somewhat Japanese

10-18-2015 Sun. chilly, clouds.  


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | walnut bread | fruits 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- ( at Rita's )  lemon sugar crepe 
DINNER --- fried and marinated eggplant | fried shishito peppers | simmered baby squid with ginger and scallion | butternut squash and apple soup |  rice | salad

 

• a bit lime juice goes long ways

a feast of beautiful seasonal food

10-5-2015 Mon. mild, sunny.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- vegetable soup 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME ---  ( with Sharon)  Baskin & Robbins ice cream 
DINNER --- homemade no-knead bread: toasted with sofrito, roasted red pepper, pickles and smoked mussels | burrata salad:  burrata, lightly pickled cucumber, cherry tomato | Japanese eggplant: fried and marinated with dashi and with shiso | chawanmushi:  steamed egg custard, fresh matsutake, chives and dashi | whole rock fish: fileted, lightly cured by white miso and broiled | delicata squash: stuffed with seasoned quinoa and baked | canele  | French little cookie 

 

•  the eggplant dish turned out very well,  texture silky, juicy, not mushy, flavor delicate, subtle. the slit cuts  helped shortening the deep-fry time ( about 1 minute at most).  dashi broth are made from good quality kelp and bonito. Japanese small eggplants are from local Japanese store, beautiful dark purple skin  and just the right size.
•  the whole rock fish is fileted at home,  marinated in whte-miso for 48 hours, which lightly cured and firmed fish flesh. it only takes 5 minutes to broil with skin side up. 
• chawanmushi with matsutake is truly a seasonal treat. 
• the tin sheet plate is from Tokyo, it can be rolled or bent into different shapes.