The Ninja Baker - history

Japanese Grilled Cheese & Kale Salad, #SundaySupper, #FamilyDinnerTable

NinjaBaker — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 02:42:44 +0000

This post is sponsored by American Family Insurance. All opinions are my own.

Before Commodore Perry of the US Naval Forces pressured Japan to give up on a 200 years plus isolation policy, which prohibited interaction with foreigners, the Tokugawa shogunate ruled with an iron fist. Peace did prevail for the most part and the arts flourished. (Theatre, poetry, lacquer ware and art.) Many prints from the Tokugawa period (also known as the Edo period) depict farmers harvesting rice, samurai visiting sake wine shops and kimono clad geisha girls serving tea.

Teatime! (Photo credit)

I’ve yet to see art from ancient Japan capturing the smile of a samurai as he munched on mozzarella. Cheese is not a part of traditional Japanese cuisine. However, as foreign ideas were introduced in the late 1860s, dairy made an entrance into Japanese culture.

Today Japanese versions of cheese exist. Some who travel to Japan may be disappointed by the lack of variety. Cooking with cheese can be challenge for newly arrived ex-pats and those accustomed to the huge selections available at American supermarkets. Creativity and thinking outside the box are essential. Of course, imported cheeses are always an option for those with big budgets. But it’s more fun to get creative, right?

Japanese cheese tends to be mild and does melt pretty well. Think mild Monterey Jack. Mac ‘n cheese, lasagna and homemade pizzas are completely do-able.

Local spices sold in Japan will quickly heat up any mild
Japanese cheese in your lasagna.

If desired, karashi mustard, shichimi spice blends and togarashi chili pepper spices can bring heat to the mild cheese. If you are living in the U.S. and want to add a bit of zing to your Monterey Jack, use paprika and red pepper flakes.

Whether one is living in Japan or in America, and life is demanding everyone to move at (Shinkansen) bullet train speed, if grated cheese is in the freezer, dinner can be done in minutes. So by all means grate leftover cheese and place it in the freezer for that frenetic meal on the run day.

One of my favorite quick meals on the go is a Japanese grilled cheese sandwich. In the middle of soft bread, melted sharp cheddar with slices of sautéed shiitake mushrooms are discovered. It’s the perfect food to take the edge off of hunger. Many vegetarians use Portobello mushrooms instead of meat. Shiitake have a similar texture and pleasing pungency.

An American classic grilled cheese with a Japanese shiitake mushroom twist.

Also, if you’ve got an extra minute, homemade cheese bread makes the grilled cheese even better. Substitute the milder cheese blend in the bread recipe with sharp cheddar if you want an extra, extra sharp cheddar flavored grilled cheese.

Goat cheese crumbles are sprinkled atop an au courant kale salad.
America's latest green obsession is dressed up with
Japanese daikon radish circles and enoki mushrooms.

Kale salad sprinkled with goat cheese and garnished with enoki mushrooms and daikon radish slices pair well with the sandwich. As kale and daikon are both vegetables with a bite, a creamy goddess or similar salad dressing with a sweetness works well.

Japanese Style Grilled Cheese on Homemade Cheese Bread

The aromas of baking bread fill a home with comfort and fill a tummy with homemade goodness. This cheese bread is subtle in its cheese accents. But you can always substitute a sharp cheddar for the milder varieties.

This cheese bread is a perfect candidate for the Japanese style grilled cheese. Butter sweetens the slightly pungent shiitake mushrooms which land on soft bread and cheddar cheese.

Ingredients:

For the homemade cheese bread:
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
3 cups Japanese bread flour (top quality American flour is fine also)
¼ cup dry milk powder
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 ¼ cups warm water
1 ½ cups shredded organic mild cheeses (Monterey Jack, Colby cheese and mild cheddar cheese)

For the grilled cheese sandwich:

Softened butter
2 medium shiitake mushrooms, sliced into thin strips
2 sandwich size slices of extra sharp cheddar cheese
2 slices of homemade cheese bread or your favorite bakery bread

Directions:

For the homemade cheese bread:

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine. Give a quick whisk. Select the White Bread setting. Press Start and prepare to have your home infused with the comforting aromas of baking bread.

For the grilled cheese sandwich:

Melt a generous tablespoon of butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the shiitake mushrooms for about a minute. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and pat dry with paper towels. Smooth softened butter over one side of each of the bread slices. Butter side down, place one slice in the pan. Arrange the cheese and mushrooms over the bread. Wait until the cheese begins to melt to cover with the remaining bread slice. Keep the buttered side up; flip the sandwich and grill for another minute. Serve with kale salad if desired.

If the brain is fried after a day of taking care of the children, managing a job, driving in traffic, doing the laundry, punching a million buttons before speaking to a human at customer service…And making a decision about what to make for dinner seems too monumental…You can always visit the American Family Insurance Pinterest board. They are not only in the business of providing insurance. The impressive company is encouraging families to go back to the family dinner table. So, they’ve set up a Pinterest board featuring all kinds of yummy recipes that look very do-able. Including delightful cheese dishes such as twice baked potatoes and cheeseburger pies. Click here to take a peek.

American Family Insurance also has some helpful info listed on their web site as well as Google+, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and as mentioned above Pinterest.

Here are a few more creative ways to use cheese and bring smiles to your family:

Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Soup by Chocolate Moosey
Fettucine Pumpkin Cauli-fredo by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Cheeseburger Chowder by Magnolia Days
Three Cheese Lasagna with Meat Sauce by Webicurean
Japanese Grilled Cheese & Kale Salad by NinjaBaking.com
Cheesy Ham and Potato Bake by Country Girl in the Village
Spinach Feta Greek Impossible Pie by Shockingly Delicious
Cheesy Vegetarian Enchilada Soup by Curious Cuisiniere
Steakhouse Bacon Alfredo Pasta by Juanita's Cocina
3 Cheese Pumpkin Mac and Cheese by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
Cheddar Popcorn Soup by MarocMama
Broccoli, Mushroom & Cheese Strata by Momma's Meals
Chili Relleno Casserole by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
French Onion and Apple Soup by Supper for a Steal
Cheesy Italian Sausage & Kale Quiche by girlichef
Lighter Stove-top Mac and Cheese by Alida's Kitchen
Cheddar Potato Dumpling Soup by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
Prosciutto, Chevre & Radish Toasted Sandwich by Foxes Love Lemons
Cheesesteak Poutine by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Roasted Tomatoes and Broccoli Rabe Flatbread Pizza by Family Foodie

And don't forget, our eCookbook featuring many of our favorite recipes will be coming out just in time for the Holidays.

If this #SundaySupper discussion about dishes dripping with cheeses is appealing, please join us every Sunday on Twitter.

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here → Sunday Supper Movement.

Wishing you many moments around the family table where everyone smiles as the cameraman says, “Cheese!”

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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#American Family Insurance Back to the Table

Gluten-Free Cointreau Cake Pops

NinjaBaker — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 07:32:54 +0000

I’m a foodie. I love the art of presentation, the tantalizing scents, the sweet and spicy sensations on the tongue.

The middle picture features The Ninja Baker's Mini Plum Wine Cream Puffs.
The photos on either side are my Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Champagne Glaze and optional Marmalade Filling. Click here for the recipe.

But the story behind a divine dessert is what grabs my heart. Case in point, in prepping for today’s blog about my Gluten-Free Cointreau Cake Pops, curiosity prompted me to research the providers of the star components: Cointreau and Pamela’s Gluten-Free Vanilla Classic Cake Mix.

Cointreau: The orange liqueur created by Edouard Cointreau - the son of a master confectioner.
And Classic Vanilla from Pamela, the Queen of Gluten-Free Cake Mixes.

Cointreau seems to have been destined for divine desserts from the start. In 1875 Edouard Cointreau not only invented the lovely blend and balance of sweet and tart orange liqueur, he also created the elegant bottle (which bares his signature.) His artistry and craft were not an accident. He hailed from a family of master confectioners.

Other Cointreau fun facts: Both Pierrot and James Bond have been poster boys for the liqueur.

Pierrot - as theatre buffs may recognize - is the character so often performed in pantomime and was popular in Paris’ Commedia dell’Arte theatre performances. Pierrot pined for Columbine who often broke his heart by running to Harlequin. The Cointreau ad posters featuring the forlorn clown appeared at the turn of the century.

For Pierrot photo credits, click here.

By the 1960s instead of the heartbroken – Mr. Heartbreaker – super-spy 007 James Bond was touting Cointreau.

For 007 photo credits of the suave English spy, click here.

Around the same time as suave Bond was selling the French liqueur, the grandparents of Pamela, the current queen of gluten-free cake mixes, were selling wheat-free baked goods in San Francisco. However, the cookies and cakes sold in the grandparents’ bakery were not quite as delicious as the recipes Pamela developed as an adult. To quote Pamela, as a school child, “No one wanted to trade food with me.” It may have motivated her though to create the fabulous products she sells today. I suspect the rejections on the playground for Pamela have turned into gratitude for her booming gluten-free baking business. And grateful customers! See if you don't agree. A recipe for cake pops follows.

Here's What You'll Need for the Cointreau Cake Pops:

1 package Pamela’s Gluten-Free Vanilla Classic Cake Mix
(or Betty Crocker of Duncan Hines White Cake if you want a more economical and traditional cake)
3 to 4 Eggs
Cointreau
Vegetable Oil
6-inch Cookie Sticks
Styrofoam Flower Bases (You can get these at a crafts store like Michaels)

Gluten-Free Cointreau with Espresso Buttercream Cake Pops
with Chocolate Sprinkles

Substituting Cointreau for water, follow the instructions on the cake mix package.

Pour into cake pop molds (I purchased the Nordic Ware tins from Sur La Table.)
And if using Nordic Ware, make sure your oven temp reads 325 degrees. Bake for about 18 minutes - the same time as suggested for cupcakes.

I’ve made cake pops by first crumbling up a sheet cake and then molding cake pop circles with frosting. However, a cake pop maker saves you the step. And extra calories.

After your cake pops have cooled, pop them into the freezer. After 30 minutes have passed, carefully insert the cookies sticks into the cake circles. Whilst your cake pops are firming up in the freezer…

Remember to pre-stab holes in your Styrofoam
which will act as your frosted cake pops holder.

Here’s What You’ll Need for the Espresso Buttercream:

1 cup Non-Hydrogenated Vegetable Shortening
(or Crisco if want to save a few dollars)
4 cups sifted Powdered Sugar
1 heaping tablespoon of Meringue Powder
5 ½ tablespoons of (cooled) Espresso
1 teaspoon of Coffee Extract

Mix your shortening, espresso and extract until thoroughly combined. Gradually add the sugar and meringue powder. Keep beating until completely mixed.

Before you start frosting, however, stab holes in your Styrofoam base so you’ll have somewhere to stick the cake pops, which do need to stay vertical. And back into the freezer. (I’m still learning to master the rhythms of this dance.) As the saying goes, “Timing is everything.” And adages stick around because they’re true, right?

And the “funnest” part of all – besides the tasting – are the pretty decorations.

The Ninja Baker's Cointreau Cake Pops with Espresso
Buttercream Sprinkled with Pink Pearls.

Wishing you a week of rich rewards for your curiosities.

The Ninja Baker

The Ninja Baker's recipes are also available at:

Allrecipes.com:
The Ninja Baker's Japanese Plum Sweet Memories and Recipes?

Bob's Red Mill

Wholesome Sweeteners:
The Ninja Baker's Gluten-Free Coconut Chocolate Cheesecake Minis with Espresso Cream

Wholesome Sweeteners:
The Ninja Baker's Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Champagne Glaze & Optional Lemon Peach Marmalade Filling

?LifeKraze

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Ice Cream Philosophy 101

NinjaBaker — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 22:05:16 +0000

	“Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn't illegal,” said Voltaire in the 1700s. His philosophy influenced the French Revolution. His stories such as Candide inspired generations of writers. Thank goodness his words never instigated any rebellions against ice cream! There are so many exquisite creations inspired by the frozen sweet stuff. The ice cream cone was invented specifically to serve the lovely dessert. The cone, by the way, was popularized at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. Visitors from America and abroad delighted in this fun and easy way to eat ice cream. And in the 1950s, the folks at Betty Crocker used the cones as a container for cake!
	Well, the Ninja Baker has added a New Millennium twist to the venerable ice cream cone cake. A gluten-free version.Click here for the original Betty Crocker recipe. Substitute your best gluten-free and dairy-free concoctions in a vegan ice cream cone. (Found at Whole Foods and other health-oriented markets.) My base was the Lemon Coconut Muffin from Gluten-Free Baking Classics. And the dairy-free vanilla frosting from the BabyCakes: Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes. Anne Bym has also joined the gluten-free bandwagon with her most recent cookbook The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free. (All the aforementioned cookbooks are available under Shop/My Favorites at NinjaBaking.com)
	My copy of the original The Cake Mix Doctor has many pages turned down at the corner reminding me to reuse the recipes. Like the one which recommends using two cups of ice cream. Per the Cake Doctor’s suggestion, I’ve used Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia several times and received rave reviews. This time I tried green tea ice cream. To my taste buds, the flavor got lost in translation. Next time, I’ll add powdered matcha green tea. Probably a tablespoon or two. Still, the cake was light and nice. Also, the last minute decision to add chocolate chips was a good one. Coating the chips in matcha powder so they wouldn’t sink to the bottom of the cake was a winning choice, too.
	If you’re tuckered out or the countdown to dinner is restricting baking time, mini ice cream pies are your saving grace. Simply fill premade mini graham cracker or chocolate crusts with ice cream. Rainbow sprinkles (always a winner with little ones), chocolate chips or grated chocolate are an easy garnish. And as always a wisp of Cool Whip, Reddi-wip or the real stuff are nice. However you choose to partake of the world-popular dessert, I agree with classic American theater playwright, Thornton Wilder’s philosophy. “My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate.”
Wishing you summer days filled with sweetness and scrumptious ice cream desserts.
The Ninja Baker © Watkinson 2012	The Ninja Baker's recipes are also available on: ?Bob's Red Mill ?Wholesome Sweeteners ?LifeKraze