This past weekend is without question going to rank as one of the highlights of my year.  It was the result of months of hard work and planning.  It was the weekend where Helene (Tartelette) finally came to Southern California to give a group of lucky people a crash course in macaron making, food styling, and food photography.  I got ready, dropped the kids off at a wonderful friend’s house, and then drove out to L.A. on Friday afternoon to meet up with Jenny and Helene for lunch and then go out to the location to get set up for the first class.  (L.A. is only an hour away, by the way, but when you have kids, it doesn’t matter if something is only 15 minutes away, it’s still like you’re planning to leave the country.)  We had a macaron class Friday night, followed by a macaron class Saturday morning, and finished up with a food styling and food photography class Saturday afternoon.  Although the weekend was not without glitches (read this hilarious post by Jenny about how NOT to host the Tartelette), it was still fabulous, and I hope that all of our attendees had as much fun and learned as much as I did.

If you have been reading LFM for a while, then you know it is no secret how much I adore Helene and her talent.  She has been putting up with me for a long time—long before I was a food blogger (poor girl).  So you know that she has to be an incredibly patient and sweet person to agree to come to L.A. of her own free will and be subjected to spending a weekend with me.  Luckily she was also surrounded by Jenny, Gaby, and all of the other wonderful people who attended the classes.  Helene was as sweet, wonderful, and amazing as she appears to be online.  If you ever have the chance to meet her or take a class from her—DO NOT MISS OUT.

The classes were held at the Academy of Culinary Education in Woodland Hills.  What a fabulous place!

(Prepped and ready to go for the first class.)

A huge thank you to the owner Chef Cecilia de Castro for her warm hospitality and letting us use her wonderful space.  The location definitely made the classes extra special.

(That’s the amazing Cecilia in the background there. Hi Cecilia!)

Because I’m guessing there will be several posts about the classes from other attendees, I’m just going to highlight some of my favorite moments and things that I learned from the weekend.  One of the things that stood out to me specifically was that Helene emphasized “Time on tool.”  As we learned the wrong way and the right way to use a pastry bag, she explained that spending time with this tool and practicing often, would increase our proficiency and hone our skill.

(Helene explaining the right way to hold a pastry bag.)

The same goes for the macaronnage (the folding of the meringue, confectioners’ sugar, and almond flour together to make the final macaron batter), or any other step of macaron making.  She also emphasized the same concept during the food photography/styling class.  Spend time with your camera.  Play with the settings.  Play with the light you have to work with.  Play with your angles.  Play with your setup.  Get to know your tools.  This sounds obvious, but how many of us have learned one setting on our camera and then just stuck with that one setting because we are comfortable with it?  I know I’ve been guilty of that one!

Another point that stood out for me was Helene’s emphasis on doing what works for you.  She explained that all too often we get stuck in the trap of thinking something has to be done a certain way.  For example, just because Chef So-and-so says that a certain kind of dark chocolate is the best, and that you’d be a fool to use anything else, doesn’t mean that it’s true.  She explained that you should use the chocolate that you love, that works for you, and is in your budget.  She explained that of course she’d like to use the expensive stuff all of the time, but that for the amount of baking she does, it is just not economical.  She admitted to having no problem with using Hershey’s chocolate, and that with the climate she lives in (humid Charleston, South Carolina) she gets reliable consistent results with “good old” Hershey’s.  (She also admitted to being a lover of milk chocolate, by the way.)

She brought up the same concept in the food photography/styling class.  She talked about how she often uses an f-stop of f/22 because she loves the detail that she gets.

(Donna of Dishy Goodness getting a shot.)

So often in the food blogging/photography world you hear about using f-stops in the f/1.8 to f/2.8 range, and getting that “blur” in photos where one specific point of the photo is in focus and the rest is in an artistic blur. (If you have no clue what I’m talking about, see this great tutorial on Aperture in Digital Photography.)

(Shawn of kitchen fervor getting the perfect shot—aren’t those tarts gorgeous?)

Looking at her photography, you can’t really argue with her viewpoint.  If you can get stunning photos by doing what works for you, and not what someone else says is the “right way” to do things, then I’m in!

(I have Tartelette camera envy.)

I came away from the weekend feeling more confident, both in macaron making and in approaching my camera.  Not only do I now know that the proper consistency of the meringue for macarons should be similar to shaving cream,

(Robyn of Earthbound Chronicles and Nancy of A Communal Table checking out perfect meringue for macarons.)

but I know what to look for when I’m folding my ingredients together for my macaron batter.

I’m also excited to relax and just play with my camera, get to know it better, and let go of some of my pre-conceived notions of “rules.”

(Marla of Family Fresh Cooking figuring out what works for her.)

It was a great weekend, full of yummy macarons,

wonderful people,

exciting lessons,

and one amazing teacher.

A special thanks to my cohorts in crime for making the weekend possible. Gaby and Jenny, you’re the best!

If you’d like to hear more about the fabulous weekend, you can read these posts written by class attendees (I’ll be adding posts as they are written!):

• Helen, Tartelette: All The Way Away In L.A.
• Jenny, Devour the World: Mac Attack, Southern Invasion aka “How Not to Host the Tartelette”
• Mercè, Cuina per a llaminers: Fotografia i galetes de llimona
• Food: macaron class
• knot in the string: gorgeous and yummy and The French Macaron
• Cathy, Show Food Chef: One Day Sweet Tartelette Came To Town…(Part I) + Blood Orange Macarons
• Daydreamer Desserts: Macaron Class with Tartelette
• Nancy, A Communal Table: The Macaron Master
• Mary, The Food Librarian: French Macaron Class with Tartelette

I’m in an exceptionally good mood today.  I can actually breathe out of one of my nostrils, which I’m thinking is cause enough to celebrate.  But on top of that it’s also Mr. Fuji’s birthday!  I feel lucky to be married to such a wonderful guy who is so good to me and to our little girls.

Then in addition to all of that, tomorrow I am heading over to Los Angeles to spend the next couple of days learning all I can from Helen of Tartelette—macaron maker extraordinaire.  To celebrate my good mood, I’m giving a discount on one of the items in my shop.  One of my favorite kitchen tools is my Silpat (a silicone baking mat).

I especially cannot imagine making macarons or chocolate almond toffee without one.  You don’t have to worry about anything sticking to it and cleanup is a piece of cake!  If you don’t have a Silpat, or need another one, and you’d like to get one, I’m offering a 15% discount on the U.S. Full Sheet Pan Size Demarle Silpat.  Just enter the coupon code “Fuji15″ in the Checkout—Payment Method section (there is a special coupon code box).  The coupon is good for a week (until March 11th, 2010)!

One of my guilty pleasures is reading オレンジページ (Orange Page), one of my favorite Japanese magazines.  I was recently flipping through the February 17, 2010 issue and saw a section on using yakisoba noodles to make a variety of dishes.

One of the recipes caught my eye—a recipe called ピリ辛そばめし (Spicy Sobameshi).  Sobameshi is like yakisoba with rice–a combination of fried noodles and fried rice. “Soba” indicates “chukamen”–the noodles used to make yakisoba, and “meshi” means cooked rice is in the dish.  It looked so good.  A mixture of yakisoba noodles, leftover rice, kimchi, and pork all topped with a fried egg.  The recipe screamed total comfort food to me.  This past Sunday when I was at the height of the cold crud, I whipped up a batch of my own spicy sobameshi.  This dish is SO easy.  I got all of the ingredients at a regular chain supermarket.  The whole thing took about 10 minutes to make.

To prepare the yakisoba noodles you take the block of noodles and cut it into 1-inch sections.

The rest of the “work” consists of frying the ingredients in the pan, starting with some bacon, and then slowly adding in the other ingredients.  This tastes like a spicier version of the yakisoba I loved getting at the matsuri (festivals) in Japan.

Note that this will only be as spicy as the kimchi that you use.  So the spicier the kimchi, the spicier your finished dish will be.  The addition of a fried egg on top is an extra bonus.  I love breaking the yolk and getting a bit of the creamy yellow liquid in each bite.

I’ve been battling a doozy of a cold. One of those colds where everything sounds muffled, you can’t smell or taste anything, you’re achy, and just generally miserable. One of those colds where you would swear you are sicker than you are, except for the fact that you aren’t even running a fever. My plan before I started feeling like death warmed over was to whip up a batch of peach cream cheese muffins that you could make as a special breakfast treat on Hinamatsuri.  Then I lost all my will to eat, let alone do anything in the kitchen.  Last Saturday I was reading The Amateur Gourmet and his post about Momofuku Milk Bar’s Compost Cookies happened to be up.  That boy has a penchant for posting dangerous cookie recipes.  I know.  I’ve been snared by one before.  I should known better than to read his blog when I am experiencing moments of weakness.  Anyways, back to those Compost Cookies.  Something about that post lit a fire beneath my feet and I had this insane urge to make cookies RIGHT THEN.  Maybe it was the fact that you are asked to add your favorite junk foods into the cookie batter, or the fact that you mix the butter/sugar mixture for TEN minutes before adding the flour, or maybe it was just the fact that the recipe is from Christina Tosi (a pastry chef who is a genius when it comes to sugar).  Whatever it was, I had to have some Compost Cookies.  So I made some.  Actually, I first made a pathetic plea to Mr. Fuji, asking him to please go to the grocery store for me and pick up a couple of things.  When he came back with the necessary supplies I got to work.  My junk food items of choice?  Mini chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, pretzels, potato chips, and Rolos.

I cut the Rolos into quarters, and lightly crushed the pretzels and potato chips in a large ziploc bag with a rolling pin.

Then I made the dough, scooped the cookie dough into ginormous balls (the recipe directs you to use a SIX-OUNCE ice cream scoop) and put them into the refrigerator to get cold.

When it was finally time to bake them, I watched in dismay as the balls spread and got very thin in the oven.  In my less than healthy state, I must have done something wrong when making the dough.  But let me tell you, it DID NOT MATTER.  Those cookies are SO good.  Chewy, moist, full of flavor . . . cookie perfection.

You know that NY Times Chocolate Chip Recipe from a few years back that everyone seems to have made?  Yeah, I think this recipe has the potential to become the next viral cookie recipe.  I don’t have much else to say before I return to my prone position on the couch except for this: MAKE SOME NOW.  Oh, and as a thank you for putting up with my crazy ramblings, and as my little Hinamatsuri gift to you, I’ve got some little notecards for you to download designed by yours truly.  (DOWNLOAD THE HINAMATSURI NOTECARDS)

Although the challenge had 4 different required elements, none of the elements is particularly difficult to make.  So why did I say that this was the challenge that almost wasn’t?  Because I almost got beat by a carton of whipping cream, a honey bear, and a three-year-old.  Almost.

I was planning on serving the tiramisu for dessert this past Wednesday night.  We were having dinner company and I wanted something delicious.  The recipe for the mascarpone cheese calls for whipping cream—specifically pasteurized whipping cream (not ultra-pasteurized).  After going to FOUR DIFFERENT STORES and only finding cartons of ultra-pasteurized whipping cream, I was about to throw in the towel.  But I’m stubborn, so I ended up throwing a carton of that ultra-pasteurized whipping cream in my shopping cart.  I thought, “Hey, even if my cheese doesn’t turn out AT ALL, then at least I can say I tried.”  That was Saturday night.

Fast forward a couple of days and I was in my kitchen making the savoiardi.  Bug was down for her morning nap and Squirrel was playing happily in the corner, piling toys under a little table like she was storing nuts for the winter.  She and I were talking as I worked.  She was telling me about her toys and what they were doing.  As I worked I became aware that although she was answering my questions, she was becoming increasingly less talkative.  This is not normal.  I quietly stopped what I was doing and tip toed over to her corner, catching her in mid-squeeze.  She had a bottle of honey in her hands and she was using it to “decorate” her toys.  You know the bottle I’m talking about, right?  Plastic and shaped like a bear?  Cute, right?  NOT.  I swear that honey bear had a grin of devilish delight on its little plastic face as it acted as Squirrel’s accomplice.  I spent the next TWO HOURS cleaning honey off of hands, hair, toys, and carpet.  I won’t be sorry if I don’t see another drop of honey for the next two years.

Despite pasteurized whipping cream being an extremely elusive creature, my mascarpone cheese turned out perfectly.  So perfectly in fact that I would have been content to eat it all with a spoon and forget the challenge altogether.  Despite losing precious time due to the honey incident I somehow finished all of the other elements, assembled my tiramisu, and got it into the fridge to sit for the required 24-hour waiting period.  I still have no idea how I finished it all.  Wednesday night when we finally got to dig into it, I dusted the top with cocoa powder, and passed out dessert plates with generous portions.  I savored my first bite, happy with the knowledge that whipping cream and a three-year-old armed with a honey bear had not managed to beat me this time.  The tiramisu was a good reward.

I made an orange coconut tiramisu, instead of the traditional coffee flavors.  Instead of using wine or coffee to make the zabaglione, I used coconut milk.  Then when I mixed the cream mixture together I also folded in 1/2 cup of shredded coconut.  Instead of dipping the savoiardi in coffee, I dipped them in warmed orange juice.  The orange juice complimented the lemon zest in the zabaglione and vanilla pastry cream nicely, and the subtle coconut flavors were delicious.

** This week we’re getting ready for Hinamatsuri (Japanese Girl’s Day, March 3rd) next week!

Earlier this month I read a post on Serious Eats about making homemade conversation hearts for Valentine’s Day.  I immediately thought of adapting the recipe for Hinamatsuri, and used it to make flower shaped candies that are perfect for tying up in little goody bags to give for Hinamatsuri.  I also made gift tags that you can download and print on cardstock paper and tie onto goody bags.

These candies are not a traditional Hinamatsuri food, but they are made using traditional Hinamatsuri colors and are a fun way to tell your favorite girls that you love them.  Pale pink symbolizes peach blossoms, white symbolizes snow, and green symbolizes grass. This mirrors the seasonal change from winter (snow) to spring (grass) and the arrival of peach blossoms.

The dough only uses four ingredients, plus whatever food coloring and flavoring you decide to add.  Just make sure you plan ahead, because the candies take between 24 to 48 hours to dry (depending on how thick you roll your dough).  First you mix up the dough in your mixer.  It makes a very stiff sticky dough.

You then scrape this dough out onto a work surface (I used a silicone baking mat for easy cleanup, but still got powdered sugar EVERYWHERE) and knead it, sprinkling it with confectioners’ sugar as you go, until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky—like modeling clay.

Then you divide the dough into 3 equal portions, and wrap up 2 of the portions in plastic wrap (the dough dries out quickly).

Then shape one portion into a disk, and add a drop of red/pink food coloring and a drop of flavoring in the center (I used a combination of orange extract and almond extract), and begin to fold the disc over on itself, kneading the dough until the color has been evenly distributed throughout the dough and you no longer see any streaks of color in it.

Wrap up the ball in plastic wrap and repeat the process, making one of the other balls a light green, and leaving one white.  You will not need to add any food coloring to the ball of dough that you are leaving white.  Then you roll out a small portion of your dough (I used about 1/2 of a color at a time so that the dough wouldn’t dry out too quickly) on a surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar until it is about 1/3-inch thick.

Then use small flower shaped cutters (I used those Wilton fondant cutters I mentioned in the Chirashi Sushi post) to cut flowers out of the dough.  Transfer the cut flowers to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  You can keep re-rolling scraps as you go to make more flowers.

Continue until you have used up all of your dough.  The cutting step is a wonderful way to get your little ones involved in the process.  Squirrel loved pressing the cutters into the dough (although many of her flowers had to be re-rolled after she tried to pick them up herself because they got a bit squished).

Let your candy pieces air-dry for a minimum of 24 hours.  Depending on how thick you roll your dough, they may need more time to dry.

When they have dried put them into small cellophane bags (I used bags that were 4 inches x 6 inches in size).  Print off a sheet of gift tags on cardstock paper and cut them out.  Punch a hole in one end, thread a piece of yarn, string, or ribbon through the hole, and then use it to tie your bags shut.

For the recipe, see this post on SeriousEats.com.

Download the Hinamatsuri Gift Tags

Another traditional menu item eaten for Hinamatsuri is Chirashi Sushi (”Scattered Sushi”).  I shared my friend Noriko’s recipe for Chirashi Sushi at the beginning of this month that is killer delicious.  As an alternative, I thought that I’d share a quick recipe for chirashi sushi if you can’t find some of the ingredients used in Noriko’s recipe, or you are shorter on time.

This recipe involves making sushi rice and then arranging different ingredients on top.  One of the things I love about chirashi sushi is the chance it gives you to get creative in your presentation—it can be a real kid pleaser!

Making this chirashi sushi consists of three steps: 1) making seasoned rice vinegar; 2) making sushi rice with the seasoned rice vinegar; 3) assembling the chirashi sushi.  See? EASY!  As far as toppings go, you can use whatever suits your fancy.  This time around I made mine by spreading my sushi rice on a platter so that it was about 2/3-inch thick.  Then I sprinkled kinshi tamago (shredded egg crêpes) evenly over the top.

Then I arranged blanched green beans, thinly sliced cucumbers, thinly sliced carrots cut into little flowers, cooked shrimp tossed in a bit of the leftover seasoned vinegar, and a bit of beni shoga (pickled ginger cut into thin strips).

If you want to make carrot flowers, you can use my tutorial on how to carve a carrot blossom, or you can just use a tiny flower shaped cutter (I used a tiny Wilton fondant cutter) to cut the slices of carrot.

The finished dish is bright and colorful and delicious too.  Use toppings that you and your family love and it will be a hit!

I have adopted the holiday and turned it into a day to do something fun with my girls.  I thought it might be fun to spend this week “celebrating” Hinamatsuri with you.

One of the dishes traditionally eaten for Hinamatsuri is Hamaguri Ushio-jiru (Clear Clam Soup)—a soup made with a clear broth and clams.  I am a big fan of this particular soup.  It is very easy to make and only takes a few minutes.  The finished product is light and flavorful.  Squirrel is a huge fan of the clams.

The only real prep work that needs to be done is the soaking of the clams for several hours in salted water to help them expel sand and dirt (gritty clams are NOT yummy).

One key to delicious broth is to skim off the skum that collects on the surface of the water as soon all of the clams have opened (trust me…skum is also NOT yummy).

Choose very fresh clams with perfect shells.  If any of your clam shells are open, discard them pronto, they are NOT good!  The broth gets its flavor from the clams and a small piece of kombu, but isn’t “fishy” at all (unless you’re using less than fresh clams).  A small bit of lemon zest adds a wonderful citrus zing.  I add a sprig of cilantro or parsley to each bowl (mitsuba would be more traditional, but it is hard to find around here), to add a bit more flavor and color.

** If you’d like to read a bit more about Hinamatsuri, you can read this post about one of our celebrations of it while we were living in Japan.