Sushi
Fest 2013!
David and
Trey and Alysha are here for my Sushipalooza. I figured since I was getting out
the bamboo mat, I might as well just make every roll in the book at once!
First,
though, let’s discuss this salad, since it deserves some special attention.
Creamy Asian Pear and Tempeh Salad with Wasabi Dressing
Stellar
and simple. This is a fabulous recipe! I made a batch of the Silken Mayo
Dressing for it. The first time I made the mayo, I used agave nectar, and it
was overly sweet. This time, I used maple syrup, and the mayo was ON POINT! I
mean, perfect doppelganger! I love when the vegan alternative is not only
equally tasty but also way healthier.
Putting
this salad together couldn’t be easier. A little dicing, a little steaming,
stir and toss, voilà! The flavors/ingredients are amazing together – sweet,
earthy, spicy, creamy, crunchy, oniony, green-y, toothy. What a great salad!
And what a great idea to stick it in a sushi roll!
Note: I
had to use extra wasabi powder. This is something you have to taste test.
SFO: 8
(I still
think tempeh could be a stopper for some folks.)
Spicy Tempeh Nori Rolls
The
boilerplate sushi recipe is terrific. Since David and Trey are still doing that
“Get Snatched” thing, i.e. counting every calorie, I used brown sushi rice. I
was making a guess about how much extra water to use, and I didn’t guess well.
I went for a 1:2 ratio, rice to water. (The white rice ratio is 1:1.25, so I
figured it would take more time and water.) If I were doing it again, I’d
probably shoot more in the 1:1.66 range, as my rice was overly wet,
sticky, and starchy. Definitely usable, but not ideal.
Since
that night, I’ve made more sushi using white rice, and the recipe instructions are
perfect. My rice needed a little more time than 10-15 minutes to cool down,
though. About 20m was perfect.
Here are
my thoughts about rolling sushi:
- It’s so
easy! Why aren’t we all doing this all the time?
- Having wet hands is important. Otherwise, the rice will stick to your
hands in a big bad way.
- I cut the rolls with a chef’s knife (i.e. not serrated), and it worked perfectly.
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David likes "original recipe"
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This
filling is delicious!! It’s like spicy tuna without the tuna. FYI, I had to use
more than the suggested ½-1 teaspoon chile sesame oil to get that spicy flavor
in there, and I’m a spice wimp.
There’s a
direction missing from the recipe, which lists sesame seeds in the ingredients
but never tells you when to add them. I sprinkled them over the rice just before
rolling.
All in
all, this sushi makes a big impression, and it requires surprisingly little
effort. What a great appetizer for parties or really any occasion!
SFO: 10
(People
who are adventurous enough to want sushi are adventurous enough to deal with
tempeh. Besides which, it’s so embedded in the roll, you’d be hard pressed to
identify it, even if you were familiar with the flavor.)
Now for
the variations!
Pear and Tempeh Roll
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| How cute is Trey? |
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Surprisingly,
the amazing Tempeh and Asian Pear salad doesn’t shine as much as a sushi ingredient
as it does on its own. That said, it tastes great. Not only did I serve this
roll to David, Trey, and Alysha, I also made some for my book club a few nights
later with the leftover salad. They were convinced that they were tasting fish
in there, but I think what they were tasting is the “sea” in the seaweed. In
any event, they loved it!
SFO: 10
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| Alysha is serving up yamroom realness |
“Yamroom”
Roll
This
flavor combo really plays up a sweet/salty combination, which I love. I used
fresh shiitakes, which I simmered in the water and soy liquid for a good half
hour, until they were super tender. This roll is very easy to make and has a
nice colorful appearance!
SFO: 10
Spinach
Sesame Roll
This was
the least popular of all the rolls I served, maybe because they were the
“healthiest.” Steamed spinach is mixed with sesame seeds and oil and rice
vinegar for light flavoring. I understand that all the sushi fillings have
little or no salt because these rolls are about to get dunked in soy sauce, but
this one tasted particularly unseasoned.
SFO: 10
Elephant
Roll
Peanuts
and avocado!? Who woulda thunk? This was the other most popular roll of the
night. So easy to assemble, probably the easiest in that nothing other than the
rice needs to be cooked. Just slice up some avocado and dump some peanuts in
there! Or maybe it was the salt on the peanuts that everyone liked so much.
SFO: 10
The sushi
event was a huge hit and a great reminder of the magic and ease of home sushi
creation. I’ve made sushi twice since then, and I’m excited to think about what
else I can stuff in future rolls!
Rosewater Pound Cake
I have to confess, I'm a little scared of rosewater. I mean, it's water of roses, not meant for consumption. Not even meant for smellation. Roses should smell like roses, but should anything else smell like roses? I say no.
Lucky for me, I have a certain friend named Alysha who's obsessed with all things rose, so she's going to be the lucky recipient of all the rose-acious recipes in this book.
I'm happy to report that the proportions of this recipe are perfect, at least in the flavor department. This cake has a very delicate floral essence, not overwhelming at all. I actually liked it!
However, you will note in the picture that there was a doughy layer of uncookedness at the bottom of this cake, which stayed in the oven for over 75 minutes, 10 minutes more than the high end of the recommended baking time. The toothpick came out dry, but it didn't reach down to the bottom, clearly. I find the doughy layer disturbing, but it makes Alysha happy, so fine.
SFO: 10
Exactly as I&T described, this spread has a sweet and woodsy taste. To look at it, you'd think you were getting a sort of hummus, but then the taste of chestnuts takes over the experience, and the lentils are really just a background binder. I followed the serving suggestion of Melba toast and sliced tomato, the acid of which really helped balance out the sweetness and creaminess of the spread. And now as I'm reading the recipe again, I'm noticing the suggestion of adding a sprinkle with salt, which I think I would have appreciated if I had caught it at the time.
Another first here for me was fire-roasted tomatoes. It's an interesting twist on your regular canned tomatoes, a little taste of char. 
For me, this was the highlight of the meal! So much flavor! And pretty too! They say the toasted almonds are optional, but I completely disagree. They are mandatory! I loved the big hit of garlic too. And frankly, I thought the saffron component was a little stingy. If I make this again, I might amp that up...
The batter for this is so thick, you're not really pouring it into the waffle iron, it's more like you're spooning it and spreading it out. My waffle iron is shaped to make four squares, but these waffles come out more like big circles because the batter just doesn't flow to the corners. No matter, they were still amazing. Not too sweet, which I like, although sweet dessert purists might appreciate some kind of sauce or sugar topping.
