sanrensho

I'm curious, what answers did they give you? Except for gram measurements for baking, I always see "hon" used for rosemary.

We just received an Epicurean cutting board from a well-meaning friend. This is made from a wood composite. My first tendency is too believe that this board is far too stiff and unforgiving for my motley collection of mostly consumer-grade (read: not expensive) Japanese knives. Right now, our main cutting surface is the large, heavy Ikea "butcher block" cutting board. We're perfectly happy using that combined with some plastic surfaces for the messier jobs. Is the Epicurean board going to dull my knives? Should I discreetly "put it away" in some dark place where other family members can't find it and accidentally use it?

No suggestion on the cookie crumbs, but I've taken cake scraps and placed them between layers of flavored whipped cream in glasses. It turns out much like a tiramisu if you're using a very light cake. (EDITED TO ADD) I suppose this isn't helpful for a pro application like yours (doh).

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, my local Superstore doesn't carry the pistachios.

You wouldn't have had a problem selling that in Japan. Black sesame desserts are everywhere, and not just traditional Japanese sweets. I have to mention this. One of our local Chinese supermarket chains (T&T) sells a black sesame bread. The flavour is quite good, but they must be using a very, very cheap source for their black sesame seeds. Every couple of slices, you will get a piece that has some grit/sand in it. The sensation when that happens is awful beyond words. Oddly, I've never experienced this problem with other products made using black sesame.

Out of curiosity, what is the fat content for the above? Do they come in different fat percentages?

Klary, at this rate, you could write your own book and it would easily be more informative than anything out there!

The sugar should not be necessary, unless you specifically want a sweeter glaze. (There is enough sugar in the chocolate used for the ganache...and the cake itself.) Some ganache recipes do call for corn syrup, but this is more to provide a sheen when set. To get a sweeter glaze, you could also use a sweeter chocolate.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing your pics...as well as a write-up of what you ate.

OK, it wasn't clear to me that you were actively seeking a subsitution.

See post #6 above. Just whiz some regular granulated sugar in your food processor.

RLB = Rose Levy Beranbaum (author of Cake Bible, etc.)

We recently received a box of Sugomori from my wife's parents in Nagano Pref. I guess you could call it fusion wagashi, based on the use of chocolate. Wow, were these good! It's been a long time since I've been really impressed with wagashi, so this was a pleasant surprise. These are simply kimi an enrobed in a thin glaze of white chocolate. They also make seasonal variations with flavoured kimi an, but the basic version was impressive enough. Yum! Now if only I could convince someone to send me some Bunmeida castella...

One option is to refrigerate, if that is possible. Try it. I have some of the RLB Mousseline BC in my fridge right now. At room temp, the (defrosted) BC was very soft, but has set up nicely in the fridge. I'll let others comment on the stability of this recipe, as I haven't tried a lot of other buttercreams.

Thanks for the info and reminder about the sugar. Can't wait to try out some coco mousse and biscuit recipes.

I am sending you a PM, as I believe it would infringe on eGullet's copyright rules if I posted the exact directions.

Thanks for posting this. I really need to explore that site more. The PDF link ("Download recept") gives the recipe in English.

Thank you! I can get this fairly easily, though I've never used it. Is the texture quite different from the Boiron puree? I'm concerned about how the substitution will affect baked goods (genoise/biscuit/joconde).

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I don't have access to any frozen coconut puree. From what I've read, the (Boiron) coconut puree is quite a bit better in flavour than coconut cream/milk. Could someone give me an idea of the consistency of the Boiron coconout puree at room or refrigerated temp? Is it very thick, indicating a lot of pureed solids?

Is there a passable substitute for Boiron coconut puree? I have some mousse/cake recipes that call for coconut puree, but no access to the Boiron product. Since I've never tasted it before, I have no reference point for comparison. The Boiron site indicates that their coconut puree has a 10% sugar content. Is there some combination of coconut milk/cream/extract that would get me close to the flavour of the Boiron puree? Maybe boil it down to concentrate the flavour further (plus 10% sugar)? I would welcome any suggestions, especially if you know what the Boiron coconut puree tastes like. Thanks. -Kenji

Tin Drum is one of my favourite all-time books. And I love eel.

You're doing an excellent job of convincing me not to pursue this quest any further. Have you ever tried jellied eels?

Looks great! What is the fruit (?) that is dotting the clear glaze?

Korean nori is really an entirely different animal from any Japanese nori. In addition to the sesame oil and sea salt, the nori itself tends to be lacy. This stuff is highly addictive and heavenly when wrapped around a moderate portion of perfectly hot, steaming short grain rice. I could easily make a meal out of a bowl of rice and a stack of Korean nori. We usually buy multi-packs in large squares (like Japanese nori), which you can find at any Korean grocery. I would guess that the Chinese nori is intended as a low cost option to Japanese nori. We usually buy the Japanese stuff, so I can't compare in terms of taste or flavour. -Kenji

I recently saw a fascinating documentary on the tradition of Pie & Mash shops in the East End of London. This was a documentary produced by NHK, the Japanese equivalent of CBC. Well, my interest is now piqued. I've never had pie & mash w/liquor, stewed eel, or eel pie. Is there anywhere in Vancouver that serves these? Thanks. -Kenji