Japanese Apple Salad

Nothing says Fall better than a basket full of apples of any kind.  My favorite type has always been Fuji apples.  They are crisp, juicy and sweet.  I’m indifferent toward starchy food, I guess.  Another favorite fruit of mine in the Fall are pomegranates.  They are sweet, tart and juicy.  I love the way they pop in my mouth.  I say, they’re even better than eating popping candies. Not to mention, they are good for you too.



I’ve been enjoying this salad for many years. Usually, I toss in some cooked shrimps and blenched green beans when I’m serving them as dinner.  But as a light brunch or a meal in between, this is just as delicious and satisfying.  In this recipe, I used the Japanese Mayonnaise and some curry powder.  I found that the Japanese Mayo is more flavorful and creamier than the regular ones; Which fits this recipe much better, especially one without too many ingredients.  The pistachios add a nice crunch and the pomegranate are just fun to eat as they pop in my mouth. 



I’m submitting this recipe to Kitchen PLAY.  The US Apple Association is sponsoring a giveaway at Kitchen PLAY.  Amanda from Amanda's Cookin' created a lovely recipe with her favorite ingredients. This inspired me to share my favorite Apple Salad recipe with you. Simply recreate any one recipe from this month’s Progressive Party, post about the experience on your blog and provide a link to your post on Kitchen PLAY to enter. All qualifying bloggers in each course will be entered to win $100 (6 prizes total). The deadline is September 30, 2011. Please review the complete contest rules before entering. Good luck!








Japanese Apple Salad:  Printable Recipe
Makes 4 Servings

2 Fuji Apples, diced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 Hass Avocado, diced
1/4 cup Japanese (Kewpie) Mayo, such as this one
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup pistachio, shelled
a handful of pomegranate seeds

Toss apple and avocado in lemon juice right after they’re diced to prevent browning.  Stir in Japanese Mayo and curry powder.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Top salad with pistachio and pomegranate seeds and serve chilled.

This recipe is shared with:

Foodie Friday
Full Plate Thursday
Fat Camp Friday
Friday Potluck

Snow Skin Mooncake 冰皮月餅—Happy Mid-Autumn Festival中秋節快樂

If you remember my post from last year about Mid-Autumn Festival(中秋節), you probably remember I had some traditional Mooncakes (as shown in the image below) to celebrate the occasion.  I love that picture because, as you can see, the natural oil from the salty egg yolks dripping down the Mooncakes.  For those who are not familiar with Mid-Autumn Festival, you can also refer back to that post for more history on the tradition and culture about this festival.



This year, instead of buying the Mooncakes from retail outlets, I made my own.  Not the traditional kind of Mooncakes though, but the more trendy type, Snow Skin Moon Cakes (冰皮月餅).  Some people call them Ice Skin Mooncakes which is exactly how it translates to, in Chinese.  It’s my very first attempt in making Mooncakes of any kind, period.  I really like how they turned out. 



I made 3 different flavored dough from 1 batch.  The white ones were original, slightly flavored with coconut milk; the green ones were flavored with Matcha (Japanese Green Tea) powder; and the red ones were flavored with Pomegranate juice (from fruit in my In-Law’s garden). I used 2 different kinds of fillings, black sesame and Japanese Azuki Bean Paste (sweetened red bean paste).



Each one is unique in the flavor combination.  I really love the pomegranate juice one.  The pom added a little tangy flavor and a vibrant red color.  Filling wise, I always love black sesame over red bean paste, that’s just my personal preference.     



In case if you’re wondering what it said on the Mooncake, the two Chinese characters mean “Mid-Autumn” (中秋).  I got the Mooncake mold from my previous trip back to Hong Kong back in May.  Since it wasn’t any time close to the Mid-Autumn Festival, I was told this was the only Mooncake mold available from the baking supply store I visited.  I was happy that they had this one in stock and I got an extra mold for my dear friend who lives in the States as well. 



I wish you all a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, 中秋節快樂 and 人月兩團圓.  As this is the time to gather with the family and loved ones to enjoy the beautiful full moon and each other’s company. 



***Update***
After a simple Mid-Autumn Festival dinner, we hung out at the back yard and enjoyed some tea and Mooncakes. I captured the gorgeous full moon as shown below.  Hope you and your family had a great time as well.

Snow Skin Mooncake 冰皮月餅: (Adapted from Rasa Malaysia)   Print this Recipe

Makes 9 Mooncakes

Mooncake Skin:
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (4.6 ounce) Cooked Glutinous Rice Flour (Gao Fen) Sifted, plus more for rolling out dough)
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons Pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons Matcha (Japanese green tea) powder
non-stick cooking spray to grease mold

Black Sesame Filling:
1/2 cup black sesame seed powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup vegetable shortening (can substitute with creamy peanut butter)

Sweetened Red Bean Paste Filling:
1 cup Japanese Azuki Bean Paste (I used store bought, such as this one)

To prepare the Black Sesame Filling:
In a medium bowl, mixed sesame seed powder, powdered sugar and shortening with a pastry blender (or a fork if you don't have one) until well combined. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and roll into balls.

To prepare the Mooncake Skin:
In a large mixing bowl, sieve cooked glutinous rice flour and powdered sugar together.  Mix in shortening with a fork. 

Divide the flour mixture into 3 equal portion to 3 medium bowls.  In the first bowl, add Pomegranate juice and 1 tablespoon coconut milk.  In the second bowl, add the Matcha powder and 4 tablespoons of the coconut milk.  In the third bowl, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of coconut milk into the flour mixture.  Stir each one separately until well incorporated.

Slight spray your hands with cooking spray to prevent dough from sticking.  I worked with the original dough first as it’s in the lightest color of the three.  Divide dough into 3 equal portions.  Roll one portion into a ball in the palms of your hands.  With a slightly floured (with cooked glutinous rice flour) rolling pin, flatten the bough into a 3-inch disk.  Fill 3 to 4 tablespoons of filling into the center of the dough. 

Wrap it up and seal the edges.  Spray the mooncake mold with cooking spray and place the filled mooncake into the mold.  Slightly press the handle and tap to remove the mooncake from the mold.  Repeat with the rest of the dough and fillings.

Note: I tried to flour the mold (as suggested in the original recipe) instead of using cooking spray and the dough stuck onto the mold.  Using cooking spray works beautifully and nothing sticks as you can see from my finished products.

This recipe is Shared with:
Makin You Crave Monday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
On the Menu Monday
Tuesday Night Supper Club
Home Maker Monday
Tuesday at the Table
Tuesday Talent Show
Full Plate Thursday
Foodie Friday

Labor Day Weekend

As “promised” from my previous post, there will be another birthday celebration.  This round is for my loving Mother-in-law’s birthday.  It also falls onto the Labor Day long weekend.  So, we celebrated her birthday with a “sleep over” at my in-law’s place.  I’m sure you all recognized this cake.  Yes, it’s another Chocolate and Hazelnut Meringue Cake.  Sorry if I disappointed you for not making something new for my Mother-in-law’s birthday.  But this cake is just so delicious that I have to make it one more time in such a short period of time.  Not to mention, my Mother-in-law is also a chocolate lover!  I guess it runs in the family! hehehe…


Of course, I used the best chocolate I can get.  This time with some chopping to do since the market ran out of those in small chips size.  I think the cake looks better this time around, too.  Don’t you think? 


To make it up to you for not having a new cake recipe on this post, I’ll share more pictures with you that I took over the weekend.  Did I mention that there are a few dozens of fruit trees at my in-law’s place?  So, I picked some fruits that are in season.  Unfortunately, my little boy got a fever over the weekend and he was not allowed to go outside (the outside temperature was 110 degree Fahrenheit).  Otherwise, he would be my fruit picking buddy.  Here are some of the harvests: juicy peaches, sweet figs and tart apples….



These peaches are so sweet and juicy.  Look at that vibrant color.  I love it!




Really hate to see food going to waste!  So, I picked a basket full of peaches, maybe I’ll make some preserves out of them later on. 
 
The picture below is a Meyer Lemon.  It’s a cross between a lemon and a mandarin.  They’re not only great for cookies and cakes, but also really nice in savory dishes, marinates and vinaigrettes. 




This is the flower from the Michelia tree (白蘭花).  You can smell its fragrant whenever you walk by.  The color of the flower should be ivory.  Somehow, this one turned into orange.    


These figs are super sweet.  They’re really good as is, excellent when you put them into Chinese soup, and divine if you wrap them with prosciutto!   Yup, another basket full! 



Not too sure what kind of apples these are.  They’re a bit too tart and firm to be eaten fresh.  Guess they’ll be really good in apple tarts/pies.


Up next, I was eying these pomegranate.  They’re not really ripe yet.  Not until the end of this month.  So, I’ll be visiting my in-laws again, soon.  Please wait for me, pomegranate!!!



It’s such a luxury to have the freshest fruits whenever you want them, right off the trees from the backyard.  Not many people are as fortunate as we do to have this garden of plants and fruits.  I truly appreciate and cherish it.  Once again, thank you Mother- and Father-in-law!