Black sesame seed ice cream

 To be honest, I was not trying to make an ice cream.  Actually I wanted to make a black sesame seed pudding which was like a blancmange.  I don't know why but it seems like that I did some mistakes during cooking.  Usually liquid for pudding could set after a couple hours but when I checked it next morning, it was still a liquid state...  At that time, I was so disappointed because I wanted to give this one to my friend who was coming to my home.  But I pulled my self together and tried to put it in the freezer for trail.  Surprisingly,  it could become a really tasty ice cream!

I have made ice cream but it needs a lot of ingredients and the process is a bit complicated for me.  But I could this ice cream really easily and used just simple ingredients.  Actually, non oil and non egg but even though that, the texture is so smooth because the corn starch works well I think.

Anyway, I am happy to find this recipe!!


Black sesame seed ice cream (3〜4 serves)

• 2 cups of whole milk
• 4 Tbs of ground black sesame seed
• 4 Tbs of brown sugar
• 4 Tbs of corn starch

1,  Put all ingredients in a small pot and mix them very well with a whipper

2,  Heat it with low fire and stir it with a wood spatula constantly

3,  After become thick like the below picture, turn off fire and put the liquid in a container and leave it until cool down

4,  Put it in the freezer and mix with a folk 2 times at intervals of two or three hours

Not only I  but also my friend was so surprised about that!  It was too tasty to believe that it was made form some mistake and had just simple ingredients.

I am sure I'll definitely make variety of flavors though autumn has already came.  But also I should challenge to make a pudding again!!

Sweet potato and black sesame seed cake

It has passed just 10000 days since I was born.  For me it's a special anniversary day!!  But nobody celebrated me (because maybe the person who realized about that was only me...).  That doesn't matter really but I made a cake for me with candied sweet potato which I made the day before yesterday.

Sweet potato and black sesame seed cake (23.5×18cm cake pan)

• 1 pound of candied sweet potato
• 2 Tbs of black sesame seed
• 140g of flour (☆)
• 2 tsp of baking powder (☆)
• 1 Tbs of corn starch (☆)
• 40g of sugar (☆)
• 1/4 tsp of salt (☆)
• an egg
• 80g of butter
• 70g of sugar
• 60ml of milk
• 2 Tbs of rum

1,  Cut candied sweet potato into small cube.  Mix all (☆) and sift them together.  Melt butter

2,  Put butter in a heat-resistant container and turn on a micro oven for 30 seconds or so for melting it.

3,  Beat an egg and add sugar, milk and rum with a whipper in a big bowl

4,  Add sifted dry mixture and mix lightly taking care not to make sticky with spatula

5, Add cut candied sweet potato and black sesame seed and mix them lightly  

6,  Put the dough in a cake mold which you cover with kitchen paper

7,  Put the dough into the oven and bake at 365°F for 20 minutes

8,  remove from oven and cool down on a cake cooler

I cut into a square...

and put coconuts ice cream which was my favorite flavor♡

Oooooh, so tasty♡  It's not too sweet so could be dangerous because I could eat it as much as I would like but that's okay because it's a special day so don't care about diet for today, haha.

Anyway, I would like to take this opportunity to say thanks to my parents.  I heartily thank you guys for giving birth to me and taking care anytime.

Candied Japanese sweet potato

Suppose to be so chilly tomorrow as usual.  It seems like the autumn has quite arrived at Boston.  In autumn, I really get the urge to eat Japanese sweet potatoes which is a little moisture, seems to soft and be smooth.  In Japan, we can get really tasty one especially in autumn!

It has really sweet taste so you don't have to add so much sugar when you cook it.  Even just bake is totally fine and taste so good!  Also it has a lot of vitamins and fiber.  That's why it is got attention as a healthy ingredients and people, especially young women,  love it!

Fortunately, I could find it at one Japanese grocery store!  I think you can find at asian grocery store or even some grocery store does have.  I highly recommend to try it when you find!

Candied Japanese sweet potato

• 3/4  pound of Japanese sweet potatoes
• canola oil
• 3 Tbs of sugar (☆)
• 3 Tbs of mirin(☆)
• 2 Tbs of water(☆)
• 1/4 tsp of soy sauce(☆)
• 1/4 tsp of vinegar(☆)
• black sesame seed

1,  Wash Japanese sweet potatoes and cut into bigger bite-size

2,  Soak in water and leave for 10 minutes

3,  Put canola oil in a pan and heat with medium fire until oil become hot

4,  Pan fry it tuning upside down sometime until soft

5,  Remove from the pan and put on the cooler

6,  Mix all (☆) in a small bowl and add to a pan and heat with low fire

7,  After the sauce makes big babbles and become thick, add fried potatoes and mix them very well until the sauce become really thick and sticky.

8,  Put on the cooler again and add black sesame seed

Actually I was so tired because I helped a Japanese festival all the day.  But this sweet potato made me invigorate a lot!  It seemed like just I needed something sweets, haha, I am simple :)   I made this maybe too much amount so I'll make some sweets with candied sweet potato.  Can be so tasty!!

Taiyaki (Fish-shaped pancake filled with been jam)

Tomorrow I am helping a Japanese grocery store's 1st anniversary festival which my friend is working.  They are trying to take a Japanese autumn festival (called Aki Matsuri) and having a lot of kinda street stalls, for example, octopus dumplings (called takoyaki), fried soba (called yakisoba), shooting game, coin game and more which are Japanese traditional things.  I am making Taiyaki tomorrow.  Taiyaki is a fish-shaped Japanese pancake and the filling is azuki bean jelly.  It's a kind of traditional Japanese sweets and very popular because not only looks nice but also really tasty!

I have never made Taiyaki so I went to the store and practiced a lot!

This is a Taiyaki pan.

Hooooo!!!!  So cute♡♡

I was so excited to use this pan!  Well, let's practice!!

Taiyaki (Fish-shaped pancake filled with been jam) (6 pieces)

• sugar  40g (☆)
• 2 tsp of baking powder (☆)
• 1 Tbs of corn starch (☆)
• salt (☆)
• flour 140g (☆)
• 1+1/2 eggs
• 1+1/2cup of water or whole milk
• azuki bean jelly

1,  Mix  (☆) and sift it in a bid bowl and add egg and water or milk and mix them very well

2,  Heat a pan until quite hot and put 2 spoon of the batter and put 1 spoon of azuki bean on it and cover a bit of the batter

3,  close the pan and turn upside down immediately and grill for 2〜3 minutes

4,  turn upside down again and grill another side about 2 minutes and open the pan

Hoooo!!! Too cute to eat♡

I practiced a lot so now I can perfect Taiyaki!  (Actually I made over 50 taiyaki this week...)

The festival will be taken in Cambridge.  You must be so excited so please come tomorrow!!

Aki Matsuri

Saturday, 29 September 2012   10am - 7 pm

@Miso market

1963 Massachusetts avenue, Porter square, Cambridge MA, 02140

Green tea and white chocolate brownie

I am going to my friend's home tomorrow night.  She is a Japanese table coordinator and also teaches cooking here in Boston.  I met her as a student of her class but she and I became really nice friends each other quickly because we were really similar and had a lot in common.

She is making dinner for me tomorrow night and doing table setting also.  So I'm making some sweets for her and her family from now as a thank you present.

Green tea and white chocolate brownie (23.5×18cm cake pan)

・White chocolate  180g
・Unsealed butter  80g
・Brown sugar  60g
・2 eggs
・Green tea powder  12〜16g
・Baking powder  1tsp
・Flour  80g
・Walnuts  80g

1, Heat an oven at 360F°
2, Chop white chocolate and put it and butter in a heat-resistant container and turn on a micro oven for 45 seconds for melting them and keep it warm

3, Cut walnuts into small pieces and roast until light brown
4, Sift flour, baking powder and green tea powder
5, Beat egg and add brown sugar and beat them again with whipper
6, Add melted butter and white chocolate to egg and sugar and beat them very well

7, Add sifted dry mixture and mix lightly with a spatula quickly and add 2/3 of walnuts

8, Put the dough to a pan and add 1/3 of walnuts on the dough and put it into the oven and bake for 13〜15 minutes

9, Remove from oven and make cool down on a cake cooler

I can't wait to try her cooking and to see her table setting.  Her table coordinate is always amazing!!  I am sure it's gonna be great and we will have so much fun!  And I hope she and her family will love this brownie♡

Green tea fresh fruits juice

I had a plan this early morning but unfortunately I completely overslept so had no enough time to have breakfast!!  I tried to make a fresh fruit juice quickly and at that time remembered that I had a sweetened green tea powder and so I added it while I was wondering if it went with the fruits juice well.  I was so curious!!


Green tea fruit fresh fruit juice (2 cups)

• 1 banana
• 1 apple
• 2 cups of milk
• 2 Tbs of honey
• 3〜4 Tbs of sweetened green tea powder

1,  Put all of above ingredients in a juice mixer

2,  Turn on the juicer mixer and blend until creamy

In conclusion, this mix fruits juice was so nice!  Refreshed, fruity and a little bit sweet then I could taste green tea flavor after.  I could get off a hot start today with this juice!  For me, breakfast is really important because I think if I can have nice breakfast I feel like it will be a nice day, don't you think?  I will definitely make this juice again sometime soon but I hope I never oversleep again!!

Green tea yogurt parfait

I first met greek yogurt in America.  I had never seen and of course tried it when I was in Japan.  After I tried it one time, I was really obsessed with the magic of it and then I am eating greek yogurt every morning.  It is really thick, creamy like a cream cheese!!

The difference between greek yogurt and normal yogurt is that greek yogurt has one more process which is "drain" after lactic acid fermentation.  That's why greek yogurt is so creamy!

I think it is good to make some sweets with greek yogurt because you don't have to wait for a long time to drain and it's much healthier to use yogurt that heavy cream.

Green tea yogurt parfait

• 1 cup of greek yogurt (150g/ 5.3OZ)
• 1 tea spoon of green tea powder
• 2 tea spoon of brown sugar
• 1/2 tea spoon of vanilla extract
• 2 full cracker sheets of graham crackers
• raspberry
• blackberry
• chopped walnuts

1. Put greek yogurt, green tea powder, vanilla extract and brown sugar into a small bowl and mix them very well
2. Crash graham crackers finely
3. Cut raspberry and blackberry in half
4. Put crashed graham crackers, chopped walnuts and half cut berries in the glass
5. Put mixed yogurt on it
6. Repeat step 4 and 5
7. Sprinkle extra green tea powder and put some berries on top of the parfait

I really love this one!  You can make quickly so it is good for your breakfast too. (Actually I made this for breakfast. )  I can't wait to make other sweets with greek yogurt again.  Could be so exciting!!!