by Ko Akasaka | Nov 12, 2017
Ricotta cheesecake is light and moist, rather than the typically dense and overly sweet American-style cheesecakes, aka New York or Philadelphia style. I enjoy all kinds of natural cheeses, but American-style cream cheese is just dense and fatty, without even the...
by Ko Akasaka | Oct 21, 2017
Autumn is the season for enjoying many varieties of hearty vegetables, cheeses and charcuteries (ham, pâté, terrine, etc.). I love baking simple savory dishes such as vegetable tarts, quiche, feuilletés (baked puff-pastry), gratins, tartine and pizza… for lunch,...
by Ko Akasaka | Sep 29, 2017
The days, and especially evenings, are finally getting cooler, even though the sun is still pretty strong during the day. It’s kind of a relief after having record high temperatures the first two weeks of September. We are entering autumn, the most colorful and...
by Ko Akasaka | Sep 11, 2017
The brutal, record-breaking heat-wave is gone from the Bay Area, and we are having more comfortable summer weather again. It’s still getting warm during the day, but the evenings cool off nicely. It’s not ideal for baking yet, but in 10 days we will enter the fall...
by Ko Akasaka | Sep 3, 2017
I don’t dislike yogurt, but I don’t eat it very often. It may be because dairy products are not a traditional food in my ethnic/cultural background, even though they were widely available when I was growing up. My family enjoyed all kinds of food, but I personally...