Chocolat Fin: Traditional Cakes (2)

The Japan Blog List

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Chibouste or Chiboust, although a very venerable confectionery、 has been the source of much confusion as it was first a cream invented by a French Chef as defined in Wickipedia:
“Crème Chiboust, also called Crème Saint-Honoré, is a crème pâtissière (pastry cream) lightened with whipped cream or stiffly beaten egg whites, originally devised by the French pastry chef Chiboust in Paris around 1846 to fill his Gâteau Saint-Honoré”。
Now, it represents a cake itself. So far (I mean myself)、 the best and more “traditional” version I’ve ever eaten is prepared by Chocolat Fin in Shizuoka. Naturally, this is open to friendly discussion!

A shallow tartelette is first filled with baked/steamed apples and then topped a chiboust cream (as described above). Particularly bothersome as each cake has to be　made individually. I have little liking fおr the cut square versions, a sure sign of sloppy work.
Ｏnce the cake has settled inside its metal mold it will sprinkled with sugar and then “brule” as to form a crisp layer of caramel.
The apples can be soaked in liqueur or perfumed with cinnamon. The Chiboust cream, too, can be enhanced with liqueur and so forth.
Frankly speaking, I have a special admiration for chefs who are ready to spend time preparing such cakes!

Chocolat Fin
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajo Machi, 1-3-7 (2 minutes walk from Shin Shizuoka Center)
Tel. & fax: 054-2516321
Business hours: 10:00~20:00

Also: Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Shin Shizuoka Center, Basement 1F
Tel.: 054-2215878

Shizuoka Cheeses: O-Sashimi Cheese

The Japan Blog List

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

This is the second cheese variety by Fuji Milk Land Co in Fujinomiya City.
The name “O-Sashimi” means that they suggest it to be eaten like Sashimi!

Actually it is easy to cut either into thick or thin slices.
It does go well with soy sauce, and even with a little dash of wasabi.
I also found it tasty on top of a salad, on toasts and of course on pizza. Easy to eat for children, too as salt contents are low, but as an adult makes a perfect snack with beer!

Fuji Milk Land
Milk Land Co. Ltd.
Fujinomiya City, Kami Ide 3690
Tel.: 0544-54-3690

Shizuoka Agricultural Products: “Noen no Megumi” Orange Juice

The Japan Blog List

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Mikkabi area near Hamamatsu City in the estern partof Shizuoka Prefecture has been renown for its oranges, especially for a variety called “Mikkabi Aoshima Mikan”

It is always a special pleasure when you can discover them in the guise of 100% juice produced by local farmers!
Tasting notes:
Natural sweetness. Solid juice (100%). Great natural orange taste.
Both refreshing and satisfying!
Great for children and adults in summer.
Would especially recommend as dessert drink for children lunch boxes!

Noen No Megumi/Mikkabi Aoshima Mikan
Okamoto Mikan “Factory” ATA
hamamatsu City, kita Ku, Mikkabi cho, 276-1
Tel.: 053-524-4155

Le CAFE-LABO: Classical Cakes (1)

The Japan Blog List

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Traditional Cakes are the mainstay of confectionery/Patisserie while Classical Cakes are invented from time to time to stay before they become traditional ckaes themselves.
A typical example is “Pistache” (Pistacchio) as created by LE CAFE-LABO in Shimizu Ku.

After admiring the cake (it certainly deserves it!), you can either savour it layer by layer, one at a time, or cut through it to entertain yourself with the combination of the tastes.
And you certainly have quite a few to review:
from top to bottom:
19 Pistachio Mousse
2)Chocolate Cream
3) Chocolate Mousse
4) Raspberry Sauce
5) Chocolate Crunchy
6) Pistachio Syrup

Enjoy!

LE CAFE-LABO
424-0886 Shizuoka City, Shimizu Ku, Kusanagi, 46
Tel.: 054-3441661
Also available at Isetan Dept. Store, Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Shichiken-Cho

Shizuoka Cheeses: Asagiri Stripe Cheese

The Japan Blog List

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

“Stripe Cheese”, or “sakeru cheese” in Japanese, is a very popular snack in this country.
I have already described one made by Oratche in Kannami.
This one produced by Fuji Milk Land, Milk Land Co. Ltd. in Fujinomiya City on the slopes of Mount Fuji is slightly different.

I would definitely suggest friends to eat it along with a beer as it bites and chews well. The right amount (little in fact) of salt makes it safe to consume aplenty. And it’s fun to see how thin ou can stripe it down!

Fuji Milk Land
Milk Land Co. Ltd.
Fujinomiya City, Kami Ide 3690
Tel.: 0544-54-3690

Chocolat Fin: Traditional Cakes (1)

The Japan Blog List

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Japan has seen for quite some time confectioners trying to recreate classics for the sake of originality, and most of the time out of sheer conceit.
Therefore, it is reassuring that some still keep making cakes as they should be, regardless of of fashion and ephemerous fads.
One such place is Chocolat Fin in Shizuoka City:

Their chou a la creme or “chou cream” for the Japanese contains only creme patissiere/custard cream with the right touch of brandy. Not an undescript puff full of whipped cream and I don’t know what.

Their eclair mocha lokks like the real article. The pastry is covered with a delicious mocha icing.

And once again a bite will reveal custard added with the right amount of mocha and a touch of brandy.

Why do people have to demonstrate their skills with unnamable contraptions?

Chocolat Fin
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajo Machi, 1-3-7 (2 minutes walk from Shin Shizuoka Center)
Tel. & fax: 054-2516321
Business hours: 10:00~20:00

Also: Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Shin Shizuoka Center, Basement 1F
Tel.: 054-2215878

Shizuoka Wasabi: An encounter with a great Chef!

The Japan Blog List

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

I have recently had the pleasure to make a new friend, namely Dominique Corby, a great French Chef who learned his craft at the Tour d’Argent in Paris, among others, before coming to Japan to look after the kitchen of the Sakura Restaurant in the New Otani Hotel in Osaka and of the 6eme Sens in Tokyo.

Dominique is a chef always looking for fresh seasonal natural ingredients for his cuisine which is resolutely a marriage of Japanese and French culinary traditions.
As he recently wrote a post on his blog on wasabi, I took the opportunity to send him a few samples of fresh wasabi grown in Shizuoka City, Utogi, Abe River for the simple pleasure of introducing him to one our great products in Shizuoka Prefecture.

They were almost one metre-high full with stems and leaves (all edible) and freshly uprooted in the very morning (I sent them by cool box just before lunch to reach him just in Osaka just before lunch the next day).
Dominique and his staff appreciated them to the point that a dish was created for the benefit of some customers on the very day.
See above picture. Dominique described it as follows:
-”sur une feuille et tiges de Wasabi, Sawara et Agi abute, kogomi,wasabina, nobiru, mousse de lait au wasabi fraîchement râpée, petite réduction de jus de homard”
-”on a wasabi leaf and stems, sawara and aji abute (grilled large mackerel variety and saurel), kogomi (young ferns), wasabina (a kind of Japanese lettuce), nobiru ( a kind of wild garlic), freshly grated wasabi milk mousse, reduced lobster juice.

A great compliment to a great product by a great chef!

Today’s bento/Lunch Box (10)

The Japan Blog List

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Thursday is not a usual day for my Bento Lunch as this is the Missus’ free day of the week. But as she had to visit the family, she asked me to eat the office. Mind you, I don’t complain as it in fact allows more time for my own.

As we have planned to go to the movies this evening, she prepared a hearty lunch to last me until after the flicks (I wonder where she plans to go after that?). Even a hungry high school kid should have been satisfied with it!
The main dish is “dry curry” (a Japanese misnomer if there was one!) made up with canned tuna and beans enhanced by onions, all fried together with curry paste and what else. On top she “sprinkled” some soft-boiled egg with Italian parsley from our balcony (the parsley, not the egg!). Very tasty, actually.

As for “salad”, on a bed of cress she placed chicory leaves with ham, mini tomatoes, carrots and orange.
I used the wasabi dressing in the office fridge for seasoning.
I surely need no more food until after the movie theatre!

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter

The Japan Blog List

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin 2008 #11

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

The Golden Week holiday is set to begin in Japan and we are kicking it off with the release of two of our staple spring seasonal beers: Four Sisters Spring Bock and Daidai Dark Wheat Ale.

(1) Four Sisters Spring Bock (ABV 6.0%):

Baird Four Sisters Spring Bock is brewed in the spirit of a German Maibock, albeit one of the type that was brewed centuries ago in the city of Einbeck and that was noted for its generous use of malted wheat. Four Sisters Spring Bock sports a deep copper-gold color and enjoys a sweet floral nose from aroma additions of Sterling hops. In the mouth, a rich malty flavor will introduce itself before quickly giving way to an extremely smooth, dry finish in which a hint of
honeyed-malt flavor and estery alcohol character lingers.

(2) Daidai Dark Wheat Ale (ABV 5.0%):

This is a wonderfully unique fruit ale that combines the spriteness of malted wheat, the richness and depth of roasted specialty malts (caramel wheat and chocolate wheat), and the fantastically spicy-minty aroma and citrusy flavor of Japanese Daidai fruit (courtesy of additions of freshly squeezed Daidai juice and shaved peels). This original ale epitomizes our brewers’ proud commitment to creativity and innovation in the crafting of beer!

Both ales are now being served at the Fishmarket Taproom in Numazu. They will be available at fine Baird Beer retailers throughout Japan, as well as at our online store, beginning Wednesday, April 30 (bottle size 633 ml).

Crafting fine beer is a privilege and a joy. Good brewers pursue a career in this profession out of love and the promise of internal satisfaction. At times, though, external recognition is important too. The greatest form of peer recognition in craft brewing comes with the awarding of medals at the semi-annual World Beer Cup competition. Baird Brewing is thrilled to be part of a strong Japan contingent that, collectively, took home ten medals from this prestigious competition. We were awarded bronze medals for two of our beers: Big Red Machine Fall Classic Ale (unfiltered/cellared category) and Nide Beer - The Ale (cream ale/lager category). Both of these ales will be available for purchase at our online store (reserves of the Big Red Machine Fall Classic Ale are extremely limited).

It is now definite; the grand opening of our Nakameguro Taproom will occur on Saturday, May 10. Beginning May 10, the Nakameguro Taproom will be open everyday from 11:30 am to 11:30 pm. The location is the Nakameguro GT Plaza (2nd floor) situated right next to bustling Nakameguro station (Toyoko and Hibiya lines) (Tel. 03-5768-3025). Please help us to make this a smashing new contribution to the increasingly vibrant culture of craft beer in Tokyo.

Finally, a remainder: the business hours for the Fishmarket Taproom during Golden Week will be as follows:

-Open from noon to midnight on Tuesday, April 29; Open as normal (5:00 pm to
midnight) Wednesday-Friday (April 30-May 2)
-Open from noon to midnight Saturday-Tuesday (May 3-6)
-Closed for business on Wednesday, May 7

Cheers!
Bryan Baird
HOMEPAGE

Simple Recipe: Seafood Souffle

The Japan Blog List

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

As explained before, souffle is not that complicated.
There are simple rules to follow though:
-Get all your ingredients ready within reach first.
-Souffle must be savoured as soon as it comes out of the oven. As the adage says, “The guests wait for the souffle; the souffle does not wait for the guests!”.
It is another way to eat seafod in season and it’s a favourite when Spring and Autumn nights are still cool or cold. Of course it is a great dish in winter as it will warm up your guests or family!
Ingredients can be easy replaced according to season or supply. The spices indicated are basic and also open to imagination!

Ingredients (large portions for 2 persons)
-Eggs:5
Separate yolks from whites. Keep yolks in a small dish. Pour the whites into a large bowl with a pinch of salt.
-Milk: 1 cup/200 cc
-Butter: 50 grams
-Flour: 70 grams/2 large tablespoons
-Salt, pepper, nutmeg, thyme (powder) to taste.
-Olive oil: 1 large tablespoon
-Oysters: 12 out of their shells in a small strainer to allow excess water out.
-Mussles: 24 large shells bushed and cleaned under running water.
-Crab: 1 small tin. If fresh, a “fistful” slightly boiled or steamed).
-Shallots: 1 large, thinly chopped
-Garlic: 1 clove, thinly chopped
-Noilly or sweet white wine: 1 glass/50cc/a quarter cup
-Thinly chopped fresh herbs (Italian parsley, basil, etc.): 1 “fistful”.

Recipe:
1) Pour oil into a deep non-stick frypan over a medium high fire. Cook shallots and garic until shallots turn transparent. Take care that garlic does not darken.
2) Drop the mussles in. Close with glass lid.
3) When mussles are all open switch off fire and take them out shaking all vegetables and juice out. Delicately separate mussles from their shells. Put aside in a small dish. Discard shells.
4) Switch on ffire again to medium and drop oysters in.
Cook them just long enough for them to stay tender. Switch off fire and take oysters out delicately. Put aside in a small dish.
5) Take crab out of the tin and squeeze out juices into the frying pan.
Put aside in a small dish.
6) Switch on fire again and reduce sauce at least to half. Switch off fire and strain the sauce into a cup. Put aside for white sauce.
7) White sauce:
On a medium fire, in a large deep pot melt butter completely. Drop in all the flour and whisk until smooth. Pour in milk little by little, whiking all the time to attain a smooth sauce. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and thyme, and cup of reduced juices. Mix. Keep stirring gently until sauce is very thick and adheres to the whisker. Switch off fire. Mix in the yolks with whisker until smooth. Drop in fresh herbs and mix well.
Beat the egg whites until very firm
Fold whites into sauce one third at a time with a spatula (if you mix with a whisker, the souffle will not rise. If you pour all the whites at once you will end up with white “blobs” and uncooked liquid yellow sauce).

9) butter the inside of 2 (or more reducing the size) oven dishes about 12 cm across and 7 cm high.
Pour in one layer of sauce on the bottom of each dish.
Place half of the oysters in each dish and cover with one more layer of sauce.
Place half of the mussles on top and cover with one more layer of sauce.
Spread half of the crab in each dish on top of the last layer of sauce and cover the lot with the rest of the sauce.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Cook for 35~45 minutes depending on your oven.
Chck if souffle is ready with a thin stick. It should come out with no sauce attached to it.
Serve immediately!