sanrensho

Good call on the thickness. If you really want to feel like a (happy) kid, get it unsliced next time and make the deluxe version of honey toast. Involves some minor knife work and may take some trial-and-error to perfect. I've only made it once before. Warning: Honey toast porn

I second that emotion (minus the milk part--lactose intolerance). The pullman bread must be sliced at least 3 cm thick, and it must be white. Some Japanese cafes also serve a honey toast version drizzled with honey so that it soaks into the buttered toast. How thick is Kei's slicing their white bread? Or is it not pre-sliced?

Isn't this essentially a curry-flavored cream stew (or cream stew with some curry spices, if you prefer)? Versions of which have been around forever? Am I missing something here?

The candied peel will freeze fine. I have some sitting in the freezer right now.

Was it round, was it square, did it have an imprint? Was it a layer cake or shaped like a bun? Was it a traditional dessert or a modern dessert?

Those look great. I take it the date filling is buzzed in a food processor? Same with the dough?

My guess is that bakkari tabe has existed since the beginning of time among children. As I mentioned, my kids do it too and I bet I did as well when I was little. I think it partly has to do with a black-white fixation on liking or disliking certain parts of a meal. My daughter usually explains it as "wanting to eat the best stuff last." Also, I think kids just plain have a tendency to get fixated on one thing. I believe this type of eating also occurs with individuals (adults) that have obsessive disorders. I see it as being quite common with children and something that most grow out of. Let's compare notes in about 10-15 years.

Isn't this something that just occurs among kids? My girls do it too, but I assume they'll grow out of it. Hiroyuki, are you saying that your generation never did this when they were kids?

I'd say caramelize slices of raw bananas with a torch, so they still retain their original texture.

I was actually thinking wholesale pricing rather than free supplies. I would think that's the least they could do.

Since this is for fundraising purposes, why not go ahead and phone the actual head offices of the manufacturers (Bernardin, etc.)? Tell them that you need the supplies for church fundraising and ask them to put you in touch with a distributor, preferably one that is hign on the chain. Hopefully, you can continue to use this source for future fundraisers. Good luck!

I've been meaning to make this recipe for quite some time. I finally made it yesterday as per Patrick's adjustments, with double the juice but not quite double the zest. I did reduce the sugar by about two tablespoons. Moistness and sweetness is just about perfect, and also quite sliceable as you mention. This is a perfect "summer" cake, very light and good on its own. The great thing about chiffon cakes is being able to eat multiple large slices of cake without it feeling too heavy.

Blend it to an acceptable percentage with whatever non-brown rice you enjoy. As the saying goes, life is too short...

Or grapes, as sour as possible. I've never seen so much finger pointing between teams (during the race).

Doesn't sound like a stretch to me. I've mentioned before that I like to squirt lemon juice (acid-vinegar) on my natto and some chopped negi or green onions works fine with natto. I'd be much more hesitant to add oil (from the dressing?) to natto.

^^^Thanks for the tips, Helen. Never had shungiku as ohitashi before, I'll have to try it sometime.

Thanks Helen and Hiroyuki. We're talking "mild climate, good sun, sow-and-leave-it care." For my intended uses (ohitashi, etc.) I gather my best bets are: mizuna, komatsuna, mizuna, suizenjina, tsuruna, tsuru murasaki, and shiroza. I can't recall having shungiku as ohitashi. Aside from the mizuna, are any of the others in this list fairly bitter? If it's too bitter, my kids won't eat it and we're back to square one (boring old spinach). It's been a long time since I had any of these greens, including some I've never tried. Except for shungiku, none are available to me locally. EDITED TO ADD: For anybody else that is interested, here's a Canadian link on growing edible greens including a few Japanese greens (shungiku and tsuruna/New Zealand spinach). http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/CPLV_3.htm

Maxmillan, I'd appreciate it if you could keep us updated on what you've found in Richmond. We won't be heading out to pick blueberries for a few weeks yet, but it would be nice to keep a tab on things. Thanks.

^^^Thanks, Hiroyuki. Helen and Hiroyuki, do you have any recommendations for Japanese leaf greens (not lettuces) that are prolific producers? I'm think along the lines of spinach and other greens for ohitashi. This would be for a mild coastal climate (west coast of Canada). Thanks in advance!

I wouldn't say a santoku is a hybrid between a Chinese cleaver and a chef's knife. I would just call it a short/wide general purpose knife. I don't know the history behind the santoku, but it is certainly the most common blade style found in a typical Japanese household. At least in my experience. The typical short length of a santoku makes it very accessible to non-pros.

Great photos as usual, Austin. I may not always post, but I'm certainly enjoying your threads and look forward to more. Any chance of a recipe/instructions for the laap khua?

How is the taste compared with regular spinach, and is it a prolific producer? I may have to ask my wife to pick up some seeds for me.

My friend just went blueberry picking on No. 6 Rd. last week. She said that there was one place open (sprayed) for U-pick, but the blueberries were pretty small and there wasn't much to pick. In the past, we've always gone blueberry picking in Richmond around late August, so I think it might still be early. I also asked about non-spray farmers and she recalls that there are two of them on No. 6 Rd. One wasn't open for U-pick yet, and the other only had blueberries for sale. Also, remember that you don't necessarily have to go to the places that advertise U-pick. Sometimes the farmers are happy to have somebody picking their bushes, considering the labour shortages. It doesn't hurt to pull into the driveway and ask.

Sorry, I didn't realize in the other thread you were talking about Korean perilla. As I recall, the leaves are a bit tougher so wrapping might be a good idea.

Judging from the photos, it looks like you got the Korean perilla. (I don't know what it's called in Korean.) The Japanese shiso is smaller and the leaves are uniformly green (front and back) or dark purple. The Korean perilla leaves are much larger and have that purplish tint. The aroma is slightly different as well. The Korean perilla seemed less pungent, but it's been awhile since I had some.