PREFACE Yamahomo vs. Ladurée (Part 1 & 2) Yamahomo vs. Ladurée (The Battle Continues) Yamahomo vs. Ladurée (Trial 4, 5 & 6) Since winning my Ladurée Battle at Trial #6 two years ago, I haven't made macaron for a while....
Sorry for disappearing for so long since my last post-- had a couple of weeks full of extreme work situations. Having said that, I still bake every weekend, but just haven't have time to post any of it. Since I found the delightful...
This is a whole new level of ReCPY, everyone. I've created many baked goods in the past, but nothing compares to this. I heard Iron Chef had an episode on natto, and Morimoto made some kind of dessert with natto soaked in...
I once saw a recipe on Tastespotting using rice flour instead of regular flour to make muffins. I tried making them and gave them all away, without even try one. The lucky person who tasted it told me I should sell them....
I recently became a permanent resident of this country, and to celebrate my newly acquired freedom, we went to Le Bernardin. Though I know a lot about food, I haven't been to many top-notch restaurants because I end up bitching about its flaws. If you...
Shio koji, or 塩麹 (salted koji) is a going through a major boom in Japan right now. What is it? It is a mix of salt and koji mold. Wiki says, "Koji (Aspergillus oryzae) is a mold used in Chinese and Japanese cuisine to ferment soybeans. It is also used in the making...
Sorry for my long absence. I've been quite busy, as we were preparing to move into a new apartment, so cooking time for me was pretty limited for a while. Now I am finally settled (well, after a day), and I am ready to start...
In Japan, everything is made easy for busy housewives who have to raise kids, clean the house, yet also have to cook and make dessert. You throw things in a microwave and five minutes later, you can a serve main course to your hungry kids and...
My most recent obsession is making anko (sweet bean paste) from scratch. As I wrote in my strawberry daifuku post a couple of weeks ago, using bean paste as dessert doesn't really exist in the west. But I am trying to find ways to...
Not that I've ever beaten anyone up, but I think macaron-making is somewhat similar to the mentality of a wifebeater's wife. You get so fed up with the multiple failures, from all the physical and mental abuse, and you want to leave him, but when you are...
I've been reading on many Japanese blogs that people are stuffing sticky rice inside a whole chicken, which absorbs all the good stuff from the bird, and makes a very nice sticky rice accompanying a perfectly roasted bird. I was going to roast the whole bird, but...
Japan is filled with weird desserts. A lot of influence comes from the west, but we somehow incorporate Japan-ness into western desserts. For example, castella came from Portugal and somehow the recipe changed a bit and one of the ingredients now is mirin (sweet sake)....
Congrats to UM for being around for five years! I still remember my first post on Peking duck back in 2007 (after constant harassment from Kayoko...
One of my favorite restaurants is Kajitsu, as I've written a couple of awesome reviews about the place. Chef Nishihara is simply a genius. His creativity and flavoring, using only vegetables (it's a vegan/shojin restaurant), is just amazing. I saw an article in last week's...
I had the privilege to fly first class to Japan. Don't ask me why, let's just say I am a lucky person. Don't judge me, I am only doing this to show how things are being done up there. Don't we all wonder how the privileged few have luxurious full...
Happy New Year! I can't believe the holiday season passed so quickly, and now we are in 2012. Soon we will be bitching about the hot summer. I was in Japan for the holidays, and had quite a few good food moments. I am really thankful to...
I made vanilla extract for holiday gifts, using vanilla beans that I bought on Valencia Street in the Mission when I was visiting San Francisco in October. I don't remember the name of where I bought them (it was an ice cream shop), but they have the...
Chicken noodle soup, whatever the reason maybe, is often eaten when we are sick. I have no idea why. I don't think there's any anti-cold medication in it, nor is it medically proven to cure illnesses whatsoever. I guess it's simply the comfort of its...
I was in Miami for Thanksgiving, listening to salsa music while eating turkey, which was great. Last Thanksgiving, I had a steak in Fort Lauderdale, but this year we had a very traditional Thanksgiving meal, with nontraditional music accompaniment. Since Thanksgiving Day's meal looks the same no...
I think I've cooked turkey for the past 13 years or so. I am slowly starting to break that tradition. Why? A.) I don't like turkey, it is are too gamey for me. B.) It takes up too much space in the fridge, in the oven,...
