by Fuji Mama (Rachael) on March 20, 2010
Happy Macaron Day! I can’t believe that a year has passed since the last Jour du Macaron.
A year ago I never would have guessed that Helen would be coming out for a visit to teach us all about proper macaron making. It’s amazing how much can happen in a year. Helen’s visit was perfect—just in time for us all to hone our skills so that we could properly celebrate today! This is not a holiday that can be celebrated at the last minute if you are making your own macarons. My preparations for today’s celebration began several days ago with separating the egg whites for my macarons. They aged for 24 hours at room temperature, and then for about another 46 hours in the refrigerator. Yesterday I ground my almonds, and proceeded with making my macaron batter. Then I carefully piped out little circles of batter onto my silpat and let them rest.
Finally they went into the oven and I did a little giddy dance as they grew feet, and then grew less giddy as the feet turned into skirts.
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by Fuji Mama (Rachael) on March 19, 2010
This month’s Washoku Warriors challenge was all about tempura! For the challenge, the Warriors were asked to make
- Shojin Kaki Age (Tempura Pancakes), p.210. Then they had the option of also making:
- Five Flavored Salt, pp.112: for dipping the pancakes in!
- Tempura Soba (Soba Noodles with Tempura in Soup), p.177
- Tendon (Rice Topped with Tempura), p.154
Tempura sometimes gets the reputation of being a tricky dish. Instead of light and crisp pieces of seafood or vegetables that have been battered and deep fried, people get heavy oil-laden and gloppy pieces that are less than appetizing. So how did our Warriors fare this month in the face of such a challenge? Although they are few in numbers for this challenge, they were mighty in results. I think some of them even surprised themselves, proving that with a little bit of helpful instruction from Andoh-sensei, even tempura can be easy and delicious!
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Fuji Mama
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