March 2022

151118 4432

[Bread Pudding Made with Toy Gratin]

If you have just one piece of leftover bread that has seen better days or a baguette that has gone a little tough, how about an easy-to-make bread pudding?

Bread pudding is relatively famous mainly in Western Europe, Latin America, Canada, and in the United States in the South, such as Louisiana.

For bread pudding for one person, soak a slice of bread in a mixture of 1 egg, 1/2 cup milk, and a little sugar for about 5 minutes, transfer to a heatproof container, and bake in the oven or toaster until the bread is browned.

Rum raisins or bananas can be added to accentuate the flavor. It is delicious enough as is, but you can serve it with maple syrup, honey, cinnamon powder, etc., if desired.

Hasami's Toy Gratin, made in Hasami-cho, Nagasaki Prefecture, has an eye-catching pop design in six vivid colors. This is a discontinued product and all colors are only available from stock. It is a reasonable size, just right for bread pudding for one person or gratin as a side dish. If you would like to purchase one, please consider it as soon as possible.

Hasami's Toy Gratin S
https://www.shokunin.com/en/hasami/toygratin.html 
Honma Kazuo Shoten's Straw Pot Stand S
https://www.shokunin.com/en/honma/nabeshiki.html 

References
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%96%E3%83%AC%E3%83%83%E3%83%89%E3%83%97%E3%83%87%E3%82%A3%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0
https://recipe.yamazakipan.co.jp/recipe.html?id=167 (Recipe)

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[Oyster Rice in Earthenware Pot]

Oysters (pacific oysters) are in season from November in winter, when they have finished spawning, and are at their best from March to April, when they are preparing to spawn, when their meat becomes plump and fat with nutrients and the taste is rich and creamy.

Oysters are widely consumed around the world, and there is a saying in English-speaking countries, "Only eat oysters in months with an 'r'" (May = May, June = June, July = July, August = August). One reason is that during the spawning season, the flesh becomes thin and watery. By the way, in Japan, "don't eat oysters past the cherry blossom viewing."

Shellfish, which could be caught simply by walking along the shore without going fishing, have long been an important food source for humans. Denmark has some of the world's largest oyster shell mound sites, and as early as ancient Rome, oyster farming began and oysters were enjoyed in a variety of regions. And the ancient Greeks used flat oyster shells as ballots.

In Japan, oysters were not only eaten for their meat, but were also a familiar part of the Japanese diet, with the shells being ground into gohun (white paint) and used as fertilizer. In many regions, it is used in New Year's dishes as an ingredient for "stirring up good fortune." Even today, the fish section of the supermarket is lined with oysters in season, and dishes such as potstickers, deep-fried, and butter-baked dishes come to mind just by looking at the oysters.

I wanted to try cooking rice in Ceramic Japan's Do-nabe, so I decided to make fluffy oyster rice. The nutrients in oysters are water soluble and will dissolve in water, so this is where they must be locked in. After cooking, it is ready to be served at the table. The rice was well steamed and I could taste the aroma and flavor of the oysters.

I cooked 3 cups of rice in the L size and it did not spill. There were also a few burn marks on the bottom of the pan, but they can be removed with a sponge after soaking in water for a while. Black color is also recommended if you are concerned about burnt color or tomato-based stew coloring. The simple design makes it easy to wash and store in the sink.

Ceramic Japan's Do-nabe（*Rice cannot be cooked on an induction heating plate because the plate gets burnt.）
https://www.shokunin.com/en/ceramicjapan/donabe.html

References
https://tenki.jp/suppl/okuyuki/2016/01/27/9731.html
https://www.kurashiru.com/recipes/09f2ead5-4fa6-4ff5-b72b-ead528d638df (Recipe)

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[Cherry Blossom Season]

It is the cherry blossom season, which heralds the start of spring. The cherry blossom period is less than two weeks. The cherry blossom, which blooms suddenly and gorgeously and then falls in an instant, is a flower that symbolizes the spirituality of the Japanese people, and has become a cornerstone of the Japanese aesthetic sense and culture while accompanying people in their daily lives. Cherry blossoms are also often used as a symbol of Japan, and the surface of the 100-yen coin features a cherry blossom design.

The culture of hanami in Japan is said to have originated from an aristocratic event in the Nara period. The custom of hanami came from China, where people admired plum blossoms, but during the Heian period the focus shifted from plum blossoms to cherry blossoms. From the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, cherry blossom viewing went from a custom of the nobility to the warrior class, and from the Edo period, it became a culture of the common people. It seems that the best place for cherry blossom viewing in Tokyo during the Edo period was Ueno Park, which used to be the precincts of Kan'eiji Temple.

Before the Middle Ages, cherry blossoms for cherry blossom viewing were mountain cherry trees, and in the Edo period, people enjoyed various types of murezakura (group cherry blossoms). Someiyoshino cherry trees, which account for 80% of all cherry trees in Japan today, were planted in large numbers throughout the country during the period of rapid economic growth in the Showa period.

Fujiki Denshiro Shoten's Sokawa Tea Canister is made of wild cherry bark, a traditional Akita Prefecture craft known as kabazaiku. In the "katamono" technique of making tea canisters, glue-coated sutra wood and cherry bark are wrapped around a cylindrical wooden form and pasted together to form the outer core, inner core, outer lid, and inner lid from a single cylinder. Since all parts are made from the same tube, it maintains a high degree of confidentiality even with changes in humidity. And the material cherry bark is suitable for tea canisters because it has the property of avoiding moisture and preventing drying. The bark of the mountain cherry tree is called "shimofurikawa" when the expression of the bark is fully utilized, and "mujikawa" when the bark is thinly shaved and polished. The luster increases with daily touch by hand, and you can enjoy the subdued color change over time.

This universal product, loved across generations, is a product that should be passed on to the next generation for use. Please visit our showrooms and take a look at the "shimofurikawa" and "mujikawa" of Fujiki Denshiro Shoten's Sokawa Tea Canister.

Fujiki Denshiro Shoten's Sokawa Tea Canister
https://www.shokunin.com/en/denshiro/ 
Ginza Showroom (Open from 9:00-18:00 on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday)
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/ginza.html 
Sanjo Showroom (Open all year round, 12:00-18:00, except for New Year's Eve）
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/sanjo.html 
Imadegawa Showroom (Open from 14:00-17:00 on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday)
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/imadegawa.html

References
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/サクラ
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ソメイヨシノ
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/花見
http://denshiro.jp/kabazaiku/
https://web.archive.org/web/20021019132921/http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~kougei/j-index.html