Metropolitan

Sweet, Savory Seattle

No surprise! It was colder and raining when we drove three hours north to Seattle. The familiar Bellevue cityscape showed us an indifferent face yet rendered a nostalgic feeling. Look! I said pointing to the high rise office building my husband used to work when we drove past it. My husband nodded, I know, he said without words. It was pretty good company to work for but was bought out by much larger company. He could stay there but took another path. For a moment I entertained that what if question in my head. Whatever, our kids adjusted well with the move and I should be grateful for that. Only three more blocks to our destination – the Westin Hotel.

‘I just going to park it myself’ my husband responded quickly with the bell man’s question- Park yourself complimentary parking or valet parking for $30 a day. Wow! Who come up with that number? A San Francisco developer? These real orchids are gorgeous in hotel lobby. Loved the balls!I think this is an eye catching whatever.

Our dinner reservation at Chez Shea on Pike Street is for 6:00 in the evening and is still a couple of hours away. We checked out the Bellevue Uwajimaya (Japanese Super Market) first to get some snacks. Full scale Hina dolls (雛人形) display remind me that March 3rd, Girls Day, is fast approaching. Living in a America for so long, some Japanese traditions leaves no mark in my calendar. Philippine made cracker with an extra u. Cute!

The French restaurant Chez Shea is in an old building across from the famous Pike Place Market.Chez means cottage in French though the restaurant doesn’t seem look cottagey at all. More like industrial rustic urban chic deco,,,,with high ceiling. I thought a little too dark and too close to the next table. We just need to converse entirely in Japanese hoping neighbors don’t speak the same language. But the staff welcomed us warmly and was very attentive. Chez Shea offers two menus. The Chef’s sampler menu which comes with a little bit of almost everything for $75 or a-la-carte pricing of the seasonal menu. I find the pricing reasonable and their delicate dishes are worth a few blocks walk on a chilly Seattle night.

The wind was really cold the next morning. We walked about 10 minutes from hotel to Belle’s French Pastry. Perfectly flaky croissants and rooibos tea. We gave in to temptation and ate dessert too.
Deja vu! We felt like we’re in Japan.

We drove to see our our old home then to downtown Kirkland. Ahhh,,, memories kept flowing back.

This is not our boat.This is interesting.

 

It was cold so we sought refuge in a coffee shop for hot chocolate.

We had lunch at Dozo Café in downtown Kirkland.

Lynn’s bistro – another favorite French restaurant in Kirkland.

I found this sugar/creamer set for $15 at Estate Interior consignment store in Bellevue to add to my Blue Danube collection.

Day of Confession

Strawberry mousse cake

I love St.Valentine’s Day in the US. As always, my old fashioned husband had a dozen red roses delivered to me. We usually go out for fancy dinner. We have odd number household this year and I felt leaving my still wounded (from divorce) son home alone is pitiful so off to plan B. I make dinner and we just have a nice quiet time watching shows we DVRed, particularly  the ‘Once upon the time’ which is destroying my beautiful fairy-tale images for sadly ever after!

My husband informed me the night before Valentine’s Day that my son is going to Portland Trailblazer game with friends. Really? That’s kind of important information isn’t it? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I just got the memo too, he said. Shoot! It’s too late for dinner reservation thus Plan B still move forward.

I spent entire Valentine’s Day afternoon preparing special feast (not really). I was thinking while making the dinner “how come Japanese celebrate this day so differently than the US?”  On Valentine’s Day in Japan, girls/women are allowed to confess their love with a gift usually chocolate. When I was in middle and high school I gave chocolate to popular, out of my league guys too. These chocolates are barometer of how desirable they are. For popular guys, it’s a day for celebration and for others, just painful reminder that life is not fair.

I confess that I’m so glad that March 14th was not invented back then (this is the day which boys confess their love back with cookies and is called White Day). If no boys gave me any cookies then it would be a huge disappointment and an empty stomach. I probably wouldn’t do Valentine’s giggly thing for fear that I won’t receive return of love on White Day. Last year, I blogged about the same subject and my husband gave me Godiva cookies. You really, really love me! I had no idea!

Ingredients for Strawberry mousse cake

15-1/2 X 11 rimmed pan lined with parchment paper that reaches above the pan about 2 inches

Acetate film-purchased at The Decorette shop or other cooking supply store

Scotch tape-I did not have but invisible tape look prettier.

Candy thermometer

Cocoa sponge cake

• Egg 420g about 8 large eggs
• Sugar 210g
• Cake flour or weak power flour 160g sifted with cocoa powder below.
• Unsweetened cocoa  powder 25g
• Milk 40g- heat in small sauce pan and add butter below to melt. Do not boil.
• Unsalted butter 40g

1. Mix egg and sugar in a double boiler and warm the egg mixture to 100F.
2. Put egg mixture into the bowl of stand mixer and mix on high until doubled in volume and light in color; 3-4 minutes.
3. Lower the speed  to low and mix about 2 minutes.
4. Add flour and cocoa mixture and fold it in with rubber spatula.  Make sure to combine well.
5. Pour in melted butter and milk mixture. Combine well.
6. Pour in batter into prepared pan.
7. Bake in oven for 12 minutes at 410 F. Check for doneness.
8. Lift up by paper and place on top of cooling rack and peel off paper.

Make syrup by combining 3 Tablespoons of water and 3 Tablespoons of fine sugar in small microwave proof cup and microwave to melt (about 20 seconds ). Add 2-3 Tablespoons of rum after cooled (optional). Set it aside.

Ingredients for custard cream. Enough for 6 cake.

• Milk 125g
• Heavy cream 125g
• Vanilla beans half
• 3 egg yolks
• Fine sugar 30g
• Unflavored gelatin 3g

1. In a small sauce pan, combine milk and cream. Add vanilla bean and scrape in the seed. Put shell in the it too. Warm up to just before boil. Set aside
2. In a bowl, mix egg yolks and sugar until light yellow color then add milk mixture a little at a time. Discard vanilla bean shell.
3. Strain the mixture and put back in the small sauce pan. Cook over low heat stirring constantly with a rubber spatula until mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat.
4. Sprinkle in gelatin and mix well with whisk.
5. Put ice in a large bowl, then put the saucepan on the ice and stir to thicken and cool.

Assembly

1. Cut out circle from cocoa sponge cake ( I used 2-1/2 inch biscuit cutter).
2. Brush sponge cake with syrup. You do not use all the syrup.
3. Wrap the sponge with acetate film and over wrap by an inch and tape the end.
4. Pour custard over and place another sponge on top.
5. Chill in refrigerator.

Ingredients for Strawberry mousse

• Heavy cream 110g
• Strawberry puree 150g and 100g for jell- make your own by using blender or food processer.
• Gelatin 5g
• Sugar 25g

1. Whip cream until soft peak.
2. In a small sauce pan, combine strawberry puree 150g and sugar then cook just until boiling point. Remove from heat.
3. Sprinkle gelatin and mix well to dissolve.
4. Cool by putting ice and water in a large bowl, then placing the saucepan in. Stir while cooling until it thickens a little bit. Remove from ice water- the puree should still be runny.
5. Add to whipped cream and fold to combine.
6. Scoop onto the assembled cake.

Strawberry Jell

• In a small sauce pan, cook 100g of strawberry puree and sugar 15g –do not boil.
• Add a few drops of food coloring (optional).
• Add gelatin and mix well. Let it cool in pan. 
• Pour on the assembled cake and chill for a couple of hours.
• Decorate with fruits and sweetened whipped cream.

Salad with parmesan cheese crisps

Shrimp and vegetable baked in parchment paper

Main course – garlic pepper and thyme rubbed roast beef with roasted vegetables

I made fresh chocolate (生チョコレート) for friends.

Pink roses are my favorite. Just so lovely!

Curry Pan/カレーパン

Japanese fried curry roll

Pan means bread in Japanese. Curry dish is immensely popular in Japan. It came from India in 1853 when Yokohama port was open for import business. Since then the recipe was cultivated and improvements made to suit Japanese taste. In the end, Japanese curry has different spin than India or Thai curry. The fried curry roll was debuted by Catlea bakery in Tokyo 74 years later in 1927 (昭和２年). This bakery still exists and is very proud as the original curry pan maker. One source said that it’s Japanese version of  the ‘piroshky’ of Russia. Genius!

I mentioned in a past blog about how I’m in love with curry pan and will never fall out of it. It’s a handsome pick me up or a nice mid day date, I mean snack. There are a few non-fried curry pan recipes popping up in the last few years for those who are concerned about calories but that’s nonsense! To me, frying takes curry pan to awesomeness!

I used left over curry and left over super mochi mochi bread dough so it was not a big deal to make it (“yeah right” sounds were heard from whoever washed the dishes), otherwise this is a time consuming recipe. I have an great idea! Why not have curry rice one night and make this curry pan for snack at a later date? Left over curry in Tupperware keeps fresh for few days. Oh oh  I know!  Make cooked rice bread with left over rice too! How clever of me! I baked curry pan first in oven and deep fried them for kari kari (sound of crispiness) texture, or should I say, curry, curry?

Ingredients Make about 8 curry pans or 4 big rolls

• Super mochi mochi dough- or your favorite roll dough. Frozen rolls may be used.
• Curry stew 300g Recipe follow.
• Potatoes- prepare about 120g –skinned, cooked and mashed
• 1 egg, beaten
• Panko-Japanese bread crumbs
• Oil for frying
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

1. In a medium size pan, heat curry and add mashed potatoes a little at a time to achieve the right thickness. Thick enough for easy filling but still a little loose! You do not need to use all the potatoes, its all depends on your curry. Set it aside.
2. When the dough is done and out of bread maker, divide in 8 equal parts or 4 for larger rolls. Make balls and let rest for 10 minutes under a moistened towel.
3. Stretch the ball of dough with rolling pin (you may need some flour for dusting) and fill with curry filling (about 2 Tablespoons but do not overfill). Make a tight seal.* Lay the roll seam side down in the prepared pan.
4. Leave them in warm place to rise again. Heat oven to 300 F. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Start heating up oil to 355 F. After rolls cool down a bit then dip in egg, dredge in panko then fry until golden brown. Place on the paper towel to remove extra oil.
6. Optional: Heat the oil to 375 F and re-fry them for ultimate crispness. You need to watch carefully though, as they will burn very quickly.

* Try to keep the edge clean from curry filling. It’ll be hard to seal if not.

Recipe for curry stew

Ingredients

• Butter 20g
• 2 clove of garlic sliced
• 1 medium size onion chopped
• Ground pork 150g or other meat
• 1 carrot chopped
• Water 600ml.
• Curry rue- I used half box of solid cube curry rue about 125g
• Ketchup about 3 Tablespoon (optional)

1. In large pan, melt butter at medium high heat and add garlic. Sauté until garlic is fragrant but not brown.
2. Add onion and sauté until transparent.
3. Add pork and carrot. Keep sautéing until meat is brown.
4. Pour in the water and cook over low heat till carrots are soft but not mushy.
5. Add curry rue and stir to thicken. Add more curry if it’s too runny.
6. Add ketchup if you like. The color gets brighter and a little sweeter with this.

For people really really don’t want to fry curry pan- After you filled with curry filling, dip in egg and dredge with bread crumbs then leave in warm place to rise for 2nd time. Place cooking sheet in a oven and preheat oven to 380F.  Lay the curry pans in heated cooking sheet seam side down and mist with water mister. Bake for 15- 20 minutes. Heating the cooking sheet makes the bottom of bread crispy.

I made cream pan and chocolate cream pan also for my sweet tooth guys. It’s not my best but this custard cream recipe is super easy. I don’t deep-fry this, just bake in a 302F oven for about 20 minutes.

Ingredients for Vanilla custard cream

• Cake flour or weak power flour 15g
• Sugar 50g
• 1 egg
• Milk 200cc
• Vanilla 2-3 drops

1. Mix sugar and flour well in a microwave proof bowl.
2. Pour milk in and mix well.
3. Add egg and mix well
4. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap then microwave for 2 and half minutes at 50% power.
5. Mix well and re-cover loosely and microwave for another 2 minutes at 50% power.
6. Mix till smooth and add a few drops of vanilla. Cover with plastic directly over the custard and chill in refrigerator until needed.

Chocolate custard version;. Melt 40g of chocolate in a microwave or double boiler . Add to vanilla custard cream (before chilling) and mix well.

Next Tuesday is Valentine’s Day so my next blog post will be Wednesday I hope you have a wonderful day!