Spread

Whipped Goat Cheese

The bon appetite magazine is fine reading. I usually put it on my bed side table to read at night to get inspiration for future dishes. The magazine arrives way ahead of the actual month so I mentally prepare for what’s in season in the coming month.  

The whole roasted cauliflower In this May issue looks great, a signature dish from New Orleans restaurant Domenica. It’s a shame to destroy the beautiful color of purple in roasting process, but it was the only cauliflower I had. I was going to use the purple cauliflower for something else but what was that? Can’t remember.

The whipped goat cheese as accompaniment for the roasted cauliflower is genius in my opinion. The right amount of saltiness from cheeses is great for vegetables or to spread on toasted French baguette with fresh chives, also for seasoning salmon. Thank goodness for the dry weather we’re having for barbecue.

Ingredients and assembly for Whipped Goat Cheese

• 4 oz. fresh goat cheese
• 3 oz. cream cheese
• 3 oz. feta cheese
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse sea salt

Blend goat cheese, cream cheese, feta, cream and olive oil in a food processor until smooth, season with sea salt. Put left over in jar and keep in the refrigerator.
I mixed with the juice of one lemon  to give it nice zest. I spread all over the meat side and rubbed some olive oil, salt and pepper on skin side so that it has crispy skin when grilled. With fresh green beans and simply sautéed beets leaves –bon appetit!

More from the Japan trip  – After the wedding and Mt.Fuji, we headed south to Atami Shizuoka, a quite touristy hot spring town. Here we splurged on luxury resort hotel (熱海倶楽部 迎賓館) for one night. The hotel sits on a hilltop surrounded by golf course overlooking the city. This photo was taken from our room.

 Roomy entrance

There is a long hall way to the water closet and bathroom.

Hot spring is too hot (duh!) sometimes, there is a neat stick to stir to lower the temperature. I opened the huge sliding door to let cool breeze in, ahhh so relaxing.

Way too cool motion activated toilet lifts the lid, flushes and then closes automatically so you don’t have to touch anything, still there is a sink for washing your hands. What a relief!

At the booking, we chose traditional tatami room but they also have a European style bedroom and combined tatami room and bed room in this 20 room hotel. Each room is very large and has a hot spring bath, balcony and a splendid view.

Waiter was really nice but I think he is not so good at taking pictures. Unbelievable feast we had! Although I was grateful, I was feeling little bit melancholy, I knew that our trip was coming to a close. We went back to Tokyo the next day for a few nights in Shinjuku then headed home. Why time will fly when you’re having a good time and money disappears like magic? It was still moving while we were eating.

Lastly…

Last March, I was asked by a local Japanese newspaper (夕焼け新聞) to write a review on Cary’s Bakeshop www.carysbakeshop.com an online store that sells lemon cake. The shop’s owner Cary Takara wears many hats. Not only does he manage the store, he is a pastry chef and teaches math and Japanese at high school. He kindly sent me a box full of individually wrapped lemon cakes to sample (and for photos). The scent of lemon was delightful and had a gentle sweetness that I love. I steeped the herb tea and truly enjoyed the perks of my job.

I would totally do the same thing at bon appetit magazine too. Any openings?

 

The April publication of The Yuuyake Newspaper