Spice Up Your Life With a Taste of Japan

*Fun Bento Box**Cute and Natural Food From California*

4/24/2011

Kyotofu's Chocolate Souffle Cupcakes




4/23 was my boss's 40th birthday, so I decided to make 40 cupcakes for his birthday party. I was browsing recipes online for something new to try, when I came across this Kyotofu's chocolate souffle cupcake.
It won New York Magazine's best cupcake award in 2007:"Imperceptibly enriched with soy milk, tofu, and just enough miso to give it a slight, delectable tang."

Kyotofu is a Japanese dessert bar in NY.
New York Magazine say;"with its focus on the flavors of Japan and the gracefully subtle incorporation of soy into eleven out of the fifteen items on its short menu, Kyotofu is making its own distinctive mark on an increasingly crowded postprandial market."
Zagat says Kyotofu is one of the best Japanese restaurants in the US.


Here is the recipe courtesy of New York Magazine;
Ingredients
2 cups dark chocolate (preferably Valrhona pellets, 64 percent)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon white miso
3 eggs
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup Japanese bread flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder (preferably Valrhona)
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup silken tofu
1/4 cup soy milk, unsweetened (preferably Vitasoy)


Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
(1) Melt chocolate, butter, and miso in double boiler over low heat, stirring occasionally. When only small lumps remain, remove from heat and stir until completely smooth. Whip eggs until they reach “ribbon stage,” then pour chocolate mixture into mixing bowl with the eggs, varying the mixing speed to incorporate chocolate.
(2) Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, mixing together with hands or a whisk. Fold the dry ingredients into the chocolate, mixing until fully incorporated. Add tofu and soy milk slowly, mixing until fully incorporated.
(3) Scoop batter almost to the top of 24 wax-lined mini–panettone cups arranged on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating tray halfway through, until center springs back when touched. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired.
(Published 2009)

4/03/2011

Sushi Cake!





Made a sushi cake for my friend's birthday party.

8inch sushi cake

3cup sushi rice
*5tbs vinegar
*4tbs agave (You can use sugar instead)
*1tbs salt
*1.2inch ish Dried Kombu(edible kelp) optional

Prepare sushi vinegar. Mix all the * ingredients well and let it cool in a fridge over night.
Add the sushi vinegar to hot steamed rice and mix well.

Cover the mold with plastic wrap.
Fill the mold with the half amount of sushi rice. Place plastic wrap on and press the rice.
Spread the avocado salad and put another half of sushi rice over the avocado and press the rice using plastic wrap.
Remove plastic wrap and unmold. ( the bottom-side up)
Garnish the cake.


★recommended ingredients for garnish
salmon sashimi (Roll up 2 slices of the sashimi together to make a salmon rose)
crab meat
tomatoes
egg
shrimp
avocado
okura

I used avocado and crab meat mixed with my favorite creamy tofu savory sauce from the vegetarian restaurant in Hermosa Beach, The Spot.
The recipe is here:http://www.food.com/recipe/creamy-tofu-savory-sauce-277729

Love this sauce! So good with brown rice and steamed vegetables.

Also, I put some pickled onions under the salmon roses, like Salmon carpaccio.
The pickles recipe is here:http://taste-of-japan.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-favorite-pickles.html