Updates on Drying FUYU KAKI

After two weeks, FUYU KAKI have shrunk considerably.    After giving away over 70 FUYU KAKI, I had more.  The tree produced a good amount this year.  Birds had some to enjoy and I still had plenty to enjoy and share.  While it is tasty to eat them fresh, when you have too much of them, you need to be creative to store them away.  These groups of FUYU KAKI are drying up much faster than the stringent HACHIYA persimmons, and of course, FUYU KAKI is much smaller and has less water content.  My mother mentioned something about eating them with other groups of herbs for health medicinal use.   These have been massaged a bit per my friend's suggestion to distribute the sugar or something like that.  And pretty soon, I will take them down and press down with something heavy to make them flat.  I hope they will turn out all right.        

 Gently massage the KAKI with fingers without breaking the hardened outer layer.

 

Banana Mochi Pancake

I tried this Mochi pancake with banana.   It turned out really good.

Ingredients:  

3/4 C sweet glutinous rice flour

2 TBsp sugar

Pinch of salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 piece of banana sliced thinly

Some Extra Virgin LIGHT Olive Oil for frying and 1 TBsp of butter

About 1/4 C warm water

Mix everything together in a bowl. 

Heat a skillet w/lid with 1 TBsp of EVOO and butter.  

Spread the Mochi batter, top with thinly sliced banana on top.   Cover the skillet with lid.  Cook over low heat with lid on.  Move the skillet around to assure even browning of the bottom.  After 5 to 7 minutes put butter slices on top.   Flip it over and cook until banana is browned.  

Serve while warm.  Becareful though not to place hot Mochi pancake slice into mouth.  

Polly's Lazy Saturday Ponchik

 

This is a small batch Ponchik recipe I came up with as I don't have much time in the morning before going to work.  So I came up with this slow rise batch.  I want to use it when I am ready.   

Since the temperature of the kitchen is much lower now tha it is Fall, instead of rising in the refrigerator, I left it out on the kitchen counter.  

Two days before, mix the following in mixer for 20 minutes.  

Ingredients:

1-1/4 C pre-shifted flour:  preshift flour with1-1/8 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp salt.   Some extra flour.

Add 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

2 TBsp Sour cream

1 TBsp Sugar

2 TBsp Evaporated milk

1 Egg, large

A bag filled with powder sugar, about 1 cup.

Two days before on Thursday evening, for Saturday frying, Beat mixture with paddle for 8 minutes. 

Change to dough hook.  Scrape the side of the mixing bowl. in between 12 more minutes or so of kneading, add some more flour - 2 TBsp to 1/4 C of flour.  Mix for 12 minutes more.   

Grease a bowl with a lid.  Transfer dough into the bowl after forming it into a ball with floured hands. Cover with lid and let it rise slowly.   Open the lid a night after if the lid is shut closed.  If your kitchen is above 65'F, leave the bowl in the refrigerator.

When ready divide the dough into four.  

Round it and roll it out. Trim the edge  of rolled out dough.   Place on a floured tray and covered to rise.   

When the dough puffed up a bit, they ready for frying.  

 Over medium low heat, heat oil for frying.  Slide the dough into heated oil and start bobbing the dough with spoon to help rising.   Brown both sides.  

Transfer to the bag with powder sugar and coat the Ponchiks as much as you like or  fill the center with cream or custard , Bavarian cream, jams, preserves, and sprinkle with powder sugar.

I really like this one. The crumbs are really tender. 

Hooked on KABOCHA / Japanese Pumpkin

I never thought I get hooked on a pumpkin.   Not just any pumpkin, but this KABOCHA.

Very luckily they come up every year in my brother's garden.  It is firm, sweet, and addicting... I think.  Some of the buffet serves them as Tempura.  And tonight I just fried it along with my spiral cut potatoes.   Just toss the fried potatoes in Hungarian Hot Paprika and Kosher salt.  It's delicious!

Early Thanksgiving Day Dinner

We had an early Thanksgiving Day dinner on Saturday due to some conflicting schedule.  We kept the basic menu of Turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes baked in brown sugar and marshmallows, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole; purchased pumpkin pie and homemade KABOCHA KAKI Pie, Pumpkin Apple Bread; KABOCHA / Japanese Pumpkin Chiffon Cake served with Cool Whip.  

And best of all we are going to have one next week on the official Thanksgiving Day.  What are you going to serve for your family?  I recommend KABOCHA Chiffon Cake for one.  How about Turkey Seafood Ravioli?   

Young turkey brined in kosher salt, Lime and lemon, black pepper for 6 hours in ice water. Then, stuffed with fruits - pear, green apple, lime.   Placed on rack then in a roaster.  Roasted for 5 hrs for internal temp reached 180 F degree.   Well, as you can see from the picture it is cooked rather too long.  When the breast meat starts to separate from breast bone you know it's been cooked too long.   But the gravy turned out great.  All the flavor of the stuffing and brine and turkey were in the gravy.   The next time, I am going to turn the turkey breast side down and turn it over the last hour and half to brown.  I think that would work out great.

 

Kabocha Chiffon Cake

 

Pumpkin Apple Bread