Fan-tasty: Osomatsu-san Hesokuri Wars Sweets Week

You know what we haven't had on this blog for some time? We haven't had a special feature since Ghibli Week. With the end of the year quick approaching, there's not that much time left to squeeze one in there, so I'll go out with a bang! Earlier this month, a new episode of an anime I was fond of was released as a collaboration with JRA (or the Japan Racing Association). Yes, it's an Osomatsu-san feature! (I say week as a guideline only because I will more than likely live up to my blog name)

Osomatsu-san, or Mr. Osomatsu (おそ松さん) is a gag anime released late 2015, which was based on an earlier anime, Osomatsu-kun (おそ松くん), which was based on a comedy manga strip of the same name which was serialised from 1962 to 1969. Trust me, it'll all make sense.

(source) Osomatsu-kun 

(source) Osomatsu-san

             

















Osomatsu-kun was written by Fujio Akatsuka who is considered to be one of the most successful gag manga writers, and the series follows the exploits of the identical sextuplet brothers (in birth order): Osomatsu, Karamatsu, Choromatsu, Ichimatsu, Jyushimatsu and Todomatsu. A running gag in the manga was the inability of the characters to tell the brothers apart. Later in the manga, the series begins to revolve around supporting characters due to their popularity. (read more about it here) 

Skip ahead to 2015, which would've been Fujio Akatsuka's 80th birthday, and the sextuplets are all grown up. Osomatsu-san is set roughly 10 years in the future from Osomatsu-kun (except in a modern setting), the brothers have grown up into NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training) and each has a more defined personality.

(source) From left to right: Osomatsu, Karamatsu, Choromatsu, Ichimatsu, Jyushimatsu, Todomatsu 

There are several tie-in games, one of them being おそ松さんのへそくりウォーズ～ニートの攻防～ which is somewhat translated to Osomatsu-san Money Wars~ When NEETs Attack~, but is better known as Hesokuri Wars. (if someone who knows Japanese can translate this better, please let me know in the comments!) The game is styled like a tower defense game, where you send your army of sextuplet brothers towards the opposing base whilst simultaneously defending your own. A large part of what keeps me playing this game is the availability of different costumes for the characters, available through a 'gatcha' system. 

(source) This game is absolutely terrible and I love it so much. 

If you've ever been to Asia, more than likely you've seen a gatcha machine, or capsule machine (or gashapon/gachapon), which spits out a toy in a plastic ball-like container when you feed it a coin. (they can also be found in some shopping centers over here). It's completely random, which when applied to a game where you have to spend limited in-game currency to 'roll' the gatcha, can end up being extremely frustrating. With six main characters each having a unique costume based on a theme, these are known as a 'set', and the theme ranges from their normal appearance, to specific episode skits, to riffing on magical girls, to the current in-game event of 'dark santas'. 

(source) Must. Collect. Them. All.

One such set is the Sweets Set, where the brothers are dressed up as chefs with their own unique desserts, and yes, you've probably guessed by now, I'm going to recreate all of the desserts that you see before you! And even better news, I've covered all the context in this post, so we can get straight to the good stuff in the main ones! Just in case the pictures aren't loading, this is what you can expect:

1. Osomatsu's Pancakes
2. Karamatsu's Float
3. Choromatsu's Cheesecake
4. Ichimatsu's Mousse
5. Jyushimatsu's Parfait
6. Todomatsu's "Fromage"

(I'm about 99% sure that fromage is cheese, so I'm going to use artistic license with that one.)

Happy slothing!!

xx

Osomatsu-san Money Wars ~When NEETS Attack~

Osomatsu-san Money Wars ~When NEETS Attack~

Ghibli Week 6: The Borrower Arrietty's Peanut Butter and Jam Thumbprint Cookies

This post we shrink down in size and visit The Secret World of Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ). Based on the novel, ‘The Borrowers’ by Mary Norton, it follows a young boy’s discovery of the hidden world of the Borrowers, tiny people who live within the walls of his mother’s childhood home. Accompanied by a gorgeous soundtrack by French musician Cecile Corbel, you can listen to the theme song here.

(source) 

Now astute readers may be going 'Hey, wait a minute, you never said anything about doing Arrietty in your Ghibli Week run down', but after giving it some thought, I couldn't go past this movie especially since I adore the soundtrack. So without further ado, let's get to the recipe!

Blink and you'll miss the cookies in this scene.

It's peanut butter jelly time, peanut butter jelly time!

Thumbprint cookies or jam drops, I know these as 'those cookies with a bit of jam in the middle'. As you can tell, I'm probably not the most creative at naming things. I decided to make the cookie peanut butter flavoured because winning combination right there. To those with peanut allergies, please accept my apologies but these would be equally as good if you used shortbread instead. Hmm, that gives me an idea for a future post...This recipe's super simple as well and can easily be whipped up for afternoon snacks. Make a cup of your preferred tea or coffee and enjoy!

Vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract - whatever's on hand

Whipped until light and fluffy

Eventually you end up with this - it's quite soft and it's kind of got the consistency of icecream

Nut balls *snickers*

Flatten them slightly and...

Boop! Thumbprint cookies.

Wham, bam, there's the jam.

Ghibli Week 5: The Cat Returns Strawberry Shortcake and Fish Crackers

This post we travel to a feline kingdom where nothing is what it seems, and it's one of the first Ghibli movies I watched. The Cat Returns (猫の恩返し) was released in 2002 and astute viewers might recognise The Baron from another Ghibli movie, Whisper of the Heart. I've decided to make two things from this movie: the cake that Muta eats in the palace and the fish crackers that Haru eats then gives to the stray cat!

Fishy fishy fishy fish

(source) They're little fish!! So much fish!

No, it's not the cake with the fish on top although I kind of wish it was

Perfect for summer strawberry season!

In a movie that's centered around cats, it's only to be expected that there's a lot of fish! To be more accurate, the cake should probably contain dark fleshed fish like tuna or something, and the pink cream should probably be salmon mousse but that's approaching Heston-esque levels of experimentation and I'm not quite ready to make that jump yet. So I decided: strawberry shortcake. There's two types of strawberry shortcake that I know of; one uses buttery shortbread whilst the other uses chiffon-soft spongecake. Following the screenshot, I went with the sponge version. The recipe is pretty simple and the only problem I found was that the sponge was a bit dry, but I think that could be fixed by brushing it with syrup like a genoise. Keep in mind that the eggs and sugar need to be beaten until thick and creamy and pale because the volume of the sponge comes from the amount of air being beaten in. (science disclaimer: information from Wikipedia; and in the distance you can hear the screams of horrified tutors, lecturers and teachers)

Super simple 

Eggs and sugar into a bowl then...

It gets quite creamy and pale after ~5 mins or so of beating

See those drips? That's a 'ribbon'

No need to bang it on the table to get rid of the air

It expands a lot so make sure your pan's big enough!

The filling's what I'm going to call 'time-sensitive' because I decided to stabilise the cream with gelatin and the first time I did it, I left the cream standing too long and it solidified completely and I couldn't spread it at all. This prompted a quick run to the store to grab more cream, so you'll have to work quickly but if you're not going to stabilise it then there's no need to worry! By stabilising the cream with gelatin, it makes it easier to transport, especially in hot weather. It also prevents the cream from 'weeping' where the cream separates and water leaks out. To make the filling pink, I used some red food colouring and stirred in strawberry jam for extra flavour. 

To assemble the cake I used the screenshot as a guide, so first cut the sponge into two even halves. I was lazy and eyeballed it, but you can get better results by using the toothpick method I covered in my Gateau Opera post! After you've done that, spread the bottom half with half of the pink cream and layer the sliced strawberries on top (you may have to push them into the cream slightly). Next, cover the strawberries with the rest of the pink cream and even out the top so it's flat, then transfer the other half on top. Spread that half with the remaining cream and decorate with the hulled strawberries. Easy pie! 

By this time, the filling had already started to set!

I made the mistake of putting the strawberries on BEFORE I cut the sides square, whoops.

The gelatin makes the filling almost pudding like.

With the crackers, at first I thought of using store bought crackers like Dixie Drumsticks because they're kind of shaped like fish but, once again I made my life more difficult and made my own. The crackers, or rather savoury shortbread, should probably be fish flavoured, but fish crackers are something very different to me (they're like prawn crackers except they taste like fish) so I went with a recipe I've followed before for cheese cookies!

Also please, please, please do not feed these crackers to your pets, they're not meant for animal consumption even if they are shaped like adorable fish. I tried to find a fish shaped cookie cutter which you'd think would be easy enough, but no one sells them. I went to four different stores and turned out empty handed, and the online search produced cookie cutters that weren't the exact shape I wanted. I think you can make your own cookie cutters using a soft drink can, but, once again, I was lazy so I used a small knife to cut the shapes. The eyes were made using the thicker end of a chopstick (round, not the disposable flat ones) and I made the gills with the thinner end by making a kind of curved indent. If you're having trouble rolling the dough out, then I suggest sticking it in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes just to firm it up. I also put them back into the fridge after I did the detailing for about 5 minutes just to make sure that when I baked them, I wouldn't lose all my hard work. 

Buttery and cheesy

Don't roll it too flat or you might have trouble getting them onto the baking tray!

Freehand cutting awwwh yeeaaaaah but no seriously, if you have trouble, make a template out of paper and cut around that for a more uniform appearance

As you can see...not as uniform as I thought they were

Ghibli Week 1: Profitotoroles

Let's get this week kicked off! Today we visit the towering trees of Japan to seek out a friendly neighbour...have you guessed it yet? It's となりのトトロ (My Neighbour Totoro) time!! This is arguably the most well known of all Hayao Miyazaki's work, and Totoro himself is part of the Studio Ghibli logo and as well known in Japan as Winnie-the-Pooh is to the UK. My Neighbour Totoro was released in 1988 and it's dazzled adults and children alike since then. It's one of my favourite movies, and I'm not afraid to admit I've got a Totoro plush in my room. 

(source) aaaaah he's so cute 

Something I've always been fascinated by is food art, and you'd be hard pressed to find a country that does it better than Japan. So is it any wonder that they've even made profiteroles or cream puffs in the shape of Totoro? This place is the only officially recognised seller of Totoro cream puffs so you know they're good. It's one of the places that I want to see when I eventually visit Japan, but for now you can read more about them here! 

Now these are something I've made before, but I decided to try and imitate the store's puffs. Overall with this recipe...I think I could've done better presentation wise. It's one of those where the equipment you use really has an impact on the quality of the finished product, so I think there'll be some piping bags in my near future. However taste wise: it's crisp but not buttery, and even a day old, they're not soggy so that's a plus in my book. Warning: go no further if you can't stomach a beloved character being consumed.

Crazy eyes. They know what's coming.

Admittedly this one's a bit dark. Sorry kids!

Now this recipe calls for choux pastry, which can be quite daunting to make. Practice makes perfect and once you get the hang of it, you'll be whipping out profiteroles and eclairs like no one's business. At first glance, the recipe is simple (famous last words). Butter and water in a pan, stir in flour then add eggs. Okay, so what could go wrong? One, your flour could burn, rendering the entire thing useless. Two, your flour mixture could be too hot and actually cook your eggs, resulting in some kind of scrambled disaster. Three, and this one's the most common, your profiteroles don't rise. In perspective, this isn't a big deal because you can plump them up with whatever filling you like, but there's something incredibly disappointing when you look at those flat pastry pancakes instead of golden mounds of joy.

Quick science lesson! (Disclaimer: I am not a food scientist nor have I ever studied food science; everything I've learnt is from reading recipes til my eyes cross, watching cooking shows and internet. So much internet.) I've touched on this before in my previous post about the scones, so it's kind of the same principle. The crust traps the steam which is formed when the water evaporates, resulting in the characteristic puff appearance. Okay, science over.

So solutions: number one, keep an eye on the roux (the flour and butter mix) and use a low heat; number two, make sure you cool the mixture down. A bit vague, I know, but my go-to standard is body temperature (so you can touch it without it burning you). Thirdly, add the egg little by little, don't dump it all in at once. Try not to add more than maybe two tablespoons at a time, and make sure the mixture is beaten really well before adding more egg. Fourthly, preheat your oven really well  for at least 15-20 minutes before you plan to put them in. You can also make them crispier by lowering the heat, slitting them open with a sharp knife (be careful of the steam!) and baking them for a bit longer which will help to dry out the insides.

Mmm delicious watery butter

Off the heat immediately and chuck the flour in and beat it, beat it, beat it. 

You get killer arm muscles.

Adding the egg bit by bit, looks ridiculous

But gradually...

It becomes great.

Boom. Choux pastry. #winning

When it comes to the making of, you can be fancy and do it almost like a pear like shape so he gets a head and body, but I was having enough difficulty squeezing it out from the plastic bag onto the greased paper to bother with that. I went with the vague oval approach for the bodies, then with the remaining dough in another bag, I piped a little 'u'-ish shape for the ears. So this is a really dumb story and I probably shouldn't be telling you this but I tried using baking paper for the pastry bag, which usually works for things. Looking back, I probably folded it wrong but live and learn! Anyway, I made this cone shape thing, then realised I had no way of keeping it closed; so at first I used sticky tape. Didn't work because, well, it's baking paper. Then I decided to staple it shut. It looked legit, so I was like yeah, this'll work. It didn't.

My cone of shame

Using a freezer bag, you've got pretty much no control where your puffs go hence the terrible use of space.

Not the nicest I've ever made.

Dampen your finger with water and squash them into submission.

Decoration wise, go nuts. Easiest way is probably going to the shops and getting pre-made icing eyes (I'm pretty sure they exist) or alternatively get those icing pens from the supermarket and draw on faces. If you've got a bit of time to spare, you can also make them out of white chocolate and dark chocolate or Nutella for the details. I melted down some white chocolate blocks and piped them into circular shapes and put them into the fridge, then when they were hardened, got some Nutella on a toothpick and drew in pupils. Back into the fridge until I needed to use them, then drew on the nose with Nutella and melted the back of the white chocolate eye with a fingertip. I've got really warm hands though, so it might be easier to use a knife that's been sitting in hot water and is wiped dry before using. I filled them with a mixture of custard and cream from their base, then sat them in a cupcake liner, but presentation's completely up to you!

If you have any that aren't up to scratch, eat them.

Look at that lopsided Totoro. He's just accepted his fate.

Doh! Nuts!

If you've been living under a rock for the past few days, you probably haven't heard the news that a Krispy Kreme's opened in Perth; donut lovers everywhere rejoiced. Apparently Perth broke the record for most donuts sold on an opening day; not sure if that's something to be proud of, but hey, take what victories you can!

Perth wasn't without quality donuts before Krispy Kreme came (try saying that ten times fast), my favourite donut could be found in a humble stall in Freo Markets. It's called Levi's Donuts and they do some of the best donuts I've ever had. They offer one of three choices: traditional, blackberry and dark chocolate; and man, there's nothing sweeter than sinking your teeth in a steaming hot, fluffy donut. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the markets.

Now when the craving for donuts struck, my solution was simple: make my own. But why go to all that effort of making the dough then frying it when you could've easily just driven to the store, I hear you ask, and I'll answer 'because I can' and honestly, home made trumps store bought. Plus there's something very satisfying about making something that and I quote sloth dad, 'are good as the store ones!'.

awwwww yeeeeeeeeeaahhhh

Cinnamon and sugar: classic combo

Icing sugar and mulberry jam: winning

Jammy innards

 Now this recipe hails from Masterchef Australia (I'm beginning to sense a pattern emerging) from Gary Mehigan (one of the judges if you're unfamiliar with the show). His recipe called for lavender sugar and while I have lavender outside in the garden, I'm not sure it's suitable for human consumption. I also decided to halve the original recipe, but you still make a decent amount depending on how big you intend the donuts to be (mmm mega donut). I also decided to try and be 'health conscious' and substitute margarine for the butter but I mean, you're basically deep frying dough then rolling it in sugar. So. Up to you.

The dough that this recipe makes is quite soft, so I tried to pipe the donuts into the oil. For me, at least, not a good idea although I would've probably had more success if I had used an actual pastry bag and wiped the knife clean between each separation of dough from the bag (hindsight's always 20/20) but I found two spoons do the job well enough. Plus you've got more of a chance of making round ones and not...well, I'll let the picture speak for itself. 

I really should invest in actual piping bags.

A vague quenelle shape

I've affectionately named the long one Bristol Stool 4

The two spoon method is definitely prettier.

This recipe is a bit time consuming so make sure that you set aside some time for it, especially the proving of the yeast and the frying. If you don't have a deep fryer, you can also use a saucepan or (my personal favourite) a wok. Just be mindful of heating the oil to the right temperature; a handy hint is to test it with a chunk of bread. If the bread fries to a golden brown in roughly thirty seconds to a minute, your oil's ready. Alternatively, you can look for a 'shimmer' (it's a bit hard to explain without pictures, but the surface of the oil seems to shimmer as if there's a mirage?) or if you have a bamboo chopstick; when you stick the tip in the oil, bubbles should form around the chopstick (again, hard to explain without pictures). Also between batches, wait for the oil to reheat: the longer they soak in the oil, the more oil they'll absorb. 

Everything you need: try to make sure the yeast is as fresh as possible!

I used a microwave to heat up the milk, sugar and margarine; make sure it's body temperature (you can test it by dropping a bit of milk on your wrist like you'd check a baby's bottle)

If the milk's not hot or too hot, the yeast won't work as well (tricky buggeryboo)

The yeasty, eggy, milky mixture

Looks like absolute rubbish but keep mixing it until...

It should be thick enough to form a ribbon when you lift the whisk

Use the 45 minutes - 1 hour to pamper yourself, you deserve it

The batter pretty much doubles in size, but be careful..

I dropped it on the counter and it deflated a bit

Golden brown and slighty round, don't overcrowd the fryer!