His name is Kumahachi Moreno and he's one of the most famous television chefs in Japan. He showed up at my door one July 4th weekend bearing a bag of Japanese "mystery" ingredients for me to grill. My efforts would be videotaped and the results shown on Japanese television. Seemed like a good idea, but when Moreno opened his bag, out came gobo (burdock root), natto (fermented soybeans), uncooked cod roe, and flat painted cans of azuki (sweet red bean) paste. Decidedly not what most Americans are accustomed to grilling. I sliced the cod roe over freshly-shucked oysters, which I roasted on a wood-burning grill. The burdock went on bamboo skewers with scallions to be grilled yakitori style on a hibachi. The natto went on tortillas with jalapeños and grated cheddar to make grilled quesadillas. I spooned the azuki paste into hollowed out apples—Fujis, no less—and topped them with cream cheese, brown sugar, and butter to be smoke-roasted over applewood in a kettle grill. I held my breath and hoped for the best. Mr. Moreno and his Japanese film crew had never seen the likes of the meal that followed. The oysters came out great, served with wasabi-flavored whipped cream. The film crew ate the natto-stuffed quesadillas with gusto. A mouthful of the fibrous burdock root taught me why burdock is never grilled in Japan. The red bean paste–stuffed apples—the outside tender and smoky, the filling both piquant and sweet—promopted high-fives all around—definitely a first on both sides of the Pacific.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
You'll Also Need
Advance Preparation
Preparation
Step 1
1. Using a small melon baller, core the apples from the top. The idea is to remove the stem end and seeds, creating a cavity in the apple, but leave the bottom intact to hold in the filling. Place 1 1/2 teaspoons of azuki bean paste in the cavity of each apple. Top with 1 1/2 teaspoons of cream cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons of brown sugar, and finally 1 1/2 teaspoons of butter. The apples can be prepared to this stage several hours ahead and refrigerated, covered.
Step 2
2. Set up the grill for indirect grilling, place a drip pan in the center, and preheat the grill to medium.
Step 3
3. When ready to cook, if you are using a charcoal grill, toss the wood chips or chunks on the coals. If you are using a gas grill, add the wood chips or chunks to the smoker box or place them in a smoker pouch under the grate. Arrange the apples upright in the center of the grate over the drip pan and away from the heat and cover the grill. To help the apples stay upright on the grate, position them on grill rings or rings made from crumpled aluminum foil. Grill the apples until they are tender (the sides will be squeezably soft) and the filling is browned and bubbling. Depending on your grill and the temperature outside, this will take 40 minutes to 1 hour.
