Yummy Japanese dessert recipes needed (Kyoto?)

[seaweedhair]

Hi everybody,

I'm having my friends over next week for a Japanese/Italian dinner. My friends are from Kyoto and I want to try and attempt to make some kind of yummy Japanese dessert for them. I can't cook, my husband always does since I'm just useless when it comes to that but I think that I can make some sort of dessert. Any suggestions for EASY, yummy, summer desserts? Also, if anyone knows any that are Kyoto specialties that would be helpful too!

thanks! :? :note: :clueless:

[Jean-Francois]

But my J-friends didn't want to eat Japanese food when they were in North America. They would drink Japanese beers at J-restaurants though. For desserts, they loved Tira Misu. And we would always go to Little Italy (NYC) for desserts and cuppucino. I think they wanted to try local/ international stuff when they were in another country.

[seaweedhair]

I know what you mean and I love going to the cafes in Little Italy too since I live here and I'm Italian! My friend lives here as well. Her sister is visiting from Kyoto for the summer and is not that impressed with NYC so far so since she's a little homesick I thought I would try to make them some kind of Japanese dessert.

We probably will have some Italian sweets too since I'm Italian and my husband's Japanese and we always try to combine everything.

Thanks for the advice though. :wave:

[Jean-Francois]

One of my colleagues who is a Japanese who doesn't know how to speak Japanese gives me this:

TOMATO SIMMERED WITH COGNAC

A curious sounding dessert, this modern Japanese dish is the creation of Takayuki Kosaki, of the Hyatt Regency, Osaka. It is simple to make, visually appealing and surprisingly good to eat.

Ingredients:

4 medium-large tomatoes, weighing about ｼ pound each
3 cups water
1 cup sugar, or slightly more to taste
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cognac or brandy, or more to taste

Procedure:

Blanch the tomatoes in a large pan of boiling water for about 15 seconds, remove and place in the cold water. As soon as the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel.

Put the 3 cups water, sugar and salt into a large saucepan and bring to boil. Add the tomatoes and simmer gently until they are tender.

Remove from the heat, add the cognac and leave to cool.

Refrigerate until serving in a glass bowl with a little syrup around each tomato.


* Hee hee, we have never tried it.

In Toronto I would just take them to Ben & Jerry痴 for authentic ice cream from North America (My J-friends loved going out! Even if it痴 just the Mall), although I could get green tea, red bean, mango and melon ice creams from both Canadian and oriental supermarkets here.

Red-Bean Pancakes

2 cups white flour
4 teaspoons sugar
1 cup water
1 egg white, beaten until fluffy white
Oil to grease pan
6 ounces red-bean jam, sieved (we it red bean paste in here, they have sweetened or non-sweetened to choose)

Sift the flour into a bowl and add the sugar. Stir in the water to make a batter, then fold in the egg white.

Heat a frying pan (preferably nonstick) and grease lightly with oil.

Drop about 1 ｽ tablespoons of the batter into the pan, letting it spread by itself. When tiny bubbles begin to form on the pancake surface, turn over.

Fry for 30 seconds, then remove.

Make another pancake in the same fashion. Spread red bean jam onto one pancake and cover with the second pancake. Repeat until all the batter is used.

[seaweedhair]

mmm... thanks jean francois- the red bean one sounds really delicious. I love those little red bean cakes. I will have to modify it somehow to avoid the egg but I think it still can be done. thanks! :happy:

[seaweedhair]

If anyone has any good Japanese recipe sites please attach them.
I'm still looking for more desserts! Thanks.

[Jean-Francois]

Actually there is a very good cook in this forum. Her name is Misia.J
http://www.jref.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9959

You can take a look at this too http://japanesefood.about.com/od/japanesedessertsweet/

[misa.j]

@seaweedhair,
I recommend Green Tea Ice Cream w/ a thin wafer. I just copied the recipe I found.
The easiest way to make green tea ice cream is to mix vanilla ice cream and maccha powder. Also, it's good to pour maccha sauce over vanilla ice cream.

Green Tea Ice Cream Recipe:
Ingredients: (4 servings)

* 200ml milk
* 2 egg yolks
* 2 tbsp sugar
* 200ml heavy cream
* 2 tbsp maccha green tea powder
* 100ml hot water

How to Cook:
1. Lightly whisk egg yolks in a pan.
2. Add milk and sugar in the pan and mix well.
3. Put the pan on low heat and heat the mixture, stirring constantly.
4. When the mixture is thicken, remove from the heat.
5. Soak the bottom of the pan in ice water and cool the mixture.
6. Mix hot water and green tea powder together.
7. Add the green tea in the egg mixture and mix well, cooling in ice water.
8. Add heavy cream in the mixture and mix well.
9. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker, following instructions of the ice cream maker.



@Jean-Francois,
Thank you for your kind words.

[seaweedhair]

hi jean francois,
thanks for the links and advice!
Even though I am definitely as cute as one of the Stepford wives and
I share the same birthday as Martha Stewart I sadly can't do anything domestic.
http://www.dollsoup.co.uk/step2.jpg
They are such great style icons though. Look at those hats and that hair.
I love the 70's.

misa j- thanks!
:confetti: :rose:

[Jean-Francois]

Yeah, Stepford Wife is the best. Who doesn't want one?

[kirei_na_me]

I'd like one myself... :p

[Hirozono]

The easiest way to make green tea ice cream is to mix vanilla ice cream and maccha powder.
It's true that this IS really easy to make, but when you're done, it's not all that good. I want maccha ice cream to taste like maccha, but in this recipe the vanilla in the ice cream is WAY too much and it doesn't mix well with the maccha. I was just really disappointed :( I was looking for another recipe to try out for maccha ice cream, so thank you SO MUCH for posting this!! ^-^ :bravo:

[rosetaylor]

Thanks jean............