しごとで。。。。。。

A difference of culture........

みなさんがんばりましょう！Minasan ganbarimashou, is something you often hear working in Japan. It means everyone lets do our best! It's that sort of mentality that the people you are working alongside with have in Japan. From the dish crew to the servers, cooks, and the management everyone come to work with that thought in mind....to do their best in whatever it is they do. It is that environment that I miss working with the people in Japan. Unfortunately, it is not the same here. Majority of the time, people spend most of their energy complaining about the job place or their work. And in most cases, don't even come in to work. This is one problem that you wll never find in Japan. Not once, since I was there, did anyone called in sick. Not once. What's even worse is that you find it in the management positions here.
I can clearly remember the time when I first started off in this career as an apprentice pulling more hours than the chef because I wanted to learn more. You don't see this in the work force these days. What has happened to the work force of America?
Words like ganbarimasu(do one's best), hatarakisugi na hito, isshokenmei na hito (hard working person) is consistently heard in the workplace in Japan. A lot of postive reinforcement is passed from one staff to another. And the result is the quality service and products that prevail. Service alone in Japan is unbeatable. Everywhere you go you are constantly greeted and thanked, even if you didn't buy anything. Servers only get paid a low salary position of about 20,000 a year if not lower with NO TIPS (no tipping is allowed) and yet, their service is impeccable.
Soon again, I will find myself in the land of the rising sun.

マカロン。。。

Strawberry, Chocolate, and Matcha Macarons

If you ask any one here in Hawaii what is a macaron and they will give you a description of a coconut macaron which is entirely different from the classic parisian macarons. The only macaron that they know of is of the coconut kind, unfortunately. I have seen them appearing in some of the coffee and cake shops yet they have a long way from being recognized here in Hawaii.

One of my staff members is attending a pastry culinary school here in Hawaii and always keeps me up to date on what they are making for their class. Apparently, they have already passed making petit secs without even making the classic parisian macaron or any of the other French macarons like Macaron Nancy, Macaron d'Amiens, Macaron de st. Emillion, or Macaron de st. Jean du luz.

タルト・タタン。。。

Tarte Tatin

Here is one classic French tart that you will never find in any bake shops in Hawaii, except for the place where I'm working at, of course. I am constantly revisiting classic desserts as they are the foundation of modern desserts. Look at any of the cakes prepared in world pastry competitions and they basically are made with classic recipes that have been revised to compensate for texture or taste.

さくらんぼ。。。。。

For the new summer menu, cherry compote layered with vanilla cream, chocolate earl grey chiffon, warm cherry cobbler, and then topped with a cherry creme fraiche ice and cherry foam.

Bread Pudding.......

Chocolate bread pudding layered with caramelized bananas and then topped with vanilla bread pudding. Served with dulce de leche ice topped with a brandy snap.

チョコレートベリータルト...

Chocolate raspberry tart layered with berry compote, hazelnut dacquoise, ganache, and then topped with chocolate fondant dome with a blackberry center. Plated with a berrry compote, vanilla oil, and vanilla dust.

Checkerboard Sable and Hazelnut Diamant.....

Apple Chiboust Tart....

Here's something I have never found in a cake shop in America-chiboust tart. An apple tart made with sauteed apples and baked with a custard mixture and then topped with a chiboust cream made from creme patissier bound with gelatin and lightened with a meringue.

ティラミス。。。

Tiramisu, a classic that always seems popular in buffets-ladyfingers soaked in expresso and then layered with tiramisu cream. Here I sprayed the whole thing with thinned out couveture.

タルトマロン。。。

奥さん一番だいすきのタルト。パトゥスクレとマロンアッパレ、クレムレジェ、メレンゲ、クレムシャンティ、マロンクレム、マロン風味豊かなタルトの出来上がりです！

My wife's favorite tart, marron tart. Pate sucre filled with marron appareil and then layered with creme legere, baked meringue disk, creme chantilly, and then marron creme.

ロールケーキ。。。。

I have made many roll cakes in my career and this one made from a recipe from Japan is undoubtly the best one. Extremely light and moist sponge layered with 38% whipped cream and vanilla sugar. Japanese roll cakes tend to have fruits such as strawberries, bananas, and other berries layered in the roll cake. Kihachi cake shop in Japan is quite famous for their roll cakes. Here, I just used strawberries.

タルトボーダロウーオーヴァンルージュ。。。。

I actually decided to make a pear bordalou using pears poached in red wine. I prefer it with the pears poached in red wine.

アーモンドブランクマンジェ。。。。。

アーモンドブランクマンジェと柿のコンポート、バニラアイスに白ワインのゼリー香り豊かなデザートに仕上げました。
Almond blancmanger layered with persimmon compote, white wine jelly, vanilla ice, and topped with cinnamon crumble.

Pear Bordalou....

Every once in a while I get a craving for this classic tart. Pate sucre' layered with creme d'amande and sliced poached pear and then glazed with apricot glaze. Here I poached the pear in white wine and 30% sugar. If you want to try something different try poaching the pear in red wine. It's just as good. Other things I'm craving.....a good pain au chocolat. Not one bake shop here in Hawaii makes a good pain au chocolat. It's times like this I wish I was back in Japan. Oh well, I guess I have to make it myself.

Eventail....

In other words, chocolate fan. I prefer making chocolate fans on a marble table. There is another method which uses the back of a sheet pan, however, I don't like metal scrapings on my chocolate, which can sometimes happen.

Fraise....

Fresh strawberries layered with creme chantilly, biscuit brenton, creme legere, and strawberry sorbet.

桜んぼタルト...

パテスクレの生地はヘーゼルナッツクリーム、クリームレジ、チョコレートヘーゼルナッツチョコレートカスタードがおりこまれており、そして上のチェリーはポルトワイン、バニラグレイズでいためたものです。クレムアングレイズとバニラアイスを添えました。

Pate sucre' layered with hazelnut cream, creme legere, chocolate-hazelnut custard, and topped with port wine-vanilla glazed cherries. Served with a port wine-cherry reduction, creme anglaise, and vanilla ice.

Paris Brest......

Un classique gateau de francaise. Les choux a pose' avec creme de praline, croquant, et creme chantilly.

お母さんの日。。。

Here's my sugar showpiece for Mother's Day coming up. Three hours of work to make this piece. Most of the time involves cooking the sugar and cooling it which takes 1 hour for small pieces and 2 hours for larger poured pieces.