by : Reiko Bread, Dessert, Vegan, Vegetarian

Matcha Doughnuts
抹茶ドーナツ

I was planning to post something else today.

But when I checked Instagram this morning, I quickly found out that it’s National Doughnut Day today.

(You can tell I’m not a full-time blogger.)

So I changed my plan.

I got my new KitchenAid out and got busy.

Love this machine.

It makes dough-making so much more fun.

To celebrate National Doughnut Day I made Matcha Doughnuts, filled with Matcha custard cream.

I made extra custard cream for dipping if someone (me for one) wants extra cream.

Last time I (thought I) made doughnuts, my mother-in-law told me that doughnuts have to have a hole, so this time I made sure to make a couple that have a hole.

Loved the green on green.

The custard is creamy and flavorful, yet not too heavy.

Another cute disposable container from a 100-yen shop in Japan.

National Doughnut Day ends in a half hour.

I made it. Barely.

Matcha Doughnuts makes 12 doughnuts

dough
– 140cc soy milk, warm
– 3g dry yeast
– 2 tablespoons sugar
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1 tablespoon Matcha powder
– 200g bread flour
– 30g coconut oil
– Canola oil for frying

filling
– 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
– 4 tablespoons cane sugar
– 1~2 teaspoons Matcha powder
– a pinch salt
– 1 teaspoon canola oil
– 400cc soy milk
– vanilla extract

sugar for dusting
– cane sugar

1. Combine milk and yeast in a bowl. Mix well until yeast dissolves.
2. Add sugar, salt, Matcha powder, flour, and coconut oil. Knead and form a ball. Cover with plastic wrap.
3. Let it rise for about 1~2 hours until it doubles in size.
4. Make filling. Combine flour, sugar, Matcha powder, salt, and oil in a pot. Slowly add milk. Cook over medium-high heat constantly stirring until it achieves the preferred thickness. Remove from heat. Add vanilla extract. Cool. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate.
5. Form 12 balls. Let it rise for another 30 minutes or so.
6. Fry them in 300 F oil, for 1 to 2 minutes each side.
7. Remove from the oil. Set them on a plate lined with paper towel.
8. Fill the doughnuts with the Matcha custard filling.
9. Dust the doughnuts with cane sugar.

by : Reiko Dessert, Vegan, Vegetarian

Orange Cranberry Cardamom Cookies
オレンジクランベリーカルダモンクッキー

We were at a home decor store the other day, and they had some cookies for their customers to try.

Terry had a bite and he said it was cardamom cookies and he liked them.

I love anything with cardamom and decided to make cardamom cookies myself.

Mine has orange zest and dry cranberries along with cardamom.

This time I decided to experiment with coconut oil.

I used coconut oil for cookies for the first time, and they turned out great!

The texture is a bit different (easily crumbles) and I wasn’t sure first,  but it slowly grew on me.

They also freeze very well and I like their harder texture when frozen as well.

Orange Cranberry Cardamom Cookies

1/4 pound coconut oil
1/2 cup cane sugar
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
a pinch salt
ground cardamom
orange zest from 1 orange
1/4 cup dry cranberries

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a bowl mix together all the ingredients. Shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
3. Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick. Cut with a cookie cutter. Place the cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

2 Comments
by : Reiko Dessert

Cookies (Chocolate Chip/Lemon Lavender)
チョコレートチップ/レモンラベンダークッキー

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I like the chewy and soft American style cookies, but once in a while I get craving for my mom’s cookies.

These are light and buttery.

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Using my mom’s recipe as a base, I decided to make two different kinds this time.

Chocolate chip cookies and lemon lavender cookies.

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These cookies are so cute when lined up like little soldiers.

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They are absolutely lovey when just out of the oven, but the lavender lemon version needs icing.

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Terry and I were watching TV the other night and as soon as Terry heard “lavender lemon”, he asked me to make something with that flavor combination.

Neither of us remembers exactly what show we were watching, but apparently those two words, “lavender lemon”, stuck with us.

I was planning to make cookies, so here they are.

I put dried lavender from our tea bar in a small tea bag, dropped it in warm lemon juice, and let the flavor seep.

It smelled heavenly, but I was also pleasantly surprised by the beautiful color the lavender added.

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The icing I made using the lavender lemon juice ended up with a pretty light pink color.

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Terry and I enjoyed them both so very much.

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These cookies freeze well, but we really didn’t need to freeze them because they were gone only in a few days!

by : Reiko Dessert, Home

Raspberry and Blueberry Bouchees
ベリーブッセ

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Happy Easter everyone!

My today’s post is a bouchee, a bite-sized cake dessert with a sweet cream filling.

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I used freeze dried raspberries and blueberries both for the mini cakes and the filling to add the berry flavors.

So the colors and the flavors are all natural. Nothing artificial.

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They are not only delicious but also very pretty.

The mini size is also perfect for a dessert table for Easter, or other gatherings, such as a baby shower!

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And yes you have to have tulips for Easter.

The tulip is probably one of my favorite flowers.

I just learned pink tulips symbolize “happiness”!

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Berry Bouchees

2 egg whites
40g sugar
2 egg yolks
35g all purpose flour
5g corn starch
1~2 teaspoon finely ground and shifted freeze dried raspberries
1~2 teaspoon finely ground and shifted freeze dried blueberries
filling
– 40g butter
– 40g cream cheese
– 1 teaspoon finely ground and shifted freeze dried raspberries
– 1 teaspoon finely ground and shifted freeze dried blueberries
– honey
– salt

1. Preheat the oven at 340F.
2. Gradually add sugar to egg whites and whip until stiff.
3. Add egg yolks and mix well. Shift flour and corn starch. Add and mix well. Divide the batter into two. Add raspberry powder to one and blueberry powder to the other and mix well.
4. Transfer the batter into pastry bags fitted with a round tip. On a parchment lined pan pipe 1 1/4-inch circles.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes. Let them cool on a rack.
6. Make filling. Combine butter and cream cheese and whip until creamy. Divide into two. Add raspberry powder to one and blueberry powder to the other. Mix well. Add honey and salt.
7. Sandwich the filling with the circles.

2 Comments
by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Bread, Dessert, Sandwich

Japanese Red Bean Butter Sweet Sandwiches
あん（プレーン・苺・抹茶）バターサンド

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In my recent post I talked about how much more aware I’ve become about Japanese food trends since I started using Instagram.

The inspiration for this sandwich was also found when I was browsing pictures on Instagram.

I was instantly attracted to the red bean butter sandwich served at this cafe in Kyoto, Japan when I saw its pictures.

It’s a simple sandwich.

Butter and sweet red beans are sandwiched in buns.

This combination of butter and sweet red beans may sound strange to Westerners, but it’s nothing new, and something similar, called “Ogura Toast” which is a toasted slice of bread is served with spread of butter and sweet red beans, has been a popular dish for many years in the Nagoya region where I’m from.

I think this sandwich style became a hit because of its cool (or cute) look and using butter in the solid form not melted.

Now, the idea definitely came from this cafe’s sandwich, but I’m proud to point out that there are a few things very cool about my sandwiches.

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One is the buns.

Well, these are homemade, and they are soft, slightly sweet, and delicious!

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The other thing is this butter.

In addition to regular butter, I decided to use two flavored butter: Matcha and strawberry.

Aren’t these pretty?

These are actually not only pretty but also absolutely DELICIOUS!!

You can use these for anything, a simple toast, waffles, pancakes, bagels…

Matcha Butter
– salted butter
– matcha powder, sifted
– honey

Strawberry Butter
– salted butter
– ground and powdered freeze dried strawberries, sifted
– honey

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I used Trader Joe’s freeze dried strawberries.

They also have other freeze dried fruits, such as blueberries and raspberries, and I like to keep them in my pantry.

These are great for baking when you want to add some natural flavor and color but you don’t want to add any liquid.

The flavors are packed in these freeze dried fruits like any dried food, and I love it.

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The regular butter version.

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The strawberry butter version.

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The Matcha butter version.

I tried to pick a favorite, but each is just so great in its own way!

Loved them all!

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Here is what it looks like inside when they are cut into quarters.

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Have a great rest of the weekend!

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by : Reiko Dessert, Vegan, Vegetarian

Brandied Pear Compote
バレンタインデザート

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Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

I didn’t want to make a huge chocolate cake that we would not be able to finish ourselves, but I still wanted something chocolaty to celebrate this special day with my love.

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So this was a little something I made for ourselves.

Brandied pear compote served with cashew ice cream, candied pecan, and mocha chocolate sauce.

Simple yet sophisticated (I think!) and delicious.

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It’s hard to find good vegan ice cream.

And it’s really hard to find something that pleases me (well, I’m not a big ice cream fan to begin with!).

But this ice cream made from cashew nuts was pretty tasty.

Probably one of the best vegan ice creams I’ve tried.

 

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I’ve just heard on the local news that this year we will not have snow on the ground on Valentine’s Day in Minnesota.

Wow!!