Strawberry Salad

Do your remember the movie Night of the Living Dead?

Well that's exactly how I feel right now. Only I'm not the one running from them but the creepy "Zombie" itself. This is the result of numerous weeks of accumulated lack of sleep. And I tell you no amount of coffee could bring me back to the world of the living.

Maybe some of you guys who have kids could help me out on this battle. It has been several weeks now that our little girl cries in the middle of the night. We normally let her cry and wait for her to fall asleep again., But lately she could stand for almost an hour crying (much to the disgust of our neighbors I'm sure) until we go and check her out. My husband and I would try our best to console and assure her so she would go back sleeping again. But she won't stop crying until we bring her to our bed and let her sleep in the middle of us. And that is definitely out of the question. Hubby and I would play "good cop bad cop strategy" in front of her to convince her to stay in her room and sleep on her crib. Imagine that scenario that runs for hour and hour with the ear breaking symphony of my daughter's cry in the middle of the night. Naturally of course, I give up and cedes to her.

But last night, hubby and I were really fed up on this so we let her cry to her voice and eyes content and decided to leave her on the room. But before we could even close her door, we saw right before our very eyes my daugther hurdled the high bars of her crib and jump out of it unharmed like a flying ninja. "That was dangerous!", hubby shouted as I calmed downed myself after almost having a heart attack. They rarely put Jackie Chan movie on french tv where on earth she could have learned that stunt? This afternoon, we'll definitely passing by IKEA.

And please don't shout at me "AGAIN", the talented Happycook of My Kitchen Treasures is hosting a Strawberry Feast an event to honor this versatile and forever in fashion fruit. I'll be sending this strawberry salad for that event. So if you love strawberry don't forget to check out the round-up.


Strawberry Mozarella Salad

Ingredients:
about 250 grams of strawberries ( I used the garriguette variety common in Southern France, small but highly sweet in flavor)
1 ball of mozzarella (cut in to cubes)
1 small block of feta cheese (optional)I just used them for they've been on my fridge for a long time now
250 g of different kinds of salad (mizuna, arugula, mache, young spinach)

Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons of balsamique vinegar
half a teaspoon of dijon mustard (à l'ancienne)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
some salt
pepper
chopped fresh basil leaves
some fresh thymes

Procedure:
In a bowl mix your vinaigrette and set it aside. In a bowl mix the salad, the cut strawberries, mozarella and feta cheese. Just before serving toss them with your sauce. I served them with my home-baked black olives foccacia.

Strawberry Tartar

Lost in Translation.

That movie of Sofia Coppola is one of my favorite. Not only because it was shot in Japan for where I lived sometime in my life. But it was quite a funny way to see how foreigners struggle in some foreign land. When my good Japanese friend to whom I have not seen for a long time (more than seven years) wrote to me few months ago about her upcoming visit here in France. I was really euphoric. For she is more than a friend to me, she is like a younger sister to me. And besides I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to practice my japanese the language I haven't spoken for a long while. I have never imagined that it would be that hard for me to speak Japanese again for everytime I opened my mouth its french words that are coming out. It was so frustrating at the beginning but I managed to keep up.

With her meager vacation left before her grand depart for her newly signed job in Honduras as a volunteer worker for JICA, she managed to spare three days to visit me here in Southern France. Her vacation was short but meaningful. Hubby took some day off to serve as chauffer, yours truly as the tourist guide and little Mayumi as the Mascot. She enjoyed Southern France and of course a little bit of my kitchen.

I am sharing here some of our photos too. A serving of this strawberry tartar also goes to Graziana of Erbe in Cucina this week's host of Weekend Herb Blogging. That authentic herb blogging event created by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen now in the caring wings of Haalo of Cook Almost Anything.



Strawberry Tartar

Ingredients:

500 g of fresh strawberries
a handful of fresh basil leaves
a handful of fresh thymes
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of balsamique vinegar
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper

Procedure:
This recipe is very easy and fast to make. This serves around four persons. Cut your strawberries. In a bowl mix your your vinaigrette: olive oil, salt, pepper and balsamique vinegar. With your fingers add the thyme and minced basil leaves. Toss your strawberry. I served it with some mozarella balls and jambon serrano.

The colorful market of Aix en Provence

Me and my tired daughter

View of Marseille from Notre Dame de la Garde

Mizuho, Me, Mayumi & Hubby enjoying ice-cream

The historical arena of Arles

The beautiful beach of Calanques

Our cute mascot

You can also try this other strawberry recipes:
Strawberry Gaspacho and Basil
Strawberry Sweet Sushi

Strawberry sushi crepe with minty chocolate sauce

Green tea infused Strawberry Carpaccio in Crepe Rolls with choco-wasabi paste and chocolate minty sauce

When my baby cry you would think she's the daughter of Luciano Pavarotti. Her capacity to keep high notes could fairly pass for a soprano soloist in any audition for opera. I couldn't blame her for I nourished her with my singing prowess during pregnancy. :-) It is the reason why, everytime I succeeded in making her sleep it is such a great relief for me (and probably for our neighbors too) and I do all the precautions to keep it that way. Sometimes I even unplug the phone to avoid waking her up from the noise of the incoming calls.

Unfortunately that day I was too late. The phone rang. Definitely it woke her up. I was torn between, answering the phone (probably scold that person at the same time) and taking my baby from her crib. Since I was angry I opted to pick up the phone. It was my husband. My anger transformed into worries because It's unusual for him to make calls at this hour. Then he blurted out the reason of his call, was to ask me if I would accept living back again in Japan for 2 or three years. Apparently there was a proposition for an expat job in Japan. Wow! Definitely I said yes. I love Japan and terribly miss my friends back there.A short stint there will be a great idea I thought.

That day I got so excited with this news that I saw everything already in Japanese color.

Strawberry Sushi Crepe with spicy chocolate paste and minty chocolate sauce

Sushi Crepe
250 g of flour
half a liter of milk
3 tbsps of oil
2 tbsps of sugar
a pinch of salt
3 eggs

In a bowl mix the egg with all dry ingredients. Add the oil. Eventually add little by little the milk. Continue mixing until the mixture becomes homegenous. Let it stand for a minimum of one hour. Cook over very hot crepe pan. Dust icing sugar over each crepe and roll delicately. Cut the uneven edges of the two sides. Eventually cut regular sizes for each rolled crepe. Then set aside.

Strawberry carpaccio in Mint and green tea infusion
250 g of strawberry
5 tbsps of hot water
1 tsp of green tea
8-10 leaves of mint leaves
2 tbsp of honey

Slice each strawberry lengthwise. In a small bowl mix the hot water with the green tea powder, honey and sliced fresh mint leaves. Pour over this mixture over the strawberry and let it infuse for minimum of 30 minutes. Insert the starwberry carpaccio in your sushi crepe.

Choco spicy paste
50 g of bitter dark chocolate
1 tsp of chili powder
1 tbsp of cold water

In bain marie melt the chocolate then add the chili powder. Turn of the heat then add one tablespoon of cold water this will make your thicken your chocolate mixture. Prepare this last as this have the tendency to harden when temperature is too cold.

Chocolate minty sauce
50 g of mint chocolate
2 tbsps of fresh cream

Melt the mint chocolate in bain marie and add slowly the fresh cream. Mixed continously until the mixture becomes liquid. Serve hot.

Dunk it here...