Chocolate Dome...

Chocolate moelleux layered with feuilletine, matcha brulee', chocolate mousse, and then coated with a glacage.

PH10, Pierre Herme....

I finally got the book...Pierre Herme's new book ph10. I went to his shop in Omotesando, Tokyo and asked for it when it first came out but they did not have the book. It's his last 10 years of collected recipes everything from entremets to glace'. A definite must have for anyone in the field of patiserrie. I actually had to order it from France to get the book. It costs about 200 US dollars. In Japan, this book would cost twice as much!

I forgot to add...this book is only available in French. So start learning French!

Gateau Charlotte...

Here's a cold charlotte. This one is a strawberry charlotte with ladyfingers used to line and top the cake. Creme bavarois layered with genoise with layers of sliced strawberries in the center and on top of the cream.

Dessert Trio....

Dessert trio for a wine dinner. The flavors were based around coffee. Here you have poached pear in coffee, which I then, sliced and baked over a macadamia nut struesel. With the poaching liquid I made a jelly. Then you have a chocolate moelluex dome with a coffe brulee center, ganache and a thin chocolate disk for the bottom then topped with a caramel stick with gold leaf on one end. And of course, vanilla ice cream. I used graham cracker crumbs for the base so that the ice cream doesn't slide around.

Wasabi and Nadaman......

I was surprised upon returning to Hawaii that the Wasabi restaurant in Kapahulu has collaborated with the famous Nadaman restaurant. The restaurant had a more chic look and the menu more elaborate and expensive. Despite the fact that there are many japanese living in Hawaii and many japanese restaurants throughout Hawaii it is difficult to find good japapnese food. I believe the reason for this is simply the ingredients. It is diificult to produce outstanding food with mediocre ingredients. I have been to the Nadaman restaurant in Japan and there is no comparison. That is not to say that the food here was not good but rather, not in the same league as the one in Japan.

Here for appetizer we had kiriboshi daikon, matsumaetzuke, and green pea tofu. At my work at Amandan Hills in Japan we also made kiriboshi daikon and used it for a base for black beef tenderloin. The kiriboshi daikon that Amandan Hills makes was much better.

Salmon Skin Roll....I was assuming that there would be some crunch to this from the salmon skin but there wasn't. You don't see these kind of rolls in Japan very often.
This was my sons plate. He loves sushi. The sushi rice was good. Too bad they didn't have ootoro. The highest grade of maguro that I have been able to find here is chuutoro.
Foie Gras Chawanmushi....This was good, yet, I have seen my chef in Japan make Foie Gras Chawanmushi which had a custard base topped with seared foie gras, dashi, fresh greens, fresh sliced truffles, and truffle oil.
Nasu Misodenraku....this was good, eggplant coated with a sweet miso paste and then broiled.
Basic tempura.....

Grilled Wagyu beef....again the difference in ingredients. This was nothing like the beef we had in Japan. It's all in the ingredients!

Diamants.....

Classic French cookies. Made three types, chocolate, vanilla, and matcha. Butter 100 g., powdered sugar 40 g., egg yolk 1 pc., flour 150 g., egg white for brushing the sides and sugar to coat the sides. Prepare the dough and portion to 100 g. each. Roll out to 18 cm which would give you the right thickness. Cut 1.5cm thick. Bake in a 350 deg. oven for 11-12 min.

Strawberry Bar....

It's strawberry season and I thought I'd do something with strawberries. Two layers of pistachio joconde layered with a fresh strawberry gelee', topped with chantilly mousse, strawberries, vanilla-citrus sugar, and strawberry tuile. Sauce is a red-wine-strawberry reduction with vanilla bean and lemon zest and a creme anglaise. Over the reduction is pistachio croquant. It would be nice to have nicer plates to work with though.

Warm Pear Charlotte....

There are two types of charlotte's. Most people know only the cold type where you line a ring form ladyfingers and layer with biscuit and bavarian cream. The other is a wam one where you line a ramekin with buttered bread and fill it with fruit that has been sauteed. Here I infused the butter used to soak the bread with vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. The pear filling has been sauteed in butter, vanilla, and cinnamon and then flambeed with brandy. I then, bound it with pastry cream and filled the lined ramekin. Topped with a bubble sugar, vanilla ice, and dried pear shavings. Served with a vanilla foam and cinnamon crumble. I still think the servings are too big especially for a course menu. Japanese are always surprised when they come here and eat. For them the portions here are usually enough for 2 persons.

Tarts.....

Here are some tarts that I made for a buffet. They only had 25cm rings which are large compared to the 16cm rings that I am used to making tarts with in Japan. In Japan the usual cake sizes are 18cm and 16 cm. and for tarts 16 cm and 14 cm. The "cuteness" (かわいい) factor plays a big role into the size and design factor of cakes in Japan.

Swiss Apple Tart Framboise Tart
Chocolate Tart