Valentine's Cupcakes

What better way to win over your sweetheart than with something yummy? My sister and I made red velvet cupcakes with a pink cream cheese icing. It couldn't be easier to make and the colors are just perfect! Top it all off with a cute cake pick, and you're ready to give it to your sweetie! (If Anti-Valentine's Day is more your style, I suggest dyeing the frosting black instead of pink!)

Black Sesame Cream

black sesame cream-filled dorayaki
Something about black sesame cream sounds so delicious to me. Toasted sesame seeds, with their light nutty taste, mixed in a silky buttercream... Mmmmmmmm... I have seen black sesame seeds used more frequently lately, especially into the American foodie diet. They flavor macarons, dorayaki, ice cream, pudding, and many more lovely treats. This is my next food project. It will be even better if I can get all natural/organic ingredients. I think it's doable. ^_^

Dango Ideas

Traditional dango. If you've had it, you know it's chewy and yummy in its simplicity. The traditional sauce for kushi dango is a sweet and salty soy sauce-based sauce. But I've been thinking: How can I make dango different? I've been contemplating adding fruit or other flavors to change the typical dango up a bit. Food grade flavorings would probably be a good solution to add a lot of flavor without a lot of liquid. If we're looking into natural flavorings though, citrus zests and vanilla bean/extract, among others, are other good choices for not adding too much extra liquid to the mix. Then there's the thought of replacing some or all of the water with juice or flower water (such as rose water). And then, instead of using the traditional sauce, coat it with a simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar) or roll in sugar.

Ah, I see cavities in my future.

Tea Sweets: Wagashi

I have been doing a little research on the internet about higashi, dry sweets served with thin tea (usucha), after reading more books about tea ceremony lately. I have had the pleasure to try these little sweets during a tea ceremony demonstration at the annual Japanese festival at Memphis Botanical Gardens this past September. Higashi are made of a special type of sugar called wasanbon and pressed into molds. According to most sites I viewed, they almost impossible to get or make. My response to that is this: Rakuten. I typed "wasanbon" in the search box and a bunch of higashi came up, as well as wasanbon itself, of course. They range from the simple dome shape to elaborate flowers and shapes. The higashi range from about ¥525 (about $6.25) and up, depending on the variety and amount you buy. If you are feeling adventurous, you can try this recipe using either traditional Japanese molds (available at tea-passage.com) or plastic candy molds.

Namagashi, on the other hand, are a little different. These are wet sweets served with thick tea (koicha). While namagashi are supposed to be handmade and eaten usually within a day of making, you can easily use store-bought mochi or daifuku for informal situations. Also, recipes are easier to find on the internet if you feel like making some yourself.


And now I'm dying for a tea party. Anyone interested?

(Photos are from jimmie04's Flickr and Japan Foodie.)

Strawberry Macarons

I have had the crazy urge to make macarons since my last failed attempt at them. This time, they actually turned out pretty well! Despite having a few cracked and misshapen ones, most of them looked decent. The recipe I used is a Laduree style recipe.

The biggest hints that I have to give for this recipe are:
1. Once you have made the macaron shapes on the baking sheet, let them sit for about 10-15 minutes. This will help keep them from cracking when baked.
2. Use a clip or rubber band on the end of the pastry bag to keep the batter from coming out.
3. Use a silicon baking mat if you have one. It will help keep the macarons from over-baking.
4. Use the middle rack in the oven only.
5. If you use the strawberry recipe, use 1/2 cup of strawberry preserves in the buttercream rather than the 1/3 cup suggested in the recipe. 1/3 cup just doesn't provide enough strawberry flavor.
6. Use slightly more food coloring than you think you need. The pastry will lighten a little as it bakes.

Good luck if you decide to take the macaron plunge!

Ume & Sake

I just thought that this was a beautiful image and felt like sharing it:

image from kyotofoodie.com

New Layout

After a long four month hiatus due to educational obligations, I will hopefully have some new posts. I did make a new layout which is macaron themed. Apparently, maracons are my new mini obsession. But how couldn't you get obsessed with them?! They're colorful, fun to photograph, and overall DELICIOUS. The only problem is that they are incredibly difficult to make correctly; however, I am bound and determined to get it right someday. I got my sister an "at-home" macaron maker for Christmas, so hopefully she'll like that and let me get involved in the making of them. She and I have been meaning to have a picnic again and keep putting it off, so hopefully when the weather warms up this spring, we'll get to it and make some lovely macarons to bring along!