Tokyo Desserts

It is only December 29th but time to move past the Christmas baking. Lots of cookies and cakes were baked over the holiday season. I don't have any special recipe for New Year's desserts but chocolate is always good when the weather is cold. Chocolate is a lot easier to handle when the weather is cool.

My recipe for today is a Dutch Baby. I am probably one of the last ones to know about this dish but happy I finally found it. A TV show in Japan was demonstrating recipes from the TV show Chicago Fire and the Dutch Baby was the recipe demonstrated. I grew up using cast iron skillets and I have bad memories about washing them so that is why I don't have one in my house now. Anyway, after seeing the explanation about the Dutch Baby I decided it was time to reacquaint myself with iron skillets.

Basically, the Dutch Baby has a popover like bottom and then topped with your favorite fruit or other filling.

Basic Recipe for a small 15 cm iron skillet
(15 minutes prep time and 15 minutes for baking)
Serves 2 - 3

30 grams all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg
50 grams milk

Approximately 1 teaspoon butter for coating the pan

1. In a bowl, sift together the flour and sugar then add the egg and mix with a small whisk.
2. Lastly, add in the milk in about 3 portions and mix with the whisk. Just stir enough to combine everything.
3. Preheat the over to 200 degrees Celsius then place the iron skillet in the oven for 10 minutes to warm up. When heated, add the butter and swirl it around the pan to coat it entirely.
4. Pour the batter into the pan and put back into the oven and back for about 15 - 18 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and fill with your favorite filling. There is a lot of air in the Dutch Baby when it is baked so after removing it will deflate like a souffle.

For my Dutch Baby filling, I lightly sauteed an apple that was peeled & sliced  in a fry pan with about 3 tablespoons sugar and a few dashes cinnamon.

My recommendation is to serve it warm just out of the oven. Always be careful to handle the skillet since it very hot.

Christmas and cookies, the two just go together. It is hard for me to decide my favorite cookie, however, at Christmas I really love anything that tastes like gingerbread. Even though these cookies aren't gingerbread, they are a close second. Not only do they taste delicious but they look so darn delicious as well. The white sugar powder looks like chocolate buried in fresh snow.

I know you are eager to get baking so let's skip the story and get right to baking. Preparation time for these cookies is only about 30 minutes - just add a little more time for the dough to chill in the refrigerator and then they will be ready for a quick bake.  Happy Baking & Merry Christmas to you and you and your family.

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and other dry ingredients including the sugar.
2. In another bowl, mix together the eggs, instant coffee and vanilla using a small whisk.
3. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering hot water. After melting, remove from the heat and add in the butter in pieces and mix with a whisk.
4. Add the egg mixture to the melted chocolate in portions using a small whisk. Next, add the flour mixture in several portions and mix with a spatula.
5. Cover and put in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until the mixture becomes firm.
6. Remove from the refrigerator and use a teaspoon to scoop a small amount of dough - about 10 - 12 grams - and roll into a ball. Roll each ball in granular sugar and then the powdered sugar before placing on the baking sheet.
7. Bake at 170° C for 15 – 18 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet to cool before serving.

Amazon Japan

Amazon.com

It's that time of the year again -- Christmas. I make a gingerbread house each year since I love the decoration for the house and it fills the kitchen with wonderful smells.

The basics of a good house is gingerbread which won't become weak and icing which is solid. Think of the icing as cement for the house. I always add a little powdered egg white or Wilton's Meringue Powder when making the icing. I am not a full time cookie decorator so I always struggle with decoration. I know some basic techniques from the Wilton classes so I  keep my house decoration fairly basic.

My Gingerbread House book sold on Amazon Japan (日本語) and Amazon US (日本語) and provides detailed instructions on how to make the house and recipes for both the gingerbread and the icing. There are also a few other Christmas dessert recipes for cookies and other holiday desserts.

Grab a few family members or friends and take time in December to enjoy a delicious and fun baking get together.

Fall is just about my favorite season and apple pies are just about my favorite dessert. Recently I discovered Bramley apples which are sold by a farm in Nagano prefecture. These apples are tart and crispy just like a Granny Smith.  Bramley apples are originally from England and were introduced in Japan about 20 years ago. One of my friends in Tokyo, Stacey,  runs a great bake shop and  school called Mornington Crescent. Her British desserts are delicious and if there is ever an opening book one of her classes.

This is a light tart with a thin crust, covered in a layer of almond cream then topped with sliced apples.  Total time for putting everything together (excluding baking time) is about 30 minutes.

This is a short project to enjoy fall baking so grab the apples, flour and some butter and time to get to work.

Fits a 24 cm tart pan (serves 8)

Dough
200 grams flour
100 grams butter cut into cubes (cold)
1 egg
5 grams salt
10 grams sugar

1. In a food processor, pulse together the butter and flour. Then add the salt and sugar. Lastly, add the egg.  Put the ingredients on a board and gently knead everything together so the dough is smooth. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about 40 minutes before using. 

Almond Cream
50 grams butter room temperature
50 grams powdered sugar
50 grams almond flour
1 egg
5 grams flour

1. In a bowl, mix the butter with the powdered sugar with a small whisk. Gradually add in the almond flour and flour in portions. Lastly, add the egg and mix thoroughly with a whisk.

Apples
2 - 3 large crispy apples
1. Peel and thinly slice the apples

Putting everything together
1. Roll out the dough to fit the tart pan and cut off any extra around the edges.
2. Spread the almond cream on top of the dough then place the apples around the tart pan in a nice circular design. You can put the inside circle of apples in the opposite direction for a more creative look.
3. Before baking, sprinkle sugar on top of the apples.
4. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 35 - 40 minutes. After removing from the oven you can brush with apricot jam for a nice shine.