Back when we lived in San Diego we used to frequent this sushi joint called Sushi Deli. Sushi Deli offered all sorts of west coast maki-roll delights, none of which I’ve ever seen at a normal sushi bar on the east coast. One of our favorite maki rolls was the Hot-Hot California Roll.

There isn’t anything all that special about these rolls. They are a standard California roll (krab and avocado rolled inside-out) topped with a spicy mayo sauce and baked in a toaster oven. I’m not sure why they taste so good, but they do!

When I moved back to the east coast I was disappointed to find out these weren’t available anywhere around here. Like the good chef I am, I decided to fashion my own version of these rolls.

There are many recipes out there for California rolls and methods on how to make them but instead of trying to explain the whole process, a video is in order. This video is a good demonstration on how to make a California Roll. Inside-out maki rolls aren’t all that hard to make, they just require a little bit of organization and a little more practice.

The hot-hot sauce is a simple sauce that you will find goes on all sorts of things. When heated under a broiler, the sauce gets a nice crust on the top. The sauce is made of sriracha hot sauce and kewpi brand mayo thinned down with some water. Make it mild, make it spicy, it’s all up to you!

Once you have the rolls all made up and cut; spoon the sauce over the sliced rolls and slap them in the toaster oven until the tops get all brown and bubbly. The sauce is hot (temperature) and hot (spicy) completing the hot-hot duo in the Hot-Hot California.

Do make and eat these, they’re worth the hassle.

I’m not sure where I learned about melonpan, but it was probably on a blog just like this one. I probably stumble on the recipe and just decided to make it one day.

Melonpan is a sweet Japanese bread covered with a crisp cookie crust. The tops are scored into a cross-hatch pattern to simulate the look of melon skin. When cooked, there is a mixture of soft bread texture combined with the crispy, sweet cookie on the top. Oddly, melonpan has no melon in it and is not usually melon flavored at all.

Melonpan isn’t all that hard to prepare. If you can manage, you should keep the dough relatively sticky so the dough will stay soft. Keep in mind that this should be a light and fluffy bread, not a tough, dense bread. The cookie crust is a snap and is nothing more than a basic sugar cookie. I like to add a few drops of food coloring to the tops just to add some color.

Melon Pan
(makes 9)

Bread Dough
200g bread flour
2 tablespoons dry yeast
20g butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2c warm water (about 100F)
1/2 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cookie topping
120g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
40g butter
50g sugar
1/2 egg
extra sugar for dusting tops

Combine the yeast and the warm water and let sit for five minutes.

Combine yeast and water, sugar, and half the flour in the work bowl of a kitchenaid and mix at low speed it until everthing comes together.

Add the butter and the egg and start kneading the extra flour into the dough. Keep kneading and adding flour until you have a slightly sticky dough that pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place in a lightly oiled container and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 45 minutes at room temperature.

While the dough is rising, make the cookie crust.

Place the butter and sugar in the kitchenaid fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix at high speed, scraping down the sides, until the butter and sugar are fully combined and turn to a pale yellow color.

Incorporate the egg at low speed. Add the flour and the baking powder and mix until just combined.

Remove from the bowl, shape into a log, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm.

Assembly

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Remove the dough from the bowl and cut into nine equal pieces.

Roll each dough piece into a tight ball and set aside.

Remove cookie crust from refrigerator and cut into nine equal pieces.

Roll each piece into a circle and, with the back of a knife, make a cross-hatch pattern in the dough. Place cookie on top of roll. Repeat eight more times.

Sprinkle sugar over the cookie crust on each bun.

Bake in 350F oven for 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool on wire racks.