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Every year, E and I reserve one night over the holidays to celebrate Christmas together, just the two of us. On that night, I like to cook a special meal, something fancy with many courses, usually inspired by a recent trip or cuisine discovery. This year, of course, it had to be Japan. Since we returned, I hadn’t yet tackled this fascinating country’s cuisine, and I admit I was rather intimidated by it, probably as much so (or even more) than before we’d been to Japan. You see, fine cuisine in Japan is all small servings of beautiful, meticulous dishes. I like to think of myself as a meticulous person, but since I don’t have a full kitchen’s restaurant staff on hand, I was a bit wary that creating a 5-course Japanese menu might be an impossible task.
I almost dropped the project, in fact. A week before Christmas, I vented
Continue reading An Elegant Japanese Dinner Menu
This recipe concludes my macaron week! I hope you enjoyed it and that my posts will inspire you to try to make these little wonders at home.
YUZU & GINGER MACARONS
This flavor combination was inspired by my recent trip to Japan, where I was able to indulge in my love for yuzu – its tart, grapefruit-like flavor with hints of mandarin is intriguing and unique. Because I can't find that citrus at home and it was impossible to bring fresh yuzu back for duty reasons, I brought bottled juice and dehydrated zest back and made them central ingredients of this recipe. If you can't find fresh yuzu, or yuzu juice and zest, you can simply substitute regular lemon for an equally delicious result.
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Anyone that’s curious about food cannot go to Tokyo without visiting its famous Tsukiji fish market. More than just a market, it’s a city, really, with 2,000 tons of almost 500 different types of seafood handled every day. If you think these numbers are impressive, here’s more: 700,000 metric tons of seafood are handled every year at Tokyo’s fish markets, with a total value in excess of 600 billion yen (approximately 5.5 billion US dollars); and around 65,000 people work in and around the markets, including wholesalers, accountants, auctioneers, company officials, and distributors.
A day at the Tsukiji market is like clockwork: Every day, fish and seafood that will be sold the next day start to arrive at around 5 p.m. by ship, truck and plane from all around the world. At 3 a.m. the next morning, workers start inspecting and laying out the goods that will be sold at the
Continue reading A Visit at Tokyo’s Famous Tsukiji Fish Market (with videos)
 Since we came back from Japan, E and I have been desperately trying to engrave rapidly fading souvenirs and tastes upon our memory. Isn’t it crazy how quickly we get back to our daily routine, even after a trip halfway around the world?
Over time, I’ve learned that one of the best ways to revisit a place you loved is to cook something from that destination, a dish linked to a cherished memory. A few days after our return home, I took out a small booklet that I had bought a few months ago, written by Humble Bean, a favorite blogger of mine. The author, Azusa, felt compelled to do her part for Japan’s earthquake and tsunami victims, being Japanese herself and having a special affection for two of the hardest hit areas, Iwate and Fukushima, after visiting twice as an exchange student. She gathered a collection of her favourite recipes
Continue reading A Heart-Warming Bowl of Sukiyaki Donburi – and a giveaway to benefit Japan’s tsunami victims (they still need help!)
Well, my trip to Japan – the one I’ve been dreaming of for years – is over. My body’s back, but my head and certainly a piece of my heart are still on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. It was a deeply inspiring, creatively enriching and endlessly delicious trip. As always, after I come back from such a stimulating trip, writing (and blogging) about it helps me memorize everything that I saw and assimilate all that I learned.
Of course, some of my strongest memories are linked to food. I knew I would love food in Japan, but it turns out that love isn’t strong enough a word; I’d say I fell head over heels for it. Everything we ate over the course of our three-week trip was delicious, from the simplest snack to the most elaborate kaiseki (multi-course) meal. Before setting off on the trip, I had a
Continue reading My Trip to Japan: First Culinary Impressions
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