Making various Japanese style desserts

[Akiko]

Forgive me if we discussed this and its buried somewhere in the topics... I can't find anything on it.

This is one of my favorite desserts so I was really surprised to find that I don't have a recipe for it. I love cohee zeri, especially the one with a bit of cream on top. Does anyone have a recipe they could share with me?

[torakris]

I looove coffee jelly!

I have never tried it before because my kids don't like it and I can buy it so cheaply anywhere.

This cost me 84yen...

I would love to try a recipe too if anyone has one.

[Hiroyuki]

I usually don't make coffee jelly (have made it only two or three times only in my life), but here's a recipe that I've wanted to try some day:

http://www.flavorcoffee.co.jp/flavor5.html

(Japanese only)

Since I don't have coffee beans suitable for making iced coffee at the moment, however, I decided to make coffee jelly using instant coffee.

Here's what I did:

Ingredients:

3 1/2 heaped teaspoons of instant coffee (Gold Blend)

10 g gelatin

Dissolve instant coffee in a small amount of hot water.

In another container, dissolve gelatin in a small amount of hot water.

Mix them together.

Add cold water so that the mixture amounts to 500 ml.

The gelatin-to-water ratio (10g to 500 ml) is the same as the one in the recipe I provided a link to (13 g to 650 ml).

Put the mixture in a container and let it cool in the fridge.

I cut the resulting jelly into cubes and put some in a coffee cup. I poured some gum syrup and fresh cream.

The texture was about right, but I could use a little more instant coffee to get more coffee flavor.

I wonder if coffee jelly is as popular in England and the United States as it is in Japan...

[Sencha]

I wonder if coffee jelly is as popular in England and the United States as it is in Japan...

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I don't know how things are in England, but in the United States you would likely hear people say, "Coffee jelly? What's that?".

Most Americans just aren't familiar with it yet.

[Akiko]

I wonder if coffee jelly is as popular in England and the United States as it is in Japan...

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I don't know how things are in England, but in the United States you would likely hear people say, "Coffee jelly? What's that?".

Most Americans just aren't familiar with it yet.

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I have never seen it here in the UK.

Hiroyuki, thank you so much for posting that ratio - 10g to 500ml. I'm going to use that and 500 ml of espresso blend coffee and see how it goes.

Is coffee jelly usually made with gelatin? Not kanten? Its been so long, I can't remember whether the texture was that smooth glassy texture that you get with Kanten or wobblier gelatine jelly.

My in-laws are coming over for lunch and they've never been to Japan, the only Japanese food they ever eat is when I make it for them so I'm curious as to how it'll be received!

[Hiroyuki]

Is coffee jelly usually made with gelatin? Not kanten?  Its been so long, I can't remember whether the texture was that smooth glassy texture that you get with Kanten or wobblier gelatine jelly.

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Hmm..., I've never had 'coffee kanten' myself, but I think I would prefer coffee jelly made with gelaine because it's what I grew up with. On the contrary, I can't bring myself to making 'gyuunyu kan' (milk kanten) with gelatin.

[helenjp]

I've made coffee jelly often, but never thought of using a recipe. I dug through my files and found coffee mousse jellies and coffee tapioca jellies and crushed coffee ice with cream poured over it, but no coffee jelly.

Then I ripped open a pack of Ina-aga-A (a new kind of vegetable jelly powder which sets rather like gelatin but is stable at room temperature - it includes both agar and konnyaku powder as well as other starch thickeners). They recommend:

10g Ina-aga-A powder (1 sachet)

12g instant coffee powder (4 15ml tablespoons)

550ml boiling water

70g sugar (8 15ml tablespoons)

That's quite a bit more concentrated than Hiroyuki's coffee.

When I make it, I use a nearly double strength brew of iced coffee, filtered carefully so that it's clear, sweetened to taste, and with a little vanilla extract added. I think it's better a little intense and bitter, with a bit of syrup over it, rather than being very sweet in itself.

Edited January 29, 2006 by helenjp (log)

[therese]

Coffee jelly (or jello/gelatin) non-existent here in the U.S. unless you count the versions you can buy in Japanese markets. I got one a while ago that was single serve portions of the jelly, over which you poured a little packet of coffee creamer liquid. Interesting.

[phaelon56]

Fellow eGullet member Lonnie (who happens to live in my town) invited me over for a Chirstmas get-together this year. She gave me a small jar of coffee jelly that's made by an independent Finger Lakes area (NY wine country) producer who sells through one of the local farm markets.

It's pretty tasty stuff but I'm sure it could be even better made with the right espresso.

[SuzySushi]

I've never used a particular recipe. My method is basically brew about 3 cups of espresso-strength coffee. Sweeten to taste. Meanwhile, soften an envelope of gelatin by sprinking over a small amount (1/2 cup or less) or cold water. Stir the softened gelatin into the hot coffee until completely dissolved. Pour into desired molds and refrigerate until set.

[origamicrane]

no coffee jelly in the uk except in a japanese restaurant and even that is very rare.

i think jelly fell out of favour in the uk a long time ago. A mix of percieved old fashioned dessert and mad cow gelatine by products.

But personally i love it i have made both gelatine and kanten

the gelatine has a nicer texture as teh kanten just disintergrates in your mouth.

never really used a recipe just made a double strength cup of coffee and enough sugar to just make it sweet and a packet of gelatine. I use sugar syrup and condensed milk as toppings so the jelly itself doesn't have to be so sweet.

[melonpan]

while looking at other things, happened to bump into this.

<a href="http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2006/01/27/shf15/">chai jelly</a>

heh.

[helenjp]

I came across a black tea (oolong tea) jelly in my recipe files too!

I actually made a batch of black coffee jelly, now I'm considering making cut-outs of it and scattering them through a milk coffee jelly...wwill post pix later if I do.

No pix, but double-strength black coffee jelly hearts and stars cut out of firmish jelly in a soft cinnamon/coffee milk jelly...mmm! Think I'll try cardamon next time...

Edited January 30, 2006 by helenjp (log)

[Hiroyuki]

while looking at other things, happened to bump into this.

<a href="http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2006/01/27/shf15/">chai jelly</a>

heh.

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melonpan, the link doesn't work for me.

[OnigiriFB]

I haven't had coffee jelly in ages!!! Oh yum. I have to try and make that. Thanks all. I love eGullet! I'm also just getting into gourmet teas so I think I might try some experiments on using my teas. hrm.....

[aznsailorboi]

Hello guys, first time posting here in the Japan rooms.

My significant other just mentioned this to me last night.... Plum Wine Cake, anybody ever heard of this one? or has a recipe for it? I want to do this as a surprise....dunno what kind of memories it might conjure...but what the hell! im intrigued by it too.....soooo if anyone is kind enough to share some plum wine cake knowledge, that would be awesome!!!! thnks guys!

[sanrensho]

I did a quick Google search and the recipes I parsed through seemed to be pound cakes (1:1:1 sugar/flour/butter) with umeshu (plum wine) added as a soaking syrup.

I think you could very easily adapt any pound cake recipe by adding chopped soaked plums. Soak afterward with a simple syrup made from the umeshu liquid.

[aznsailorboi]

I did a quick Google search and the recipes I parsed through seemed to be pound cakes (1:1:1 sugar/flour/butter) with umeshu (plum wine) added as a soaking syrup.

I think you could very easily adapt any pound cake recipe by adding chopped soaked plums. Soak afterward with a simple syrup made from the umeshu liquid.

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hmm thats what i though myself........umeshu is the red sweet/sour wine?

[sanrensho]

hmm thats what i though myself........umeshu is the red sweet/sour wine?

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It's pretty sweet. The color is more yellowish/green. This is the brand I'm most familiar with (Choya):

http://www.choya.co.jp/products/umeshu/kishu/

Edited March 9, 2006 by sanrensho (log)

[_john]

I second sanrensho. All the Japanese recipes I read were standard pound cakes that had chopped plums from the plum wine added into the batter, as well as some plum wine. Then they were brushed with plum wine after they had cooled. I think Choya plum wine will be the only one you can easily find that has the plums in the bottom of the plum wine. Good luck!

[helenjp]

What they said - pound cake, with the preserved green plums added to the batter.

[sanrensho]

Aznsailorboi, feel free to experiment with Becca Porter's recipe in the Pound Cake thread. And don't forget to let us know how it works out.

[Hiroyuki]

As I suggested somewhere else, 'plum wine' is a misnomer because 'umeshu' is merely a combination of Japanese plums (ume), white liquor, and sugar (usually koori zatou).

[aznsailorboi]

is the green plums incorporated in the batter fresh plums? or preserved plums?

[sanrensho]

is the green plums incorporated in the batter fresh plums? or preserved plums?

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The green plums are from the umeshu. Click on the Choya link I provided and you will clearly see the plums at the bottom of the tall cylindrical bottle.

Chop up the plums before adding to batter.