Mary of One Perfect Bite and some other women food bloggers (including myself) are blogging our way through the 50 Women Game Changers In Food published by Gourmet in May ’11. Some of the women on the list you will know, others you may not, but either way, this will be a great 50 week journey to learn more about these women that inspire the way we think about food today.

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Please visit Mary at One Perfect Bite, Val at More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne at Eats Well With Others, Taryn at Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan at The Spice Garden, Claudia at A Seasonal Cook In Turkey, Heather at Girlichef, Jeanette at Jeanette’s Healthy Living, Sue at The View From Great Island, Barbara at Moveable Feasts, Nancy at Picadillo, Mireya at My Healthy Eating Habits, Veronica at My Catholic Kitchen, Annie at Lovely Things, Claudia at Journey of an Italian Cook, Alyce at More Time at the Table, Amrita at Beetle’s Kitchen Escapades, Kathy at Bakeaway with Me, Martha at Simple Nourished Living, and Jill at Saucy Cooks  for their tributes to these 50 women.

Dubbed the “Martha Stewart of Japan”, Harumi Kurihara is one of the best-known cookery writers in Japan. She has published more than 115 books (what?!) with a total number of copies printed exceeding 22 million and has introduced more than 4,000 original recipes (um, again – what?!). She runs shops, manages restaurants, and has a wonderful family who served as her inspiration to make great food.

“She has always tried to introduce her recipes from the viewpoint of an ordinary housewife. Her recipes can be made using leftover food in the refrigerator or ingredients that everyone has in the kitchen.”

Mis en Place:

I searched but for some reason – two grocery stores later I could not score any sea scallops. Bay scallops it was. Bummer. Not that I don’t enjoy them, but I have to watch them more closely and some things just go better with the big ones. This dish surprised me. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the flavors, but it was delicious. The mustard was prominent, yet not overpowering. A delicate and flavorful dish, I think the scallops and miso sauce would go great over creamy risotto.

Kitchen Notes:

• This recipe is meant for sea scallops, but if bay scallops are used, make sure you keep an eye on them to not overcook them.
• Make sure the scallops have been patted dry and dusted with the flour. This ensures a nice seared crust.
• Suggested serving over watercress, but this dish can be turned into a meal by serving over rice or risotto.
• I used half and half instead of cream and it still came out nice and creamy.

In the Spotlight: Harumi Kurihara

Harumi Kurihara was born in 1947 in Shimoda City in Shizuoka Prefecture, a coastal city in Japan. As she grew up watching her mother cooking carefully since she was little, she acquired cooking skills naturally without having to make much effort. In 1973, she married Reiji Kurihara, who was a TV newscaster at that time, and had a daughter and a son. After their marriage, they often had visitors from the TV industry in their home and Harumi used to serve them with her homemade cooking. One of them asked Harumi to work for a TV program and in 1983 for the first time she started to work as an assistant for a cooking TV show. This experience made her what she is now.