Japan

Castella Cake is a great tea or afternoon snack cake from Japan

Lightly cooked crisp-tender vegetables coated in a fragrant and slightly sweet miso dressing are a prefect accompaniment to any savory main.

A popular way to prepare tofu in Japan, this silken tofu is lightly coated in salt, pepper, garlic, and potato starch and then seared in a pan to create a beautiful crispy layer and depth of flavor.

Karaage, Sesame Green Beans, Fried Smelt, and Garlic Edamame, and of course had an assortment of our favorite beers

Eating our way across Japan

This cheesecake is honestly like nothing I have had before. It is fluffy and soufflé like, but with all the rich flavors of a just-sweet citrusy cheesecake. My husband deemed it an Angel Cheesecake and I think that is about right. Seriously fluffy and extraordinarily tasty, I highly recommend it!

For this race we made Japanese stir fry noodles (Yakisoba) and started the meal with Blistered Shishito Peppers which we serendipitously got from our Imperfect Produce delivery this week! I love all things noodles, and this dish is no exception. With a nice umami-savory sauce and lots of veggies it hits all the right buttons.

The Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka always proves interesting. The fans are crazy, the racing great, and the food... so fun!