Enjoy the fruits of your labor

When I was last visiting Japan, every day during my walk to the station, I passed a shop selling fruit sandwiches. You can find these in Hawaii, but I was drawn to this shop anyway because of its variety and the line out front. In Japan, if you see a line out the door at a food shop, you don’t ask questions, you join it. I should have bought twice as many.

I saw a pack of particularly good-looking ones at the store last week and thought, “These are worth a taste.” I had the fruit sandwich in my mind and was excited to figure it out. Fruit sandwiches seem like it must take a culinary artist to make them, but I can tell you that all it really takes is a beautiful and tasty strawberry. I was a little shocked how easy it was. You mean, I could have been having fruit sandwiches all the time? I mean, maybe not every day, but yes, every day? I texted a picture of my first attempt to my kids who immediately responded with heart-eyed emojis and expected me to bring them one straight away.

I used my more stable whipped cream method by adding sweetened condensed milk rather than regular sugar. My dad told me that he likes these with a little bit of added cream cheese to the cream, too. And for bread, I recommend Japanese-style white bread or any store-bought soft sliced bread. Try other fruits, too. I enjoy banana (especially with a teensy bit of Nutella spread on the bread), strawberry and grapes, and kiwi is a popular mix in. I prefer the strawberry plain one if I can get it. There’s a reason strawberry shortcake is a bestseller everywhere in Japan: strawberries, cream and a very light cake. Sometimes, simple is best.

Fruit Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 15 medium to large strawberries

• 1 cup whipping cream

• 4 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

• 6 slices of Japanese-style white bread or sweet bread

Directions:

Wash and dry the strawberries thoroughly. Try to group the strawberries by putting five together of similar sizes if possible. Remove the stems completely. If you have all large strawberries, you may end up needing to make more cream.

Beat cold heavy whipping cream with the whisk attachment of a stand mixer or a hand-held mixer until just beginning to have shape. Add the sweetened condensed milk and continue whipping until the cream can hold its shape well, but is still smooth. Watch it carefully as you reach the stiffstage. If you overdo this, it will become lumpy and have small butter-like pieces.

Spread three pieces of bread with 2 tablespoons each of cream. Lay three strawberries in a line, with all of the ends pointing facing toward the bottom corner, diagonally across the bread. Place two more in the empty corners so it makes an X, but pay attention to where the first three in a line are.

Spread cream over the strawberries, filling in the gaps to the edge of the bread and in between the strawberries, like you’re encasing them in a block of cream. Place a second slice of bread on the top and press down gently. Wrap the sandwich in plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Draw a line where that diagonal strawberry line is on the plastic.

Chill the sandwiches for 20 minutes to overnight. Just before serving, remove the wrap, cut the crusts with a sharp knife and then cut diagonally through the line of strawberries to reveal the pretty hearts. Wipe offthe knife after each cut. Don’t be like me and immediately forget where the line is after unwrapping the sandwich. If you make a mistake it won’t be quite as cute, but it will be 100% as tasty.

Makes 3.

Mariko Jackson writes about family and food. Email her at thelittlefoodie@gmail.com.