Posts tagged Sarah The Bear

I have wisely surrounded myself with friends who love to eat and/or cook food. Sometimes this makes me lazy because I can look at an amazing local chef in LA to expand my palate, and other times it is a friend who supports my better-you-than-me approach to cooking. In the case of my friend Sarah I’ve been spoiled by her talents primarily as a baker, but now also as a Japanese soup-making star.

Recently Sarah - aka Sarah the Bear as she’s named herself on her detailed, inventive, thoughtful, humorous cooking blog - invited my husband and me over mushroom and fish balls in broth. This is also known more eloquently as Mushroom Nabe with Salmon Tsumire. This authentic Japanese name for the dish cooked table-side does it greater justice as the delicious meal it is.

Taught by her Japanese cooking mentor (how cool is that?!) Sonoko Sakai, Sarah learned how to mix broth, onions, a variety of hearty mushrooms and handmade salmon fish balls into a bubbling soup that’s fragrant and filling. Cooked in an earthenware bowl over a camping stove the dinner had a rustic feel but with all of Sarah’s newly acquired wedding gifts the table was set beautifully with woven placemats set with chopsticks and stone bowls for the main course. 

It was a meal to remember - because I don’t plan to make it myself anytime soon. I’ll savor the memory of these unique, homemade meal created by a talented chef I luckily call my friend.