Name: Japanese style Apple Pie
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Ingredients: For the puff pastry; 200g all purpose flour (T55); 50g water; 40g vodka; 20g unsalted butter - soft/room temperature; 1/4 tsp fine salt; For the butter layer; 120g cold unsalted butter - cut into slices; For the filling; 3 to 4 apples - cut into small cubes (or 3 apples and 1 pear); 10g salted butter; 50g sugar; 1 tsp maple syrup - optional; 1 egg - beaten; 40g simple cookies like rich tea cookie - crumbled; or white sandwich bread - thinly sliced; 2 to 3 tbsp apricot jam

September 21, 2019

Road trip in Japan : Kansai and Chubu

This summer we took the road through the Chubu region in Japan. It’s not the Tokyo area (Kanto) and it’s not the Osaka area (Kansai) either, it’s in between! The cute map from lovelyjapan.com will help us at this stage.

So it may be easy to miss but there are many things to see and visit there. We actually took a week long road trip there this summer and I can now give some hints for a future travel of yours :-) Here is the suggested itinerary and I’ll add a day by day review as I manage to free up time.

day 1 Kobe to Nagoya

day 2 Nagoya & Gero Onsen

day 3 Takayama & Shirahone

day 4 Omachi to Renge Onsen

day 5 Toyama to Kurobe

day 6 Kanazawa and Noto

day 7 Drive via Mikatagoko

June 2, 2018

Japanese style Apple Pie

Serving Size

about 25cm circle pie

Prep Time

2 hours

Cook Time

45 minutes

Total Time

2 hours, 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the puff pastry

200g all purpose flour (T55)
50g water
40g vodka
20g unsalted butter - soft/room temperature
1/4 tsp fine salt

For the butter layer

120g cold unsalted butter - cut into slices

For the filling

3 to 4 apples - cut into small cubes (or 3 apples and 1 pear)
10g salted butter
50g sugar
1 tsp maple syrup - optional
1 egg - beaten
40g simple cookies like rich tea cookie - crumbled
or white sandwich bread - thinly sliced
2 to 3 tbsp apricot jam

Instructions

1. *Make the puff pastry* Fit your food processor with the dough blade, add all the puff pastry ingredients and process until the flour clumps together in large pieces and comes together.
2. Roll out the dough on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Make it into a rectangle shape and sprinkle cold unsalted butter (120g) onto the dough (see photo).
3. With the short border of the rectangle closest you, fold the dough into thirds: top and bottom edges to be folded in (see photo). The butter should be enclosed in the dough. Rotate 90 degrees, and roll it out again into a big rectangle with the rolling pin. Fold it again.
4. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for about 30 minutes or until firm.
5. Repeat steps #3 and #4 twice more. The dough should be smooth by now. Chill it in plastic again for 30 min.
6. *Make the filling* In a frying-pan, melt butter. Add sugar and apple cubes. Cook them on medium-low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes or until wilted. Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Set aside.
7. *Assemble the cake* Divide the pastry dough in 2 parts, 1/3 and 2/3. Roll out the 2/3rd piece at once and cut into about 25cm circle. Place it on a baking sheet and prick the bottom of the pastry thoroughly with a fork.
8. Roll out the other remaining pastry and cut into strips. Brush the edges of the 25cm circle pastry with water (or beaten egg). Put the pastry strip all around the bottom of the cake to make the border.
9. Then spread the crumbled cookies evenly and spread the apple filling from #6 over the cookies.
10. Make a lattice with the remaining pastry strips over the cake and press gently down to seal well at each strip end. Pre-heat the oven to 200℃.
11. Brush the top of the cake with beaten egg.
12. Bake for 20min. Then lower the heat to 180℃ and bake for another 20min or until nicely browned on top and bottom.
13. Remove the cake from the oven and glaze with apricot jam.
Note : You can bake the remaining pastry into a mini-pie too.

April 27, 2018

Yurinchi – Japanese style fried chicken

Yurinchi – Japanese-style fried chicken

Persons

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

45 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients

5 chicken thigh fillets, skin-on (about 1kg) or chicken breast (boneless) - cut into bite sizes

Ingredient A

2 tbsp white wine or cooking sake
1 tsp sugar
1/3 tsp fine salt
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 garlic clove - grated
1 leek (about 90g) - finely chopped
1 tbsp white sesame

Ingredient B

4 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp honey (optional)
80g katakuriko/potato starch mix with 1 tbsp flour (T45) to coat chicken

Instructions

Making the chicken
1. In a bowl add chicken and " ingredient A (sugar, sake, mayonnaise, soy sauce and salt) and soak the chicken for about 30 mins.
Making the sauce
2. In a bowl, add leek and white sesame, set aside. In a cooking pot, add "ingredient B" and heat over medium heat, bring it to a boil. Immediately pour over leek. Add grated garlic and mix. Set aside.
3. Add katakuriko/potato starch mix into a bowl with chicken. Mix well to coat chicken with katakuriko.
4. In a skillet, heat a generous amount of vegetable oil and place the chicken skin side down and cook until brown both side. Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil.
5. Serve the chicken on the plate with salada (your choice) and pour the sauce over the chicken, enjoy!