More Japan studio photos

Here are a couple more photos from one of my Japan trips. I love the roof line of this pottery. I'm not sure if this throwing area is from this studio or another. Over the years my memories have faded and my notes are no where to be found.

Years ago we had our daughter Erins birthday dinner at Ma Maison, the owner Patrick Terrail came over and told us about an upcoming cooking class being held at the restaurant. Erin expressed an interest so we decided to treat her with the understanding that she would have to cook what she learned. Now, this was a very expensive class, which we didn't know when we said OK. Needless to say, we were expecting a lovely dinner and some great recipes.

The day arrived for her to cook and the shrimp dish I made for last night's appetizer was the first dish. It was soooo good we couldn't wait for the entree. And then the bad news arrived - no more food was forthcoming, because the shrimp dish was all they taught her to cook! So here's the $350 recipe (the cost of the class). I served it as an appetizer last night, but it would also be a lovely entree along with some rice and a simple green vegetable - asparagus or green beans.

Wolfgang Puck's shrimp in Mustard Sauce

1T minced chives
36-48 raw, fresh, medium shrimp (I halved the whole recipe and used large shrimp last night)
salt and fresh ground black pepper
4 T safflower or almond oil (I used safflower)
2 medium shallots minced
1/2 dry sherry
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 lb unsalted butter cut in small pieces
2 T dijon mustard

Wash, de-vein and dry shrimp, and season with the salt and pepper. Get two sautee pans and put half of the oil in each and get pans very hot and smoking. Cook shrimp till pink (the recipe said 6 -7 minutes and that was way too long even for my large shrimp) and put on a warm plate and keep warm.
To each pan, add half the tarragon and 1/2 the shallots in each pan. Saute then 2-3 minutes. Then deglaze each pan, using 1/2 the sherry in each pan. Then combine the contents of both pans into one pan, add the cream and cook to reduce it till it coats the back of a spoon. Then whisk in the butter a piece at a time, being careful to never let the sauce boil. When all the butter in incorporated and the sauce is nice and hot, and just before serving, stir in the dijon mustard.
Plate the shrimp, and the sauce and top with the chopped chives.

This is a great dish - enjoy!