“In Japans your education never ends. In 2012 I was introduced to a nigiri hand technique that takes 20 years to master I think that is fascinating” – Zoë Escher
2019: Zoë was the judge for the daily newspaper Politiken in connection with testing food for their readers.
2016: Zoë held the official opening speech and opened the fair Formland Spring in Messecenter Herning in Denmark. At the opening of the fair there were 49 people from the press, 20 VIP and 271 exhibitors.
2015: Zoë has made sushi and Japanese dishes as private dining at home of US ambassador in Denmark Rufus Gifford.
2013: Rated as Denmark’s sushi expert no. 1 by gourmet supermarket chain Irma. Zoë was also guest judget at Masterchef Denmark season 3. Zoë has made sushi and Japanese dishes as staff food to the 3 star Michelin restaurant
Zoë is known from Danish magazines and TV such as Copenhagen Food, ALT for Damerne, Berlingske, Femina, IN, Mad & Bolig, TV3 and the consumer council magazine “THINK”.
Reference: Restaurant Geranium***, A.P. Møller – Mærsk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Ikea, Novartis, Velux, Takeda Pharma, Haldore Topsøe, Dansk Byggeri, Deloitte, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Symphogen and many more.
In Denmark, most sushi restaurants use topping on the food. It is typically sushi rolls such as insite-out which are topped with various ingredients such as roe, seaweed salad, chili mayonnaise, pickled onions and crushed wasabi peas. Sushi rolls are often topped in many different ways.
In Japan, topping is not used in the same way as in Denmark.
The Japanese are very fond of fish of very high quality. They eat as much fish as we eat meat.
So that’s why Japanese customers and Japanese sushi chefs have a slightly different approach to sushi. The sushi pieces should preferably be as simple as possible, ie. with rice and fish are in the center so they are allowed to shine.
Sushi topping is used in Japan. It can be lemon, an herb or a specific type of salt, which is used to highlight fish unique flavors and aromas.
At the Sushi course for beginners, you will learn how to make tasty sushi like Japanese sushi chefs in Tokyo.
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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.
There are more and more people who have noticed black sesame seeds when ordering sushi rolls.
Abroad, black sesame seeds are very common. Several of the Danish sushi restaurants also use black sesame seeds and light sesame seeds mixed together and sprinkled over the sushi rolls.
There is not the big secret behind black sesame seeds. This is not a new variety. It is light sesame seeds that have been colored. Unfortunately, I do not know how they have been colored. Or what has been used to color the sesame seeds.
The taste is the same whether you use light or black sesame seeds.
The reason why some sushi restaurants use a mixture of light and black sesame seeds is because it is decorative and looks great on sushi rolls.
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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.
Shiitake mushrooms are quite unique, as it is a mushroom that has several aromas and depth in the taste.
Shiitake is a mushroom that is very intense in taste. Shiitake mushrooms have a hard stem. It is a strain that is often removed in the preparation of a dish, as it can be hard to chew on.
Exactly the stem should always be kept. The stem of Shiitake mushrooms has a very concentrated and aromatic taste, which gives the dish depth.
In Japan, Shiitake mushroom is used in many different ways. It ranges from fried noodles to stews that simmer for several hours. The possibilities are endless.
Shiitake is now available year-round in many supermarkets. However, there may be periods when it can be difficult to get hold of the fungus.
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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.
It depends a bit on how you view sushi. I will talk about sushi which is prepared in Denmark.
If you disregard different kinds of topping and chili mayonnaise, then sushi rolls are the healthiest. Just by eating one sushi roll, the body is boosted with vitamins and minerals. There are several reasons for this.
Sushi is the vegetable in the world that contains the most vitamins and minerals.
Most sushi rolls are composed of a minimum of 2 kinds of vegetables, if not more and a little fish.
In Japan, nigiri and sushi rolls are equally healthy.
Japan topping is not used in the same way as in Denmark and some countries in Europe.
In Japan, nigiri is healthy, less rice is used and more fish is used. The Japanese get to eat large amounts of fish in a single meal.
At the Sushi course for beginners, you will learn how to make tasty rolls that are suitable for everyday life and parties.
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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.
More and more people have become aware of bonito flakes.
In 2004, I first encountered bonito flakes in Tokyo.
At that time, in Tokyo I was practising the martial art kendo. After evening training, I was invited to the home of my teacher and his family, where we ate dishes from the classic Japanese cuisine. There I noticed the thin flakes with a smoky fish flavor, which was used as a kind of topping on the dishes.
In 2006 when I was trained as a sushi chef abroad, I got to know bonito flakes very well. I found out that the fish Bonito is related to tuna. It is a fish that is filleted, smoked and dried for a long period of time. The dried bonito is than shaved into thin flakes.
Bonito flakes are a solid ingredient in Japanese cuisine, which is used in many different ways. The fish bonito together with other Japanese ingredients form the foundation of Japanese cuisine.
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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.
The Danish delicacy lumpfish roe is now available in most fish shops.
It’s a good year for lumpfish roe, at the moment there are lots of purified lumpfish roe.
It is a wonderful Danish delicacy that can be enjoyed in several different ways.
One of the best ways to eat lumpfish roe is along with blinis, finely chopped red onion and sour cream.
If you cannot get hold of blinis, you can of course use toasted sandwich bread.
Lumpfish roe is the first sign of spring it often falls at the same time.
The season for lumpfish roe varies from year to year. It is not to say how long the little fine pink pearls can be obtained at the fishmongers. So far, it can be freshly cleaned at most fishmongers.
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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.
In Japan, there are 8 different kinds of noodles, which are used in different dishes. Some noodles are eaten all year round, while others are eaten at specific times of the year.
Some Japanese noodles are healthier than others.
The healthiest noodles are soba noodles which are made from buckwheat. Soba noodles are part of classic Japanese dishes in several different ways.
In Japan, soba is most often eaten in the summer as a cold noodle dish. Soba noodles are also served in hot stews.
Soba noodles are made in different ways. Some soba noodles are made from 100% buckwheat, while others also contain a bit of wheat.
Soba noodles are healthier than traditional pasta. There are fewer calories, more fiber and protein.
In Europe, soba noodles can also be bought in many Thai / Chinese shops.
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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.
All types of mushrooms can be used in Japanese cuisine it depends a bit on the dish.
In Japan there are 7 different kinds of mushrooms; Shiitake, Maitake, Matsutake, Shimeji, King oyster, Nameko and Enoki mushrooms.
In Denmark, we can buy Shiitake, Shimeji, King oyster and Enoki mushrooms in specialty stores and supermarkets during the year.
Shiitake mushrooms are known for their unique aromas and intense flavors. It is a sponge used in all types of dishes in Japanese cuisine.
Shimeji and Enoki mushrooms can be used in several different ways. You will often find this type of mushroom in miso soups or in classic Japanese stews.
King oyster or oyster hats are a meaty mushroom which is well suited for e.g. yakitori spyd. It is also a mushroom that is suitable for other tasty dishes.
If you cannot get any of the above mushrooms do not despair. Try to use local tasty mushrooms.
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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.
In Japan, Japanese cuisine is very large.
There are as many different styles as the whole of European cuisine combined.
Most people will probably think that sushi is at least as popular in Japan as in Europe. That is not the case.
The Japanese love sushi, sushi makes up less than 15% of Japanese cuisine. Sushi is not a dish that the Japanese choose on a busy day after work.
On a busy weekday, the Japanese prefer ramen soup. The Japanese are the population in the world that eats the most noodles.
In Japan, there are a many different kinds of tasty noodle soups, they are found in all shades.
In Denmark and in the rest of the world, most people know ramen noodle soup.
Some noodle soups are as different as day and night. It’s just like the two noodle soups, you learn step by step on Noodle soup course for beginners. Ramen is, of course, one of them.
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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.
Restaurants in Japan also serve fried noodles.
In Japan, noodles are not just noodles. There are 7 different types of noodles in the classic Japanese cuisine. The 7 different noodles contain either wheat, buckwheat or rice. Some noodles are eaten all year round and others at certain times such as in the summer.
The Japanese are the population that eats the most noodles. In Japan, Ramen noodles are the most in demand of them all.
In Denmark, ramen is also the most in-demand type of noodle, which is most often used in noodle soups.
In Japan, ramen noodles are used in many different types of Japanese dishes. It ranges from noodle soups to stews or fried noodles.
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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.
