Comfort Food

Butter rolls

Tuesdays come really quick for me. My blog post day, at least my target date. Why Tuesday? I don’t know. But if you know when to shoot an arrow then you could start warming up or stretch before hand right? That’s if life is perfect. Although unpredictableness is part of life’s charm yet something you never wish to have happen to you or anybody else suddenly, what will you do? Cuddle up in warm blanket and cry? That’s exactly what I did last Sunday. I could care less about the dead line.

Two of my friends came to visit me this morning and let me vent my sadness and frustration. They listened and shared their thoughts and experiences with me. They assured me that Heavenly father is watching over a friend who lost her husband last Sunday. Heavenly Father knows that we’re not perfect yet he is merciful and loves us unconditionally. Their visit gave me some peace. I’m grateful for the message which I needed greatly.

A Japanese friend agree to meet me at restaurant for lunch this afternoon. We were in a rather somber mood. We felt inadequate in that we live so far from the newly widowed friend to be helpful. My order of Thai pumpkin curry with squid was good but spicy. A guilty feeling came over me that I was enjoying the meal but I guess life is happening… I prayed that my friend is eating well and resting. 

These butter rolls were made by my husband on Thanksgiving Day. This recipe was featured on 2011 November issue of Fine Cooking magazine by Peter Reinhart.

Ingredients for 18 rolls

• 1-1/2 cups whole mild; more as needed
• 1 packet instant or active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil; more as needed
• 1 oz. (2 Tbs) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 lb. 7 oz. (5-1/4 cups) unbleached bread flour;more as needed
• 2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1 large egg

1. In a small sauce pan, heat the milk until lukewarm (about 95F). Remove from heat and whisk in the yeast until it dissolves.
2. Add the oil and butter - butter may begin to melt, but it’s OK if it doesn’t melt completely.
3. Whisk in the sugar. Let rest until the yeast just begins to float to the surface, about 5 minutes.
4. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine the flour, salt and egg.
5. Add the yeast mixture and mix on low speed until a coarse ball of dough forms, about 1 minute. Let rest for 5 minutes.
6. Replace the paddle attachment with dough hook and mix on medium-low speed until the dough feels soft, supple and pliable, about 3 minutes. It should feel tacky to the touch but not sticky. If the dough is too sticky, add 1 Tbs.flour at a time, kneading to incorporate. If it’s stiff, knead in 1 Tbs.of milk at at time.
7. Rub a little vegetable oil on work surface to create an 8-inch circle and put the dough on this spot. Stretch and fold dough over itself from all four sides to the center crimping it where the folded ends meet to form it into a tight round ball.
8. Put the dough seam side down in a lightly oiled bowl that’s twice the size of the dough. Tightly cover with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
9. Divide into 18 pieces (about 2-1/4 ounces each). Roll out a piece of dough into a 12 inch long rope.
10. Shape the rolls. We shaped these into a loose knot but you can do whatever you’d like.

Bake

• Vegetable oil spray
• 1 large egg
• Poppy seed or sesame seed for garnish (optional)
• 2 baking pans
• Parchment paper

1. Put parchment paper in the baking pan and spray lightly with vegetable oil spray. place the rolls in the pan with a few inches between them to allow the dough to expand. Mist the tops with oil and loosely cover with plastic wrap.
2. Let the rolls continue to rise at room temperature, 20 to 40 minutes.Thoroughly whisk the egg with 1Tbs. water and brush all over each roll. Sprinkle poppy or sesame seeds on the rolls.
3. Heat conventional oven to 400F (convection oven 375F) Position racks in the upper and lower third of the oven.
4. Put the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 6 minutes. Rotate the sheets 180 degrees and swap the placement on the racks. Continue to bake until rolls turn rich golden-brown on top and develop some browning underneath, another 6-8 minutes. Let the rolls cool on the sheets or on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before serving.For my husband, comfort food is bread of any sort. I have different ideas but those were good rolls.

Personal note to my friend- Our prayers are with you and your family. We (オレゴン組み) love you!

It has been cold lately with lots of frost in the mornings.I planted these ornamental potatoes last summer and when I pulled them out there were more potatoes. We debated over whether they were edible or not but in the end we didn’t eat them.

A year

Crab cake

I told my husband a gazillion times that I’m going to quit this food blog thingie since I started a year ago today. Naturally lazy, disorganized and unfocused me don’t always know where I’m headed yet I’m still on this journey. That is hard to believe. I drove my daughter (who helped me start my blog) insane with questions over the phone and I failed to understand the technical side of blogging my husband tried to teach me a hundred times the day before. On a few occasions, after spending 3 hours writing and rewriting stories I lost everything in the cyber world. I called my husband at work, told him it’s an emergency and he needed to come home right away but instead he asked questions like “what did you touch?”. I have no idea really. But the “I didn’t touch anything” answer only got me some sarcastic remark form him. And he didn’t come home right away. Somehow, I learned to be patient with him.

My husband and I love to eat good foods. This food blogging is making us more conscious of what we eat and challenges me to try new recipes always. My husband was a good cook before and he is an awesome cook today. I got many compliments for his cooking- Thank you it was easy!

I made crab cake today because for my very first blog I made crab croquette. I’m celebrating my 1 year anniversary this way. I love crab and all sea foods. Jake’s Famous Crawfish Restaurant offered this fabulous crab cake. I tweaked the recipe a little bit. I really don’t like onion that much so I anal about mincing it super fine.

Ingredients for 6 large patties

• 1 pound crab meat
• 2 cups plain bread crumbs (パン粉）divided.
• 2 ribs celery, finely minced
• 1 small onion, finely minced
• 1 small green bell pepper, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1 egg
• About 1/4 cup mayonnaise-I used Japanese style mayonnaise because I’m out of regular one.
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• About 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• Tatar sauce (optional)

1. Combine crab meat, 1 cup of the bread crumbs, celery, onion, green pepper, dry mustard, Tabasco, egg, mayonnaise, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.
2. Form mixture into 6 1-inch-thick patties. If the mixture won’t hold together, add a bit more mayonnaise.
3. Use remaining 1 cup bread crumbs to coat patties, slightly pressing crumb into patties.
4. Heat about half of 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place three patties in the hot oil and brown. Turn to brown the other side.
5. Keep first batch warm in the oven at 150 to 200 degrees while browning the remaining patties.
6. Start with fresh oil to repeat browning with remaining patties.
7. Serve with tartar sauce or just a squeeze of lemon juice.

Looking back the at the past year, I shared personal thoughts with my readers. The March 11th earthquake, my son’s divorce, my friend‘s passing. Somewhat embarrassing to disclose my feelings but at the same time it helped me to heal.The Strawberry Shortcake post seems to be the most popular one. My favorite part of blogging is to hear that someone saw my post and decided to make it and then tell me that it was delicious. Thank you so much, loyal readers! I don’t know how far I can go but I am still sailing.

There was a lot of frost on the ground when we woke up this morning. I’m afraid that these blueberries might not get ripe…

Thanksgiving

Italian Chocolate-Chestnut torte

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a nice one too. Just that it’s too short considering that preparing the feast takes all day. Thinking about a year when my daughter and her family were here. My grandson was only 4 months old and fit snuggly in his car seat, without doubt he was the most handsome boy in the world. And he still is beautiful with brilliant blue eyes, blonde hair plus killer dimples. Equally beautiful with our free spirited granddaughter we had a great time. This year was just the three of us. I suggested that we should go to a fancy restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner but I got thumbs down from my guys. They want relaxed, football games, left-overs and 3rd helping of pumpkin pie at home.

For this year, we had the usual pumpkin pie and this chocolate chestnut torte. I never made it before. The recipe came from November 2000 Sunset magazine - no surprise, it was Thanksgiving theme, this is actually pastry chef/owner of Pasticceria Rulli in Larkspur, California’s recipe. This relatively simple to make torte needs special ingredients like a jar of chestnuts in syrup so you have to do some planning ahead. I happened to have one in the refrigerator that I had bought for my up-coming cake (Mont Blanc) which I didn't have time to make yet and I almost forgotten it’s existence. Ok sometimes my disorganization brings me some luck. I changed only a tiny part on this recipe. This dessert screams for Autumn and taste like a cousin one-removed from Mont Blanc.Chestnuts in syrup, roasted chestnuts and chestnut puree (just for show… See my last blog)

For crust-use a 9 inch cake pan with removable rim

• 50 vanilla wafer cookies
• 3  Tablespoon butter melted
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon of rum - I used rum flavoring but I think this is optional. Substitute milk or water.

1. Put vanilla wafer cookies in a food processor or blender and whirl until finely ground.
2. Add butter, honey, rum, vanilla and ground cinnamon.
3. Combine using pulse button.
4. Press evenly over bottom and 1 inch up the side of pan. Set it aside.

For cake

• 2 ounce bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup whole-milk or part-skim ricotta cheese
• 4 Tablespoons and 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar. 
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 Tablespoon rum (optional)
• 1/4 cup chestnut flour or all-purpose flour*
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped chestnuts in syrup, drained, or marrons glaces  More whole chestnuts for decoration if desired.

1. In a large microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate in a microwave oven on full power. until soft. stirring every 30 second about 2 minutes.
2. Add mascarpone, ricotta, 4 tablespoons sugar, egg yolks, rum, flour and chopped chestnuts. Stir until well blended.
3. Heat oven to 350 F.
4. In an electric stand mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add  2 tablespoons sugar and continue to beat whites until they hold stiff peaks.
5. Gently fold whites into chocolate/cheese mixture then pour into prepared cookie crust and spread level.
6. Bake until filling is firm when pan is gently shaken and springs back when lightly touched in the center about 30 minutes (20 minutes in a convection oven).
7. Cool on a rack about 20 minutes. Run a knife between cake and pan rim: Remove rim. Let torte cool to room temperature.
8. Decorate with whole chestnuts and powdered sugar. Serve with cream or ice cream.

* A bag of roasted chestnuts sell for 99 cent to $1.29 at the Asian market (See photo). You can chopped them up to use in the cake instead of jar of chestnuts in syrup. Grind them in coffee bean grinder to make light and fluffy, use this as chestnut flour. 

My son is working part time at Best Buy now. He left home a little after 11 PM on Thanksgiving day to do his 12 hour shift on Black Friday starting at midnight. People had already lined up since Wednesday for this spectacular madness I mean, deals to brave cold and rain. I wish I was still young and foolish like that too (not really) - our washer died. TV needs repair, dish washer is on its last leg and my Santa list of a new camera and so on ,,, but we will deal with that later with his employee discount. Hey, I feel lucky and blessed already. This bitter year for my son is nearing an end and he is on the mend.  We’re truly grateful for that and many other blessings.

Going nuts

Chestnut rice/栗ごはん

Peeling chestnuts skin is quite a task. I tried many methods but each is still time consuming and I am not at all amazed. Julia Child must echo my feeling about peeling of chestnuts. She wrote in her book ‘ Mastering the art of French Cooking’ Pg.518 (my only cook book that has no pictures):       

“Chestnuts have an outside shell and bitter inside skin, both of which must be removed before the chestnuts can be used. Peeling off the inside skin is a chore whatever method you adopt”.

I am proud to say I have adopted her method (once). Her proper English threw me off once or twice but I was saved by my dictionary. It was complicated but ‘Satisfactory’

,,,,,Set aside until later any recalcitrant chestnuts.

What is recalcitrant?  Where is my living dictionary (my husband)?

As newly weds, we moved to our first apartment in Oregon from Utah. My husband spotted some huge chestnut trees by the entrance. It seemed that no one cared for these treasures, well, people were careful not to step on the prickly thorns. We were too excited to fuss peeling them. We just boiled them whole, cut them in half  and scooped the insides out with a spoon to eat it. It was a good and lovely time.

Now deep in Autumn, I once again prepared chestnuts for the chestnut rice my husband and I love. Using a simpler method to remove skin which many Japanese are familiar with - I soaked chestnuts in warm water for 1 hour to soften the tough outer skin then using a sharp knife, I started peeling away the thin, clingy skin from each one by one. It took time and almost gave me carpel tunnel syndrome but to us chestnut rice is a symbol of fall and making it once a year is almost our family tradition.

Ingredients

Special equipment - rice cooker

• Chestnuts 400g or about 20 chestnuts Sold in Asian markets or well stocked supermarkets by the pound. I found them in Winco supermarket for better price. 
• Sugar 2-3 Tablespoon
• Sweet rice (もち米）1 rice cooker measurement cup 
• White rice 1 rice cooker measurement cup
• Rice wine (酒） 1 Tablespoon
• Mirin 1 Tablespoon-Seasoned cooking sake wine
• Light soy sauce 1 Tablespoon
• Salt 1 teaspoon
• Kelp  Optional 1x3 sheet

1. Soak chestnuts in warm water for 1 hour. Remove outer skin. Remove inner skin using sharp knife. Wash and pat dry with paper towel.
2. Put all chestnuts in a Zip-Lock bag then add sugar and seal.  Rub the chestnuts with sugar, coating well. Store in freezer for 3 hours.This steps make chestnuts bright yellow.
3. Wash both sweet and white rice. Drain the water and put rice in sieve for 1 hour to rest.
4. Take chestnuts out form freezer and rinse to remove sugar.
5. Put rice in a rice cooker. Add rice wine, mirin, light soy sauce and salt. Pour cold water to line 2 of inner tub.
6. Add chestnuts on top of rice. Lay the kelp on top if you like.
7. Cook rice on regular rice setting.
8. When rice is done, remove kelp then incorporate rice and chestnuts gently.The rice probably needs salt. This natural sea salt was a gift from my son’s friend in Ishigaki, Okinawa. (Oops! cloth is back ward)

After all the chestnuts fiasco, what should I do for the main dish? I search for freezer and found shishamo (smelt) my daughter’s favorite fish. Baked in toaster oven. With steamed broccolini and miso soup. The dinner scene was so so looking. You never know I spent the better part of an afternoon in the kitchen to peel 20 chestnuts. Julia Child’s Puree De Marrons (Chestnuts Puree) requires 8 cups of peeled chestnuts. Holy macaroons!       Luckily, I know the the secret shortcut - Whole Foods! They have chestnut puree in a can!

My next blog I will be making chestnut-chocolate tart using store bought chestnuts. Yummy!

I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!   Dear friends brought this Thanksgiving gift. I ate a few and my son took care of the rest.

The last rose is still standing.

Empty nester?

Natural leaf carpeting my front yard

The Glass is Half Full

Strawberry short cake in a glass

 

What’s up with the parsley?

Opened in 2006, the pastry shop, Cacahouete- Paris is located in my fav city Meguro district in Tokyo, Japan. The owner and  pastry Chef Jerome Quesnel is from France. He studied under the renowned chef Christophe Michalak at the first class Plaza Atene Hotel restaurant in Paris as a su chef and he has numerous awards and achievements. Impressive isn’t it?  He being only 32 years old, makes it even more remarkable. I love his innovative ideas and beautiful cake designs. The shop was hiring staff not too long ago but I‘m sure I’m not qualified for the job. At my age, I’m not eager to do dishes and besides, the commute is impossibly long.

I thought his truffle style dessert is simple and obtainable. I had to stopped by three markets in my search for strawberries though. I understood that strawberry season was over and my husband has high standard for strawberry as well as peaches so he will frown for sure if I make it using bland flavored strawberries. Oh whatever, I ‘m doing it for my blog not for you, I mean AND for you, my sweetheart, うふっ(ha,ha).

Ingredients for strawberry puree

• Strawberries- About 40g for each glass cup You need more strawberries for assembly.

1. Put washed, stemmed  and quartered strawberries in blender or small food processer.
2. Puree until juice-like stage.
3. Add sugar or honey if the taste is not sweet enough. Perhaps 1 or 2 teaspoon .
4. Add a couple drops of red food coloring if you like- I did.
5. Pour in glasses (I used 4 inch high and 4 inch diameter glasses) and freeze for about 40 minutes – shouldn’t be frozen solid.

Ingredients for cake - makes 1 sheet cake/ enough for 6 glasses.

• 4 egg white
• Sugar 125g
• 4 egg yolk - scramble in small bowl
• Cake flour 120g-sifted

1. Heat oven to 360 F. 15x11 rimmed sheet pan line with parchment paper.
2. Put all egg whites in a electric mixing bowl, mix for 30 second on medium speed.
3. Start adding sugar in three parts. Each time make sure that sugar is dissolved. Adjust speed to high and back down to medium to make stiff meringue.
4. Remove bowl from electric mixer stand. Add egg yolk.
5. Using spatula, scrape up from bottom and with a cutting motion blend white and egg yolk.
6. Sprinkle flour on the egg mixture. Fold in carefully so as not to disturb meringue too much
7. Pour batter in  the prepared rimmed cooking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.

Chantilly cream

• Heavy cream 400g
• Granulated sugar 30g

1. Whip heavy cream  and sugar to very soft peaks.

Assembly

Need sliced strawberries ( 2 for each glass), 4-5 Quartered strawberries mixed with honey(optional).2 different color straws.

1. Take the cups with the puree out of the freezer. Cut out circles from the sheet cake the same size as the glasses and make small hole in the middle – donut shape. Put on top of partially frozen puree.
2. Stick the strawberry upright in the side of glass.
3. Insert straws through hole and pipe or spoon in the Chantilly cream.
4. Decorate top with more strawberry and honey mix.

Drink juice thru straw first then use a spoon to eat the rest.

Off season strawberries go bad quickly. I used the rest of strawberries for strawberry croissant french toast. Mascarpone cheese mixed up with little bit of honey as spread, sliced strawberries then whole thing soaked in French toast egg mixture. Melt butter in heated skillet and toast it. It was great yet loaded with fat. I made a salad too so as to not feel terribly awful.

My husband brought in a hanging tomato plant from outside to try to protect it from the cold elements. It is still alive thanks to the heat lamp.He did same thing last year but it didn’t last long. Our granddaughter (then 4) ate the one turning color. Her voice echoed in the high ceiling garage. “It’s red! It’s red!”,,,,I see,,, you know color. Sigh.

This one is a Japanese tomato variety called ‘Odoriko’ direct translation is dancing girl. Small but intense red and flavorful.

Although Autumn is gorgeous around here, it makes me a little melancholic.