A visitor from Hawai’i

 

Hiroki  1989, oil on canvas, 22 x 30 inches

Artist Hiroki Morinoue was with us for a week in late September, here to work on a new woodcut with Bud. We have eaten many meals with Hiroki, Setsuko and their family in Holualoa, Hawai’i.  I learned to use Asian flavorings in my cooking from observing the Morinoues in their kitchen.

One of recipes I make for parties in Holualoa was inspired by an Ottolenghi recipe, Sweet Winter Slaw, from his cookbook, Plenty.  Mangoes were on sale at the market and I bought a big one for the slaw to accompany a grilled pork tenderloin. (See blog post Fresh peas for details on cooking the meat.)

I cut half a beautiful green cabbage from Zweck’s into thin shreds and tossed it with a dressing made of the juice of a lime, a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil, a teaspoon of shoyu, a tablespoon of maple syrup and a big pinch of hot red pepper flakes.

I thinly sliced the mango and added  it to the cabbage with a big handful of chopped cilantro and a smaller handful of chopped mint leaves.

Tossed this with the dressing then added the crowning touch ─ candied macadamia nuts.

I toasted a handful of macnuts in a teaspoon of butter, added a couple teaspoons of sugar and let caramelize, watching closely so the nuts didn’t burn, then sprinkled them with a bit of salt and pepper flakes.  Let cool.

I scattered the cooled nuts over the salad, served in a Doug Casebeer bowl.

At the end of the week we celebrated Hiroki’s birthday with a special lunch capped with an apple galette.  Our apple tree had given us a bounty of tart/sweet apples this year.  They are perfect for pie as they retain their shape after baking while becoming tender and succulent. I tossed the slices with the juice of half a lemon, two tablespoons of sugar, and a teaspoon of cinnamon.  (Other apple varieties will need sweetening to your taste.)

I prepared half a recipe of my pie crust ─ see blog post Pie! for details.  After chilling the dough for an hour I rolled it into a large circle, about a 1/4 inch thick. For the final passes with my rolling pin, I sprinkled the bottom parchment paper with turbinado sugar.

I slipped the pastry round (ish) with the parchment onto a baking sheet and piled up the apples, leaving a good margin.

Folded over the edges, pressing a bit to seal.

Baked at 450° for 45 minutes.

Happy Birthday, Hiroki!