There is an exchange that happens in my household. I ask "what should I make for dinner?" and I hear the refrain "Japanese food." The problem is many of the necessary fresh ingredients for the Japanese food in my repertoire, such as shiso, shiitake or enoki mushrooms, gyoza wrappers, mentaiko, udon, daikon and tuna, are not ingredients I typically have on hand. In fact, I need to go to an Asian specialty store to buy them. But I do have a few recipes that come from one of my favorite cookbooks, Let's Cook Japanese Food! that I can make at a moment's notice. And now I have a another one, salmon with wasabi mayonnaise.

The other day I was looking for Japanese salmon recipes and found one for Sake no Mayonnaisu. I didn't actually have any mayonnaise on hand, but I did have wasabi mayonnaise! Why not use it instead? It was perfect. The mayo protects the salmon from drying out and extends the flavor. I am going to give you the instructions for making it with salmon fillets but you can make it with steaks as well. The basic procedure is to broil it on both sides, then add some mayo--as much or as little as you like, then broil it again slightly and serve. I think you could use other flavored mayo too such as miso mayonnaise or Dijon mustard mayonnaise to good effect.

This is such an easy recipe for salmon, I hesitate to even call it a recipe. But the truth is, we all need a few dead simple options. It's not that cooking takes too much time, but it does take some thinking. This is a recipe for those days when you literally can't think straight.


Wasabi Mayo Salmon, adapted from Let's Cook Japanese Food!serves 4

Ingredients

4 4-5 ounce fillets of salmon, I used Copper River Coho
1/4 cup wasabi mayonnaise (I like the Trader Joe's brand)
Salt

Instructions

To prepare the fish, slice a few gashes in the skin, to allow it to crisp up nicely when broiled. Season the fish with salt and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before cooking.

Preheat your broiler, if necessary. Broil the fillets 4 minutes per 1/2 inch thick, starting skin side up, flipping the fish once during cooking. One to two minutes before the fish is done, top each serving with the mayonnaise and return to the broiler. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

I used to say that self-publishing was not a good idea. But I'm holding my tongue. For the second time I've come across a fantastic cookbook that was self-published. The first you may remember was the Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook by Amelia Saltsman. It's filled with creative recipes that are inspiring and fresh. The second book to impress me is Placer County Real Food, recipes and menus for ever week of the year by Joanne Neft with Laura Kenny.

This is not a lightweight book written by amateurs. The book begins with Michael Pollan's "an Eater's Manifesto" and an introduction by none other than Deborah Madison! The photography is lovely, the recipes solid and the layout attractive and easy to use. True to its title the book has a year's worth of menus which are naturally in synch with the seasons. While created with the locals of Placer County in mind, certainly anyone on the West Coast will find great ideas for meals all year long. There are salads, side dishes, main dishes and desserts all using farm-fresh ingredients.

Neft, who opened the first Foothill Farmer's Market 20 years ago comes from a midwestern farming family and her food is straight-forward and not fussy. She worked with professional chef Laura Kenny to get the details just right. While there are no vegetarian menus per se, there are plenty of dishes that could be the focus of a vegetarian or even vegan meal.

I suggest skipping the dates in the book and going by what's in season near you. It's tomato season here in the Bay Area at the moment, and the Chilled Tomato Soup made by grating tomatoes with a box grater and adding balsamic vinegar, olive oil and basil with a swirl of creme fraiche sounds refreshing and the Watermelon and Heirloom Tomato Salad Greek Style is a nice twist on the original. Often it's just subtle seasonings to already delicious ingredients that characterize the recipes. Side dishes like Corn with Cumin or Roasted Baby Carrots with Chard and Cilantro are dead simple to make. Not sure what to do with persimmons, pea shoots or pomegranates? WIth short ingredient lists and easy techniques, this is a fine choice for meat and potatoes types look to branch out with farmer's market produce.

More? Check out a selection of recipes on the cookbook website.

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Just a head's up, I'll be in Switzerland until September 20th. In the meantime, feel free to check out my posts on Epicurious, where there will be something new each Wednesday and Friday and also on Between Bites at Frommers.com where you should find a new post on Thursday. Also on Between Bites, don't miss Amy Zavatto's posts, I think you'll enjoy them too!

Wishing you peace, love, cheese & chocolate,

Amy

If you've never been to San Francisco you need to know our Summer starts NOW. Yes, in September. Not only is it pretty and warm and sunny but Summer produce--tomatoes, corn, pepper, and peaches are all ripe and delicious at the moment. It's easy to roll your eyes at our "sustainable, local, organic" mantra, but while you're here, be sure to try some of these bites of Summer.


Around this time of year just about everyone makes a tomato salad, but one that sticks out in my mind as particularly fabulous, is the Heirloom Tomato Salad with mozzarella di bufala, olio verde, basil and olive oil croutons at Scala's Bistro, which is attached to the Sir Francis Drake Hotel at Union Square. It's the variety of tomatoes which are the star of the show, but they share the stage with the milkiest, creamy and moist mozzarella. An interesting addition too is the olive oil croutons which obviously add crunch and body to the salad.


Hapa Ramen isn't exactly like any ramen I have had before. The Slow Cooked Ramen with seasonal vegetables is the one to seek out. The broth is layered with richness and the bits of pork make it a meal. The broth is a little bit sweet and a little bit salty. But it's the fresh and super sweet crunch of corn that really makes this ramen something special. You can find it at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market on Thursdays or at Off the Grid on Fridays.


I don't know exactly when shishito peppers started showing up at farmer's markets but I think I first saw them about 2 or 3 years ago. I had tried them in Japan and was thrilled to see them not just in markets, but on restaurant menus as well. They are typically quickly fried then sprinkled with salt. But at Hog & Rocks in the Mission District they go one step further and add a squeeze of lime. The result is bright and lively, the perfect bar snack. Mostly these peppers are mild and sweet with an earthy green flavor, but every once in a while you will get a spicy one!


My last Summer pick is the sorbet from Scream Sorbet. These surprisingly creamy, dairy-free sorbets made from Summer fruit are an intense blast of flavor. Despite not having a retail location yet, they made 7x7's recent The Big Sweet SF: 50 Treats to eat before you die. Fortunately you can find the sorbet at many farmer's markets around the Bay Area including the San Francisco Ferry Plaza on Thursdays. Try the seasonal fruit flavors like Flavorosa pluot, peach, raspberry and August Fire nectarine. They are not sickly sweet but tangy and juicy in a way that "screams" Summer. And what could be better than that?

Scala's Bistro432 Powell Street
San Francisco
(415) 395-8555

Hog & Rocks
3431 19th Street
San Francisco
(415) 550-8627

Ferry Plaza Farmers Market1 Ferry Building
San Francisco

Off the GridFort Mason Center
San Francisco

You may be familiar with Harold McGee from the monthly "The Curious Cook" column he writes for the New York Times, that looks at the science behind cooking. He has explained why adding water adds flavor to coffee and cocktails, why cilantro tastes like soap, for some and how to prolong the life of berries.

Harold McGee's book, On Food and Cooking is a classic reference and quite wonderful, but frankly a bit geeky. I've been fortunate to hear McGee speak a few times and I've always learned a lot. Last time he mentioned his upcoming book, The Keys to Good Cooking, and told the audience that it would help answer the questions home cooks have about the practical side of kitchen science.

I'll be reviewing the book when it comes out in October but in the meantime I got a peek at a few pages and gleaned these wonderful tips to help you succeed with braising:

Beware of recipes that call for an oven temperature over 180�F/80�C. Never let a braise or stew get hot enough to bubble when the meat is cooking. A closed pot in an oven at any temperature above the boiling point will come to the boil. At oven temperatures above 180�F/80�C, leave the pot open to allow evaporative cooling and produce a lower cooking temperature.

To braise or stew tough cuts of meat in a few hours, heat them at 180�F/80�C. They will develop the dry tenderness of standard braises and stews.

To braise or stew tender cuts quickly, or tough cuts over a day or more to keep them especially moist, heat them at 140-150�F/60-65�C�.

Here are links to my past posts on Harold McGee:

Gastronomic turns 10 with Harold McGee

Harold McGee & Shirley Corriher

I am very happy to be writing for the Epicurious blog, Epilog again. I'm writing twice a week, and will be sharing some posts on intriguing flavor combinations. I hope you will check out my posts and please do leave comments and tell me what you think of my combos and how you would suggest using them. My first post is on the combination of rhubarb, cinnamon and rosewater. Coincidentally, the New York Times published a story about rosewater just yesterday.

I've been very busy lately writing posts for Epilog and for Amy & Amy Between Bites as well as pieces for Cheers magazine and Gastronomica, so hopefully that explains why it's been a little quiet around here lately. I am traveling quite a bit this month, but hope to post here again soon....

cheers,

Amy