What a Month

It's been over a month since I've posted anything. Strangely my blog traffic has been up during that time. I like to think that's because over time I've built up resources and valuable information about Tokyo. Or maybe it's just a mystery. But all of that's beside the point. I'm back and happy to be here. 

John and I went back to the US for two weeks just after I posted my last entry. We had some of the most messed up travel plans I've ever experienced, in both directions. But in spite of the inconvenience good came out of it on each end. Due to flight delays we were given a new itinerary departing Japan which gave us a 12 hour layover in San Francisco. My sister lives nearby so we were able to spend a day with her, eating, hiking, and seeing her new house, before heading on to North Carolina. Then a huge snowstorm snarled flights all along the east coast just as we were supposed to return, giving us another day with John's family.

Since I've been back I've been so busy with everything from mountains of laundry to celebrating my wonderful godson's first birthday. There was lots of baking involved! And then last Friday Raku and I participated in the Women's March in Tokyo. It received appallingly bad coverage in English. Both the attendance and REASON for the march were misreported in the Japan Times. Ugh. I honestly don't want to know what was reported in Japanese. But as frustrating as that was, Raku and I carried beautiful signs and marched in a group of 648 people (when only 100 had been expected) - men and women of many nationalities, sharing our concerns and showing our solidarity with marchers around the world.

North Carolina Snow

I made this!!

Double Birthday Celebration

Tokyo Women's March

Happy November!

I can't believe it's suddenly November! It seems like summer just barely ended and now all of a sudden the sun is setting at 4:45, and it's only five weeks until I'll be going back to the US for Christmas and my mom's wedding.

For the past month (maybe more) my schedule has been funny, and I haven't been doing a very good job of writing (my book or my blog). Maybe sometimes you need fallow periods to keep the creativity going, or maybe that's the biggest lie writers have been passing off for ages. Either way, I'm going to try and make November a productive month.

While I've been busy not writing, I have been filling my time with some fun things. Last weekend John and I had sandwiches from King George in Diakanyama, and they were real honest to goodness sandwiches like we've been missing forever. The service isn't nearly as good as Earl of Sandwich in Akasaka, but the sandwiches made up for it. We celebrated Halloween with a pumpkin pie again this year, since it's the only time they're for sale (and only at costco). And tonight we're having a birthday party for a friend. It's been ages since I've baked anything, but I made him a cake and got all fancy with the decorating.

King George
Hours: 11:30-midnight, last order 11:00 pm, closed Mondays
Phone: 03-6277-5734
Address: 11-13, 2F Daikanyama, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Map

The best turkey sandwich in Tokyo!

The jack-o-lantern looks more like a tomato than a pumpkin

Birthday Baking

Savory Rolls

Someday I'm going to have an oven again, and it's going to be amazing.  For now the baking adventures are rare occasions, but I decided Raku's birthday called for something special.  After learning earlier this year that John's favorite birthday cake WAS NOT actually his favorite birthday cake (I've only known him for 13 years) I didn't want to repeat my mistake with Raku.  The thing is, she's a savory person not a sweet tooth!  She might prefer a ham sandwich over a slice of cake.  So I invented a non-cake, savory baked good just for her.

I make some pretty amazing cinnamon rolls, but I got to thinking, what if instead of filling them with cinnamony goodness I filled them with savory things?  They would look beautiful and festive and hopefully taste like her dream come true.  So, I made my usual dough without the sugar, and then smeared garlic butter all over, sprinkled crushed red pepper, italian seasoning, chopped up bacon, kalamata olives, and topped it all with parmesan cheese.

I didn't even do the baking, just the preparation, so she could have them fresh and warm on the morning of her birthday.  She gave us a couple later, and they were pretty good - though speaking as a sweet tooth a cinnamon roll would always win me over.

Looking Like a Pizza

Cutting them with floss is always my favorite part

Almost There

Finished!

January Thaw

From facebook it seems like the whole United States is one giant ice cube, but we've had a little thaw here in Tokyo this week.  I'm sure before I know it the weather will be frigid again, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.  Last night John and I even went up and had a drink on the roof!  Of course we wore coats and gloves and only lasted about fifteen minutes, but it was really nice.  I love being up on our roof.  You can look out at almost the whole city, but being so high up it it feels like you can see forever. It's easier to breathe up there, and it's so quiet! 

Our neighborhood is usually quiet, but a building is going up next door to us, and the taller it gets the closer the construction noise gets to our windows.  It's not bad, but it's nice when it ends in the evenings.

This afternoon I'm going to try to make cookies in my fish oven.  I can't believe it's taken me over a year to even attempt this, but it's a complicated little contraption.  I can't read all of the controls, and those that I can aren't all that helpful.  The biggest problem is that I can't really control the exact temperature, so it's like a game of figuring out if bread toasts better on the pizza or the gratin setting, etc. Do you think cookies bake better at the "whole fish" or "piece of a fish" setting?  Maybe those don't even have different temperatures, just different time settings.  Who knows?  It will probably be a disaster, but I'll post an update if they turn out.  (Update: total disaster, as expected.)

Construction Out My Window

View From The Roof

Back in the Swing of Things

I haven't been very good about blogging so far this month, have I? Now that the New Year's holidays are over it's been back to regular life - John going to work and me back to my daily working out and writing routine. It's been hard to get back into the swing of things though. I just want to go fun places or watch TV curled up under warm blankets all the time.

But just because it's been back to reality doesn't mean we haven't done anything fun. John's birthday was this week and I made him a really awesome chocolate stout cake (if I do say so myself) decorated with edible gold (and for the careful observer, the exact same candles that I used on his cake last year). We also had some weird "champagne" (and I use that term loosely).  Around New Year's a lot of stores sell fukubukuro - or "Lucky Bags" that have unknown contents in them. There are some variations where you actually do know what you're getting, or you at least know the possibilities are. We did one where we bought mystery bottles of wine and the one John picked was this bright blue drink that is less alcoholic, but "based on" champagne whatever that means. The flavor was a little earthy which was jarring - with such a bright color I kept expecting it to taste like a blue raspberry slushy or something.

Speaking of weird things, I also tried a new weird snack food this week. After Raku and I tried the Sausage Doritos and the Fried Chicken Cheetos I was really excited when I found a bag of Camembert Doritos to buy her! But we tried that last night and they were terrible. Seriously, if you ever see them do yourself a favor and walk away. When we opened the bag the smell was really strong, in an unpleasant stinky cheese way. And the taste was just bizarre. They were really sweet! There must be at least as much sugar as weird cheese flavoring in them. With all the other novelty chips we've at least managed to finish the bag even if we wouldn't buy another, but with these we threw them out after one bite each.

Tomorrow is Coming of Age Day, so it's a three day weekend. I think we might celebrate by going to the spa in Yokohama. John's never been but I think it will be the perfect way to relax on a cold winter day.

Crock Pot Pumpkin Bread

Did you know you can bake in a crock pot? Move over rice cooker, I have a new (much more successful) BFF in the kitchen. Now that it's really fall I've been wanting to make pumpkin bread, and I came across a recipe to make it in a crock pot. I was pretty sure it would be a disaster like more than half of my rice cooker baking attempts are, but it worked like a dream!

You put the batter in a small loaf pan, and then the loaf pan sits in a water bath inside the crockpot to bake. Paper towels absorb the moisture as it cooks (genius!) so that it doesn't turn mushy and gross. When it was finished I was worried that the top looked too soft, but it was cooked all the way through, and even my toughest critic (my charming husband) liked it! I can't wait to make it again.

Yummy batter

Fingers crossed!

Will this really work?

Success!

More Rice Cooker Baking

I've continued my experiments with baking in a rice cooker.  So far my results have been mixed, but I wanted to share a couple of successes.  The first was a tarte tatin where the apples caramelized very lightly.  The presentation was also really beautiful, and it tasted even better the next day.

Tarte Tatin

I also baked a loaf of rosemary bread!  So exciting!  Real yeast bread with a wonderful chewy texture made right in my own kitchen.  This one had to cook on each side, but luckily there were no disasters when it came time to flip it over.

It's just begging for butter, isn't it?

And speaking of cooking, I recently made my own ricotta cheese.  Imported food can be so expensive here, a small container is about $9.  I'll even admit that I splurged for some when I figured out how to make a stovetop lasagna.  But, $9 for ricotta just isn't sustainable.  Little did I know that it's unbelievably easy to make your own!  You basically scald some milk, add a little salt, dump some lemon juice in, let it curdle, and then strain it.  Awesome!  Homemade and a quarter of the cost.

It's so easy!

Baking in a Rice Cooker

Will I sound crazy if I admit that sometimes I daydream about my old kitchen in America? It's true. Before coming here I was a pretty good cook, and an excellent baker.  It's the baking I miss. It's such a calming process. You start with all these raw ingredients, but when you combine them in just the right way you end up with a beautiful product. And I love to bake for people. Well, it's hard to do that without an oven.

Lately I've been focusing more on cooking, and I've learned a lot. My techniques are improving, and I''m learning a lot of delicious recipes. (Thai peanut noodles for dinner tonight with homemade raspberry sorbet for dessert) One way that my kitchen has improved though, is that I own a rice cooker now. Cooking rice has always been a pain, but now it's so simple, and the rice comes out perfectly every time.  It's amazing!

Rice Cooker Love!

A couple weeks ago I discovered that you can bake in a rice cooker. Crazy! I've got a lot more experimenting to do, but I've already had some pretty exciting results. Some rice cookers have a cake function, but mine doesn't, I've just been doing everything on the regular setting.  

The first thing I tried was a banana bread recipe specifically for rice cookers.  After the first round of baking it wasn't done, so I let it cool for a few minutes and ran it again. (It won't restart when it's too hot) And then a third time. At that point I was afraid the bottom was burning, but the top still wasn't done, so I took a deep breath and flipped it over  I cooked it once more and it came out perfectly. The bottom (now top) had browned a lot, but although it looked burned it didn't taste that way. (This has been my experience with all three baking attempts). The texture and flavor were exactly what you'd hope for with banana bread.

Look!  I baked something in my own house!

For my second attempt I got a little bolder.  I decided to make my regular corn bread recipe (The Pioneer Woman's recipe to be exact). It's a fluffier, buttery corn bread, not a super dense or super sweet recipe - sort of like a corn muffin in texture. I whipped up the batter and put it in, imagining it would take 2 or 3 "sessions" of baking, but it came out perfectly the first time.

Inside the rice cooker bowl

Yum!

My third attempt was the least successful, and honestly I'm not sure what the problem was yet.  (I need to test more recipes. )  I made a lemon yogurt cake (The Barefoot Contessa's recipe), and after the corn bread expected it to be finished after the first round of cooking.  Yeah, nowhere close.  So, I ran it again.  And again.  It was still gooey on top, so I decided to flip it like the banana bread.  Well, the batter was not as solid as the banana bread, so it sort of slopped all over when I flipped it.  I was pretty sure it was going to be a total disaster.  But after that round of cooking it was done.  The middle was probably a little softer than it should have been (though that might have just been the lemon syrup), but we still ate it.

Not too ugly, huh?

I've done some more reading, and now think I might be able to roast potatoes, and even cook full meals in the rice cooker. It must seem a little crazy, but I'm actually really enjoying this new hobby. I'll update you when I've got more successes (or failures) to share.

Anniversary Dinner

Last week, John and I celebrated our anniversary by going to a little French restaurant in Akasaka called Bistro Le Chat Noir.  I stopped by with Raku several days in advance to make a reservation and used my questionable Japanese skills - but it totally worked and Raku didn't have to jump in at all.

So cute!

Le Chat Noir is a tiny restaurant with only about 10 seats, but we were the only people there that night (to be fair it was a Tuesday), so the reservation wasn't all that necessary.  The restaurant is run by a sweet older couple, and is completely decked out with cats.  The menu was hand written and came in a little photo album of cat pictures and the wife was even wearing a necklace with a black cat on it.  Throughout the evening she pointed out different cat knickknacks and even showed us a photo of their two cats (the older one is named Noir).  John ordered a venison stew and I got a truffle pasta.  It was the first time we've ever been the only customers in a restaurant, but I left the meal with such a warm feeling for the couple running the place.  I hope they're packed on the weekends!

In addition to our dinner, I made John his favorite cupcakes.  He totally ate two before dinner.

Seriously, why can't I have a bakery?

Bistro Le Chat Noir
Hours: Lunch Mon-Sat 11:30-2:30 (last order 2:00), Dinner Mon-Sat 6:00-12:00, Sunday and Holidays 6:00-10:00
Phone: 03-6459-1460
Address: 2-18-19 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Map

Japanese Flour Isn't All-Purpose!

I haven't done all that much baking since we got here, but every time I have have, it's seemed like something was just slightly off (except for a couple disasters that were terribly off).  Everyone else told me that everything was great - but I was feeling like I was losing my touch (or maybe my mind).  About a month ago I finally quit using pancake mix and made some pancakes from scratch, and the exact some thing was wrong with them - they were just a little too floppy and squishy - and even though he said they tasted great John could tell the texture was different from when I had made these pancakes before.  This got me thinking that maybe the problem wasn't elevation or Celsius conversions or that the ovens here are smaller - maybe it was the flour.

And as soon as I considered this, it seemed like the most obvious thing ever.  What was I doing assuming that the flour here was exactly what I was used to?  I did a little internet research and found this blog post which is incredibly helpful, spelling out what all the different kinds of flour in Japan are, and listing the kanji for them!  From this I was able to determine that the flour that is most readily available - and that I had been using - is actually cake flour!

The literal translation is "Weak Flour"

This means that the gluten content is lower than all-purpose flour, and that it creates a much more delicate crumb, which might be great in a cake, but would be terrible in a pie crust.  And even though some of the things I was making were cakes, my recipes were calibrated for all-purpose flour.

This is "Strong Flour"

Armed with the knowledge I had gained online, as well as my ability to understand pictures, I found this bread flour in a fancy grocery store.  Bread flour has a higher gluten content, which creates a chewier texture - think bread or cinnamon rolls, but would make an awful muffin.  All purpose flour has a gluten content right in the middle of cake and bread flour, so I got fancy and mixed my own "all-purpose " flour with a roughly 50-50 ratio.  Edit:  Having experimented some more, I find that I prefer 2/3 strong flour + 1/3 weak flour. But when I'm feeling lazy I just use the strong flour and it's usually fine.

Yes, I brought a flour sifter to Tokyo

If you're not as crazy as me, or you can't find bread flour, I've read that you can substitute 1 c. + 2 T. of cake/weak flour to approximate 1 c. all-purpose flour.  Just for the record my flour mixture made great pancakes this morning!

Be My Chocolate

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!  John and I celebrated in semi-Japanese style.  Here, girls give chocolates to guys on Valentine's Day and then on March 14 - White Day - guys reciprocate and give candy or small gifts back to the girls who gave them chocolate to begin with.  There are even different types of chocolates you can give on Valentine's: "romantic chocolates" or "obligation/courtesy chocolates".  For example John and his office mate both got some chocolates (which were very pretty) from their secretary, and next month John probably will give her white chocolates back because they signify friendship rather than romance.  I've also read that marshmallows are popular, so I guess we'll see what's for sale that looks nice.

Raku and I had grand plans of making Smitten Kitchen's caramel brownies for John and Leo - complete with homemade caramels.  But after multiple disasters including "melted spatula caramel swirl sauce," "under-cooked brownie batter surprise," and finally "overcooked glue your jaw shut caramel brownies" we were left with giving them each 2 homemade caramels  we had luckily set aside earlier in the day.  (Just as a note, these disasters were a result of substitutions we made, not the recipe - and also my stupidity with the spatula)

Since Valentine's Day is all about the guy here I made John's favorite grilled cheese sandwiches (with pepper jack, tomatoes, and bacon) for dinner and then we went to see the perfect Valentine's movie.

So Romantic...

At the theater we saw some weird statue which I thought nothing of, and John thought was a chocolate man.  Later we learned it was a chocolate Bruce Willis statue for Die Hard 5!  I don't know who came up with that, but the only thing better was Cold Stone's Valentine's Day marketing.

John did agree to be my chocolate

Of course with marketing like this we had to get ice cream before the movie.  John selected Chocolate Devotion - the most appropriate flavor.  It was one of our more fun Valentine's Days, and I'll be sure to let you know how we celebrate White Day next month.

Oh, and just because it's funny, earlier this week we went to an electronics store so John could buy a new graphics card.  Look at this hilarious folder he got as a free gift - the heart says Happy Valentine's Day.

John says she looks just like me

Tokyu Hands Baking Supplies

Tokyu Hands is a fantastic store that has floor upon floor of things for sale.  It's the sort of place that you can go in and get most of what's on your shopping list whether you're looking for cleaning supplies, cooking utensils, lumber, or stationary.  I really enjoy their seasonal offerings!

Before New Years they were selling lots of snake themed objects because 2013 is the year of the snake.  And afterwards they were selling some great traditional Japanese products.  I got some cute magnets covered in traditional Japanese fabric, and Raku got a small sake barrel.  But this week I was delighted to find their valentines day offerings.

They're offering lots of cute boxes of chocolate and candy, but they also have a huge section of baking supplies.  There were multiple kinds of sugars, flours, baking mixes, food colorings and flavorings.  I even got some powdered pumpkin.  The selection definitely rivaled that of Cuoca, but there was better English labeling.

And then on the way home I saw this hilarious bag!  It says "Tequila is not my friend. #BaconEggAndCheesePlease.  Love it.

Japanese Christmas Cake

In Japan, there is a cake that is traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve (I don't think this is an age old tradition) made from sponge cake, strawberries, and whipped cream.  I didn't really expect there to be many baking traditions to embrace here in Japan - so I was thrilled to find one.  Here are the results of the cake I made yesterday.

I started with a prebaked cake.  (I know, it's cheating, but I'm moving tomorrow - shortcuts were needed)

And bought some whipped topping already in a decorating tube.  I whipped regular cream to use as the frosting.

I also bought Christmas decorations for the cake.  We thought the Santa was made of candy, but he was definitely wax!

Frosting the first layer of the cake.

Layering the sliced strawberries

More whipped cream, and the second layer.

The fully frosted cake

The final product!

Truthfully, it wasn't all that flavorful.  But it was festive and lovely.  Merry Christmas!