A Sushi Wedding Cake Yummy

Jef and Jin Yoon like Sushi -- a lot. We missed their wedding, but I promised them we'd have a festive reception for them in Boston when they got back from their honeymoon. Jef requested Sushi, which was neither a surprise nor a problem. I wanted to do something different, though, and a little more obviously wedding-y. Hence, the wedding Sushi cake.

Ingredients:
* 6 c raw short-grain rice, steamed, cooled, but not prepared with vinegar as for sushi (refrigerating the vinegared rice causes the texture to change and become undesirable)
* 1 1/4 pounds Sushi - grade salmon, cut into long nigiri-style slices
* 1 pound Sushi - grade yellowtail, 3/4 of it cut into long nigiri-style slices, the rest chopped and set aside
* 1 lb Sushi - grade tuna, 3/4 of it cut into long nigiri-style slices, the rest chopped and set aside
* 3/4 c tobiko
* 1/2 c wasabi tobiko
* 1 c ikura
* 1 block tamago, cut into stars, hearts, and crescents with canape cutters, scraps saved and minced
* 1 lb cooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, and minced
* 1 tbsp Korean hot pepper powder
* 1/2 tsp sugar
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 tbsp high-quality canola-oil mayo
* 1/2 seedless cucumber, partially peeled in decorative stripes, then sliced thinly into quarter- and semi-circles
* 2 c loosely packed mache leaves
* pickled ginger, drained and pressed into rosebud shapes
* 5 scallions, green parts only, finely chopped
* 1 c cilantro, finely chopped
* 1 tbsp sesame oil
* 1 tsp fish sauce
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 tsp sugar
* 1 tbsp inamona (kukui nut)
* 3 ripe avocadoes, all but one half mashed; reserved half thinly sliced the long way
* 1 tsp lemon juice
* 1/2 tsp salt

Equipment:
* one 12-inch, one 9-inch, and one 6-inch cake pan, standard wedding-cake sizes, lined with plastic wrap, with lengths of plastic wrap extending over the sides
* one 9-inch and one 6-inch round of heavy cardboard, covered in foil
* one 3-inch round ring mold
* one 14-inch or larger completely flat plate, preferably sturdy and not fragile
* heavy cans, jars, or other items to use as weights
* refrigerator space
* bride and groom cake toppers of your choice

Directions for 12-inch Tier:
* Form the tier from the bottom up, arranging cucumbers, tamago pieces, and edamame carefully on the plastic wrap in the pan in an attractive pattern.
* Lay the salmon slices on top, being careful not to disturb the first layer, like spokes of a wheel. Let the salmon come slightly up the sides of the pan.
* Mix 1/2 of the rice with the tobiko and press 1/2 of the resulting mixture into the pan, careful not to disarrange the salmon.
* Mix shrimp with hot pepper powder and next three ingredients. Lay spicy shrimp mixture on rice.
* Press remaining 1/2 of tobiko rice on shrimp.
* Fold plastic wrap over securely. Weight pan and chill for 4-8 hours.

Directions for 9-inch Tier:
* Form the tier from the bottom up, arranging cucumbers, tamago pieces, and edamame carefully on the plastic wrap in the pan in an attractive pattern.
* Lay the tuna slices on top, being careful not to disturb the first layer, like spokes of a wheel. Let the tuna come slightly up the sides of the pan.
* Mix 2/3 of the remaining rice with the wasabi tobiko and press 1/2 of the resulting mixture into the pan, careful not to disarrange the tuna.
* Mix mashed avocadoes with next two ingredients. Mix in 1/2 of the cilantro. Lay avocado mixture on rice.
* Press remaining 1/2 of wasabi tobiko rice on avocado.
* Fold plastic wrap over securely. Weight pan and chill for 4-8 hours.

Directions for 6-inch Tier:
* Form the tier from the bottom up, arranging cucumbers, tamago pieces, and edamame carefully on the plastic wrap in the pan in an attractive pattern.
* Lay the hamachi (yellowtail) slices on top, being careful not to disturb the first layer, like spokes of a wheel. Let the yellowtail come slightly up the sides of the pan.
* Mix 1/2 of the rice with the minced tamago scraps and press 1/2 of the resulting mixture into the pan, careful not to disarrange the yellowtail.
* Mix chopped yellowtail with chopped scallions. Lay negi-hama mixture on rice.
* Press remaining 1/2 of tamago rice on negi-hama mixture.
* Fold plastic wrap over securely. Weight pan and chill for 4-8 hours.

Directions for 3-inch Tier:
* Mix chopped tuna with remaining 1/2 of cilantro and next five ingredients. Pack into ring mold on a small plate and chill 4-8 hours.

Directions for Assembly:
* Flip 12-inch tier out onto big platter.
* Flip 9-inch and 6-inch tiers out onto foil-covered rounds.
* Center 9-inch tier, cardboard round and all, on 12-inch tier, then center 6-inch tier on top of that.
* Push poke mixture (in ring mold) out onto center of 6-inch tier.
* Garnish with mache lettuce leaves, edamame, tamago shapes, rosebud gari, avocado slices, and cucumber slices. Pour ikura over in a few cascades from top down. Top with cake toppers. Serve with wasabi, soy sauce, and a citrus-wasabi sauce on the side.

Source : robertandchristina.com - homepage.mac.com

See also:
Ice cream
Hanamasa