sanrensho

The coffee from your moka pot will be stronger than most drip or French press coffee. As the sole coffee drinker in your household, I recommend the 3-cup pot. However, you will probably end up with both pots if you entertain guests at all.

Megan, that occurred to me as well, but the NY Times article states that the trademark is for "Mille Crepes." -Kenji

I'm not a pro, but as a consumer, the above strikes me as excellent advice. For instance, we have two local papers that run featured recipes from restaurants or notable figures. Getting featured there would be excellent marketing. I really think you only need one or two recipes to give out. You could also "dumb down" or simplify one of your recipes under the pretense that the ingredients or equipment are not found in the average pantry (or the technique is beyond the average home ingredient). As a consumer, I would not feel mislead as long as it is clearly stated upfront that the recipe has been simplified for home use or better results in a home setting. If someone asks for a different recipe, you could refer them to one of your giveaway recipes under the pretense that it has been "tried and tested" for home use. As a consumer, though, I find it hard to understand how people could walk up to a pastry chef and ask them to give away their recipes. I would feel uncomfortable doing this. The farthest I would go would be to ask about ingredients or method.

The ikura (cod roe) pizza definitely looks intriguing. This sounds like a winning combination with the saltiness of the ikura in place of, say, anchovies, combined with the putsu putsu quality of ikura as they burst in your mouth.

Doh! The white tint from the flash threw me off.

Sorry, but food is always open to interpretation. I would only be worried if Pizza Hut were endangering the existence of true authentic Italian pizza. As it is, the authentic goods will continue to exist and be respected and enjoyed by people who care. Believe me, I like my pizza as straight as possible, but I certainly don't confuse fast food pizza with the real thing, nor Japanese Pizza Hut with the authentic Italian version. IMO, this conversation (authentic vs. "bastardized" food) does not belong in this thread.

Bastardized? It's simply a different food and should be considered on its own merits. If there we laws againt "bastardizing" foods, then there would little incentive to be creative. Homogeneity in food is not necessarily a good thing.

Wow, great work. I'm envious. What is the topping on the pear tart? It appears white in the photo.

Unless it's for commercial purposes, I don't see any problem with using the name "mille crepes." It's a freaking common noun in Japan, for crying out loud! (Frustration directed at the company that filed the trademark, not Megan or anyone else.)

Great pics. I wish I had been there. Lorna, I have to ask: What did you have for a snack/meal after feasting on chocolate for 4 hours straight? I'm assuming you also had a full meal before the soiree?

Personally, I'm appalled that they decided to trademark the name, especially since they had nothing to do with its invention.

Joe, as I mentioned to you in my PM, I think this service sounds very promising and fills a void. I'm not a baking professional, but I would definitely be interested in PCG and other Japanese publications at this price level--translated or otherwise. Good luck with your venture!

Same name, but the pronunciation in Japanese is Miiru Kureepu (from the French pronunciation).

I don't know if this is helpful, but here's a link to a Google image search using "Mille Crepes" in Japanese. You should be able to identify the pro examples fairly easily. Incidentally, the search turns up 2,900 hits (vs. 21 in English), which gives you an idea of how popular this dessert is in Japan. http://images.google.ca/images?q=%E3%83%9F...100&sa=N&tab=wi Megan, your photos look great. I'm tempted to make a version with strawberry pastry cream as the season draws closer...

In my case, the use of a Thai rice flour was based on directions from the book, which suggested using rice flour available from Asian sources. In your experiments, did you notice the same "rice flour" taste that I did?

Very helpful thread, Austin. Thank you for posting this information and especially the photos.

Rick, thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely bookmark them. Update on the trois freres cake: The next day, I found the sponge to have a bit of a powdery aftertaste and the taste of the rice flour was noticeable (to me). The sponge sheet was also fragile (prone to cracking), so it would be a good idea to roll this cake on the day of baking. Oh well, on to the buttercream recipes...

Your welcome. Maybe the book deserves a thread of its own? (There is one other thread HERE, but mostly focusing on pans.) I'm mainly focusing on components, so I plan to try the coffee buttercream and at least a few of the base cake recipes.

Thanks for your comments. If anyone is interested, the recipe came out rather well baked in a half sheet pan. I used a Thai (CORRECTED) rice flour. The finished product is very similar to the usual biscuit roulade recipe I use, maybe a tad sweeter. I did not notice any crunchiness, although the top crust may have been slightly meringue-like. Surprisingly, I could not detect the taste of rice flour, although I haven't done a direct comparison. The cake also rolls well, so it has been turned into a roulade fillled with walnuts and mascarpone dulce de luche cream. I like the recipe enough to try a chocolate version and some other variations.

Puccaland, as a point of reference, could you please post some links (if any) to what you would consider everyday, neighborhood ("non-trendy") patisseries in Paris? I'd be interested in seeing what most of the French population eats outside of the well-known boutiques.

This seems like a hopeless generalization. While it is certainly true that some things are better made at home or purchased through "common" outlets, it is equally true that other things are best made by purveyors at the top of their game. For instance, I would not want to compare a homemade kasutera cake, or even cheap supermarket kasutera, against some of the top brands in Japan. In this case, the high-end brand is certainly more representative of the product and recognized by the general population as the "standard." In other words, I don't think you can generalize what is more "common" or "representative" except on a case-by-case basis. Regardless, I still find it more interesting to compare top patisseries rather than Western pastries at the bottom or middle end of the spectrum. Besides, it's a pointless comparison to make when discussing Western pastries. Japan has nowhere near the history or tradition of Western pastries, so it is completely unreasonable to expect the same level of quality as in France, except at the upper end of the spectrum. Also, I consider the price issue irrelevant. The plain and simple fact is that living costs are higher in Japan, which extends to the cost of pastries.

Has anybody tried making the Trois Freres (Three Brothers sponge cake) from Healy's Art of the Cake? This recipe calls for using rice flour in place of the usual wheat flour. I'm not familiar with using rice flour in this type of recipe, although I've enjoyed many a Vietnamese baguette made with rice flour. I'm wondering what to expect taste-wise from this recipe. Also, should I expect any problems baking this in a sheet pan? Thanks.

One thing is for sure: As foodies, it is far more interesting to compare the "best" that each country has to offer, rather than to compare different levels of mediocrity. I have yet to see anyone define what is "common" pastry in Japan. What exactly are we talking about? Product sold in chain stores like Fujiya and Cozy Corner? Cakes sold in supermarkets and convenience stores? Product sold in neigbourhood cake shops?

I'll add two of my favorites: daikon salad and yamaimo salad (both cut into matchstick-sized pieces).

Thanks again! -Kenji