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Lemon Nobuhiro Koto so good #18

Tarte au citron, Lemon Verbena by Nobuhiru Koto

Tarte au citron, Lemon Verbena by Nobuhiru Koto

Nobohiru KotoText: Reiko Matsuno / Photos: Noriko Carlow

Breathing in fresh air and listening to streams and leaves of trees waving, you don’t believe that it’s just an hour away north from Tokyo on the bullet trains. Karuizawa is a well-known first-class villa area and a fine destination for many who wish to be in close contact with nature and relax in the weekend.

Hoshino Resorts Hotel Bleston Court sits in the wood looking up the trees where guests stay in the stylish cottages dotted in the woods. The Lounge in the main building that also houses the reception and a restaurant has a relaxing view of the garden. Here you can indulge in the beauty of nature and a Seasonal Dessert Course by Nobuhiro Koto, chef pâtissier of the hotel. Chefs in Japan should have acute sense of the season and bring it to every work or dish they create. Four seasons and twelve months are usual themes they consider for their creation, but the seasonal ingredients Koto uses often change as if there were more than 20 seasons in Karuizawa.

 

‘It’s my latest version of tarte au citron. Fortunately, we have many farmers in Nagano who enthusiastically grow fruits and vegetables that are still rare in Japan and Myer Lemon is one of those, which is grown in southern Nagano. I make two different types of cream with this lemon, taking advantage of its orange-like flavor and taste. Between the lemon creams is lemon soufflé made with fresh cheese of BOSQUESO, an artisan cheese shop. I use lemon hollowed out, instead of tart crust. I add rosemary and verbena to associate with lush forest in Karuizawa.’