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Carp simmered richly with plum

This is the assorted simmered course. For the carp simmered richly with plum, the carp is cut into rounds and simmered in a base of dashi, sugar…

Bracken shoot and bamboo shoot, paired grilled

Shinshu salmon kombu-cured, green shiso and soft-set tofu, shira-ae style

Buckwheat-flour cloudy broth

This is the clear-soup course. For the buckwheat-flour cloudy broth, buckwheat flour is added to bonito dashi and reduced by about a tenth. Because…

Shinano yukimasu ogawa roll wrapped in nozawana, rapeseed blossom-apple-iwana oyako koji dressing, Shinshu beef and chrysanthemum-greens checkerboard hakusen-age, three-colored egg terrine with cherry blossoms, miso-marinated fuki wrapped tōji-style in yuba and grilled, runner bean awayuki terrine, leaf wasabi and yam sushi

Let's begin with the appetizers. For the Shinano yukimasu ogawa roll wrapped in nozawana, ogawa is normally made using minced squid or white fish…

Vinegar-cured spring sardine

This is the vinegared dish. The mountain yam, shaved into thin sheets, is dropped into a seawater-strength brine until it softens, then taken out; a…

Diamond-cut turnip stuffed with chicken, ebi-imo and foie gras dumpling, simmered rolled shrimp

This is the simmered course. For the diamond-cut turnip stuffed with chicken, I've used santen turnip this time. For the ebi-imo (a shrimp-shaped…

Sea bream haruyama-yaki, Ise lobster oil-grilled, bamboo shoot tosa-yaki, daikon steak

This is the grilled course. Sea bream is especially delicious at this time of year, so for the haruyama-yaki I keep it simple with a plain salt…

Hamaguri clam and shiratama dumplings

Pen shell, cockle, and Welsh onion with vinegar-miso, Japanese halfbeak and squid ball-shaped sushi, baby turban shell baked with cream, young ayu deep-fried in a roasted-grain coating, beef loin rolled with butterbur, and cheese and salmon terrine

Steaming the beef loin and fuki roll once beforehand makes it easier to hold together, allowing the work to go smoothly. When preparing a large…

Icefish and crab salad with spring greens

This is the appetizer. For the icefish and crab salad with spring greens, I prepare the bracken, hosta shoot, and rapeseed blossom, then steep them…

Beef fillet, steamed abalone

This is the additional hearty course. I had originally intended to serve the beef fillet with a sea urchin sauce, but for the sake of the plating…

Peony-cut pike conger kuzu-tataki, clear-soup style, with burdock root, water shield, baby melon, and green yuzu

For the clear-soup course, straining and bringing the soup stock to a boil, then adding a small amount of sake, gives the flavor a rounder, softer…

Chilled herring with eggplant and baby taro; eggplant cut to stand upright, deep-fried and simmered, with black sesame

To keep the eggplant in simmered dishes from losing its color, it helps to place it into the oil starting from the colored skin side.

Chinese yam simmered Tosa-style with bonito flakes

This is the simmered dish. Although potatoes and yams tend to sprout once spring arrives, I deliberately used yam here. Leaving it plain white would…

Wakasa flounder with sansho-leaf vinegar, tilefish grilled Arashiyama-style, beef tongue set into a square, kuruma prawn simmered shiba-style, smoked salmon and cucumber rolled in kombu

This is the grilled-dish hassun course. For the Wakasa flounder with kinome vinegar, I grind kinome in a suribachi mortar and mix it with grated…

Small-pot course of greenling and bamboo shoots

This is the soup course. As a substitute for the usual soup, I made it in small-pot style. It would ordinarily be a young bamboo shoot and wakame…

Eel and millet steamed bun, thornyhead rockfish steamed with sake, sea bream milt set with hidden pickled plum

Since I work at an eel restaurant, I wanted to include one eel dish, so I put eel and millet manju in the appetizer. To that I added bracken as a…

Five kinds of ball-shaped sushi, scattered sushi for the Doll Festival

This is the rice course. Since it is March, I made five kinds of temari-zushi and a slightly unconventional Hina Matsuri chirashi-zushi. At my hotel…

Taro and butterbur miso steamed bun, hijiki wrapped in fried tofu

This is the simmered dish. I garnish it with wheel-shaped wheat gluten that has been deep-fried and simmered, rapeseed blossom, and kabocha squash…

Grilled lotus-root cake, julienned vegetable clear soup

This is the soup course. For the grilled lotus-root cake, when making the lotus-root cake I add a little lily-bulb paste and glutinous rice flour…

Somen-style Chinese yam noodles topped with eggplant miso, bamboo shoot shumai, oven-baked shiitake mushroom, sweetened fava bean puree

This is the appetizer course. The tricolour diamond of lily-bulb paste is made by kneading lily-bulb paste with sugar and salt, then dividing it into…

Parsley-flavored warm tofu with colorful vegetables in a thickened soy-milk-skin sauce, mugwort rice cake in shoyu-koji hot pot

This is the appetizer. For the parsley warm tofu: parsley holds its color well even when heated, so I use it to give the warm tofu a pale young-grass…

Blended-dashi clear soup: autumn-brocade tilefish and turnip, habutae-steamed; matsutake with sprouted scallion; garnish of hail-cut yuzu

When folding the grated turnip into the meringue, it's important not to overmix — I think it's best to fold it in loosely, leaving the fluffy texture…