Shiso Ume aka Japanese Plum Paste

Last night, against all better judgment, I had a few of Joel's co-workers over for sushi. Two were in town from California and one is married to an amazing Japanese cook. Needless to say, one of our distinguished guests far trumped my knowledge of sushi in the kitchen. Had I remembered this when I originally planned the menu, I would undoubtedly have cooked Italian or French or Ethiopian or Thai or...

Anyway, most of the sushi turned out well and one in particular I loved. (No pics, sorry guys.) My Caprese-style-Halibut cones were super easy and a great use of our summer veggies. I mixed diced sushi-grade halibut, chopped cherry tomatoes, basil, olive oil, salt and lemon. I rolled this mixture up in nori cones with rice and served with a dipping sauce and wasabi.

The best roll of all was thanks to my out-of-town guest Matt. He brought me a gift of Shiso Ume, which is a Japanese plum paste. It comes in a bottle that looks a lot like wasabi, except it's purple. Trying it alone it has a very tart fruity flavor. As a "closer" roll, I made cucumber rolls with sesame seeds, rice and quite a bit of this paste. According to the box, the ingredients are: Japanese Plum Paste (not helpful), Cucumber, Beef Steak Plant, Xantahngum, Alcohol, Water, Lactic Accid, MSG and Natural Flavor. It was so delicious and very refreshing. Now I just need to find some in town...

Matt showed me some cool ways to make half-rolls and I shared with him how to cool sushi rice off fast with a blow dryer. Though while very awesome, would be totally not approved in his own kitchen. ;)

Have any signature rolls or great sushi tips of your own?