Bavarois is a cold French dessert that is something between jelly and mousse. Bavarois is solidified by gelatin like jelly, and it’s creamy using milk and whipped heavy cream like mousse. Bavarois, although a French sweet, has been a staple homemade dessert in Japan for decades as well as a component of fancy cakes at…
Banana Omelette Cake (バナナオムレットケーキ) is thin sponge cake folded in half, looking like a half round, and filled with a whole banana and whipped cream inside. Omelette cake is called “omelette” because of the resemblance of the shape of egg omelet. Classic banana and cream taste never betrays anyone’s expectation. Although this cake is rather…
Japanese sponge cake (スポンジケーキ) is a very light and fluffy yellow-white cake that is a base component for a lot of Japanese Western-style sweets. Although we have our own traditional Japanese desserts like Mochi rice cake and Anko sweet red beans, Western-style cakes and other treats are tremendously popular in Japan. Once you master Japanese…
Mitarashi Dango (みたらし団子) is one of Japan’s classic traditional mochi sweets. Small, round mochi balls are skewered on bamboo sticks and glazed with a thick and glossy sweet-and-salty brown sauce made from soy sauce and sugar. This simple treat is satisfying without being overly sweet, making it a perfect afternoon snack—especially when paired with a…
Vanilla Purin (バニラプリン) is a cold custard dessert in Japan. The name Purin comes from the word pudding, but it is not the same thing as the gooey pudding in the US at all. This custard pudding has more the feel of a jelly dish because of its gelatin content. It is a very…
Shiro An is sweet white bean paste, and it is a crucial ingredient for Japanese traditional confectioneries, just like Anko sweet red bean paste. Shiro An is made from white kidney beans and sugar. It’s used in a lot of different forms of desserts in Japan, from fresh Mochi desserts such as Fruit Daifuku to…
Stir-Fry Shrimp and Green Peas is Japanese home-cooking Chinese dish. It is literally shrimp and green peas are stir fried in salt based sauce. This colorful dish is perfect in spring season.
Pannacotta is an Italian cold creamy dessert that is also popular in Japan. The texture of Pannacotta is similar to Purin (flan) or Bavarois, and usually topped with fruits or sauces. We arranged the traditional Italian dish into more Japanese using Kinako, soybean powder, and Kuromitsu, dark sugar syrup.
Madeleines are French sweets that are a cross between cookies and cakes. They are usually baked in shell-shaped molds or a special Madeleine pan with shell indentations. We flavored this traditional French concoction with fragrant Yuzu citrus peel. The distinctive Yuzu citrus aroma is unusual but a surprisingly good match with the buttery rich cake.
Strawberry is the fruit of spring in Japan, the same as in many places throughout the world. And Japanese people take it seriously with strawberries. Seasonal foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood, etc., are very important for their everyday life there. Because there is an abundance of a particular food in a short period of time during…