Blue Lotus

There's always time for dessert

I've been as busy as a beaver recently, with no time to do or eat anything interesting (let alone blog about it). But somehow I've been able to find the time for some very nice desserts. I think it might be time to re-examine my claim that I'm not much of a dessert person.

I was late to hop on the macaron bandwagon, partly because the dayglo-bright colours of the ones I saw on other blogs were a turn-off, and partly because I had them confused with macaroons. I'm not even quite sure what macaroons are, but I'm pretty sure I hate them, so it wasn't until a student brought a box of macarons to share with a class last year that I actually tried one and realized that they are the best dessert in the entire world. It turns out that I'm not a big fan of the fruity colourful ones: it's the dull brownish ones that are the best. Especially caramel. Above is my most recent macaron purchase: chocolate, cafe au lait, pistachio and caramel.

This is the pistachio up close. It was actually my least favourite of the bunch. (I've just realized that if I want something pistachio flavoured, pistachio ice cream is a better choice. Or pistachios.)

And here's the chocolate: my second favourite flavour. These came from Henri Charpentier, who makes the best macarons I've tried so far. Every macaron fan in the world seems to be on an obsessive hunt for the best ones, and everyone seems to have different criteria. But in terms of crust texture, sweetness level, filling-to-crust ratio and overall flavour Henri Charpentier is the champion.

I don't eat macarons often, but that's more to do with the fact that they don't sell macarons out here in the suburbs than any concerns about my health. In fact, macarons are practically a diet food: they're tiny and frightfully expensive, so it's hard to over-indulge. They also weigh next to nothing, and really: how could something composed of roughly 95% air be bad for you?

I've posted about Planetes, a nearby cake shop, before. On a recent visit there were no cakes or tarts that caught my eye (I really am not much of a cake person) so I went with a handful of snowball cookies and two chocolates. The snowballs, my favourite cookies in the world, were wonderful.

I ended up giving the chocolate on the top, called "caramel noir" to my husband as it was gooier than I expected, but the praline cream on the bottom was lovely.

My husband got something with layers of soft creamy goo that I wanted nothing to do with.

It was pretty though, especially the bubbles in the first layer after the chocolate top was taken off.

Finally, some dessert actually made at home: apple crisp. The top has a mixture of apples and those lovely Italian plums which have long disappeared from the market (I think this was back in October). The tartness of the plums was a perfect foil for the sweet Japanese apples. 

For my husband, who is not into tartness, I skipped the plums and mixed the apples with a little of the dulce de leche I made last month, and dotted some more on top. This was decadent and delicious, and although I preferred the first crisp I can happily make do with this until the plums come back again next year.

Koyo in Tokyo

The Japanese are a people seriously infatuated with the seasons, and one of the greatest expressions of that obsession is the love of koyo. Koyo literally means “red leaves” but is used for all colors of autumn foliage, and in this season it seems the entire country goes mad for it. As with cherry blossom viewing in the spring, people flock, cameras in tow, to famous gardens and parks to view the changing colors of the leaves. But unlike cherry blossom viewing, autumn foliage viewing seldom involves lively picnics and sake drinking: the impending fall of the leaves is more conducive to long walks and quiet reflection.

News reports track the koyo saizensen(autumn leaf front) as it moves across the country, starting in September in Hokkaido and moving roughly southwest from there throughout the land. Tokyo is one of the last places reached by the front, with the leaves generally beginning to turn in early November and peak in late November and early December.

The quintessential autumn tree is the momiji (Japanese maple), with its delicate leaves turning a fiery red late in the season. Icho (ginkgo) is another favorite; its fan-shaped leaves turn a deep golden-yellow. A number of other trees are also noted for colorful foliage, such as keyaki (zelkova), hazenoki (wax tree), sakura (cherry) and hanamizuki (dogwood), but icho and momiji are definitely the king and queen of autumn.

Trees can be seen displaying their fall foliage all over the city and even a trip to the local park is bound to impress. But it’s worth making a trip to see some especially beautiful examples of autumn leaves, and the following is a list of recommended koyo spots in and around Tokyo.

Perhaps the prettiest autumn leaves in the city can be found along Icho Namiki (Ginkgo Avenue), which connects Aoyama Dori to Meiji Jingu Gaeien. Just 300 meters long, what the avenue lacks in length is more than made up for in grandeur: it is lined with 146 magnificent gingko trees dating back to the Taisho period, when they were planted in commemoration of the Meiji Emperor. The trees are nice enough in the summer when their greenery lends the avenue a refined, European feel, but when the leaves turn color in the autumn they are simply stunning. From November 16th to December 14th, when the leaves are at their peak, Meiji Jingu Gaien will hold its 10th annual Icho Matsuri (Ginkgo Festival), with the nearby sports fields filled with food and drink stalls, a market, free entertainment and more.

Two of Tokyo’s best traditional Japanese landscape gardens are Rikugien and Koishikawa Korakuen, and they are both planted with hundreds of well-manicured koyo-bearing trees. Rikugien is especially worth an evening visit between November 22^nd and December 14^th, when the trees are lit up. The lights are on nightly from sunset to 9:00pm; expect crowds on weekends. Further afield, Sankein in Yokohama features stunning traditional gardens housing a collection of Edo period buildings; the park lights up the autumn leaves nightly from November 20^th to December 21^st.

Large western-style parks like Shinjukugyoen and Yoyogi Koen are more inviting for picnics and strolling, each with thousands of trees planted on spacious grounds. Suburban parks such as Showa Kinen Koen, Hikarigaoka Koen, Shikinomori Koen, and Inokashira Koen will also be filled with autumn color.

Autumn is a great time for walking and hiking in the mountains, and there is no shortage of peaks within easy reach of Tokyo. Takao-san, a diminutive but sacred mountain in western Tokyo, is one of the best, and on December 7^th English Adventure will hold an Autumn Foliage Walk, a guided hike on the mountain open to all ages and nationalities. The Okutama area in western Tokyo has plenty of spots for autumn leaf viewing, including Okutamako (Okutama Lake) and Mitake-san (Mount Mitake). Nagatoro Keikoku (Nagatoro Gorge) is also pretty in the autumn, and the Arakawa Rhine Kudari lets you see the foliage from a traditional wooden raft as it makes its way over the rapids of the Arakawa River.

Getting further away from Tokyo, Kamakura makes a lovely day trip, with so many of the temples and shrines planted with momiji and icho trees to earn comparisons to Kyoto (considered the ultimate place to see the autumn leaves). Engakuji, Kaizoji, Hasedera, Meigetsuin and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu especially recommended. The hills and forests surrounding Kamakura offer several hiking trails with good autumn color as well; the Daibutsu Hiking Trail is one of the best. Hakone makes a great weekend trip, with Ashinoko (Lake Ashi)and Hakone Kyukaido (a section of the Edo period Tokaido Highway) being good places to see some fall color; Susuki Sogen features another type of autumn foliage: fields of golden susuki (pampas grass). Nikko and Chuzenjiko (Lake Chuzenji)are gorgeous in the fall, especially the Ryuzu no Taki and Kegon no Taki waterfalls, and also in Tochigi are Nasu and Shiobara, which have both pretty fall colors and wonderful onsen (hot springs).

So grab your camera, put on some comfortable shoes, and go out there!

JapanSoc it!