Really Hot Summer!

It’s already really hot in the end of June. The temperature races up to 32 degrees in Celsius (84F) this morning.  We need to conserve the energy because of the electricity shortage in the Tokyo Metropolitan area.  So, as much as possible, we need to cool down naturally.

Something cold? I love to! I made a vitamin-rich-anti-oxidant drink with red and orange paprika and a grapefruit.  Just cook chopped paprika pieces in water with a dash of salt and a teaspoonful of sugar until soft, process them in a blender, add freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice and honey with some touch of lemon juice for a tangy reviving  flavor.

Here is lavender-lemon Perrier.

I squeezed a lemon for its juice and add a half teaspoonful of lavender. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds.  Add some honey, stir well, and pour ice-cold Perrier in the glass. This is really tantalizing!

Blueberries and raspberries are in season now. But in Japan, it’s hard to find domestic raspberries; almost all raspberries are imported mainly from the US. But there is a thriving raspberry bush in our shop garden which is yielding lots of berries.

 

I made some summer gelée using these berries, wild strawberries, and rhubarbs with Umeshu (Japanese plum liqueur) . This is such a treat in this heat!

 

It’s hard to bake but I have to because of the nature of my business. This is a tart which I love at the moment. It’s filled with pistachio cream and pêche de vigne. Wow, it’s unbearably hot now! I can’t even think any words… gosh.

All natural even in colors.

Lunch today?  Maybe ice-cold Soba & Udon noodles topped with veggies and clams. And don’t forget the sauce!  It’s clam-juice based with Japanese soy sauce dressing and freshly-grated Wasabi.

Now we are going out in the heat for pleasure or torture!? maybe, it’s a bit suicidal!