Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Soy Honey Glaze

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• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled
  
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  
• 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
  
• Pinch of salt

For the glaze:

• 2 tablespoons honey
  
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  
• 1 teaspoon juice from grated fresh ginger
  
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut sweet potatoes into ice-cube sized dice. Cover a baking tray with aluminum foil and spritz it with nonstick baking spray. Mix potatoes with oils and salt and spread them on the tray in a single layer. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes until the cubes are soft and begin to brown and crisp.

Drizzle with glaze and continue to cook until brown on the edges. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with seeds.

Makes 4 servings.

-- "Japanese Light" by Kimiko Barber

MISO-GLAZED BLACK BASS

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Miso looks like crunchy peanut butter. The salty, richly flavored paste is available in most supermarkets and in all Asian groceries. Any of the white-to-brown shades of miso will work fine in this recipe, one of the ones I created for my husband's cookbook. You will need to start marinating the fish for at least two hours before you plan to broil it. Have the vegetable garnish ready before you begin to cook the fish.

Marinade

• 6 tablespoons white miso (fermented soybean paste)
  
• 1/3 cup sugar
  
• 1/4 cup mirin
  
• 1/4 cup sake
  
• 4 6-ounce black sea bass or black cod fillets (each about 3/4 to 1 inch thick)

Poaching liquid

• 3 tablespoons mirin
  
• 2 tablespoons sake
  
• 1 cup water

Garnish

• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
  
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil.
  
• 1 cup each carrots, fennel, and sweet red pepper cut into thin strips

In a small bowl, whisk miso, sugar, mirin and sake until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a resealable quart plastic bag. Add the fish fillets, turning them to coat, seal the bag and refrigerate from 2 to 4 hours or even overnight.

Bring the fish and marinade to room temperature. Preheat the broiler.

Remove fish fillets from the marinade. Place them along with any marinade that clings to them into a 9-inch pie tin or small baking pan with sides. Do not crowd the pan. Discard remaining marinade.

To make the poaching liquid, stir the mirin and sake into the water. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute. Pour enough poaching liquid into the pan to come up about a third of the way up the fillets, about 1/4 inch. This steams the fish a bit while allowing the top of the filet to caramelize under the broiler.

Broil until just opaque in center, about 5 to 6 minutes. For the most succulent results, the fish should be barely done in the center and remain moist.

Serve the fish in wide, shallow bowls. Spoon some of the cooking liquid, about 1/4 cup per serving, into each dish. Garnish with softened julienned carrots, fennel and sweet red pepper on each side of the fish.

Garnish: In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon peanut oil and 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil. Add 1 cup each of thin strips of carrots, fennel, and sweet red pepper and cook over low heat until softened, not browned.

Makes 4 servings.

-- "What Einstein Told His Cook" by Robert L. Wolke

GREEN TEA ICE CREAM

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Cheating? No. Easy? Yes. Top each serving with a spoon of sweet adzuki bean paste, if you like. Find it at Asian grocery stores.

• 1 pint very good-quality vanilla ice cream
  
• 2 teaspoons matcha (green tea) powder
  
• 1 teaspoon lukewarm water

Start with softening the ice cream by taking it out of the freezer and transferring it to the fridge for 15-20 minutes, but do not let it melt.

Put the matcha powder in a small, fine-meshed sieve or a tea strainer held over a mixing bowl and push it through. Add the water and mix well.

Add half of the ice cream and mix thoroughly with a rubber spatula. Then add the rest of the ice cream. You can stop mixing when the ice cream looks marbled, or you may continue mixing to achieve a uniform pale-green color. Place the bowl in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours or until the ice cream is firm. The amount makes 8 scoops. Top with 1/2 tablespoon of the adzuki bean paste.

-- "Japanese Light" by Kimiko Barber

JAPANESE SALAD DRESSING

• 2 shallots, peeled and minced
  
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  
• 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
  
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  
• 1 small clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
  
• Pinch each salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a lidded glass jar and shake it vigorously to mix. Keep refrigerated and use within 3 days.

-- "Japanese Light" by Kimiko Barber

AROMATIC STEAMED SALMON WITH SHALLOTS AND BROCCOLI

Kimiko Barber suggests serving this recipe, from her book "Japanese Light," with "plain boiled or mashed potatoes to soak up all the tasty cooking juices."

• 1 pound salmon fillet, cut into 1 1/4-inch chunks
  
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  
• 1/4 cup sake
  
• 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
  
• 2 teaspoons juice from grated fresh ginger
  
• Freshly ground pepper
  
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  
• 2 shallots, chopped
  
• 4 ounces broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces

Put the salmon in a large bowl; set aside. Mix together the soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, ginger juice and pepper to taste in a small bowl; pour mixture over the salmon, stirring to coat each piece. Set aside 15 minutes.

Pat the salmon dry with paper towels; discard the marinade. Dust with the cornstarch. Put the shallots, broccoli and salmon in a heat-resistant bowl. Place in a steamer basket; cover basket. Steam until salmon is just opaque throughout, about 15 minutes. Serve drizzled with the cooking juices.

Makes 4 servings.

-- "Japanese Light" by Kimiko Barber