It is the season that can be comfy alfresco. Trees in full blossom up there in the backyard. What a wonderful idea of "Nodate" outdoor Tea Ceremony!
屋外にいるのが気持ち良い季節。 裏庭の上の満開の桜、 ここで野点もいいなあ・・・
Choozing the fine day, I prepared special sweets using my cherry blossom pickles.
天気の良い日を選んで 用意したお菓子は、桜の塩漬けを使った、マカロンとロールケーキ。
Macaron ～ SAKURA ～ I took care about the making macaron very much, as this is delicate to temperature and the humidity. Approximately 50% of success rate this time. Will try again.
SAKURA blossom roll cake This cake which I make every year is one of the cooking menu in the cooking classes in October. I also introduce the way of cherry blossom pickles making.
Dried raspberry in the sweet cheese cream adds fruity flavor and acidity.
Adding frothed milk to the Matcha-tea makes beautiful Matcha latte. Or, we may say Matcha cuppuccino. I wanted to draw a picture on the fluffy surface.
These drinks were sugar-free because I was going to enjoy with sweet confectioneries. But when sugar is added to cold milk in the frother, we can enjoy sweet Matcha cuppuccino, too.
麗らかな春の午後 テラスで抹茶ラテ
Calm spring afternoon, Matcha latte created a stylish Japanese atmosphere.
OSECHI-ryori, the tradiｔional Japanese New Year's cuisine which are prepared by the end of the previous year (normally they are cooked on the 30th or 31st of Dec.). Each dishes have a special meaning of celebrating the New Year. They are often set in Jubako-boxes.
**************************************************************************************** My OSECHI-style creations for 2013:
Menu: Akebono salmon roll with Kohaku-namasu スモーク・サーモンの曙巻き（紅白なますのアレンジ）
Matukaze-yaki meat loaf 松風焼き風ミートローフ
Pork roll with vegetables ポークの野菜巻き
Steamed prawn and fish ball on skewerｓ 車海老とフィッシュボール
Nimono(stew) of chicken wings, daikon radish, and soy beans 鶏手羽と大根・大豆の煮物
Datemaki(sweet egg roll) style cake 伊達巻風ダテ・ロールケーキ
Kuri(chestnut) Kinton with kumara クマラ＆栗きんとん
Kobu-maki salmon......I also wanted to make it but...no energy left... ....will challenge it next year... サーモン昆布巻き・・・も作りたかったのですが、ここで力尽きて断念! これは来年作ることにしましょう。
Many roll-type dishes are in OSECHI as you see. It has been under the influence of that... precious writings, important documents, or treasured art works were rolled to be stored for keeping good condition in olden times. The rolled dishes, as well, have been understood as precious and auspicious cuisine.
My best work this time was "Datemaki" style roll cake. The "Datemaki" is sweet egg roll omelet (it's not a cake). I tried to make it but couldn't get one of ingredients of "Hampen" here which made its texture light and fluffy. Then I changed my mind to make sponge roll cake, using a special tool of "Oni-sudare" to be the same looks as "Datemaki".
After OSECHI-cooking and the photographing, I enjoyed doing "Kaki-zome" Japanese calligraphy with writing brush & ink as the first writing this year. It was a great feel refreshment by concentration on writing for a quiet moment, just only rain sounds could be heared from outside.
Macaron ～ SAKURA ～
SAKURA blossom roll cake
Adding frothed milk to the Matcha-tea makes 
