All Dressed Up

Let's face it. There are times even my cakes want to look pretty.

My friend asked me to bake for a small wedding reception that she was attending. Although the reception was to be held in informal locale, the occasion certainly calls for something special. I mean, wedding is wedding! It's not an everyday event. My friend knew I don't do designer cakes but her request got me thinking. I wanted to make a memorable cake; not just it tastes good but also comes with the 'wow!' factor.

Well, you can't tell from the picture, but it is actually a green tea flavor cake. I covered it with white frosting made from combination of cream cheese, Mascarpone, and whipped heavy cream (it was SOOOO good if I may say so myself.) On it, I dusted some green tea powder and arranged the beautiful bright orange Nasturtium flowers I bought at the Greenmarket. When I looked at the finished cake, I was really happy because it came out exactly the way I envisioned. I also baked 3 doz. apple-cranberry cupcakes to supplement for the 30-plus crowd.

Of course the only thing I wasn't sure was....will the bride like it?

Happily, my friend reported back it was a big hit! Phew. I was relieved, and knowing I was able to contribute to her special day made me feel content. Thank you for letting me be the part of it.

Ku Cake

Food + Friends = Feast

It's been a while since the last time I invited some ancient friends, some recent friends, and some whom I didn't know, for a get-together. I don't remember exactly when that was, but I do remember it was very hot. So this time I wanted to have it in May. It's a good month in many ways. First, the winter weather should have been gone. Second, the heat wave shouldn't have arrived. And third, the yard should be in the state of the best looking - dead leaves cleaned up, new crop of flowers, herbs & tomatoes planted, and thank goodness the weeds are not quite yet taking over - oh how I wished each year I could keep this up for the rest of summer!

The month of May is a tricky one though, because there are not many weekends without plans or obligations. The 2nd weekend is reserved for the Mother's Day. The 4th weekend is already the Memorial Day Weekend; the first official summer getaway! So I announced well in advance that people should pencil in the 3rd Saturday for this party. The total of 27 people came between 6pm and 11pm.

The miracle of miracles; rain held up. From the morning it was foggy & cloudy, with chance of thunder shower all afternoon & evening. So I was begging 'someone upstairs', please no rain between 5 and 12. I even made some Teru-Teru-Bozu, the little paper doll you make when you want to fend off the rainy weather. And it worked! Literally ten minutes after the last guest left, I heard the rain coming down. Amazing.

The menu:
Meatball Sliders (2 of my friends who don't eat meat, ate them. I take that as the highest form of compliments)
Shrimp Cocktail [cocktail sauce, lemon wedges]
Falafel [tahini sauce]
Sauteed Spinach & Ramps
Bell Peppers in Balsamic Vinegar
Asaparagus, Baby Carrots, Broccoli [garlicky cheese dip, roasted pepper dip]
Black-eyed Peas in Basil Vinaigrette
Pasta with Roasted Asparagus & Mushrooms
Olives, Pickled Ramps
Rainbow Fruit Salad
Apple-Cranberry Cake
Brownies
Grapes, Mini Clementines

Maybe I want to make this an annual event...? It was so great to see everyone at once! And I didn't have to travel 'home': I guess that's the best part of throwing a party at home...

Ku Cake

My Junk Fix

One has to indulge the moment of weakness. You know I usually make my own dessert from scratch. But sometimes I don't feel like taking time; I want something sweet and creamy...NOW!

What would you do? Run to the corner bodega and grab a Sara Lee's frozen cheesecake? Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey? Or suck the cream inside Twinkie?? Been there; done that: now an instant pudding is my "It" junk.

"Jello-O Cook & Serve Vanilla flavor" pudding was what used to satisfy my craving. But of course you just can't simply follow the instruction. You have to make it the way you like, right? So I use 2.5 cups (instead of official 2 cups) of 2% reduced fat milk. Don't get fooled by the '2%' milk - I'm not thinking of diet. This way the pudding comes out softer and lighter, I can feel free to add more stuff to embellish, like handful of blueberries & cream. (See the picture? It doesn't look bad at all!)

Then recently I spotted "Dr. Oetker Original Pudding Vanille Geshmack" while I was stolling the food mall inside Grand Central Terminal. First its price got my attention. Even thouth it's imported and more likely comes with a hefty mark-up (after all, the store is in prime location), the package of 3 costed $2.70, whereas one pack of Jello-O costs $1.30. So I had to try it. And you know what? I liked its flavor better too. It feels 'nostalgic' and less aggressive in comparison. So I gleefully made the switch. Yeah. Cheap, yet it hits the spot every time.

Ku Cake

Emerald Green Gems

Looking back, this little gem was the sign of the warm weather to come when I was young. Growing up in Japanese suburbia umpty years ago, neither green asparagus nor ramps were the familiar faces. I'm sure we've eaten other locally grown vegetables, such as spring onions, snow peas or young spinach. But somehow, what I remember is the green peas on our dinner table signaled the definite transition - from barren winter colors to the burst of beautiful emerald green.

We used to beg our mother for the "mame gohan", simple rice dish cooked with green peas. I can still feel the soft rice mingling with slightly mushy peas, and taste the sweetness and just a hint of salt.

So I had to make this dish, only I am using short grain brown rice (I don't stock white rice any more). Apply the rice : water ratio (1 : 1.5), added two pinches of salt, and the peas, all in the pan. (Oh, did I tell I don't have a rice cooker?) Cover and cook in high heat until boiling, and reduce to barely simmering for 30 minutes. Don't touch that lid!

These peas are great for freezing. Last year I froze about 5 cups of them, and they were precious to add some color in my winter meals.

Ku Cake

Christmas Extravaganza

Happy New Year. A little late greeting.

Our Christmas celebration starts on the Eve. For an appetizer, we start with the Yellow Pea Soup, which is thick and delicious, from hours of gentle simmering. The main dish is the Roast Carp. Because we live in the Polish neighborhood, the live carp is readily available for purchasing on the day before. We don't have to trek into the Chinatown. Convenient. The side dish is a Salad of Really Finely Chopped Cabbage & Carrots, and heck, it's the holidays, Mashed Potato (with lots of butter and cream, of course). For dessert, an Apple Pie.

We invited the friend's family for the Christmas Day dinner. After considerable pondering, the main dish is decided on the Roast Duck. Normally the chicken is the choice for two of us, however, a chicken may be a little too ordinary for the occasion. On the other hand, goose or turkey is too big; besides I don't really have enough practice. So, we bought a whole duck plus several legs, hoping it'll be enough for four adults & a child. I thought I put the bird in the oven early enough, but apparently not. It took much longer than I anticipated: Panic! To alleviate the pain of waiting, we whipped out a few appetizers, using what we had in the pantry. Eventually The Bird was beautiful. Roast Potato, Roast Beets & Arugula and Sautéed Broccoli took care of the much needed vegetable department.

What to do with the leftovers? We declared the following day "The Leftover Reform Dinner", invited another friend and finished off. The delicious duck is by now neatly disassembled: all meat is torn apart and resting in the freezer. The carcase produced flavorful broth, enough to fill three big containers. Some went to the freezer. The rest is kept in the refrigerator for our New Year's Eve meal.

We are feeling the need to correct the diet. My New Year Resolution is "Make What We Eat". I long for the spring; I miss the locally grown vegetables.

Ku Cake

Toshikoshi Soba - The End Of Year Meal

This is the "Toshikoshi-Soba", the definitive New Year's Eve meal in our household. It's a tradition in Japan to slurp soba noodles for one's health & longevity in coming year. When we are not away from home, this is what we eat: I insist.

I always loved, and still love, soba the most among the noodles: for its nutty flavor and clean finish. My grandma lived in the area famous for its soba production. When we visited her during the summer pause, she always greeted us with plenty of freshly hand made soba noodles. The serving was very simple: cold soba, dipping sauce and mountain of thinly cut nori. We ate bowl after bowl, and I thought I could just eat this for the rest of my life. Unfortunately I no longer have an easy access to those wonderful fresh soba, and resort to using the dried packaged ones. But whenever I cook up a bowl (in hot broth, instead) the memories come back just the same.

Now the New Year arrived. I wish for another bountiful season.

Ku Cake