“Cotton Candy Grape” Panna Cotta “わたあめブドウ“ パンナコッタ

When my wife made “cotton candy grape” muffin, there was a small amount of the grape puree left and she decided to make “cotton candy grape” panna cotta. Since she has made quite a few panna cottas in the past, for this one, she just used her CCK (Common Culinary Knowledge) to come up with this panna cotta. It was quite good. The consistency is soft creamy; not too solid like Jell-O.

Ingredients:
1 tsp. gelatin
1 cup 4% milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grape puree
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Using an emersion blender puree enough grapes to make 1/2 cup puree. In a double boiler using 1/2 cup of the milk, bloom the gelatin for 15 minutes. Turn on the heat until the gelatin has completely dissolved into the milk. (Stir with a whisk if necessary to make all the gelatin dissolve). Add the sugar and stir until it is completely dissolved. Take off the heat and add the remaining milk, heavy cream and grape puree. Pour into small ramekins or Pyrex dessert bowls. Put into the refrigerator until set. 

This was a very delicate delicious dessert. It was very smooth and soft in texture. The pleasant slightly sweet flavor of the grapes came through. 

“Cotton Candy Grape Muffin” “わたあめブドウ” のマフィン

This is a muffin my wife came up with using our favorite “Cotton Candy Grapes”. These are seedless (mostly) green table grapes which are sweet and really taste like “cotton candy”. We really like them and as a result, this time, we over did it and bought too many. A small remainder of the batch we bought was getting to the point we had to use/eat them fairly soon before they went bad. My wife decided to make a muffin using the grapes cut-up as well as pureed. She thought she could modify her “ apple pie muffin” recipe. This turned out to be quite a good muffin. The grape flavor was a bit muted but the cut-up grapes did add real grape flavors (the cut grapes shown as light green shapes in the first picture). This is unqualified success using a bit unusual ingredients for muffins.

Ingredients:
For the muffins: 
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour,
1 tsp. ground cinnamon, 
1 tsp. cardamon
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened,
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; for table salt use half as much by volume
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1/3 cup grape puree, at room temperature.
1 to 2 cups cut up grapes

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Using an emersion blender puree the grapes to make 1/3 cup puree (#1).  Cut 1 to 2 cups of grapes into pieces and set aside (#2). In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat granulated sugar and butter on medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition, about 30 seconds. Add the sour cream and grape puree stirring to combine completely.

In a medium bowl, whisk together salt, baking powder, baking soda, flour, cinnamon and cardamon. Add cut up grapes and stir until coated with flour. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture until flour mixture is moistened. 

Spoon batter into bottom of each paper liner (#3). Bake for 5 minutes at 400 degrees. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 12 to 18 minutes, rotating pan halfway. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. (#4)

These muffins had a dense but tender texture. The grape flavor came through mostly as a mild sweetness. The cut up grapes for the most part disappeared. Maybe they were absorbed into the dough (or maybe not well distributed). Although the use of grapes was a bit unusual it worked. 

We have a quite few amaryllis which my wife keeps alive and thriving for many years. Many of them keep blossoming every year, either for Christmas or  Easter. Although she marked the amaryllis which bloomed the previous year Christmas (2023) and started tending them at Thanksgiving so they would bloom at Christmas (2024).  They remained completely dormant. Finally about a week ago they decided to bloom. Here is a pic of the flower that gave actual meaning to the phrase “late bloomer” Meanwhile the Easter ones are quickly catching up. But better late than never. We really enjoy these flowers.

Hanami #2 花見＃2

After our first hanami 花見, we were expecting bad weather and rain.  However,  luckily, we had a second nice day of hanami and I made another attempt at a hanami bento 花見弁当. This time, I filled the smaller lidded box with scattered sushi or “chirashi-zushi” ちらし寿司 made of smoked salmon, marinated “ikura” salmon roe いくらの醤油漬け(#1).

Opening the lid of the smaller box revealed scattered sushi (#2 left upper). I also served Russian marinated salmon 鮭のロシアずけ topped with ikura (#2 upper right) and herring marinated in wine sauce (store-bought) topped with sour cream mixed with the brine from the herring jar and chopped dill (#2, lower left). The smaller box without a lid, I served salmon kelp roll 鮭の昆布巻き, “kinpira gobo” 金平牛蒡 braised burdock root, mock tofu 擬制豆腐, braised spicy marinated tofu ピリカラ豆腐, braised crunchy cauliflower モンパルナスのカリフラワー and crispy marinated  enoki mushroom エノキのパリパリ焼き, skinned Campari tomato, and chicken liver simmered in red wine 鶏肝の赤ワイン煮.

I used frozen rice to make sushi rice. I just microwaved the rice until warm, added the sushi vinegar (from the bottle) mixed and microwaved a bit more to warm up. I mixed it again and let it sit for 5 minutes. It was not the best sushi rice but certainly good enough for the purpose. I marinated ikura with x4 concentrated Japanese noodle sauce overnight in the refrigerator. I first placed the sushi rice on the bottom of the small covered box then distributed ikura over half of the rice surface followed by smoked salmon (#3). I topped this with a julienne of cucumber and golden thread egg or “kinshi-ran” 金糸卵 and nori threads or “kizami-nori” 刻み海苔(#4). Since we were not expecting to have the second hanami this was a bonus and what I put together for the occasion was pretty satisfying.

Now, our main cherry tree (“somei-yoshino” 染井吉野 which has a bottle brush appearance of numerous blossoms covering the branches (foreground) and the more traditional one like depicted in “ukiyoe” painting of edo time 江戸時代の浮世絵  which is in the background are both in full bloom displaying their individual personalities in the shape and characteristics of their petals. 

Hanami 2025 花見2025

Because it got warm quickly, three of our cherry trees blossomed one after the other. The first one is dropping petals already, our main tree is in full bloom and our old tree has just started. So it was hanami 花見 time. I filled the new jubako box 重箱 with goodies for the occasion. I used the smaller box without a lid, the smaller box with a lid and two small porcelain bowls to fill each tier. One tier served one person.  I served quite a few sashimi items accompanied by soy sauce, wasabi and yuzu kosho 柚子胡椒 (#1).

The sashimi I served (#2) was bluefin tuna クロマグロ (was called “akami” 赤身 but it was more like “chutoro” 中トロ), kanpachi カンパチ” amberjack, and salmon. All came from Riviera Seafood Club. The tuna was good but kanpachi and salmon could have been better. The meat was abit too lean and could have used a bit more fat. 

In one of the bowls, I served the remaining tuna and Russian marinated salmon 鮭のロシア漬け in the shape of roses and topped it with “ikura” いくら salmon roe (#3).

I also served scallop sashimi ホタテの刺身 which was really good as always (#4).

In the covered small box (#5), I served an assortment of dishes I made as well as “uni suhto” which I did not make  ウニの酒盗 shown in a very small square bowl. Lower bottom is a salmon kelp roll 鮭の昆布巻 and mock tofu 擬制豆腐. Left upper are dashimaki egg omelet with dried nori powder or “aonori” 青海苔入りだし巻 topped with cruchy braised cauliflower.

Our second generation cherry tree blossomed nicely. The tree has grown quite a bit. It was planted after we lost the original tree in a nor’easter 7 years ago.

We started our hanami while it was still light but the fun extended into the evening and we turned on the flood lights as shown in the picture below. Even thought the sun was down It was still very warm and pleasant.

Jubako for “hanami” cherry blossom gazing 花見用市松模様の重箱

Recently, I got a new “Jubako” 重箱 which is a tiered square box with a lid for picnic like “hanami” 花見 cherry blossom gazing. I saw this at MTC Kitchen and thought this was perfect for our hanami. It has red or fuchsia and gold staggered square pattern called “Ichimatsu” pattern 一松模様.  “Ichimatsu” 一松 is the name of the “kabuki” actor 歌舞伎俳優 from Edo period 江戸時代 who wore a costume in this pattern.

A bit unusual feature of this box is that two small square boxes, one with a lid and one without, are included in each tier. The little box without the lid is shown in the picture below as #1. The one with the lid is shown in the pic with a red/gold diagonal pattern. 

Here is what the two layers of the box look like. The lidless boxes are shown with a #1 and they are touching the corner of the boxes with a red and gold colored lid. This configuration of open and closed boxes with regular uncovered spaces provides are great deal of options to artistically display the bento box food.

I am planning to have this box filled with goodies for hanami which will be the next post.

Nappa Cabbage Cream Stew 白菜のクリームシチュー

This is my effort to use up whatever we had on hand. The first item was nappa cabbage or “hakusai 白菜” I got from Weee. It was fairly big and it was time for me to start using it. We also had one link each of chicken and pork sausages which we got from a local gourmet grocery store fresh (uncooked). I boiled them few days ago. Several carrots started sprouting and needed to be used. After some thought, I decided to make “cream stew”. I did not follow any specific recipe. This was our lunch one day and it was quite good, very comforting dish. The chicken sausage flavors were apple and sage but in the stew, a subtle, pleasant spiciness which we hadn’t noticed before came out and was very pronounced. 

This is not really a recipe but notes to myself.

Ingredients: (makes about 6 servings)
6 leaves of nappa cabbage, the white stems and leaves separated. The stems halved lengthwise and then cut in an angle (“sogi-giri” or “shave-cut” 削ぎ切, see #1 in the composite on the right most side), the separated leaves (#2)  cut into about 1 inch wide
1 each chicken and pork sausages (previously boiled) cut into medallions (#3)
4 caps of fresh shiitake mushrooms, cut into small bite size
1 tbs olive oil
2-3 cups of chicken broth

For béchamel sauce** (#4)
One shallot, finely chopped (#1 on the left)
2 tbs finely chopped shiitake stems and shallot, sautéed in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper* (optional)
4 tbs flour
2 tbs butter
salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
about 100 ml or so milk

*When I receive fresh shiitake mushrooms (from Weee), I separate the caps and stems. The caps are packed in a ziploc bag with paper towels which makes the fresh shiitake last longer. For the remaining stems, I cut off the very ends, then shred and finely chop them. I saute this in olive oil with chopped shallots. This concoction is handy to have for making other dishes such as mushroom risotto. 

**The usual béchamel uses same amount of butter and flour but by adding finely chopped onion/shallot  in butter before adding the flour, you can reduce the butter in half. The flour clings to the surface of the onion/shallot which prevents the flour from clumping up. No need to add the milk gradually. Just dump all at once.

Directions:
For béchamel sauce
Melt the butter in the non-stick frying pan on medium-low flame, sauté the shallot until soft, add the shiitake stems and shallot mixture and sauté for one more minute. 
Add the flour and cook until no dry flour is visible, add the milk (at once) and start mixing (first with a whisk and then with a silicon spatula) until thickened. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and set aside (#4)
In a pan on medium flame, add the olive oil.  When hot, add the sausages and lightly brown both sides, add the cabbage stems, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and sauté for few minutes (#5)
Add the chicken broth so that the vegetables and sausages are just covered and cook 20-30 minutes.
Add the béchamel sauce and mix. Simmer fro 5-10 minutes and add the nappa cabbage leaves (#6)
Season with salt and pepper if needed.

I made the stew several hours before serving. The green color was nicely vibrant right after I finished cooking the stew but the green color faded (the top serving picture) before I could serve it. This was a rich savory stew with a complex range of flavors. The creamy texture was luxurious. The combination of the precooked shitake mushrooms and shallots was an outstanding addition to the soup. The sausage was a nice meaty addition as well. This was a very comforting soup.     

Babka Cookie Muffin バブカ クッキー マフィン

Last Christmas, we received chocolate babka as a gift. We enjoyed most of it but a small amount (a few good sized irregular pieces but mostly thick crumbs) remained in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator. Everything was still good. Its consistency and flavor made my wife remember some cookie butter crumb muffins she made some time ago and decided to use these babka left-overs to make a babka variation of cookie crumb muffin. My task was to pulverize or batter the left-over babka into crumbs. The resulting “battered babka crumb” was very chocolatey and much more moist than we expected but was just the amount needed to make the muffins.  The resulting muffins were very good with nice chocolaty flavor. They were not too sweet even with a crumb topping. Perfect for breakfast.

Ingredients:
FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING:
1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

FOR THE MUFFINS:
1 3/4 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1/2 cup (140g) “battered babka crumbs”
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup butter milk

Directions:
TO MAKE THE CRUMB TOPPING:
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl.
Add the butter, and mix with your fingers until the mixture forms crumbs. Set aside (#3).

TO MAKE THE MUFFINS:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line or grease a 12-cup standard muffin pan.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, sugar, and babka crumbs until thoroughly combined.
Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well. Add the milk and mix well (#1).
Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until fully blended (#2).
Scoop the batter into the muffin tins. (I used the second largest ice cream scoop).
Distribute the crumb topping over the muffin batter (#3). 
Bake 20 to 25 minute, or until the muffins are lightly browned and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (#4). Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

These muffins were quite good. They had a mild chocolately/bobka flavor. They were not too sweet and had a moist dense texture. The crumbs were literally “the icing on the top” with a slight browned butter sugar sweetness. We may have to go out and buy another babka for the next batch.