Knowing the Western bias against short-grain rice, I made an interesting experiment once. I had invited the chef from Harry’s Bar in Venice to Japan, and I asked him to make a risotto. I told him we had many varieties and grades of short-grain rice in Japan and asked him to select the one best for his recipe from a large variety of samples from all over Japan. I had simply numbered each one, so he had no idea of how they were rated here. He boiled the different kinds and sampled each one, and finally said, without any hesitation at all, “This is it!” It was sasa-nishiki, the rice we rate the very highest quality of all! We may not be far wrong in considering Japan a rice paradise.

I vividly remember reading this part of Shizuo Tsuji’s Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art (10/10 cookbook) and being enamored with the idea of risotto from rice grown outside Italy. High end Japanese rice works wonderfully, as does Carolina Gold.

I haven’t written anything like this down, but this would be a close approximation.

Fruit Mousse

Yield approximately 20 fl oz

• 1 can evaporated milk
• 6 fl oz sweetened condensed milk
• Fruit, to taste
• Egg whites, as needed

Freeze the evaporated milk in a mixing bowl. Once frozen, whip to stiff peaks. Fold in condensed milk.

Blend the fruit to very smooth. Fold into milk mixture.

This mixture won’t set with time, so if you want more body whip egg whites to stiff peaks and fold in as needed.

Evaporated milk does whip beautifully if it’s cold enough. The condensed milk could be subbed out for 10x sugar, but it will add richness beyond the sugar.

Bird’s Milk cake with layers of shaved shingled pineapple. I’d want a really pretty top layer dressed with apricot glaze, which I don’t keep on hand but occasionally buy. It might be pretty difficult to cut even with a sharp knife, but I’d be willing to try.

Quick alternative: Pineapple mousse, salted peanuts, maybe a little shaved chocolate. Sincerely tempted to make that tomorrow.

Split poached shrimp/pepper coulis/barley crumble/basil/a good oil.

I think peppers and barley are rough. The lob is to puree the peppers or bake the barley into something… or both. Like me. To be honest I’m probably adding corn to that crumble.