Tiramisu

To make this, first set aside:

36-40 ladyfingers (If you need to make them, the recipe is at the bottom of the page.)

Mix in a bowl and set aside:

2 C espresso (It's OK if it's a little warm.)
1 T sugar
¼ C Baileys or other coffee liqueur

Place in the top of a double boiler and beat for 5 minutes or until tripled in volume:

4 egg yolks
½ C sugar
⅓ C Marsala wine, any dry sweet white wine, or sherry

Remove the bowl from the heat and add:

2½ C mascarpone cheese

Put in a clean bowl and beat until stiff peaks form:

1 C heavy cream

Mix carefully into the mascarpone mixture.

Now, to build your Tiramisu.

Use a large 9x3" glass pan or 8" square pan and start with a layer of ladyfingers. Dip the ladyfingers in the espresso mixture then layer into the bottom of the pan. Once the base is covered, add about ⅓ of the mascarpone mixture and smooth it out. Lay a second layer of dipped ladyfingers on the mascarpone then add a second batch of the mascarpone. You should have just about enough for a full three layers. Garnish it with some cocoa sprinkled on top.

Let the tiramisu set in the fridge for about an hour before serving. This can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Ladyfingers

5 large eggs
⅔ C white sugar
1 t vanilla
1 C of flour

¼ t salt
¼ t cream of tartar (if you have it)

Preheat oven to 200ºC (400ºF).

Separate the eggs, putting the whites into clean bowl. Set them aside. 

Beat the yolks and half of the sugar until they become thick and pale or about 5-10 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. Sift the flour over the yolks but don't fold it in.

Take the egg whites, and mix in the salt and cream of tartar (if you have it). Beat until peaks begin to form, then add the rest of the sugar a tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until the whites are glossy and fluffy.

Fold the whites into the yolk mixture in two batches carefully, so as to not deflate either side.

Put the batter in an icing flute (or a bag with a hole cut in one end) and squeeze tube shapes onto parchment paper about 1 inch apart. (They should be about the size and thickness of your middle finger.) 

Bake for 8 minutes, or until they are firm and light brown. Let them cool for a minute or so before removing them from the parchment paper. Cool on a wire rack for an hour. 

These will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week, or you can freeze them in an airtight freezer bag (separating the layers with parchment paper).

Pesto Chicken Pasta

Chicken

Cut in half horizontally:

2 chicken breasts

Place on parchment paper along with:

2-3 garlic cloves

Fold the parchment paper over on top of the chicken and garlic, and pound with a rolling pin until 1 cm thin.

Heat in a frying pan:

1 T olive oil

Spread the smashed garlic evenly on the chicken breasts. Cook the breasts until done on each side. Set the pan aside. When cool, cut into manageable slices.

Pesto Sauce

Place in a blender and mix until smooth:

¼ C walnuts (lightly roasted)
10 fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1½ T olive oil
1 t lemon juice
½ t salt
¼ C pan drippings

Cook according to package instructions:

300-500 gm noodles

Drain and rinse briefly.  

Place the noodles back in the pan, pour on the pesto sauce and mix until all the noodles are coated. Serve on plates and top with chicken, pepper, and basil leaves.

Seaweed and Cucumber Salad

Slice very thinly:

1 cucumber (about 1 C)

Place in a bowl and sprinkle on:

¼ t salt 

Mix in the salt. Set aside for 20 minutes. Then drain and squeeze out the excess moisture.

Meanwhile, soak in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes or so:

2-3 T dried cut wakame (seaweed)

Drain and squeeze out all the water.

Mix in a small salad bowl:

1 T apple cider vinegar
1 t sugar
1½ t soy sauce 
¼ t sesame oil

Add the vegetables and mix. Serve right away, or store in the fridge for later.

Eggplant Tempura with Spicy Sauce

Soak in water for 10 minutes:

eggplant, sliced to your liking (3cm rounds, slices, whatever)

Remove from water and pat dry.

While the eggplant is soaking, mix the tempura batter:

⅓ C white flour
⅓ C cornstarch
⅓ C sake
enough ice water so the batter is the consistency of a thick white sauce

(The colder the batter, the crispier the tempura. Sometimes I mix in ice cubes until the correct consistency is reached.)

Heat in a heavy-bottomed pan:

Canola oil

When a drop of tempura batter placed in the oil bubbles and comes up to the surface immediately, the oil is hot enough. The oil should remain 170º-180ºC (340º-360ºF) throughout, so be careful not to add too many pieces at the same time as that will reduce the oil temperature.

Dip the eggplant pieces one at a time in the batter and deep fry until golden. Drain over newspaper. (Pat off excess oil with a paper towel.) Arrange on a serving plate.

Make the sauce in a microwave safe bowl:

1 t finely grated ginger
1 t finely grated garlic
¼ C soy sauce
¼ C mirin
1½ T sugar
1 t tobanjan (Chinese hot chili sauce)
2 T apple cider vinegar

Heat for 30-60 seconds in the microwave. Add:

1 T minced green onion (negi)

Pour over cooked eggplant. Serve.

This sauce can also be used for as a topping for tofu, fried fish, fried chicken, spring rolls, etc.