Egg Nog

Until last xmas, I had never tried Egg nog- and I have to admit the idea of eggs and cream mixed with alcohol didn't appeal to me much. But I wanted to organise a xmas cooking event for my students and thought if I could eat fish eyes, why not try drink eggs and cream?!

I found this egg nog recipe online and omitted the alcohol. It turned out great: my students were interested and my American friends loved it! Try it!

Ingredients (4-6 people)

4 egg yolks

100g sugar

500ml milk

2 teaspoon all spice ( or cloves if you can find some!)

Pinch of cinnamon

250ml cream

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

(1) In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until they become lighter in color. Slowly beat in the sugar, whisk until fluffy.

(2) Combine the milk, cinnamon and all spice in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Slowly heat mixture on medium heat until it is steaming hot, but not boiling.

(3) Temper the eggs by slowly adding half of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly while you add the hot mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

(4) Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it begins to thicken slightly and coats the back of the spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil, or it will curdle. Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Let cool for one hour.

(5) Mix in vanilla extract and nutmeg. Chill in the freezer for 10min.

Far Breton

This is a typical cake from Brittany, where I grew up. It is more or less like a baked flan and its texture is similar to mochi.

Ingredients:

- 250g flour

- 150g sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 4 eggs
- 1L milk
- 100g prunes (soaked in hot water for 30min) (you can use raisins instead)

(1) Mix flour and sugar. Add the eggs one by one while mixing.

(2) Warm up the milk and add to mixture gradually. Add vanilla essence.

(3) Bake for 10min in a greased dish at 180°c. Add prunes. (this helps prevent all prunes to sink to the bottom of the cake)

(4) Bake for another 30-40minutes.

Mousse au Chocolat

Every now and then-usually when I have something important to do and I don't feel like doing it- I look at what I have in the cupboards and google the ingredients! This is how I came up with this chocolate mousse without cream. It's very simple and tasty!

Ingredients (for 4 people) :
- 3 eggs
- 100 g chocolate (dark or milk)
- 1 tsp vanilla essence

(1)Melt chocolate in a bowl.
(2)Add the yolks and vannila essence. Mix well.
(3)Beat the whites until firm.
(4)Carefully fold the whites with the chocolate mix.
(5)Pour in small bowls and refrigerate for 1hour.

Apple Walnut Cake

I got this recipe from my friend Louise in September 2008. I have yet to meet anyone who didn't like it (^_^)!

ingredients:

200g margarine or butter

2 eggs

2 cups sugar

A. peel and dice 1 apple into 2cm cubes

B. 80g walnuts chopped

C. 5ml baking powder

D. 5ml cinnamon

E. 5ml vanilla essence

F. 3 cups flour

Mix the eggs, melted margarine and sugar well.

Add A,B,C,D,E,F

Pour into a 30cm square tray and bake at 180degrees for 45min-1h

Outrageous Chocolate Cookies

This is the ultimate chocolate overload recipe (^^)! I wanted to make chocolate cookies to give away on Valentines Day- it's customary for women to give chocolates to men on this day in Japan- their turn comes a month later on White Day.

Ingredients:

-225g baking chocolate
-40g flour
-1/2 tea spoon salt
-1/2 tea spoon baking soda
-60g butter
-175g sugar
-2 eggs
-1tsp vanilla extract
- 300g chocolate chunks

(1) Preheat the oven at 175c.
(2) Melt the butter and baking chocolate in a big bowl
(3) In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
(4) In a third bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy.
(5) Add the chocolate and butter mix to the third bowl.
(6) Mix in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chunks. (It will be quite liquid, but don’t worry!)
(7) Bake cookies for 10-15min until they look crispy on the outside.
(8) Cool for 10min on the baking sheet before transferring to a rack

a million dishes later

Or possibly a billion?...It's been about a year and half since my last blog entry and obviously an awful lot has happened since.

I pulled myself together and attended an intensive Japanese (beer drinking) Course in Sapporo

fell in love in Osaka

drank 'like 10 Japanese men in their entire lives' in Prague

showed my younger brother around Naoshima

discovered balloon volleyball at the Special Olympics

passed my JLPT 3 and acquired a spot coat

landed on the most stunning beach in Naruto

fished David's underwear from Kamiyama Amagoi waterfall

saw my first sumo tournament in Osaka

picked thousands of pet bottles

camped by the roads, rivers and beaches of Kyushu

made my TV debut on おはよう徳島 Tokushima

left Japan....

......then slept for a week in France before heading to Tromsø, Norway!