sanrensho

Just because heavy desserts aren't "traditional" ways to end a meal in many Asian countries, does not mean that you have to exclude these types of desserts. I would look to what your guests are expecting. You could do anything from a Japanese souffle cheesecake to a panna cotta or layered cake (as well as the usual ices/sorbets/ice creams), depending on what your guests want. Flavor as desired, based on the theme of the rest of your ingredients.

Maybe these are what your friend is referring to? Chocolate covered Belgian waffles. They are fairly common as a packaged snack. http://www.biscoff.com/gourmet/shop?method...buy&itemid=0408

I sometimes use the German Oetker and RUF backpulver baking powders. Are they not widely available in Switzerland?

You can find everything you need to know about rooibos by doing a Google search. However, I will say that studies indicate that you should brew (steep) the tea for 10 minutes or more to maximize the antioxidants. With rooibos, long steep times don't produce extra bitterness.

For jasmine rice, try a ratio of 1 to 0.8 (or 0.9) water. This is based on pre-soaking the rice for at least 30 minutes. I prefer my rice to have a bit of bite. In my experience, a 1:1.5 ratio is way too much water and will produce mush. My usual stovetop method for long grain rice is bring to a boil covered, turn to low, and cook for another 20 minutes. (If the rice is too chewy at this point, add a little more water and cook until absorbed.) Turn off heat and serve. I never uncover at any point during the cooking process, just like in an electric rice cooker.

Thanks so much for offering. I think I'll be OK, as long as my trip to Japan this year pans out (crosses fingers).

Hi Rona, and Happy New Year. I'm enjoying this blog a lot, especially the dessert photos. Coincidentally, I made two roll cakes (matcha biscuit w/azuki mascarpone cream, macha biscuit w/macha mascarpone cream and ama natto) for a New Year's Eve party that we had a few days ago. So the matcha liqueur that you sent me is being put to good use. My wife occasionally gets the purple beans sent to us from her parents. She boils and braises them much in the same way as the kuro mame that are omnipresent in Japan during Oshogatsu. The flavor and texture is excellent, IMO.

I learned that baking all of the bread for a family of four is doable and even fun. And that baking bread is a lot easier on the waistline than the pastry/cake side of things. (I also learned that I need something more than my wimpy 350W KA. Kitchenaid 600 Pro, here I come!)

Excellent post, and I absolutely agree that a DSLR gives a different level of control over depth of field, among other advantages. I just don't want beginners to come away with the impression that DSLR = Control over depth of field (Point and shoot = No control over DOF).

However, you do not necessarily need a DSLR to control depth of field. You simple need a camera, either point and shoot or DSLR, with manual controls and the ability to shoot in aperture priority mode. An example of a point and shoot camera with aperture priority mode (and full shutter/aperture manual control) is the Canon PowerShot A570IS, which is available for the paltry sum of around US$150 or cheaper. Yes, own this camera and would recommend it someone on a budget (and not concerned about small form factor).

Same here, I've never had a problem whipping frozen egg whites. I usually freeze them in baggies, 5-6 whites at a time.

Why not just freeze the egg whites and use them later at your leisure?

While I'm certain it's too late, freeze-dried strawberries can also be ordered from Cuoca. http://www.cuoca.com/item/72013.html http://www.cuoca.com/item/16033.html

I also don't consider butter ramen to be "fusion," nor do I find it to be the least bit odd in the context of food in Japan. If butter ramen is "fusion," then you could say the same about a lot of common foods eaten in Japan. I'm not sure what "these cuisines" refers to, but dairy is a huge part of the Japanese diet, so it's entirely natural to find dishes with dairy products in them. Who are we to define what the Japanese (or Koreans, or Chinese) eat? At least as far as Japan is concerned, food is constantly evolving and will continue to evolve, with both successes and disappointments along the way.

Are you serious? That is the funniest thing I have ever heard. And this was from a native English speaker?

I have to wonder about the effectiveness of the cards. Personally, I think there is no substitute for having a native speaker there to reinforce the seriousness of the issue, AND to make sure that your needs are being taken seriously and properly conveyed to the kitchen. A native speaker gives you a much better chance of accomplishing the above. I can't help but think that some restaurants won't take your needs seriously enough, since they tend to be less used to accommodating special needs/requirements. I don't think you need a tour guide, but a dinner companion/friend would be a good idea for your major meals, and could also enhance your overall dining experience.

Did you steam the oven? I would guess that the steam isn't reaching part of the oven, hence the uneven oven spring. Looks good!

There is some merit in setting up a separate account specifically just for recipes. The only disadvantage would be having to fire up another browser in order to have both my regular Gmail and recipe Gmail accounts open simultaneously. Another advantage of Gmail is its strong indexing and search engine. I can instantly narrow down recipes by ingredients, for example. As part of the shift to Gmail, I've also tried to cut down drastically on recipe clippings, photocopies and printouts. If I like a recipe enough after making it, I'll take a few minutes to type into Gmail (except recipes I already have in books). Since my computer is next to the kitchen, I no longer print out recipes and just read them from the screen. The fact is, despite the reams of loose recipes I have, I will only make a fraction of them, so I need to do a better job of weeding out the recipes that I will actually use. EDITED TO ADD: Although Gmail users may already by familiar with this, I would suggest only sparing use of Drafts to save partially written notes. The reason for this is that it takes only one click to delete all of your saved Drafts...forever! Err....not that I have ever done this.

Roasted with S&P, just like the infamous Egullet roasted cauliflower. I also like them blanched and pan-fried in a generous amount of butter and garlic. Both my young girls LOVE brussel sprouts, but I remember hating them as a kid.

They're often called foam cakes.

I've started to use Gmail for keeping all my recipes, including links to recipes I want to try or have used in the past. Since Gmail organizes messages as conversations (similar to threads), it works perfectly for developing versions of recipes. There is also the added benefit of having my recipes stored off-site, and accessible from anywhere with an Internet connection.

Thanks, I'll look out for it next time!

Bang for buck, I would also recommend a Made in Japan santoku knife (as opposed to a Japanese-style knife made in another country), like the Kai Pure Komachi knife that CaliPoutine linked to. These are much sharper than a comparable Henckels knife, and only require a few swipes on a stone to bring back the edge. In fact, a Kai Pure Komachi will probably be the first knife I buy for my daughter, but I'm worried that it's actually *too* sharp for her until she gets a few years older.

Congee/jook for sure.

Thanks. So the other one you are referring to is a drink, and this one is more like a savory soup? Sounds similar to congee without the rice. Is there a name for it, so I can try ordering it sometime? Yet another reason to choose unadultered, unsweetened soy milk! (I keep some simple syrup around for when I want to drink it sweetened.)