Red Ember Japanese Cuisine

I’ve been meaning to visit this place since the last sushi restaurant that was here closed. The restaurant wasn’t full, so the server was attentive. The decor is interesting, the walls were a nice shade of red.  Everything was nice, except that the tables were covered in brown paper that curled on the ends. Makes it look a bit cheesy.

We were served an amuse bouche on the house before the appetizers arrived. It was a sashimi salad with cucumber. Delicious! I ordered the wakame salad to start. I was suprised; it came on a bed of lettuce with tomato on the side. It was definitely a bigger serving then I expected. I also ordered a piece of aburi sushi. It had a nice sear on the top. My entree was the chirashi sushi, which would have been big enough for two. Except that I had just finished a day of snowshoeing and had no problem consuming the entire thing myself. The fish was delicious and artfully presented.

I will be coming back to try the rest of the menu.

Amuse Bouche
Amuse Bouche
Wakame Salad
Wakame Salad
Chirashi Sushi and Aburi Salmon
Chirashi Sushi and Aburi Salmon

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Orange Flax Seed Muffins

I was looking for something different to do with muffins. I have a bunch of oranges in the fridge, and voila! These are light and healthy.

Orange Flax Muffins

  • 1 ½ C all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
  • ½  C raw wheat germ
  • 2 tbs ground flax seed
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1/8  tsp ground nutmeg
  •  ¾ C packed brown sugar
  • ¼ C canola oil
  • ½ C orange puree
  • 1 tsp grated orange rind
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 12 muffin liners
  • 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 8 ingredients (through nutmeg) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.

Combine brown sugar, oil, rind, juice, and eggs; stir with a whisk. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir just until combined. Arrange liners in muffin cups. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake at 375° for 17 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched in center.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

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