Zu zu zu lemon tartelette : yuzu, kuzu, anzu

A delicious fresh dessert for all the lovers of sour sweetness.

Why zu zu zu ?

Zu or su, is sourness. Many acidic ingredients have this sound in Japanese. Today :
Anzu : Apricot.
Yuzu : yuzu citrus.
Kuzu : kudzu is a root resembling arrow-root and similarly used as a jelly starch.

About 1 volume of dry apricot for two of oat meal in the blender, then just a little water. Put in the mold, dried in the oven.

Yuzu. I’ve really discovered something here : yuzu and apricot are one of those rare matches made in even. Paired they become something else, a richer fruit flavor.

Kudzu as it is sold. It is 本葛 Honkuzu, pure kuzu. There exist others (explanation here).

For more : kudzu recipes.

I mixed the kuzu powder with the juice and zest of a yuzu, a little yellow cane sugar, enough water (as suggested on the package of kuzu) and cooked while stirring, till it became transparent.

Filled the crust. Let cool a few hours. Garnished with whipped coconut cream, toasted sesame seeds and yellow cane sugar.

Purple, golden, sweet. Just potatoes.

A simple pleasure when it’s cold : eating a yaki-imo, a hot baked sweet potatoes.

Satsuma imo, Japanese sweet potato are more common in the red skin and pale yellow version.

There exist blue purple ones too.

Black natto brunch

Tororo on my bowl of natto…

A nagaimo, a long yamaimo or Japanese yam. Naga means long. We often buy only a cut, but the root is 60 cm long or more.

Grated. Tororo tuto.

Like an apple or an avocado, grated yamaimo tends to oxidate and darken in color. Or not, and that’s not previsible. But that was the case with this one so I’ve added juice of sudachi lime to keep it relatively creamy in color. That’s also a nice flavor addition.

Black natto (fermented soy beans). It’s often paired with grated wasabi.

Natto with rice is a regular breakfast item in Japan. So just that with tororo and green tea. A nice simple brunch.

Kiku, chrysanthemum garden toast

My garden lunch…
That’s the season for chrysanthemums, on the table too. These small ones are often seen with sashimi. They look good with any food.

Ful, broad bean hummus.

Basil pesto (basil, garlic, sesame, salt, olive oil).

菊Kiku, chrysanthemum.

A toast, bean paste, pesto and flowers.

Kimchi with yamaimo (Japanese yam) and okra, two sluggish veggies.

With coffee and a mikan orange.

Fresh green open sandwich

A fresh plant-based tea sandwich. I’m liking more and more vegetable sandwiches. Like these :

carrot sands

It’s a cuke sand’ today… Kyuri, Japanese cucumbers have a thin skin, and thin seeds. Everything is edible.

A thin slice of shokupan (Japanese bread) with the crust cut out. Coconut cream and grainy mustard spread on it. A handful of cress. Sliced cucumbers.