The Ninja Baker - #Japan

Japanese Yuzu Citrus Biscotti, #CreativeCookieExchange

NinjaBaker — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 03:08:38 +0000

Japanese yuzu citrus pucker passion commenced in 710 AD Japan. The Chinese import looks and tastes like a cross between a lemon and a lime. The pungent yuzu fruit remains popular today in Japan. (Yuzu brightens, and punches up the flavors of both Japanese desserts and dishes.)

Japanese yuzu citrus biscotti with bits of white chocolate

Chocolate – often affectionately called “choco” in Japan – is also wildly popular. Compared to yuzu, however, chocolate is a fairy new commodity in Japan. Milk chocolate made its debut with the Japanese audience in the early 1900s. From my Google Japan and Google USA research, it looks like white chocolate won over the hearts of Japanese girls as White Day was introduced in the 1970s. White Day is an attempt at equal affection expression. Translation: In Japan, Valentine’s Day is mostly about girls giving boys chocolates. In March, boys present girls with chocolates and other sweet gifts.

Do you prefer biscotti with wine, espresso or milk?

For today’s Creative Cookie Exchange post - scroll down for details on how to participate – I married the ancient yuzu with the modern white chocolate into blissful biscotti. The classic Italian cookie is made with American cake mix, Japanese yuzu juice and universally loved white chocolate. The biscotto hums in harmony with piquant Japanese yuzu and sweet white chocolate. Although the biscotti are crisp, they are not quite as crunchy as the traditional Italian cookies. But, the Ninja Baker's Japanese Yuzu Citrus Biscotti are still very yummy. Check out the recipe and see if you don’t agree!

Japanese Yuzu Citrus Biscotti

Japanese Yuzu Citrus Biscotti are blessed with the tang of yuzu and the sweet touch of white chocolate. This is one biscotti recipe which produces a blissful yin and yang of piquant and sweet!

Adapted from a Betty Crocker recipe.

Ingredients:

1 box lemon cake mix
½ cup coconut flour
½ tablespoon grated Mandarin orange peel
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 tablespoons Japanese yuzu citrus juice (available online and at Asian markets)
1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Whisk together the cake mix, coconut flour, and Mandarin orange zest.
In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, Japanese yuzu citrus juice with chopsticks or a fork. Add to the cake mix bowl.
Stir in the white chocolate chips.
Shape the stiff dough into a 12 x 4 inch rectangle on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Freeze for 2 hours or overnight.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Cool for 20 minutes. Cut on the diagonal into slices. (The size of your biscotti will be varied.)
Bake again at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

The theme this month is White Chocolate! White chocolate is seriously underrated as a baking ingredient--it complements so many other flavors so nicely, like citrus, spices, berries, winter squash, etc. So if you want to see all the ways white chocolate can be used to make terrific cookies, you have come to the right place! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links. You can also just use us as a great resource for cookie recipes--be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

Wishing you days as beautifully balanced as the yin and yang of a Japanese yuzu citrus biscotti!

The Ninja Baker

© ™ Watkinson 2012

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

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#CreativeCookieExchange

Chocolate Chip and Mandarin Orange Cookie Bars, #CreativeCookieExchange

NinjaBaker — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 08:15:17 +0000

A hush of peace, a rush of joy, December brings a bundle of contradictions. An explosion of chocolate, cookies and cakes crowd kitchen counters. Shoppers shimmy past one another in malls, snatching toys of technology, which promise happiness. Yet, a sense of the profane also presides over the season. Candles are lit. Songs of praise to the Creator spill from homes, synagogues and churches.

I’m comfortable with the holiday paradox. In my hometown of Tokyo, Christmas is strictly a commercial affair. The official cake Christmas cake is a strawberry shortcake crammed with fresh fruit and whipped cream. While indulging in this beyond aesthetically beautiful and tummy pleasure, I was still acutely aware of the Western meaning of the season thanks to our Sunday church visits.

Chocolate chip cookie bars share the spotlight with Mandarin orange bits.

Holiday parties in the homes of other ex-pats also introduced me to other reverent traditions, too. Mrs. (Selma) Janow’s party glittered with elegant decorations celebrating Hanukah in addition to a Christmas tree. Memories of her parties are the most cherished ones: I got to dance with my father. And a handful of Mrs. Janow’s famous chocolate chip cookies were mine to enjoy!

Kagami mochi - a Japanese symbol of longevity and prosperity.

Whether in the home of an ex-pat or a Japanese friend, Japanese Mandarin (mikan) oranges were ever present. In fact as the New Year approaches, kagami mochi (mirror mochi – pounded rice) with a mikan perched atop are seen everywhere. The Mandarin orange atop the pounded rice symbolizes longevity and prosperity.

Mandarin orange zest and fresh fruit mix with white and semi-sweet chocolate chips
and make one yummy cookie bar!

Today’s Creative Cookie Exchange theme is International Winter Holiday Cookies. Sooo, I combined the American classic buttery-chocolate chipper à la Mrs. Janow with bits of Mandarin orange. Colleagues in my acting class delighted in the cookie bars. One classmate commented that my chocolate chip and mandarin orange bars were reminiscent of a Cointreau flavor! At any rate, the pan was empty by evening’s end. Always a good sign. Hope you enjoy the cookie bars, too!

Chocolate Chip and Mandarin Orange Cookie Bars

Chocolate Chip and Mandarin Orange Bars are studded with Mandarin orange bits and chocolate morsels. (I like to use a combination of semi-sweet and white chocolates.) The tasty bars are similar in texture to Blondies. Every time I share my Asian fusion Chocolate Chip and Mandarin Orange Bars, they vanish!

Adapted from a Nestles chocolate chip pan cookies recipe.

Ingredients:

1 small Mandarin (mikan) orange
1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup cane sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
4 large eggs at room temperature
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Line a 15 x 10 jelly roll pan with parchment paper. (Or if you have a small oven like yours truly, the recipe will work for one 9 x 12 ½ inch jelly roll pan plus one 6” round cake pan.) Spray butter flavored or coconut oil cooking spray onto the parchment lined pan(s.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Gather the zest of 1 small Mandarin (mikan) orange. (About a teaspoon.) Set aside.

Chop the Mandarin orange into tiny bits. Place the orange bits into a microwave-safe dish. Microwave covered with a paper towel for about a minute to reduce the fruit’s moisture. Set aside.

In a kitchen stand mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugars. Continue to beat on medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time. Scrape the bowl often to ensure all ingredients are incorporated and combined.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, vanilla powder, the Mandarin orange zest and chopped bits. Slowly add to the sugar / butter mixture.
Hand stir the chocolate chips into the mix. (I used a combo of white chocolate and semi-sweet morsels.)

Spread into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.

The theme this month is International Winter Holiday Cookies! If it is a cookie traditionally made somewhere in the world for a holiday traditionally observed near the Winter Solstice you might find it on this list. If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links. You can also just use us as a great resource for cookie recipes--be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

Wishing you wondrous joys of the world.

The Ninja Baker

© ™ Watkinson 2012

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

Follow Ninja Baker @NinjaBaking's board NinjaBaker.com Sweets on Pinterest.

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#Chocolate chip

#cookies

#CreativeCookieExchange

#Japan

#orange

Best of Japan in Boulder, CO

NinjaBaker — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 09:24:33 +0000

Nestled in the mountain town of Boulder, Colorado nature generously gifts you with awe-inspiring beauty. Surprisingly, this born and bred Tokyoite also found an abundance of the nurturing comforts of Japan.

Mountains are majestic but sometimes they can be treacherous beauties. Before launching into the details and delights of Japan in Boulder, I’d like to ask you to say a prayer, send healing energy to those who lost loved ones in the Mount Ontake eruption in Japan. Thank you.

Although Empress Michiko was born a commoner, an aura of royal grace and gentility always surrounds her. In the ‘60s she played tennis with my mom. Yes, Michiko-sama’s dress was impeccable. But there is something so dignified and deep about Empress Michiko that she has forever been a fascination. So, when I learned that Michiko-sama and Emperor Akihito had dinner at Sushi Zanmai in Boulder, you know this Ninja Baker needed to order at least an appetizer from the same restaurant.

One would assume – all right, I assumed – that an establishment serving the Imperial family would be, er, stuffy. Surprise! Sushi Zanmai buzzes with electricity and energy generated by conversations of bright-eyed University of Colorado students and local Boulderites. Undoubtedly the sushi chefs are a huge influence on the atmosphere. Owner, Nao Kanda has assembled a staff of upbeat and seriously talented sushi artisans.

Sushi Chef Keizo Aoi’s hands are reminiscent of piano maestros whose touch of ivory keys brings to life the compositions of Mozart, Beethoven and Bach. His fingers gently prod rice and veggies into exquisite rolls. When slicing sushi, Keizo-san’s motions are deliberate and swift. I’d say he’s perfected the art of sushi-making but Keizo-san says he is still learning after 18 years of experience.

Sushi Zanmai elevates even the humble futomaki to a gourmet sushi roll filled with daikon radish sprouts, shitake mushrooms, pickled (on the premises) carrots and fresh slices of egg omelet.

Montbell brings Boulderites the best in mountaineering equipment and clothing from Japan. Although Montbell is headquartered in the notoriously money-focused city of Osaka, the company’s philanthropic dedication to nature conservation and education makes them an exception to the rule. Last and not least, Montbell has everything – I mean everything – from collapsible chopsticks, tea kettles, cake pans and comfy clothing to make your camping / hiking trip absolutely amazing!

Peppercorn is enchanted with eclectic and eccentric tchotchke trinkets for home and kitchen. The family owned business also sells exquisite dinner sets and tableware suitable for any upscale soiree. Besides, mulling over the myriads of baking tools and contemplating the piles of cookbooks, the Japanese section with bento boxes, belly-filling donburi bowls and authentic ceramics and crafts consistently catch my time and credit card!

Smooch Mochi Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt. Sigh. I am smitten with their mochi ice creams. Each one is an exquisite jewel. So far I’ve tried their sakura (cherry blossom), azuki red bean and green tea mochi ice creams. The sakura is reminiscent of a light cream filling in a cake with a touch of cherry. Accents in the red bean and green tea mochi are stronger and authentically Japanese. Bravo, Smooch! Oh, their plain tart yogurt is Kosher certified and out-of-this world yummy, too!

Minutes away from the shopping center on 30th and Arapahoe in Boulder picturesque scenes of bales of hay and horses await. I’m so grateful to easily enjoy the countryside and obtain Pocky, Bontan rice candy (and more Japanese products) at King Soopers supermarket. And to top it off, Ripple Yogurt, which sells scrumptious green tea gelato yogurt and Mandarin orange yogurt, is right next door! (I also love that owners Jamie and David are dedicated to using only natural ingredients and opt for organic whenever possible.)

Here are a few more resources for the Best of Japan in Boulder:

Japanese Tea: Ku Cha and Dushanbe Teahouse
Interior Design with a Japanese Accent : Eiko Okura Interior Designs
(P.s. Eiko Okura-san’s sensitivity, warmth and knowledge is priceless. Yes, I speak from experience.)
Japanese food staples….The biggest variety is found in Denver at the Pacific Mercantile Company. Good news: The drive is short and surrounded by spacious skies and snowcapped Rocky Mountains.

Bicycle and walking paths abound in Boulder, CO.

Wishing you the best of life in everyday.

The Ninja Baker

© ™ Watkinson 2012

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

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The Ninja Baker's Japan, Part 2

NinjaBaker — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 23:33:31 +0000

If spring fever has you thinking about travel..You may want to sashay your way to Japan. Here's why! Hope you enjoy The Ninja Baker's Japan, Part 2

Soundtrack provided by MarmosetMusic.com.

Ms. Mao Asada: 3-Time World Figure Skating Champion
She lost her mother, stumbled in Sochi but is coming back strong!
On 29 March 2014, she garnered her 3rd win at
the World Figure Skating Championships!
Photo courtesy of 123rf.com

Baseball Team Fundraiser:
Not your average bake sale.
The boys are selling low calorie konnyaku sticks.
(Konnyaku is derived from a root plant. It's delicious when served with soy sauce.)

Pine trees are symbols of longevity in Japan.

Waraji - straw sandals - in the entryway
(the sacred space between the outside world and the home.)

Hello Kitty! (Pictured: Girls' Day Dolls)
P.s. Click here for a Hello Kitty Rice Krispies how-to.

From funerals to wedding engagement parties,
you'll see seki-han (sweet rice with red azuki beans)
on many an occasion of transition and celebration.

Kamishibai: Japanese Paper Art Theatre
My friend, Kazue Takada is a master storyteller.
Photos courtesy of Kazue Takada.

Omurice: Seen on lunch and dinner menus for decades in Japanese restaurants.
Typically the rice is sprinkled with bits of chicken.

Click here for the vegetarian version.

Photo courtesy of 123rf.com

Shoppers Alert:
The New Year is a fantabulous time to purchase designer items.
The catch? You don't know what's in the bag until after you've opened it!
Hints of whether if the contents are for a man, lady or child are given.
For more info, click here.
Photo courtesy of 123rf.com

Send me a postcard about your adventures in Japan!

Wishing you joy-filled adventures abroad and at home.

The Ninja Baker

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

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The Ninja Baker's Japan, Part 1

NinjaBaker — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 06:32:41 +0000

With the start of the New Year, I'm adding a new feature entitled the Ninja Baker's Japan. I'll be bringing you photos, videos and poetry from my Japan journal. Hope you enjoy!

The knell of the bells at the Gion temple
Echoes the impermanence of all things.
The colour of the flowers on its double-trunked tree
Reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall.
He who is proud is not so for long,
Like a passing dream on a night in spring.
He who is brave is finally destroyed,
To be no more than dust before the wind.

Legends of the Heike War
Japanese author(s) unknown
Translated by P.G. O'Neill

Jizo: Protectors of Children and Travelers

Cherry Blossom Sakura Sushi

Buds flash red, a stone lantern stands serene; both coexist in a Japanese garden.

Togoshi (Tokyo, Japan) Tea Shop Owner
(She's been in business for over 60 years.)

Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream

Precious angels waiting for their train.

Daruma, Good Luck Dolls:
Typically one eye is drawn in while making a wish.
When it comes true, the other eye is drawn in.
When my brother gave his girlfriend a daruma doll, she made a wish...
Today, she's his wife! Guess what her wish was?

Ladies in lovely silk kimonos (and obi belts)
chat between tea ceremony demonstrations.

Handcrafted Emperor and Empress dolls by my friend Nozomi Fujii.

Her exquisite dolls are on display at Kurari in Kamakura.

Daibutsu: The Great Buddha

Thank you to my Australian friend, Joanne of What's on the List for the invitation to share The Ninja Baker's Best of Japan at the No Rules Party!

Wishing you travels which touch your heart.

The Ninja Baker

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

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