Japan 2015 - Eating with Ceramic Artists 2: A Spectacular Meal at Kishimoto Kennin's Home

The ceramic artist Kishimoto Kennin is justly famous for his wood-fired iga-style wares (see image at right),  but also produces shino glazed and celadon vessels.




He and his wife are right out of potter central casting, as is his wonderful home.

Our group arriving at the home of Kishimoto Kennin

More relevant to a food blog, Mrs. Kishimoto is a fabulous cook, and served us a memorable meal. Upon entering the dining area, we were greeted by a fire above which flattened rice cakes (onigiri) were grilling and around which fish were broiling, and a large cauldron bubbling with a hearty vegetable soup.

Fish, onigiri and soup over and around the fire - before

These ingredients were transformed during the meal before our eyes.

Fish, onigiri and soup over and around the fire - after

Adding greens to the steaming vegetable soup

When served on the master's plates and bowls, they provided one of the most memorable meals of our tour.

Grilled rice ball (yaki-onigiri)

Grilled fish, vegetable and medium boiled egg

Mrs. Kishimoto's vegetable soup with homemade yuzukoshō and scallions

This fabulous vegetable soup was enhanced by Mrs. Kishimoto's homemade yuzukoshō, a condiment made by mashing up and fermenting hot peppers, salt and peels of yuzu, a small Japanese citrus with an indescribable taste. I was in such ecstasy that she invited me to return to her home next September for her annual yuzukoshō production time. I am seriously considering it.

Bobby Jay

Japan 2015 -- Eating with Ceramic Artists 1

One of the pleasures of visiting ceramic artists is being served snacks, tea and sweets or full meals, depending on the time of day, very often served on their own or their ancestors' dishes and bowls. I will deal in this post with some of the simpler fare we encountered on the tour, with a couple of fabulous full meals to be described in subsequent posts.

Yoshikowa Masamichi sculpture

One of our early stops was at the home and atelier of Yoshikawa Masamichi, whose wife served us unagi don (marinated grilled eel over rice), with accompanying pickles and rice of course, and a custard dessert: a simple but tasty lunch.

Unagi don with Yoshikawa tea cup

At the home of Kato Ryotaro, we were served the obligatory sweets with matcha (powdered green tea mixed with a whisk) served from bowls by the artist, his father and his National Treasure grandfather, a lovely treat and a chance to examine tea bowls by three generations of potters.

Kato Ryotaro's grandfather's tea bowl, with tea and after draining

Imai Hyoe sculpture

 When we visited Imai Hyoe, he recalled that Joan had enjoyed a creme brulée from a local bakery, so these beauties accompanied our tea.

Beautiful crème brulée

Hori Ichiro, known for his traditional wood-fired vessels, served us tea in some of his rustic tea cups.

Hori Ichiro teacups standing by

And at the home of Takegoshi Jun, the famous Kanazawa artist, we were proudly served a kind of local sweet, which none of us had seen before, to precede our green tea.

Kanazawa tea sweets

Just some of the simpler pleasures of artist visits.

Bobby Jay

Japan 2015 - Kyoto and Tokyo

I recently spent three weeks in Japan with my wife, Joan B. Mirviss, a major dealer in Japanese art and particularly in contemporary Japanese contemporary ceramics. Some of the time was spent on our own but the majority was spent on a ceramics tour of central Japan that Joan organized and led for a small group of dedicated collectors.

Japan is a feast for all the senses, but this is a food blog so I will concentrate for the next several posts on the marvelous food that we experienced at restaurants, inns and the homes of ceramic artists in Kyoto, Tokyo and the countryside.

Before the tour got started, we spent a couple of days in Kyoto and Tokyo. Here we revisited some favorite places and food items.

In Kyoto we were regaled by the renowned artist Kondo Takahiro and his wife Hitomi, who is a wonderful cook. Kondo-san is the current head of a ceramics dynasty in Kyoto, and lives in the lovely home that has descended in the family.

At home with (right to left) Kondo Takahiro, Kondo Hitomi and assistant

Hitomi-san's presentation is impeccable. This was her elegant opening tray:

Kondo Hitomi's first course presentation

Eggplant, chicken and vegetables and a fish dish followed, as did rice, soup, fruit and dessert: all beautiful and delicious.

A selection of dishes served by Kondo Hitomi in Kondo family bowls

Mr. Yokota proudly showing off some tiny eggplant that he was serving

Back in Tokyo, we went with my Tokyo partners to Yokota, our favorite tempura place for many years . . .

. . .  and I had a chance to get back to Hashigo, an unpretentious place in Ginza that happens to sell my favorite ramen in the world, spicy tan tan men, accompanied by perfect pickled daikon and rice.

Hashigo ramen shop and its wonderful tan tan men with pickles and rice

After a surprisingly good Indian meal with some close friends, we were ready for the tour.

Bobby Jay

Brilliant New Book on the Science of Cooking: The Food Lab

I have been reading J. Kenji López-Alt's wonderful blog, "The Food Lab" at Serious Eats, for quite awhile, so, like his many other fans, I eagerly awaited his new book The Food Lab: Better Cooking Through Science, which reached the shelves in September. When it arrived, I spent the next 10 days reading the 900-page tome, in which Kenji details the results of his use of the scientific method to produce repeatable, foolproof versions of many classic dishes.

Kenji is a self-described nerd, who was inspired as a child by Mr. Wizard and then went to MIT, where he got a degree in architecture but discovered his real passion: cooking. After stints in a variety of restaurant kitchens, where he learned the (often incorrect) conventional rules of cooking, but without the "why," he got a job as a test cook at Cook's Illustrated and ultimately became editor of "The Food Lab," a column at Serious Eats, his dream job, where he mixes science and cooking and shares the result of his explorations with us, the lucky public.

The book is a major contribution to our knowledge of the science of cooking. Others, most notably Harold McGee, have written extensively on this topic, but without the rigorous application of the science to actual recipes. The Food Lab contains detailed explanations of the science behind the recipes, and sets forth the testing procedures that Kenji employed, but ultimately there are lots of things in the book that you want to cook, so this is not a science book.

Before getting to the first of his nine chapters, Kenji gives readers an incomparable 40-page section on "Essential kitchen gear," which is useful reading for anyone contemplating equipping a kitchen or just getting more serious about his or her cooking.

The first chapter, Eggs, Dairy and the Science of Breakfast, describes Kenji's recipes for perfect soft- and hard-boiled and poached eggs and how he developed them.

The Food Lab's approach to egg researach

Along the way he debunks myths about old vs new eggs, water boiling and others, but ultimately arrives at simple, repeatable recipes. For example, his hard-boiled egg method solves for three problems: perfectly cooked yolk, tender white, ability to peel cleanly (this is what always gives me fits). The solution: add eggs to boiling water, boil for 30 seconds, add ice cubes, bring back to boil, then simmer slowly for 11 minutes. Worked for me.

My version of The Food Lab's hard-boiled eggs

The chapter continues with egg-based sauces (Hollandaise) and recipes (Eggs Benedict, omelets, etc.), as well as other breakfast foods, including pancakes, waffles, biscuits, potato cakes, sticky buns, to name a few.

Other chapters follow, each with a lot of basic science and recipe development, with numerous spin-offs:

• Soups, Stews, and the Science of Stock
• Steaks, Chops, Chicken, Fish, and the Science of Fast-Cooking Foods
• Blanching, Searing, Braising, Glazing, Roasting, and the Science of Vegetables
• Balls, Loaves, Links, Burgers, and the Science of Ground Meat
• Chickens, Turkeys, Prime Rib, and the Science of Roasts
• Tomato Sauce, Macaroni, and the Science of Pasta
• Greens, Emulsions, and the Science of Salads
• Batter, Breadings, and the Science of Frying 

While all are fascinating, I must mention a couple of highlights: 16 pages on burgers, with recipes for fat, smashed and pub-style ones;

15 pages on potatoes, roasted, mashed and a killer Hasselback-style gratin;

Cheesy Hasselback potato gratin

and 20 pages on frying, culminating in an extra crunchy Southern fried chicken recipe.

Techniques abound, knife skills in particular, but also whisking and roux-making, blanching, etc.

The book is a great read for cooking nerds like the undersigned, but also can be used as a recipe book. It is copiously illustrated with beautiful images of the final dishes but also step-by-step pictures that allow you to check in at various points in the preparation to make sure you are on the right track.

All in all, a major achievement, which I recommend heartily.

Bobby Jay

Paris -- Shopping for Our Lebanese Feast with Tania

I described yesterday a wonderful Lebanese feast that friends and I made with their (and now my) friend Tania. One of the revelations was our trip to the amazing Lebanese supermarket, Les Délices d'Orient, a Lebanese supermarket in a part of Paris's 15th arrondissement that is populated by many Lebanese, Iranians and other people from the Middle East.

I was only able to take a few pictures before I was stopped by the manager, who explained that, apart from panoramas of the whole market, photography was prohibited. So here's what I got.

You will have to take my word for the interesting things we found in the vegetable department: real baby lamb's lettuce (not mâche), jujubes (tiny grape-size fruits that taste like apples) and fresh pistachio nuts. A first for me: to eat the nuts you must remove a thin red membrane, and then take the fresh and moist nut out of its shell in the normal manner. Excellent.

Next we went across the street to the butcher owned by the same people as Les Délices. Tania did not make herself popular there by insisting that every scrap of fat be removed from the lamb before double grinding it into a wonderfully smooth texture. Here's what it looked like the next day, before we transformed it into kabab keraz and araïss.

Double ground lamb and other ingredients for araïss

 While at the butcher, we happened on this oddly named product:

Here's a link to learn more about this

If you are like me and enjoy seeing markets full of (for us) exotic products, Les Délices d'Orient is a must. 52 Avenue Émile Zola, 75015 Paris (Métro Charles Michels).

Bobby Jay

Paris -- Lebanese Cooking with Tania

Our Lebanese Feast

I spent two memorable days last week with my friends Mimi and JoJo and their friend Tania, a Lebanese woman who is a passionate expert on Middle Eastern food and a talented Lebanese chef.

The day before the meal, we made a couple of dishes and then shopped for the next day. We started with mehallabiyeh, a pudding perfumed with the divine scents of rose water and orange flower water.

The wonderful Tania making mehallabiyeh

Then we prepared hummus, like many other versions but with a trick: Tania adds a few ice cubes to the blender with the chickpeas and tahini for an extra smooth spread. I love getting this type of astuce, a small thing that can make a big difference.

Hummus

Next, we had coffee with some great loukoums (what we call Turkish delight) from Turkey . . .

Loukoums and coffee

. . . and started on our shopping expedition. More on that in a separate post.

The following day, we continued preparing for the feast, at which we were joined by Mimi and JoJo's great friend Miki and Nissan, the latter of whom grew up in what is now Israel before it was Israel, and as a child spoke Arabic and ate exactly the kind of food we prepared with Tania. Soul food for him!

In addition to the mehallabiyeh and hummus we made the day before, we added a bunch of exquisite dishes, an elaborate meal fit for royalty.

Moutabbal, also known as baba ghanouj, similar to Turkish but a little different.

Making moutabbal

Moutabbal -- the final product

Cucumber and yogurt salad, like raita but a little different.

Cucumber and yogurt salad with spices, mint, etc.

Tomato marinated in arak (anise flavored liquor similar to pastis) and served with shankish, a strong crumbly cheese.

Arak-marinated tomato with shankish

Kabab keraz, little lamb meatballs in a sour cherry sauce.

Making kabab keraz

Kabab keraz -- the final product

Meat pies (sorry, I don't have the Lebanese name) atop pancakes that closely resemble blinis, along with beef triangles that Tania had made earlier.

Meat pies

And my personal favorite, lamb araïss, pitas stuffed with a layer of spiced ground lamb and then grilled like panini (indeed, we used a panini maker).

Lamb araïss

As you can see, Lebanese food resembles that of other Middle Eastern countries, and, like them, traces its roots back to Turkey. But each cuisine is slightly different, and a lot of the fun lies in discovering the nuances.

Tania's food is pure and her presentations are magnificent. What a wonderful feast for the stomach, the eyes and the soul!

Bobby Jay