thank you

Thank you A for sending us a box of apples.

These apples are called San Fuji. 

Crisp & sweet

If you are interested in the difference between Fuji and San Fuji apples, please look here.

We appreciate your kindness A!

janie's apple orchard

There is a program that Satoshi and I watch about the different foreigners living in Japan.

Each episode features a foreigner showing the area that they live and the reason they came to and now live in Japan.

Some have lived in Japan a long time, some have not.

We really enjoy this show because it shows Japan through a foreigner's perspective.

One episode featured US expat Janie.

She lives in Nagano and is making and selling her US style apple butter and apple sauce under the brand name Janie's Apple Orchard.

She came upon our tiny blog and the post I wrote about Japanese style apple butter

In that post I had written that I had never tried US style apple butter. 

Unlike Japanese apple butter, US style apple butter uses no dairy, just apples and a few other ingredients.

She wrote to us and asked if she could send us some of her apple butter and apple sauce to try.

I was excited to be contacted and eager to try her products.

Her apple butter is smooth and the only other ingredient beside apples is cinnamon.

Slightly sweet, this was delicious!

I think eating this with pork or chicken would be nice too.

Her apple sauce was delicious too.

Sweetness only from the Fuji apples and with some texture to it.

This would be good on plain yogurt.

It is also the perfect size to put in with your bento for dessert.

I'm glad Janie contacted us and that we got to try her products.

Where most other brands add preservatives and extra sugars, Janie's is just apples.

As her website says, her products are "Simple, Natural, Good".

Thank you Janie!

Disclaimer: I received these products from Janie in return for an honest product review. I was not compensated and the thoughts and opinions written here are my own.

learn something new

How do you usually cut your apples?

In Japan, they usually peel the apples then take out the seeds.

I usually cut apples in wedges and then cut a "V" shape to take out the seeds like this.

The other day though, they were talking on tv about limiting the amount of waste when you eat an apple.

They said you should not peel it and then cut it into rounds.

Then you would eat your way towards the core.

So I tried it this morning.

Since Satoshi and I usually share half an apple with our breakfast, after cutting the apple in half, I then halved it again and sliced it.

Then with a knife, I went and made tiny "v" cuts to take out the seeds.

Learned something new and I think it does cut down the amount I used to throw out.

p.s. today is Toji or the Winter Solstice, and supposedly we will only have a short amount of sunlight.

To ward off colds and the chill, they have yuzu buro (baths with floating citron) and eat pumpkin.

Apparently on this day you should eat foods that begin with the character "to" (toe).

We call pumpkin "kabocha" (kah-bo-cha), but older generations call it "tonasu" (toe-nah-sue).

Also adding citrus peels to your baths are supposed to keep you warmer than just soaking in the hot water.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

boulangerie un

This apple tarte from Boulangerie Un was delicious.

I especially liked that the apples had a pink tinge to it.

Oh and kaki (persimmon) are in the markets now too...whoo!

Happy Wednesday.

ringo

While I was in Hawaii during the summer, BAKE, opened up a new shop called Ringo, which means "apple" in Japanese.

These hand held apple pies are filled with apple and custard cream.

The crust is buttery and flaky.

The limit when buying is only four and the lines can be krazy.

But, I think the lines aren't as krazy as when BAKE opened just because they limit how many you can buy.

Anyway, we were lucky to be first ones in line the other day.

We'll be back.

Ringo
Lucua B1F
Umeda, Osaka
Phone: 06.6151.1284
Hours: 10:00-21:00
Open when Lucua is

re-vamp

I recently made a batch of Ellie Krieger's Apple Pecan Muffins.

I added some kanso okara (dry okara) in place of half of the flour amount.

I'm glad that this muffin still turned out very moist.

Though I was bummed that the adjustable element in my oven, decided to adjust itself while the batch of muffins were baking and the muffin papers got a bit scorched.

At least there wasn't a fire (though it kind of smelled like it), and the muffins didn't taste smoky.

How's your week going?

garam masala pork and apples

I don't know about you but I don't like soggy apples.

Whenever I run into one, I always try to bake with them.

Yesterday, gave me the perfect chance to try this recipe I copied from "Family Circle".

Garam Masala Pork and Apples : Serves 4
Ingredients
3 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 sliced Honeycrisp apples
1 sliced red onion
1 can (15oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons garam masala
4 bone-in pork chops (8oz each)

Directions
Combine canola oil, salt, pepper, ground ginger, and cumin. In prepared sheet pan, combine apples, onion and garbanzo beans.
Toss with 2 tbsp of the oil mixture.
Combine garam masala with remaining oil mixture and brush over pork chops.
Arrange chops over vegetables and roast at 450F (230C) for 18 minutes. Broil 2 minutes.

NOTES: I didn't have Honeycrisp apples, and used the soggy one that I did have. I also couldn't get bone-in pork chops and just used what I could find.

I would cover this with foil while roasting, since the onions were still on the raw side, then take the foil off to put everything under the broiler.

Flavorwise, I liked this...I'll try this again.

roca's cabbage apple & sesame salad

I recently came across Roca's recipes books...this is the same cafe I went to, that recently closed its doors.

The recipes are quite easy and I like that they use a lot of veggies.

I tried the cabbage, apple & sesame salad recipe.

Roca's cabbage apple & sesame salad: from "Roca no Teishoku" serves 2

1 leaf cabbage (60 grams)
1 bell pepper (30 grams)
1/8 red onion (25 grams)
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 apple (60 grams)

1.5 tablespoons ground sesame seeds
1 tablespoon vinegar
pepper

Julienne the cabbage, bell pepper
Thinly slice the red onion
Add the 1/2 teaspoon of salt, mix everything with your hands and set aside
Slice the apple, thinly but not too thin
Squeeze out any water from the cabbage mixture
Mix with the apple and add the last 3 ingredients
Mix well.
Chill before eating.

NOTES: super refreshing! it's crunchy, a little puckery. Sweet from the apple and a little bite from the red onion.

Our bell peppers are really teeny, so that is why 30 grams is the size for the 1 bell pepper. I used a red bell pepper and also ground black sesame seeds.

I've already made this twice (once with ground black sesame seed and the other with ground brown sesame seeds) and Satoshi really likes this salad.

Another type of cole slaw...I am gonna make this often this summer!

p.s. made it to the end of the week, hope you have a nice weekend!

made in japan

We've been enjoying these dried apple slices.

The apples are from Aomori, a prefecture in Japan known for their apples. My favorite is the Fuji and these dried apples slices are just that.

I like that these slices are slightly soft and the sweetness just right.

The best part is that they are made in Japan.

What have you been enjoying these days?

apple butter

It's Autumn, apples are in season.

So, naturally there are more apple products out there as well. The other day, my Twitter friend, H, sent me a care package! (Thank you!)

It was filled with all sorts of goodies and one that particularly stood out was this...apple butter.

Now, in the States, apple butter has no "butter" in it.

Sadly, I don't recall ever tasting apple butter in the States, though I had heard of it...

Well, in Japan, apple butter actually has butter in it! In fact it is made with sugar, apple, butter and a little salt.

We had this on some scones the other day for breakfast, the butter flavor isn't overpowering instead there is lots of apple flavor.

Thank you H!

speculoos apple crumble

I love the internet...I got this idea from Dorie Greenspan, who got the idea from a bistro that she visited in Paris.

It made a lot of sense to me to use speculoos cookies because they have that "christmas-y" apple pie type of flavors.

Since I had a not-so crispy apple, I decided to try it, instead of throwing the apple out.

I sort of made up my own recipe...

Speculoos Apple Crumble : makes 2

oil
1/2 apple, sliced
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
several grinds of cinnamon
2 packages of caramel biscuits a.k.a. speculoos a.k.a. biscoff, crushed
2 pats of butter

Use some oil to grease your ramekins.
After slicing your apples place into the ramekins.
Sprinkle a teaspoon of vanilla sugar on each
Grind cinnamon on each
Crush a package of caramel biscuits (1 package has 2 cookies) onto your apples. (I crushed them with my fingers, because I wanted it chunky) Use 2 cookies for 1 ramekin.
Cut the pat of butter into smaller pieces and place here and there in ramekin (use 1 pat for 1 ramekin)

Bake at 180F (350F) for 30 minutes.

NOTES: I'll admit my crumble was a bit dry, but the aroma from the oven was really nice and overall it was delicious especially with a cup of tea.

I definitely want to try this again, maybe adding some oatmeal and nuts to the topping.

re-create

It's apple season here and in Japan there are many different varieties.

My favorites are the Fuji and San-Fuji, in season, both are crisp and sweet, sometimes you can see the natural sugars that form near the core.

Interestingly, the difference between Fuji and San-Fuji is how they are cultivated. The Fuji has a bag put around its fruit while the San-Fuji doesn't.

I was craving the apple camembert panini that I had at La Marina de Bourbon, sadly this cafe has closed in Umeda, so the only way to have this was to re-create it.

I purchased some english muffins, camembert and a San-Fuji.

Apple Camembert Tartine (open sandwich) for 1
1 english muffin
1/4 of camembert cheese wheel
1/4 san-fuji apple
smears of grainy mustard
2 leaves lettuce

Cut the camembert into fourths, then cut a 1/4 piece in half.
Split one english muffin in half and put a 1/8 piece of cheese on each...toast.
Spread some grainy mustard on each after toasting.
While spreading the mustard, spread the melty cheese too.
Top with lettuce.
Cut apple into fourths, de-seed.
Take 1/4 of the apple and slice thinly, top your english muffin with it.
Lunch is served.

NOTES: Even if this wasn't a panini, it was close to what I had at the cafe and perfect for lunch.

It's Friday here, hope you have a great weekend!

pum-pe-app-choc muffins

Another addition to the array of muffins on this blog...I think there are 25 variations..

I had roasted some pumpkin and thought it would be nice in some muffins.

Using my new immersion blender, I whizzed the pumpkin with some apple to make a puree.

Added some spices (cardamom, cinnamon, clove, ginger & nutmeg), a handful of pecans and a handful of 60% chocolate chips.

These muffins are quite dense. I didn't put a lot of oil (1 teaspoon) using the apple as a way to keep things moist.

I also put in a little milk (1 tablespoon).

The amount of pumpkin turned out to be a little too much which probably added to the density.

Still, it was delicious though I think it could have used a little more spice, and I loved the orange color.

it's that time of year

It's that time of year...apples are in season.

I bought a bag of 6 San-Fuji for 298 yen (about US$2.98)....and then Satoshi's classmate sent us a big box of Fuji apples, I've written about this before here. (Thank you!)

And then the other day, I met up for coffee and received some apples and kaki (persimmon) from my friend, Kazumi.

Look at how huge the apple and kaki are! (the small apples are the ones I bought at the supermarket).

In Hawaii, these huge Fuji apples are imported from Japan and cost quite a lot. We are very blessed to receive them from friends. (Thank you!)

We ate the kaki for breakfast, it was firm and delicious. I am not too familiar with the different types of kaki, so I can't tell you what type this one was.

You may be wondering what the difference between "Fuji" and "San-Fuji" apples are. They are actually the same variety, one uses a bag to ripen (Fuji) and one does not (San-Fuji). I think the "San" part is supposed to mean "sans" or "sun".

So...I've been wondering what to do with all these apples.

Since we received the box on Saturday, I told Satoshi to bring some to his German language teachers.

But even with giving some away, we still had a lot leftover.

So, I tried the recipe that Rowena just posted, Momofuku's Kimchi Apple Salad. I took a shortcut by not puree-ing the kimchee. I couldn't find arugula and used baby greens.

Since I didn't have labne, I put some plain yogurt onto a cheesecloth to take out some of the liquid. When I mixed it with the honey (I didn't read the recipe well, it is supposed to be maple syrup), it was still a bit liquidy, so instead of putting it on the center of the plate, I drizzled it over the salad. We loved the flavors, I mean what is not to like about bacon, apple & kim chee, right?

And then I tried making Tarte Tatin. It was my first time making it and also my first time eating it. Looking at the recipe, Tarte Tatin reminded me of apple pie meets upside down cake.

I used the recipe in "The French Kitchen" by Joanne Harris & Fran Warde and cut the recipe in half. Since I do not have a frying pan that is oven-proof, nor an oven big enough to fit a frying pan in, I cooked the apple on the stove then transferred them to an 8-inch round pan to bake.

Here is the recipe if you'd like to try making Tarte Tatin.

Tarte Tatin from "The French Kitchen" by Joanne Harris & Fran Warde : serves 6

For the pastry:
150 grams flour, plus extra for dusting
100 grams butter, cut into small knobs
25 grams unrefined caster sugar
2 egg yolks

For the apples:
100 grams unrefined caster sugar
40 grams butter
5 eating apples, peeled, cored and quartered

To make the pastry, rub together the flour and butter with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in the sugar.
Add the egg yolks and with a round bladed knife, use a cutting motion to mix until the breadcrumbs gather together to form a ball. Turn the pastry ball out on to a floured surface, dust your hands with a little flour and knead the pastry together until smooth.
Wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Place a 20-25 cm ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and melt the butter and sugar until syrupy.
Heat the oven to 200C (400F).
Arrange the apple quarters in the frying pan and cook for 15 minutes: this gives the golden color to the apples and allows the sugar to turn to caramel.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a size slightly greater than the frying pan.

Remove the frying pan from the heat and quickly lay the pastry over the apples, tucking in any excess around the edges.
Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 160C (320F) and cook for a further 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and gently ease a knife all the way around the edge of the tart.
Place a large heatproof plate upside down on top of the frying pan and quickly turn over the pan and plate, releasing the tart on to the plate. Lift off the frying pan to reveal golden brown apples and a syrupy sauce.

NOTES: It was delicious, though some of the apples stuck to the pan and didn't come out nicely. I cut the apples into eighths instead of quarters which made them easier to peel and core. Also, from half the recipe, I got 4 servings. Since this was a French dessert, I had this with some French tea (Mariage Frères' Wedding Imperial).

I think the next piece I have I will add some vanilla ice cream.

Also, I think I will make a batch of these muffins and eat some apple with cheese for snack or lunch.

I think we'll be having apples for at least a week (or two).

apple gorgonzola salad

During my trip to Hawaii, we went to Buca di Beppo for lunch, courtesy of my brother's gift cards to my parents (Thanks Keoki!).

One of the things we ordered was the Apple Gorgonzola Salad...this salad was delicious..tart granny smith apples, salty gorgonzola & sweet walnuts top some romaine with a puckery vinaigrette.

Curious to see if there was a recipe online, I surfed around and came upon this one.

The other night, I adapted it and came up with a delicious salad for dinner.

NOTES: For the candied walnuts, I used Ellie Krieger's "Maple Glazed Walnuts" recipe, but instead of caramelizing them in a heated pan, I baked them in the oven (so I wouldn't have to stand by the stove).

Also, for the vinaigrette, I omitted the dry mustard (because I didn't have any) and garlic (I was lazy to defrost some). I also used white wine vinegar which the recipe recommended using and cut back the amount of oil.

Since the market I shopped at only had one kind of apple (Jonah Gold), I used this in the salad.

I also added some sliced carrots and tomatoes. Also, there wasn't any romaine, so I used green leaf.

The salad was close to what I remembered...I'm making this again.

what would you do?

What would you do if you had an apple that was kind of chalky tasting? Would you throw it out? Eat it as is?

We recently had an apple like that. I had cut it in half and had one of the halves with our breakfast. But because the apple was so chalky and not very sweet, I used the other half to make...apple pie.

With one puff pastry sheet, I used a cyclinder to cut out 4 circles, 2 were nice, the other 2 were made from the scraps, so they weren't too round.

I cut and heated the apple with some butter, sugar and cinnamon and cooked it down until it was almost like a jam.

After filling each circle, I baked it in a 200C (400F) oven for 20 minutes. You could hear it pooffing in the oven too, "poof" "poof"... the results were a delicious, flaky pie perfect for two afternoon teas and two snacks for Satoshi.

Gosh, it is the weekend already...hope yours is a good one!

re-do

Earlier this week, I made the "apple pecan muffin" from Ellie Krieger's book, "The Food You Crave".

This was the second time making the muffins, this time around I used my grater to make some applesauce. I also added some yogurt in place of the buttermilk. The results...a really moist muffin. The top of the muffin even had a sheen to it.

You can kinda tell how moist it is from this photo. Oh, and I also added a handful of cacao nibs and some ground flax seed.

Delicious!

the past couple of days

Thank you for your Christmas wishes. Satoshi was able to take the day off so we spent the day together. (Christmas is not a national holiday here, so if it falls on a weekday, most times Satoshi has to work--I think this was the first time in 7 years of living here that he was able to take the day off.) To our family and friends, we appreciate all of your cards and gifts.

This Christmas was rainy and cold. I was hoping to see some flurries but there were none to be seen.

We had our annual Christmas party on the 23rd with two other families. I brought two cream cheese dips. One with smoked salmon and one with roasted garlic and served them with Ritz crackers. It was a nice gathering and nice to see our friend's children who are getting bigger each year.

Our Christmas dinner last night was a pupu (appetizer) party. I made a version of Deb's ahi, avocado, crab towers. For some reason, the market didn't have maguro today, so I subbed salmon cut for sushi. I did it a bit chunky but it was still delicious.

We also had slices of apple with smoked cheddar.

There was also some chips and a glass of Two Oceans pinotage, a South African wine.

Dessert was chocolate dipped strawberries.
Recently, I bought a fondue pot by Vanilla Patisserie, which I found out is a shop in England. DHC, which I have written about before, was selling these pots in dark 70%, milk with hazelnut and white at an introductory price of 800 yen (about US$8). Of course, I bought the 70%. Just warm up the pot in some hot water for about 10-15 minutes and you are good to go.

Despite the rain, it was a great day. We hope you had a Merry Christmas and were able to enjoy it with family and friends.

apples

I recently saw Ariela's apple cobbler recipe on her blog and since we still had some apples, I wanted to try it.

Of course, I still don't have a lot of butter around, so I improvised. I sauteed the apples with a pat of butter, a little sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Then I put together the easy scone recipe which I often use and put that on top of the apples to bake. I think if I had had some vanilla ice cream it would have been perfect....it was delicious and a great way to warm up.

With a slice of apple, I also had a little snack, I cut a thin slice of smoked cheddar and ate it with the apple. Growing up, I would often have a slice of cheese and some peanut butter with apple. I didn't put any peanut butter, this version was a little saltier, but still delicious.

an apple a day (and laughter is the best medicine)

It is o-seibo season, the time when you send gifts to say thank you to those who have helped you out during the year. About this time of year, one of Satoshi's classmates from college sends us a big box of apples.

My grandma once told me that instead of being greedy, if you know you can't eat something by yourself, you should share. My grandma is a smart lady and I respect her a lot. So, I usually give some away because there is no way we would be able to eat them all by ourselves. In Japanese we call this o-susowake.

So, the other day, we ate one and they have these natural sugar spots in the middle....delicious! (Thank you!)

I have to share this "Satoshi story". Whenever we go to sleep, Satoshi always wears an eye mask. I think this is because our curtains used to be thinner and the sunlight would bother him, plus I usually wake up before him to make breakfast and turn on the lights.

Anyway, the other night, he had his mask on and with the back of his hand, he ran it over my pillow. He immediately said, "Kat, your face feels unusally cooler...."

I burst into laughter, he takes off the mask and realizes he was feeling my pillow and not my face...did I make you smile or laugh? I hope so.

Have a great weekend!