit we use, our favorite is mango. Quality mango can be  “hit or miss” sometimes. Generally we buy unripe mangoes and let them ripen on the counter. When they are ripe enough we process them by peeling the skin, removing the fruit from the stone (this can be a bit tricky) and cutting the pieces into small cubes. We place these in a sealable container and add a small amount of orange liquor (triple sec). This makes the mango last much longer.  Among the different types of mango, we like green Florida mangos the best but we also like champagne mangos. Recently, we already had two processed regular mangos in the fridge but then,  because they were on sale at Whole Foods, we got 4 champagne mangos that were basically ripe and ready to be processed. As a result we had an excess of processed mango. We had more than we could possibly consume in morning yogurt before they went bad. So, my wife started looking for fresh mango recipes to use the excess supply. She found this recipe for  “mango crumb bars”.  Although the mango flavor is subtle, this is a very good snack/desert. I’ll ask my wife to continue as usual.

Ingredients: 
2 1/2 cups ripe mangoes (small chunks) 2-3 mangoes
3-5 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tbsp corn starch
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut mangoes into small chunks. In a bowl, combine mango chunks, sugar (use more if mango is not ripened) and corn starch. Mix well and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Cut cold (important: make sure it is cold!) unsalted butter into chunks and add to flour mixture. Using a food processor, pulse until small crumbs are formed. In a separate bowl mix the brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract. Then add the egg mixture into the buttery dry mixture. Mix well - mixture should be slightly crumbly.
Add 2/3 of the crumbly mixture to the bottom of a 8" x 8" baking pan lined with parchment paper. Press the mixture onto the pan to form a layer of crumb pastry. Add the mango mixture, and spread it out evenly. Then sprinkle the top with the rest of the crumbles. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes. Then lift parchment paper and bring pastry out of the pan. Let it cool for another 15-20 minutes.

This is a very nice desert. It is not too sweet and the crunchy crumbs add a nice texture. The mango is subtle but definitely there. It adds a fresh fruity tasting moist layer to complement the surrounding crumbs. 

Appetizers; one with Shad Roe 酒のつまみ

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

Nothing particulary new but two may deserve some notes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Ozoni” New Year’s Soup お雑煮 2026

New Year has arrived and we are now in 2026! As usual, we had our regular breakfast on New Year’s day consisting of cappuccino, yogurt with fruit, and baked goods. We had the New Year’s soup or “ozoni お雑煮” and other auspicious Japanese New Year foods for lunch (picture #1). Along with the soup I served daikon-namasu 大根なますwith ikura イクラ salmon roe and sliced boiled octopus (small bowl right upper) as well as a number of additional sides of auspicious goodies (shown as a group on the left). 

Our ozoni doesn’t vary much every year. The mochi 餅 rice cake is encased in a deep fried tofu “abura-age 油揚げ” pouch as per my wife’s request. However, this year instead of pieces of chicken meat, I made small chicken dumplings from ground chicken which worked well.

The additional auspicious sides I served were a mixture of some from the Sushi-taro osechi boxすし太郎のお節 and some I made. With this combination I think we covered most of the New Year’s auspicious food items (picture #3).  

The items from the osechi box included; white and red kamaboko fish cake 紅白蒲鉾 (top left), kuro-mame black bean 黒豆, small bait fish “arima-ni” 雑魚の有馬煮 (both middle left),  Kazuniko herring roe marinated in miso 数の子の味噌漬け on the “hanawa-renkon 花輪レンコン” (middle center). 

Since I made “datemaki 伊達巻” New Year’s omelet, I served a piece of the one I made (middle center) although the osechi box also had it. This year, instead of making the omelet as I usually do on the stove in the rectangular pan I use to make dashi-maki, I baked the omelet in a small baking dish at 390F or 200C in the toaster oven on convection mode for 20 minutes. It cooked up OK but came out with uneven thickness which made it difficult to roll nicely. (This method needs a bit of more work to achieve “perfection”).  I also served salmon kelp roll 鮭の昆布巻き (middle right), Russian marinated salmon with ikura 鮭のロシア漬け (lower left) and fried salmon filet in sweet vinegar 鮭の南蛮漬け (lower right) all of which I made and which were the rest of my contribution to the occasion. 

We had our usual symbolic sake with this. We hit the osechi box more in the evening.

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

”Boti Gosht” Indian style Meat Cubes インド風の豚肉キューブ

Whenever we get a large bone-in, skin-on, hind-or fore-quarter pork (called picnic cut), I do secondary butchering to produce one large and one small roast. We cook the large roast in the Weber grill and make the small roast into Chinese-style simmered pork using the InstantPot pressure cooker. I cut the remaining trimmings into small chunks and cook them in the InstantPot. We usually use these to make some kind of curry but this time my wife used them to make scrapple. After all this, we found ourselves with leftover roasted pork. My wife decided we should use it to make something interesting that we hadn’t made before. She came up with this Indian-style meat (pork) cubes dish based on a recipe in Madhur Jaffrey’s cookbook “Quick and Easy Indian Cooking”. (The original recipe called for uncooked cubes of goat/lamb/pork.) This is a highly seasoned dish but does not include the extra sauce characteristic of a regular curry. In any case, this turned out to be quite good. It was quite spicy (but not too spicy, at least for me). (My wife ate it topped with yogurt to mute the spiciness a bit and she said it was very good), with lots of flavors. 

Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil 
1 or 2 onions roughly diced
½-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and very finely chopped 
4 cloves garlic, peeled and very finely chopped
15 fresh or dried curry leaves, if available
1 pound boned shoulder of lamb or pork, cut into 1-inch cubes (We used the left over roasted pork cut up) 
2 teaspoons store-bought garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 fresh, hot green chile, finely sliced
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1½-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:
 Saute the onion in a frying pan until soft and lightly browned. Add the ginger, garlic, and curry leaves and stir until wilted. When the garlic is wilted add the spices to bloom their flavor.  Add the meat. Add enough chicken broth so the ingredients in the pan do not scorch. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the lid and cook, uncovered, until all the liquid has gone. Stir as you do this and be careful it doesn’t scorch. Then stir in the lemon juice.

Scallops and Shrimp with Yuzu Galic Butter Sauce ホタテとエビのソテー柚子ガーリックバーターソース

This is another inventory control dish. This time, frozen scallops and shell-on shrimp from “Great Alaska Seafood”. We had this as an ending “shime” dish for the evening. Since I had 4 scallops and 2 shrimp, vacuumed packed into two separate packages I could quickly thaw them by soaking the packages in ice water. Frozen items thaw much quicker using this method than leaving them in the refrigerator to thaw since water has much better heat transfer than air. Just before cooking, I patted them dry with paper towels and seasoned them with salt and pepper. I also decided to cook the shrimp with the shell on.

This is not a recipe per se but just for our record. Since I had some “ao-yuzu 青柚子” (from the Suzuki Farm) left, I used the zest and juice to make a Yuzu garlic butter sauce.  To mop up the sauce, we served several slices of mini-baguette I baked. The cucumber salad was dressed with strained home-made yogurt (Greek yogurt) seasoned with salt and olive oil. I also added finely chopped dill.

To sear and brown the scallops, I used a stainless steel frying pan with peanut oil (high smoking point) on medium high flame. I waited until the surface of the oil shimmered and I made sure the surface of the scallops was dry. I seasoned them with a generous amount of salt and pepper. I placed them in the pan for 1 minute until browned. Then turned them over and added the shrimp and cooked 1 more minute. I took out the scallops and set them aside (at this stage they were undercooked). I turned the shrimp over and cooked 30 more seconds then took them out. I added some butter (1-2 tbs) to the pan and when it melted added the finely chopped garlic and cooked for 30 seconds. I added a splash of white wine, scraped off the brown bits and stirred. I added the scallops and shrimp back into the pan and cooked for 30-40 seconds. Then I added the yuzu juice and zest and served.

As a quick impromptu dish, this was quite good. It is unfortunate I could not undercook the scallops since they were not sashimi quality but they were still quite ok.

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.

“Taco Carnitas”-ish タコ カルニタもどき

This all started when my wife found a package of mini-corn tortillas at Whole Foods (picture #3). Even without opening the package, we can smell the nice corn flavor. I did not make pulled pork but since I had a 1/2 lb of ground pork (left over after making gyoza,) I decided to make something similar to “Taco Caritas”. I made the spice mixture for the pork, salsa, and guacamole. Since we did not have lettuce, I also made shredded cabbage. Instead of sour cream, we used home made Greek yogurt (pictures #1 and #2). It was a bit messy to eat but it was quite good and we liked these corn tortillas.

On the top of guacamole is the Green yogurt (mixed with olive oil and seasoned with salt).

Ingredients (made 4 small taco):
Small corn tortillas (picture #3)
1/2 lb ground pork
Shredded cheese (we used cheddar)
Shredded cabbage (optional)

Taco seasoning (since we did not have chili power I did not use it)
I just mixed; ground cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika, onion power, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and salt. 

Salsa: (I made this several hours before)
3 skinned Campari tomato, chopped roughly
3-4 sprigs of cilantro, leaves removed and chopped (I used frozen cilantro leaves I prepared previously. This works fairly well. Much better than dried cilantro.)
2 stalks of scallions, finely chopped
2 tsp olive oil,
2 tsp lemon juice (or rice vinegar)
Salt 

Guacamole: (I made this a few days ago)
1 ripe avocado, stone and skin removed and roughly mashed using a fork
2 tsp lemon juice
1 stalk scallion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and deveined, finely chopped
1tsp chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 tsp sriracha
Salt to taste

Greek Yogurt dip: (also I made this several days ago)
1/4 cup Greek yogurt (we used the home yogurt my wife makes, strained)
1 tbs olive oil
Salt to taste

Directions:
Warm the tortillas (wrapped in aluminum foil in preheated 350F oven for 10-15 minutes).

In a non-stick frying pan on medium flame, add the pork, spread thin and cook until one side is browned. Crumble the pork and add the taco seasonings and cook until the pork fat is rendered and the meat is  throughly cooked, set aside.

Assemble taco by placing the pork, cheese, salsa, guacamole, greek yogurt and cabbage on the tortillas.
Fold the tortillas and enjoy (messy, though).

For non-authentic taco, this was quite good and filling. For us, the mild heat was just right.

Bagel ベーグル

My wife was not into bagels but this dramatically changed after our recent stay at a hotel/B&B in California. It was a good comfortable accommodation. But essentially we did not see any hotel staff while we were there. There was no front desk and you communicate with the hotel owner/proprietor via digital communication and instead of a key you get a “code” which allows you to open the front door and your room doors during your stay. It had a spacious communal kitchen and dining room where we could self serve coffee, yogurt,  bagels/muffins, and fruit for breakfast. They had blueberry bagels and my wife really liked the bagel. While we were staying there we had bagel and cream cheese as a breakfast every day. So when we came back, my wife got a few varieties of bagels from Whole Foods and an on-line gourmet bakery to try. My wife thought these bagels were not as good as we had at the hotel. I reminded her that I did bake bagels many years go but felt it was not worth the effort since she was not particularly fond of bagels back then. Now since, she suddenly developed a taste for bagels I decided to try making some. As a trial run, I made 6 bagels (3 plain and 3 sesame, picture #1). They came out great with nice flavor and texture. (they were was slow fermented over night in the refrigerator) but the crust is a bit too hard and I thought I could improve on this.

The sliced surface shows irregular holes and a nice moist and slightly chewy texture (picture #2).

The original recipe came from the newly published King Arthur baking cook book called “Big Book of Bread”. The original recipe made 12 bagels but for this trial I halved the recipe and made six.

Ingredients (x1, make 6 bagels)
DOUGH (I weighed everything)
413 grams unbleached bread flour, plus more for dusting
8.5 grams salt
1.5 grams instant yeast
269 grams warm water
Yellow cornmeal, for dusting

Ingredients (x2, make 12 bagels)
DOUGH (I weighed everything)
826 grams unbleached bread flour, plus more for dusting 
17 grams salt 
3 grams instant yeast 
538 grams warm water
Yellow cornmeal, for dusting 

WATER BATH (this is the amounts in the original recipe)
1,816 grams (8 cups) water
42 grams (2 tablespoons) honey
18 grams (1 tablespoon) fine salt

Directions: (Although I tried to follow the original instructions, this is description of what I did)
Place all the dough ingredients in a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook and knead for 5 minutes after the dough ball is formed around the hook.
On the lightly dusted board, take out the dough ball and hand knead briefly to make a tight ball.
Place the dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl, turn over to coat all surfaces. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap.
Let it rise for 1.5 to 2 hours until the volume doubles (I used a bread proofing box at 85F).
I deflated and divided the dough into equal 6 portions by weighing (the total dough weighed 693 grams  for x1 and 1,379 grams*, so one portion was about 115grams).
I made balls and with the seam side down, covered loosely with a plastic wrap and then a dish towel and let them rest for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile I prepared a rimmed baking sheet line with a parchment paper and lightly dusted with corn meal.
I flattened the dough ball into a disk and pushed my finger through the center to make a ring and placed it on the parchment (#1 in the composite picture)
At this point, I placed another sheet of parchment paper on top and then covered with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap didn’t stick to the baking sheet so I taped the sides to the baking sheet. I refrigerated it overnight.

*Just for the heck-of-it I added the weight of all ingredients specified in the recipe and it equalled 1,384 grams. I then weighed the actual dough after the first fermentation and it was 1,379 grams. While interesting, the difference is minor and I attribute it to evaporation of water during the fermentation.

Next morning:
I was not sure if I should let the dough bagels come to the room temperature or immediately boil them. (The instructions were silent on this topic). So I did not warm up the dough rings and I boiled/simmered them 3 at a time one minute on each side (#2 in the composite picture)
I placed the boiled dough rings on the parchment paper. I placed 3 one sided on a plate covered in sesame seeds and left the other 3 plain (#3 in the composite picture).
I baked at 470F (in convection mode, the original recipe calls for 475F) in the upper 1/3 position rotating the baking sheet at 10 minutes and baked for total of 20 minutes (#4 in the composite picture).

As I mentioned the bagels came out nicely and my wife likes them but the crust is a bit too hard and chewy. (I am not sure that the convection vs regular oven made the difference?).

The second try
We finished the first batch and made the second with a few modification. I let the dough rings come to room temperature (let them sit for 1 hour) before boiling. Interestingly, in the first batch, the dough rings sank and then floated up to the top of the water after10 seconds or so but this time they floated to the top immediately.  I boiled each side about 30 seconds this time. I reduced the oven temperature to 450F and cooked them for 20 minutes.

The results were better. The crust was not as dark in color and slightly less crunchy but less chewy. The crust can be a bit less crunchy still.
The third try
I made the hole in the center smaller to make the body of the bagel a bit thicker. I let the dough rings come to the room temperature (let them sit for 1 hour) before boiling,  I reduced the boiling time for 20-10 seconds each side. I preheated the oven to 450F, reduced it to 400F just before putting the dough in the oven. I cooked them for 25 minutes. 

I could have made the holes a bit bigger but the all bagel did not flatten out too much. The crust is very crunchy but not too thick. The inside is not too chewy and lots of flavors. We are getting close to having bagel perfection (at least based on our opinion)

The fourth try:
This is my 4th try and this is definitely the best one. The modifications are as follows;
1. After overnight fermentation in the refrigerator, let it sit for 1 hour to warm up before boiling
2. Boil for 10 seconds each side
3  Bake at 400F for 25 minutes
4. Instead of attaching the sesame seeds on the surface, I kneaded the roasted sesame into the half of the dough (3 bagels)  after the first fermentation as per suggestion of my wife.

In the picture #4, upper three are plain and the lower three are with sesame seeds. Both came out well with nice thin crunchy crust and perfect inside which is not dry or too chewy. The size of the holes is just right and the bagels have nice height. It has good flavor and texture. The sesame ones have nice sesame flavor but because the seeds were mixed into the dough rather than put on top they did not come off. (Slight digression alert: We also sprinkled toasted sesame seeds on top of the cream cheese we put on the sliced and toasted bagel. Again this addition intensified the sesame flavor but the seeds stayed put.) 

The fifth try and our final recipe:
Although we thought the fourth try would be our last changes to the recipe, the crust was still a bit too chewy for us. So this time, I boiled the bagel 10 seconds on each side and baked it at 370F for 25 minutes, changing the level of rack and tuning 180 degree after 10 minutes. The bagels are bit pale but they have a nice thick crunchy crust and nice soft interior with a lot of flavor.

One more improvement is that we got the plastic covers for our baking pans. This system works much better than covering the pans with plastic wrap. There is enough space so that the bagels do not stick to the cover and I can stack the pans in the refrigerator saving space.

When we tried the fifth iteration, I baked the bagels in the morning. My wife also baked the Ricotta muffins.  We had both as a breakfast. Really nice!

Another try with further modifications:
The 5th version was good but the color was a bit pale. I tried 380F and used the lower rack touching the baking stone. This time the color was nice and crunchy crust is not too thick.