Untangling My Chopsticks by Victoria Abbott Riccardi

Clack! Clack! A stack of lacquer bowls joined them.
    Then the storm was over. The dry counters gleamed. Slick cutting boards leaned against the metal poles and pots drippedfrom the racks overhead. I finished drying our wanmori bowls and minutes later joined Stephen in the hall.
    “Are you sure you don't want any of this?” he asked, waving good-bye to several classmates. “This is a lot of food.” His canvas tote bulged with foil-wrapped packages.
    “That's okay,” I replied. “I don't think this stuff would go over too well at the Guesthouse.” I could just imagine: Oh, Eric, instead of your usual tuna salad on white, how about a lotus root sandwich filled with plum paste?
    Stephen shrugged. “Well, David will be happy.” He pulled down the sleeves of his coat, first the left one and then the right, and picked up his bag.
    I followed him outside, securing the tiny leather belt on my knapsack. The sun had disappeared behind the gray winter clouds, casting a sad pall over the afternoon. All those exquisite dishes filled with greetings of happiness and goodwill now lay wilting in Stephen's tote.
    And yet, as I replayed the class in my head, a tingly flush of elation rose up inside of me, as if I had just sipped an extraordinary champagne. I had flirted with tea kaiseki and now felt giddy. The food had been fascinating, succulent, beautiful, and exotic. Just one taste and I was thirsting for more.

    In Japanese markets you can find various grades of white miso (shiro miso). Spring for the pricier versions, which taste sweeter than the less expensive brands. In this recipe, you'll notice the difference.
     
12 large romaine lettuce leaves
¼ cup sweet white miso (shiro miso)
1 tablespoon mirin
12 slices smoked salmon, cut lengthwise in half
     
With a sharp knife, cut off the leafy green portion of each lettuce leaf (save for another use), so that you have twelve long stems. Cut each stem crosswise in half.
Whisk together the miso and mirin in a large bowl. Add the romaine stems and, using your fingers, gently toss to coat. Let the stems pickle for 10 minutes.
Remove the stems from the miso mixture and with a clean paper towel gently wipe off the miso. Wrap the salmon slices around each pickled stem, like rollmops, so that a portion of the lettuce stem sticks out from either side of the fish.
    Makes 24 salmon-lettuce rolls

    A crystal clear dashi-based soup filled with artfully arranged ingredients is one of the hallmarks of elegant Japanese cooking. Ideally, the soup is served in a bowl with a lid to lock in the fragrance of the citrus zest. Since dried mochi is what is most commonly available outside of Japan, that is the form called for in this recipe.
     
4 dried mochi cakes (about 2 ounces each)
1 medium carrot, peeled and trimmed
1 small bunch fresh spinach (about ½ pound)
4 cups dashi ( page 48 )
2 teaspoons soy sauce
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
One 4-ounce boneless duck breast, skinned
2 tablespoons potato starch
4 tiny diamond-shaped pieces of yuzu or lemon zest (each one about the size of a peanut)
     
Using a pair ofkitchen tongs, hold each mochi cake over a medium flame until lightly charred all over. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the charred mochi, turn off the heat, and let them soften (this will take about 5 minutes).
Slice the carrot crosswise in half. Using only the top half, slice the carrot into four 2-inch-long thin rectangles. (Set aside the remaining carrot for another use.) Blanch the carrot slices in a small pot of lightly salted water until crisp-tender, about a minute. Drain and set aside.
Bring a small amount oflightly salted water to a boil in a medium shallow saucepan. Add the spinach, cover, and cook over low heat until the leaves have collapsed and just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, form the spinach into a fat bundle, and lightly roll in a clean tea towel to remove the excess water. Cut the spinach bundle into four 2-inch-long rounds.
Place 3 cups ofthe dashi in a medium saucepan.