Food & Thoughts

Growing stuff

2010-09-02T22:02:00.002+02:00

I have eleven (11!) tomato plants on my balcony. There are white ones, yellow ones, green and red ones, pink, orange and even black ones. Some are big, some are small, some are the shape of dates, some are very round and others very long. Two of them are striped. A couple of them I grew from seed, but I couldn't help myself when we went on our yearly visit to Gartneri Toftegaard, so some of them came into this home as wee little baby-plants. They've grown, they're producing like crazy (as in big bowlfuls, everyday) and I love it. I loved that I've nursed them all through spring and summer, trimmed the little side shots and the crazy leaves, schlepped water from downstairs so they could have their drinks, fed them, talked to them, moved them around so the sun wasn't too harsh on their delicate leaves or so that they didn't drown in the August downpours. Tomatoes are like gold.

But they are not the only thing growing in this house.

When I got pregnant, I promised myself I wasn't going to turn this into a mommy-blog. I like being a mom - I may even go so far as to say I love being a mom. I like reading about other people being mom's. I just thought no, this is a FOOD blog, my food blog. Not a baby blog.

But then. There had to be a but. I am a mom. I've become a mom. Being a mom is what I do these days, it's what I've done for the past ten months. It's what I eat, read, and (don't) sleep. It fills up my thoughts, takes up my time, even fills up my kitchen, with it's sippy cups and plastic spoons and pureed foods and high chairs. It's just like that - he's everywhere. While I do blog about food, my blog would be nothing without the stories I tell about myself, my family, my life, my everyday and my past. My future. This blog is about food, indeed, but in essence, it's about me. My thoughts, my food and thoughts. And if there's one thing on my mind these days, these past months, it's him. He's called Charlie.

He was born on a pretty non-assuming grey Tuesday, a couple of hours past noon. In the evening he was welcomed into the world by an entourage of family members and friends who joined us at the hospital. My dad - the proud granddad - arrived with a briefcase full of champagne and crystal champagne glasses and silver trays of kransekage. Everyone toasted and smiled and cried happy tears and the little one slept through it all, safe in the arms of people that already loved him.

The growing up whizzes by faster than anything you can imagine. Everyone told us it would, but it's unreal. He eats now, proper food, like the rest of us. Strawberries was a favorite for a while. If he's on my arm when there are rolls fresh out of the oven, he lunges forward to grab one, happily gnawing away on it, leaving crumbs in his trail. He loves sitting in his high chair when we cook, yelling at the pots and pans if they hiss too much, keeping a track on everything going on. He likes homemade pizza and tomato sauce from a spoon, meatballs and salmon and baked, peeled bell peppers. Cheese-sticks disappear within seconds, even those cut from really adult (i.e smelly) cheeses. The only thing I've sen him wrinkle his nose at so far has been anchoïade (and okay, the one time I tried feeding him something from a glass. He's already spoiled rotten ;)) He eats with gusto, and he eats a lot. It's a joy and I know he may outgrow it, but we'll deal with that if or when the day arrives.

It's crazy and it's hard. I've lost count of the hours I've spent worrying about his eating, or his motor skills - or his sleep. Don't get me started on the sleeping. Is it enough? Is it at the right time of the day? Is he tired now? What about now? An hour ago? Why won't he sleep? It's a constant guessing game and sometimes it's hard to accept that the result of all of this worry and trying to do the best you can won't show for many, many years. And once it does, there's nothing you can do to change anything.

Then again, it's right there, the result. He's right here.

I called it hard. But those moments are forgotten the second he looks at me with his big blue eyes. It's in the belly laughs and the small, chubby arms stretching towards me. It's in the middle of the night, when his cries settle as I hold him close and I rock him gently. It's in spying on him and his dad, when dad pretends to chew him up, and he giggles so hard he can hardly breathe. When he smiles and his forehead headbutts mine, because for some reason, this has become his way of showing affection, his way of saying: you're one of mine. I like you.

He's crawling. He's two months away from being a full year, and only two supporting fingers away from walking. He's growing. All we can do is watch. Maybe feed him a tomato or two. Make sure he grows up well fed, you know.

And you may just find a word or two about him, and motherhood, and all that jazz around here in the future. I hope you can forgive me ;)

What to do with all those outstanding tomatoes? There's barely been a meal in August that didn't include a plain tomato salad with optional extra virgin olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. I've made panzanella, of course, and just popping them like candy works fine, too. But how about a proper dish, one that included other ingredients, but still would let the tomatoes shine in all their jewelery-like colors? This here is pretty great, and it works as a meal - one that's ridiculously fast and easy to do. Basically, it's vinegary fish, paired with sweet tomatoes. Kind of the same principles as in panzanella (the kind I did, anyways), and you could always add some croutons if you'd like. Capers would work, too, I'm sure. I actually added some fried leftover potatoes, 'cause they were there, in the fridge and needed using. It was very tasty. That's what I like these days. That's what I've always liked, come to think of it.

Red snapper with tomatoes, red onion, mint and parsley (barely adapted from Nikolaj Kirk: Fisk)

-Enough for 3 adults and one toddler

400 g. of red snapper filet without skin, cut into 2-3 cm/1 inch cubes. (The original recipe calls for wolf fish, but I'm guessing any firm-fleshed fish will do.)

A little all-purpose flour, salt and pepper

Neutral oil for frying (I used rapeseed (isn't that what you Americans call canola oil, btw?))

1 tablespoon apple vinegar - maybe a bit more

2 tablespoons rapeseed oil

salt and pepper

500 g. tomatoes (preferably a mix of colors and varieties), cut into wedges

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 red onion, finely sliced

Fresh mint and parsley, as much (or as little) as you'd like - chopped

Toss the fish cubes in a mix of flour, salt and pepper. Fry the fish in a little oil until done - it doesn't take long, maybe 2-3 minutes per side, so keep an eye on them. I fried mine in two batches as I wanted to make sure it got fried, and didn't boil. Transfer to a bowl and drizzle over the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the sliced onions and minced garlic here too - they'll mellow a little in the vinegar. Toss and leave to step for 10-15 minutes, then add the tomatoes, mint and parsley. Taste to see if it needs more vinegar, salt or pepper. Toss again, then transfer to a nice platter or bowl and serve with freshly baked bread.

Cupcakes and Blogs, with or without a reason

2010-08-28T22:33:00.001+02:00

I wish I had more time.

I wish I had more inspiration. I wish that instead of a feeling of helplessness when stumbling upon a new foodblog, I was sure of my own voice in this weird, interactive community. That I felt like I had a place, that what I did was - is - something unique. There are days when I do, and then there are days where I feel like it doesn't matter one bit, because how is what I do different from what all the others do? And if it isn't different, why bother?

I wish I didn't feel like I had to make an excuse everytime I actually do put up a post. I wish it didn't bother me so much to have to type out recipes. This is a food blog - it kind of goes with the concept. I wish I didn't feel like I'm sometimes holding on to something that's already dead.

But in my mind, I'm still writing up posts and I'm still taking pictures. Granted, there are a lot more baby photos taking up space on my memory card these days, but every now and again, there's also a photo of a roasting tray, full of the most amazing homegrown, differently colored tomatoes, ready for drying. Of perfect light green fresh lima beans, nestled in their cosy pods. Of a pretty cupcake and freshly baked bread.

And I think a lot about food. Still.

I'm afraid I sometimes kill my own posts before I start them, thinking: surely someone must have posted about this before. Then I go check my blog reader, and there they are. Three, four, five posts about the exact subject I was thinking about writing. Darn seasons. And that's only what's in my reader - I imagine there's a lot more out there I never hear or read about.

I wish I knew what it is that makes a good food blog. Actually, no. I wish I could stick to writing the things I think makes for good food blogging. Honest, enthusiastic stories, about food, revolving around food, stories that ends - or starts - with meals, or cakes, or disasters. Stories with humor. And actually, not necessarily stories that ends with recipes. I'll take passion, and warmth and personality over written instructions any day.

I wish I wasn't a follower. Sometimes, I wish I wasn't such a pleaser. Sometimes, I wish I followed my heart, and not my head so much. There are days when my self-editing makes me want to kick me in the butt.

I wish I had more cupcakes. Even though I'm not really sure I like cupcakes. But I make them, again and again, because they're pretty to look at. Because I can. And that's probably not the worst reason to bake. Or blog. Just because.

Vanilla cupcakes with rhubarb compote and cream cheese frosting
Recipe for cupcakes: via Cheryl - THE queen of cupcakes, in my opinion.
Rhubarb compote: cut rhubarb into 3 cm. bits, couple of spoonfuls of sugar poured over and mixed in, baked in a 180 degree Celsius oven for about half and hour. Leave to cool.
Cream cheese frosting: equal parts butter and Philadelphia (or other cream cheese) beaten together; lots and lots of icing sugar beaten in (roughly the same amount as the total amount of butter and Philadelphia)

On Bread Baking Mojo

2010-05-05T10:50:00.004+02:00

Walnut breads

How many bread bibles is it legal for one woman to own? Considering that I am an avid baker, who takespride in baking most of the bread we consume in this wee household, I take it there's still a limit. Two of the ones I have are even NAMED The Bread Bible, but are by different authors. One book I have two editions of, because, well... I didn't realize they were the same. Yet, even so, I managed to acquire one more of those babies - Meyers Bageri. It's Danish, it's gorgeous and I strongly recommend it.

Light rye bread

Every time I buy a bread book (or even a regular cookbook) I feel like it's more or less the same recipes that are in there. Obviously, it doesn't stop me from buying them. But there's your everyday wheat-type bread, a couple sourdoughs, some dark bread and then they end with a couple of yeasted cakes. Of course, they're not exactly the same in all the books, but they're cut from the same fabric. Often, I just end up using the same standard bread recipe I always use - one part coarse-type flour, one part tipo 00, 2 parts wheat. It's easy and reliable.

Emmerbrød - bread made from emmer, an old wheat-type

Does it feel too overwhelming, following a recipe I never tried before? Perhaps. I know that's how I sometimes feel with recipes for everyday meals, even though they may be no more time consuming than the things I make on a regular basis, and would bring something new! and exciting! to the table, which, I must admit, is desirable. Afterall, we can't live off mince, chicken and baked root vegetables all the time.

Brunsviger with marzipan, ohmygoshyoumusttrythis!

This book here, I felt was different. I'd been eyeing it in the shops for a while, and got it for a friends birthday present. I then proceeded to leaf through it the entire evening (what company I am!) Yes, there's still all of your standard fare, but there was something more. The photos are pretty, text good and thorough - but not overly lecturing - and something in it made me want to bake.

Pumpkin bread

All of it.

Apple muffins with fresh cardamom - it really does make a difference

The breads are wow, even without the baking stone they keep telling me to use. Since I got it, I've baked several new breads, a yeasted cake, apple muffins - I even raised a sourdough! I guees that's all the proof you need - it made me want to bake again. It made me try a new way of kneading, and had me browsing the internet for bread baking techniques and (ooops!) had me searching for a new mixer (yes, I love my Kitchen Aid mixer, but it sadly isn't strong enough for the type of bread doughs I'd like to make) On my way, I found a new forum (The Fresh Loaf, anyone? It's a veritable treasure trove of all good things bread) and plain and simply, I think this book helped me get my bread baking mojo back. Now, all I need is a new baking stone... And big, big sacks of flour!

Wheat bread, cold-proved

Bread books I own (some more used than others...):

Camilla Plum - Et Ordentligt Brød
Nanna Simonsen - Brød & Kager
Aurions Bagebog - Fremtidens Brød af Fortidens Korn
Hanne Riisgaard - Hjemmebagt
Linda Collister - The Bread Book
Rose Levy Beranbaum - The Bread Bible
Beth Hensperger - The Bread Bible: 300 Favorite Recipes
Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid - Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour and Traditions from Around the World
Dan Lepard - Baking With Passion: Exceptional Recipes for Real Breads, Cakes, and Pastries
Nancy Silverton - Breads from the La Brea Bakery: Recipes for the Connoisseur

What is your favorite bread book?

How to Celebrate with Chocolate Cake(s)

2010-04-22T12:05:00.003+02:00

Pistachio Petit Four Cake - for my 31st. birthday

It seems like it was just yesterday M drove me to the hospital, one early morning. We thought we were just going for a scheduled check-up - but then again, some sort of something had started during the night, and I wasn't quite sure, is this contractions and am I...? Turned out, M missed his meeting. We never got the bring "the bag". Or park the car in the right place. It went fast, and out came one little wrinkly, dark-haired, big, fantastic baby boy.

And that's it. All of a sudden we were parents. A Mom and a Dad. Two days later, late in the evening, M drove the three of us back again. He's never driven that slow before either. A new family.

Mile-High Devil's Food Cake - for the Maternity Group

Oh my, oh me. People, it's been six months. That's half of an entire year. And my - our - baby boy is growing up so fast it's all we can do to try and keep up.

It's a whirlwind. It's crazy and amazing and breathtaking and scary as s***. It's huge, enormous even, it's taking over everything - taking up my time, my heart, my every thought. And it's all okay, it's as it should be. Somehow, it's all very natural.

At one point, I got back to thinking about food. Which, happily, coincided with getting time to cook - and bake - some, too. Also, it seemed the camera had been glued to a baby smile - taking photos of food again took some readjusting.

It's not that I believe you have to have excuses for baking a cake, but it seems that lately, there's been cause for celebration. Within the last couple of months, four three-layered chocolate cakes have come from my kitchen.

Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake - for the Babyshower

First, pre-baby: Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake. It was served at the babyshower my Mom and Sister threw me, and it was awesome. Even better the next day, if I may say so.

Then, a Pistachio Petit Four Cake for my 31st. birthday back in the middle of February. Ooooh, so pretty (and so expensive! Shelled pistachios cost an arm and a leg around here. But worth it)

Not long after that, I made a Mile-High Devil's Food Cake for my Maternity Group (we're 6 mothers and babies in total) because, you know, new mothers and chocolate cake go hand in hand, and motherhood should be celebrated! Also, we need chocolate, to make us forget the hours we don't sleep.

Last, but by no means least, one of my best friends is getting married in a couple of weeks and we threw her a "Hen's Afternoon" (instead of night - she's pregnant) which included a Chocolate-Hazelnut Gianduja Cake.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Gianduja Cake - for P's "Hen Afternoon"

There's always a reason for chocolate cake...

RECIPES
There may be a lot of my cookbooks I don't use regulary, but my copy of Sky High is just about to stick to the countertop! I'm not the first to have that happening - Deb from Smitten Kitchen is a die-hard fan, as is a whole host of people from The Cake Slice Bakers. So I'll take the liberty of linking to their write-up of a couple of the recipes, and just put my notes here - that way, you even get more people telling you to just go out and buy "Sky High - Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes" by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne, already! ;)

Pistachio Petit Four Cake - recipe link here (from Smitten Kitchen)

My notes:

I baked the layers the cakes the day before I assembled the cake
I used storebought marzipan and made the roses in the morning - it took a wee while longer than anticipated, so I may just leave them out another time, or start well ahead of time
Was I to make this cake again, I may just assemble it a day or even two in advance. It seemed the flavors gained from this, complementing each other much more so, than when just assembled.
I may just use bittersweet (not extra-bittersweet) chocolate in the frosting - I thought the chocolate nearly over-powered the taste of pistachios in the cake

Mile-High Devil's Food Cake - recipe link here (from A Whisk & A Spoon - at the bottom there's a link to a printable recipe)

My notes:

I thought the brown sugar buttercream waaaaaay to buttery, but seeing the photos from others who've made it, I'm thinking I must have done something wrong - mine looks nothing like theirs. Mine was more hard and grainy - maybe I didn't whip it enough? It was tasty, but sort of left a buttery film on the roof of your mouth - not the texture I was expecting. Could have something to do with me downsizing the measurements, too. Guess I have to give it another try
The cakes were baked in advance, sans problems. A really nice cake, just as is, as well

Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake - recipe link here (from Apple & Spice)

My notes:

Only make the frosting right before you need it. It's a pain to try and get the right texture again later on.
Cakes and white chocolate mousee could easily be made a day in advance

And, finally, here's the:

Chocolate-Hazelnut Gianduja Cake

For the cake:
½ c. hazelnuts
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 1/3 c. cake flour
1 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
6 eggs, separated
3 T. hazelnut oil
1/3 c. water
1/4 t. cream of tartar

For the vanilla syrup
1/3 c. sugar
2/3 c. water
half a vanilla bean

For the frosting
8 oz. gianduja chocolate, coarsely chopped
2½ c. heavy cream

Cake
Spread out the hazelnuts in a small baking pan. Toast them in a 350 degrees F preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned. When done, put them in a tea towel and rub of the skins. Allow to cool. Set half aside for garnish. Leave the oven on for the cakes.

Line the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans with rounds of parchment paper - do not grease the pans.

Place 1/4 c. of the toasted nuts in the bowl of a food processor with 1 c. of the sugar. Pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl, and sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the nuts. Stir and then, using a whisk, blend in the egg yolks, hazelnut oil and water.

Put the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl and with the mixer on medium, whip until frothy. Add the remaining 1/4 c. sugar in a slow, steady stream and beat until soft peaks form (you don't want stiff peaks, as that will make the cake dry)

Add one fourth of the egg whites to the batter, folding them in gently. Fold in the rest of the egg whites and divide the batter among the three prepared pans. (I only have two pans that are the right size, so I leave the last third of the batter in the fridge until the first batch has cooled and is removed from the pans. It's a tip the authors give in the start of the book, and I haven't noticed any difference in the finished product when doing this.) Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans, then run a blunt knife around the edge of the cake and turn them out onto a wire rack. Peel of papers.

Syrup
Combine sugar, water and the scraped out seeds of the vanilla bean in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce to 2/3 c, then remove from the heat. Cool completely before using.

Frosting
Melt the chocolate and 1/2 c. of the cream in a double boiler (or as I did, in the microwave) remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Let cool to room temperature, but do not allow to set. (I melted the chocolate with the cream, then stirred in Nutella, and things started looking a little grainy. It didn't affect the end result though.
Whip the rest of the cream until almost stiff, the fold into the chocolate. Use frosting immediately.

Assembling the cake:
Place one layer, flat side up on the dish you want to serve it on. Brush about 3 tablespoons of the syrup over the layer. Spread 1 cup of frosting on top of this, then repeat with the next layer. For the third and final layer, moisten with remaining syrup. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the rest of the frosting and decorate with reserved hazelnuts.

My notes

Again, baked the cakes in advance
It was impossible for me to get a hold of gianduja chocolate - so why make the cake in the first place? you may ask - well, I wanted to. So I figured I'd just use 1/3 (weight) Nutella in the frosting and that way get some hazelnutty goodness. Hm. I don't remember having tried gianduja chocolate, so it wouldn't be fair of me to say whether my substitution ended up anything like the real thing, but it didn't taste remotely like hazelnuts. Next time, I may try using nougat (the Danish kind is sort of like a paste) instead. Or find the real chocolate
Assembled the cake and went off to the shindig - the frosting is like chocolate mousse, so I definitely wouldn't want to make it too long before using it, but it kept up beautifully

More cake photos? See my Flickr set here

The Everyday Conundrum

2009-09-22T10:03:00.001+02:00

On a day to day basis, I think it's safe to say that I do most of our grocery shopping and cooking. It's not that M doesn't like cooking (the shopping is another matter), it's just that me making dinner is what makes sense. I get off earlier from school and work, so I don't have to suffer the post-traumatic stress it is to go to the store after 5 o'clock and generally, I say I like cooking us dinner. Only problem: what to make?

I usually ask M in the morning what he may feel like having for dinner, but being the man that he is, knowing what he'd like to eat anywhere further away than 20 minutes from the present is a question along the lines of "What is the meaning of life?" He hardly EVER has a clue. So much for inspiration, I'm telling you.

We've tried a lot of things: picking out recipes from randomly selected cookbooks that looks or sounds good; I've had M go over my delicious bookmarks, so he could find things he'd like eating; I've taken "what we had for dinner" notes for an entire month, to have that as inspiration for forthcoming months; we've scoured both Danish and American magazines to find drool-worthy (and everyday-cooking managable) recipes. I've tried to do week-to-week food plans, but something always pops up and wrecks my best attentions and the chicken ends up spoiling in the fridge. Just buying what looks good at the market on Saturday invariably leaves me with something that doesn't look nearly as good on the following Thursday. Which is also a terrible, terrible waste.

All I want is recipes that are easy, managable, not using crazy expensive ingredients, or things I have to go to specialist stores to get, or that requires hours and hours of prep work or marinating or. That lives up to my - self-prescribed - requirement of protein and two veg. This last one is probably what gives me the most problems. If I was to make dinner for myself alone, I'd live happily ever after on brown rice and avocado, but when I'm cooking for the man, I feel like there should be both protein, starch and carbs on the plate. Don't ask why, it makes no sense, and I'm trying to shed myself of it.

Making nice, nutritious food on an everyday basis is just not as easy as I would like it to be, and fast becomes a chore. A dud. An energy- and life-draining one at that. And I want my time in the kitchen to be pleasurable.

But then, then, it happens that I stumble upon keepers. Like the chicken meatballs up there. I was, once again, at the end of a day of work and trying to figure out what to eat that night, and ended up on the Gourmet website. Ta-dah! Dinner solved!

I've always passed on the minced chicken in the cooler at the market. Why, I have no idea, minced chicken just seemed a little odd to me - considering the amount of other types of minced meat we eat, it really makes no sense, but I guess I just never really knew what to do with it. Now, I make this. I've served them with a chopped salad (with this dressing) and the peperonata suggested, but I think they'd be the bomb in a sandwich, too. They even freeze well, so make a double portion and you won't have to think about what to make next Wednesday for dinner. What do you do to make sure you don't live of pasta and jarred tomato sauce every day?

I followed the recipe on the Gourmet site almost to a T, but forgot to put in the parsley, hence the scattered greens in the photo.

Cupcakes for Grown-ups

2009-07-29T10:44:00.004+02:00

A story my Mom and older sister like to tell other people from time to time is back from when I was little. It's the one about the red robin. We lived in a big house with large windows, and one day, a red robin flew, head first, into one of those glass panes. I'm pretty sure it died on impact, and it's tiny body fell to the pavement below. Mom got out the biggest shovel we had and scooped the dead bird into the outside bin, thinking not much of it. Until I asked her: 'when I die, will you put me in the bin, too?'

I was a deep, deep, kid. Or a weird, weird kid, depending on how you see it. It wasn't because I was afraid to die, I think. I was just wondering what would happen.

Another story is the one where I, not much older than 6 or 7, crawled up onto my Mom's lap and burst into tears. My Mom sat there for a second or two, wondering what might have happened, before she asked me what was wrong. 'I don't want to grow old. I don't wanna be an adult!' I hiccuped through tears.

I don't remember the stories as such, but I remember the feeling. Of not wanting to grow up.

Throughout my teenage years and my twenties, I used to joke that you weren't a real grown-up until you had your own home. Then it wasn't until you had a car. I eventually got both of those things, so the natural progression was: you're not an adult until you have kids. When my friends, even the close ones, started having them, I kept the mantra going: YOU may be a grown-up, but me? Noooo.

Now look at the mess I've gotten myself into.

I guess I just have to grow up then, don't I?

For the record: I'm due late October. The ultrasound says it's a boy and if you can judge anything from the kicking and frolicking and jumping and pushing and general energy-level going on in there, they sure could be right! No, I can't really blame pregnancy for the lack of posts here. Yes, there has been, is and most certainly will be a lot more of that thing called life getting in the way of blogging, but borrowing the words of a wise woman I happen to know: I just can't bring myself to put an end to Food & Thoughts either. Scattered and sporadic posting is what I'm all about. Hope you'll still feel like keeping up.

Cupcakes for Grown-Ups - or, as they're called in The Essence of Chocolate: Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes.

I should at least have something to make up for the whole going adult thing, shouldn't I? In the book it says that these would be ideal for a child's birthday - I think that would very much depend on the kid. These aren't sugary, fluffy cupcakes with a tooth-achingly and gritty sweet topping - these are not-to-dense, almost chocolate-y bitter cupcakes with a lush, heavy frosting. A bit more suited for the grown-up palate, but maybe that's just my opinion.

For the cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
10 tablespoons unslated butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup whole milk

For the frosting:
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz. 62% semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

For the cupcakes:
Turn your oven to 350 F and position a rack in the middle. Line 12 muffin cups (3/4 cup capacity) with liners.
In a small bowl, stir together flour and cocoa. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment fitted, combine butter, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt - beat on medium speed for 5 minutes or until pale, light and fluffy. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl as necessary.
Add the egg, beat until incorporated. Alternately add flour/cocoa mixture and milk, again scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Fill muffin tins to about 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 mminutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a cooling rack, then turn out and allow to cool completely on the rack.

Meanwhile, make the frosting:
Heat the cream in a small saucepan - it should just begin to simmer. Add the chocolate, whisking until it has melted completely, the take of the heat and transfer to a small bowl. Let cool for about two hours or until the ganache is thick enough to constitute a frosting. You can speed up this last part by putting the ganache in the fridge, then stirring it every five minutes or so.

Once the frosting is thick enough and your cupcakes cool, invert the cupcakes into the ganache-frosting, using a twisting motion of the wrist to load as much frosting as possible onto the cupcake. Be careful - they are delicate little creatures, and break easily into the ganache (but then I guess there's something for the baker as well ;))

Dinning with The Bloggers - May 26th. 2009.

2009-05-26T10:21:00.009+02:00

Allow me to ease myself back into blogging mode (one needs to, every now and again, don't one?) I've actually been cooking quite a lot from my fellow blogging friends these last couple of months - they're not half bad at it, the food bloggers out there, I must admit. Here are some highly recommendable try-it-yourselves:

Spring Slaw from Tea & Cookies

Let's start with a beauty - I was this close to calling the round-up "The Ugly (but tasty!) Edition" this time, because - well, you'll soon learn why. Tea's spring slaw didn't quite fit into the ugly category, au contraire, it is both very spring-pretty and ladylike in it's colors. That it was also very tasty didn't hurt, either. We had it with potato salad and frikadeller (a Danish meatball I will have to tell you about at a later time) and I had it the next day for lunch as well. Very yummy, and you feel so wonderfully healthy eating all that cabbage and radish and whatnot :)

Love Dip from The Homesick Texan

Okay, here we go with the not so flattering pictures. My fault, 'cause really, you can't put a finger on taste or texture of this fine, fine dip. I made it for my 30th. birthday back in February and was so smitten with the tangy cream cheese taste I made it again a week later for another birthday party, It's a keeper. I didn't have salsa at the ready, but found a jar of chipotle paste that I used instead, of course cutting back on the amount. I liked that, but am sure salsa would make for an interesting version, too. I served the Love Dip with:

Spelt Crackers from Smitten Kitchen

You need to spend a little time making these, but they are worth it - trust me. I used a little chili on some, sesame on others, and just plain flaky salt on a batch as well. Feel free to use whatever you like, and if you're the coordinating kind, you could choose something that matches whatever you're serving them with. Point is, they take well to almost anything you can throw at them, and are sturdy enough for you to be able to scoop a decent amount of dip onto them - and all-essentiel quality in a cracker, if you ask me. You can even make them well in advance - they keep (almost) indefinitely.

Chicken Liver Pâté from Sassy Radish

Oh this, I loved. Don't let the looks decieve you, 'cause it is good. In fact, this was made twice in a couple of weeks (as well) and served with caramelized red onions on toasted bread. Forgive me here, but YUMM-O! Smooth and creamy, with enough taste of the liver for you to know that it is there, but discreet enough for kids to like it as well. That, and the fact that it's a breeze to make has given it a permanent place in my kitchen notebook.

Giant Chipotle White Beans from 101 Cookbooks

I'm still working on my private stock of beans, and lo and behold, when I came upon this recipe, I knew I had to dig in there and find some of my big white beans and make it (and make room for another bag of something at the same time - what an oppurtunist I am!) I like beans, I'm realizing that more and more - especially when they're used in proper dishes and not just mashed and used as a spread. I actually went more along the lines of the original recipe (It's linked at the post), but whichever one you'd go for, I say remember to do the pesto-thingy for drizzling on top - it makes a world of a difference.

Have you tried any of your fellow blogger's recipes lately that you think are worth a repeat?

Being spoiled is...

2009-03-28T11:22:00.003+01:00

recieving Molly's new book and reading it within three days (I had to go to work in between. Otherwise I'd have devoured it much faster)
having dinner with friends who reveals they're getting married, and squealing with delight at the thought
having breakfast in bed at 10.30 am - scrambled eggs, whole grain bread, cream cheese and Bayonne ham
making bread form scratch on a weekly basis
not knowing which of the recipes to attack first in your new Ottolenghi Cookbook because you want to do them all - especially the eggplant ones
spending Saturday night with your best friend, her husband and little girl and big slabs of beef
buying 2 pounds of vanilla beans and constantly swooning away from their heady scent

Probably The Prettiest Salad on the Planet: Fattoush

2009-03-21T11:20:00.000+01:00

Doesn't that look like spring? Just a tiny bit? And don't we NEED a little spring? I know I do. The weather has been absolutely pretty around here the last couple of days, I've dropped off my big bulky winter jacket at the cleaners (so it'll be ready for next winter) and am cautiously stepping out of the ever present jeans and yesterday, I thin pantyhose and a skirt. A SKIRT. Next up, I'm getting seeds ready for the balcony. It IS spring, yay!

The great thing about the salad up there - besides being almost girlish-ly adorable in it's colors - is that you can actually make this in the depth of winter. No, the tomatoes won't be as fantastic, but then leave them out and up the amount of sweet, musky melon (and I know, they're not really in season either, but at least they're worth paying for, as opposed to the greenhouse tomatoes from Holland that are all texture, no taste) The REAL time to make this is probably late summer, but I simply cannot wait. I want my dose of spring NOW!

Fattoush - Middle Eastern Bread Salad - a Camilla Plum inspiration
Another fantastic thing about this salad is that you can cut everything up well in advance, then toss it with the dressing just before serving.

You need:
6 medium ripe tomatoes
1 small cucumber
1 yellow and/or 1 red bell pepper
1 small bunch of radishes
1 small red onion
4 handfuls of mixed, crispy salad - I often use spinach, a bit of romaine, maybe some mizuna...
The seeds of half a pomegranate (but why not use the entire thing while you're at it?)
Half a small melon (I like honeydew melons, but cantaloup or Galias are just as fine. Definitely use watermelons when they're in season) and you're always welcome to do a mix, of course
Large bunch of flat-leaf parsley
Fresh mint
2 pita pockets

Cut everything into chunky - not too small - bite-sized pieces. I try to make sure I have some thing in slices (like the radishes) and some things in quarters (tomatoes) and other things just roughly cut (bell peppers, cucumbers). Tear the salad leaves up a bit, scatter the parsley and mint over. Toast the pitas until a tad more crispy than you'd do if you were stuffing them, then tear them up over the salad. Toss everything together with:

The dressing:
75 ml. nice olive oil
1 tablespoon elderflower vinegar (or other light vinegar)
2 cloves of garlic
maybe the juice of half a lemon (i usually don't think it needs it, but you be the judge)
salt and pepper
- whisk everything together. Start by using half, then add more to the salad if needed. Toss, toss, toss, then sprinkle everything with a pinch or three of sumac - it has a slightly tangy, citrussy kick that pulls everything together.

Turning 30.

2009-02-28T00:51:00.003+01:00

Is what I did this month. It's two weeks ago (it was on the 15th.), but I'm still revelling in it. I love being 30.

I had a party - a FANTASTIC party, with cocktails, bubbly, dancing and finger foods. We had small glasses of butternut squash soup, shrimp cocktail in choux puffs (heavily inspired by Johanna's version - in fact, I took plenty of hints from Johanna's Canapées & Finger food section), blinis with smoked salmon, creme fraiche and chopped red onion; we had chicken liver paté and little tarts with onion and bacon, sandwiches with grilled vegetables and bruschetta with aubergine and feta spread; there was homemade lamb sausages with slaw (and more on those some other time), pork meatballs with herbs and slow roasted tomatoes - and, pictured above, the party favorite, small baked potatoes with seared, VERY rare beef and a caper-tarragon mayo. Almost like béarnaise. There was cake - carrot cupcakes and a traditional lagkage, and chocolate mousse.

Of course, I completely forgot to take pictures. I have some preparation shots, a couple blurry ones from the night, and one or two of leftovers (like the one above) I was busy. Turning 30. Sorry ;)

O.D.'ing

2009-01-14T22:42:00.005+01:00

nothing like a lazy weekend morning in bed, with breakfast, food magazines and a new lens (that I don't quite know how to master yet, but still already adore)

I just realized I haven't recieved Gourmet since the May 2008 issue. (I am a subscriber. I don't expect them to just send them to me at random. Although after all those cookies, they should think about it, shouldn't they?)

But seeing I didn't realize the lack of Gourmet for a full eight months - do you think that means I've gone overboard in the food magazine department? Is there really such a thing?

I also subscribe to Saveur, Bon Appetit and Gastro (Danish food magazine. For men. I still get it though, it's the best around here.) Which ones do you get?

(Real food, coming right up. Oh, and happy 2009!)

Christmas Countdown: The Last of The Cookies

2008-12-22T22:56:00.003+01:00

We're cookie O.D.ing here, I know, but I promise, this is the last one this year.

These are Applebutter-filled Gingerbread Cookies. I found the recipe back when Luisa made applebutter last year, and she mentioned it could be used in cookies as well, providing a link to the LA Times and a recipe. Unusual for me, I didn't bookmark the recipe, only printed it, and it had been languishing in my notebook ever since. That is, until I made applebutter a couple of months ago and tried finding something to use all those jars for, besides licking it off a spoon. Which is good, but these - are absolutely divine.

I made the dough a couple days in advance so I needed only to roll, fill and assemble, then bake on the day. That whole thing is a bit time consuming, but I really like the look of these, so I think it's worth it. I cut the "windows" at an angle, as you can see from the picture below, just to play around a little. They're gently spiced, and with the applebutter peeking giving the whole thing a boost of freshness - yum.

I have to say though - these don't keep very well. It may have been because I used my own applebutter, or didn't let the cookies cool completely (I was running out of cooling racks - does that happen to you too?), but they quickly - within a day and a half - turned soggy on the bottoms and crumbled. The taste was still lovely, they just weren't nearly as pretty, or easy to eat, with all those bits and pieces all over your napkin, as they were on day one. Eh. Just make less at a time, and you'll have fresh, crisp, cookies when you need them. Definitely recommendable this one.

Christmas Countdown: Liqour Cabinet Clean-Out

2008-12-21T23:50:00.005+01:00

The last of the Gourmet cookies I tried this year. Chocolate Sambuca Crinkle Cookies.

Admittedly, I made these because I have not one, but two half bottles of Sambuca lingering on top of the wine glass cabinet where we keep or liqour. We don't drink Sambuca. In fact, we rarely drink hard alcohol at all, but if or when we do, it's usually gin or vodka tonics, or the occasional mojito. I think maybe the bottles are leftovers from my younger days - I seem to remember a pretty hardcore shot of vodka, with orange slices dipped in sugar, resting on the edge of the glass, with a bit of sambuca poured over it, and then lit with a match. But truth be told, if that's what I drank, how on earth do I still remember? Sounds like it could make anyone forget!

The cookies also have chocolate and walnuts in them, which are big ringers in the taste department, and Sambuca definitly needs something to pair up with. Personally, I like the anise-taste, but M despises it. I can't even get him to eat fennel. So I figured I better make these cookies for someone else, hence they were served at the Julestue. I wouldn't say they were a big hit though - people noticed the alcoholic afterthought in these babies, and that just doesn't ring well with my crowd, I suppose - but I liked their deep, dark flavor. They're mighty pretty though, plus I got to use up an entire half cup of Sambuca - the cabinet's already looking better!

Christmas Countdown: Gingerbread Snowflakes

2008-12-20T12:20:00.002+01:00

I told you before that I am a hoarder. But I'm not only a hoarder of dried goods. I'm also doing very well in the kitchen utensils/machines/gadgets department.

Like cookie cutters. I have a big jar full of them, and they look mighty pretty on my shelf, in my office - they're not even in the kitchen any longer. But truth be told, I've hardly ever used them.Yet, when I'm abroad (they're expensive around here, so I seem to be able to control myself) one or two always seem to sneak themselves into my suitcase. I have no idea how this happens.

The truth is, I don't really care for cut-out cookies. They're often bland, buttery, boring affairs with their biggest asset being their shape (and perhaps their frosting). I know, you shouldn't judge a cookie - or anything else, except maybe a new haircut - by it's shape alone, but I do. I like the rugged, crumbly, fat discs of joy - not the controlled, straight-lined kind.

Still, those cutters needed some excercise (and I needed the jar for cookies) so I went looking for a recipe, and again, Gourmet to the rescue. These are delicately spiced Gingerbread cookies that keep well and stay crisp. They even, for this cut-out cookie disbeliever, were deemed worthy of their calories, even when competing against five other kinds of cookies. That is pretty high marks, I tell you.

You'll find the recipe here. I used only 1½ teaspoon baking powder and rolled them just short of 1 cm. thick. They were glazed with a mix of powdered sugar and lemon, because I wanted them all white, like Shauna's pretty things. And I used my latest investment, the snowflake cookie cutter, because 'tis the season, right? I think I got about 40-50 cookies, but it will of course depend on the size of the cutters you're using.

Now at least I feel a little bit better for having used my cutters...

Christmas Countdown: Still Time for Cookies

2008-12-19T16:15:00.002+01:00

I have been sorely absent form this blog - again. I will try and make it up to you with a spurt of a Christmas Countdown - I know I have only five days to go (we celebrate Christmas Eve here in Denmark, so I'm counting down to the 24th., in case you thought I got the days mixed up), but at least it's something. Next year, I'll be better. Early with the New Year's resolutions, aren't I?

As we have done the past three years, this Sunday, the third Sunday in advent, was Julestue chez nous. Cookies were baked, both the traditional vaniliekranse and klejner, but for once I managed to make some of the ones I'd bookmarked during December as well. I always make many plans to try something new, only I never succeed - the days just seem so short in December, don't they?
I bookmarked these Brown-Sugar Brown-Butter Shorties from both Smitten Kitchen and Gourmet - did you by the way have a look at their extravagant spread of cookies from the decades? You must! The cookies were a BIG hit, especially with my older Sister. They look like your average butter cookie but there's no doubt the browned butter changes everything and makes these so much more than that. Plus, they're easy to make and you can make them well in advance and just have the logs waiting in the fridge (or freezer, I suppose) for when the craving hits.

Here's the recipe, with a couple of my notes and weight measures instead of cups - that's how we roll here, you know. Sis - bake your heart out!

Brown-Sugar Brown-Butter Shorties - from Gourmet

175 g. unsalted butter
100 g. cup packed brown sugar (I used light muscovado sugar)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
200 g. cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Demerara sugar for the edge of the cookies

Place the butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it has a nutty fragrance and flecks on bottom of pan turn golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the butter to a bowl and chill. It should firm up. I browned the butter a whole day in advance, and just left it in the fridge. I took it out about an hour before wanting to procede with the dough.

Beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, then mix in flour and salt at low speed until just combined. Transfer dough to a sheet of wax paper or parchment and form into logs, 4-5 cm. in diameter. Roll the logs in demerara sugar, making sure the sugar sticks to the sides in as thick a layer as possible.

Chill, wrapped in wax paper, until firm, about 1 hour, or up to one week.

Preheat oven to 170°C. Slice dough into 1 centimeter-thick rounds, arranging 5 cm. apart on an ungreased, lined baking sheet. Bake until surface is dry and edges are slightly darker, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Late Harvest

2008-11-24T20:31:00.004+01:00

It's been snowing here, for the last four days. Snow, people. It's winter. The parsley in my window sill planter is covered in snow, and the pineapple sage is freezing it's leaves off. I think I may have managed to save the lemon verbena, but you can never be quite sure.

So what am I up to with the tomatoes? Nothing but bragging, really. These are from my tomato plant, from this summer. I just had a couple today, for lunch. I have no idea how this is possible, but the green ones are slowly riping in the paper bag I've put them in, on the counter, and every once in a while, there's enough for a nice sandwich. If it wasn't because I'd grown them myself, I'd be sure they were full of pesticides and other nasty-ness - how else could they keep for so long? - but they're not. I grew them on the balcony. They're all natural (apart from being city-tomatoes, that is) And they're really tasty, too.

What do you grow?

Yes, I Have Fallen

2008-11-21T23:45:00.003+01:00

... out of the NaBlop-loop! Too much work, yesterday and today, and too much wanting to sleep. And dog-sitting, too! And no cooking. Argh. I wish and hope and pray that I will have a proper post for you tomorrow. Who knows, maybe the brownie-experiment will be worth writing about?

Beautiful Butternut Squash

2008-11-19T11:54:00.002+01:00

We had this tonight - or, half of it - roasted in a pan, with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Then we put it in a wonderful risotto with bacon, peas and spinach. A little mascarpone and a lotta parmesan. 'twas very nice.

Now I just have to figure out what to do with the other half.

The Commenters Meme

2008-11-18T22:43:00.005+01:00

I have walked around a lot like this lately... Is it just me or is it getting REALLY cold and dark and wool-sock worthy or what?

Hah! I've been tagged! And I forgot all about it! But as the cooking is still slow, and I was just reminded by another meme today, here we go:

I was tagged by Gemma from Dressing for Dinner. Gemma left out the people from her list that had already done the meme, but I haven't, just because I didn't want to. And as always, if you feel like playing along, do, if you don't, I'm not gonna come after you!

The rules:

1. List the last ten people who have commented on your blog
2. If you’re on my list then you should do the meme on your blog too

1. Jeanne from CookSister!
2. Gemma from Dressing for Dinner
3. Gabriel from iRECEPTY
4. Lily Penelope from FREEFORM and ARTemology
5. Gemma from ProBonoBaker
6. Bridget from Cabbage Tree Farm
7. Angela from A Spoonful of Sugar
8. Heather from Grow it. Eat it.
9. Eva from Sweet Sins
10. Jennie from Copenhagen Follies

Now for the questions:

1: What is your favourite post from number 3's blog?
Um, well, you see. Gabriel is from Slovenia, and writes in his native tongue. So I wouldn't have a clue, I must admit...

2. Has number 10 taken any pictures that have moved you?
Jennie is a Mom, and almost everything she writes about her sons, and being a mom moves me. Picture-wise, I'd say plenty of the shots she snaps of her sons has me laughing out loud or going awwwww! Like this one (the bathtub one) - or these - or how about this here? Having met those kids briefly, and seeing these photos, they seem like really happy, at-ease kids. Just like I'd want mine to be, once that day arrives.

3. Does number 6 reply to comments on their blog?
It doesn't seem like it, although Bridget's is a blog I've only just recently discovered. Do you, usually, Bridget?

4. Which part of blogland is number 2 from?
Where IS this Blogland? Probably, she's in NaBloPoMo county these days - right, Gemma?;)

5. If you could give one piece of advice to number 7 what would it be?
Keep up the good work, Angela!:)

6. Have you ever tried something from number 9's blog?
I have! Only, it didn't turn out so well, I had the audacity to substitute half of the ingredients and well... The bread turned out rock hard and just... kinda boring. And looked nothing like Eva's pretty specimens! I'm positive it was me messing too much with it - maybe I should try it again?

7. Has number 1 blogged something that inspired you?
Funny thing is, Jeanne, and her blog Cooksister wasn't one I followed keenly - sure, I had it in my bloglines, and I read the odd post here and there, but then Jeanne started popping by here, just recently, commenting and being so very sweet, I thought I just had to keep a better eye on her blog. And as it often goes, once you start paying attention, you get caught up. Now I wouldn't want to be without her daily writings, and I wonder what I'll do once NaBloPoMo is over and she'll stop posting every day!
Anyways, that wasn't the question. One of the posts Jeanne wrote that I did notice, quite some time ago, was one about her friend who died of cervical cancer (edited for accuracy). I had tears in my eyes reading it. At the time, I was (as I often am) much in doubt about my studies, and whether I really wanted to become a doctor and all that, and I remember thinking: heck, no, I HAVE to become a doctor. It's not fair for people, young people, to have to die like this. There must be something we can do to stop it.
So while it wasn't an inspirational post in the blogging sense, for an instant, at least, it had me grasping at the idea of why it is I should want to become a doctor.

8. How often do you comment on number 4's blog?
I never have, I must admit - Lily Penelope just posted her first comemnt here today, so I just found her blog. Hers look mighty purdy though!

9. Do you wait for number 8 to post excitedly?
Jahaa! Heather just delurked in my hoarder-post and I immediately added her blog to my bloglines. I want chickens, too! And a garden!

10. How did number 5's blog change your life?
I don't know if Gemma's blog has changed my life as such, but just after we moved into our bigger apartment, Gemma put up a notice on her blog that she was going to Europe and if anyone had suggestions or beds to offer, she'd be thankful. Having that big, new apartment, M and I agreed to invite Gemma and her significant other to come to Copenhagen and stay with us - not that we'd have much time to show them around or anything, but I've always thought that the best way to experience any city is to stay with people that actually live there. Or at least visit them, go out with them, and get an idea of what daily life is like. I'd just never done it. Or invited someone to do it, here. And if you want to be able to do that yourself, you have to offer the opportunity to others, don't you?
It being a great experience, having them stay here, made meeting "strangers", getting to know them, even if only for a couple of hours, a lot easier, and something I enjoy a lot, now. Apart from all the lovely people M and I met and stayed with on our roadtrip across USA, I've also had the pleasure of meeting both Danish and international bloggers, and I have to admit, I hope it'll never stop!

11. Do you know any of the 10 bloggers in person?
Gemma (ProBonoBaker) and Jennie. Lovely, lovely ladies, both of them.

12. Do any of your 10 bloggers know each other in person?
Um, I don't think so. Correct me if I'm wrong, please.

13. Out of the 10, which updates more frequently?
Well, these days, with NaBloPoMo, both Gemma (Dressing for Dinner) and Jeanne blog every day. Should we keep it up, ladies? ;)

14. Which of the 10 keep you laughing?
Jennie, no doubt. And I have to admit, Jeanne's ongoing fight with her boiler had me giggling a tiny bit. Yes, I did feel extremely sorry for her - I HATE being cold - but the way she wrote it all up still had me giggling.

15. Which of the 10 has made you cry (good or bad tears)?
Well, Jeanne almost had me, once, as I already told you.

Dining with Three Bloggers - November 17th., 2008

2008-11-17T22:14:00.004+01:00

One more time, for the crowd! ;)

Vanilla Raspberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting from Cupcake Bakeshop

I made these cupcakes for one of my Sister's friends, back in May. Vanilla cupcakes with a couple raspberries thrown in, and a pink cream cheese frosting. Yes, it was an All Girl Birthday, how did you know? You probably won't be surprised that the recipe was an adaptation of one from the now sadly 'closed' Cupcake Bakeshop, namely this one, and inspired by this one. Basically, I made the batter, then layered it in the cupcake liners with some frozen raspberries. I liked how the raspberries cut the sweetness a little, because you know, those cupcakes are sweet!

Savoy Cabbage Gratin from Orangette

Now you've had your sweets, I'm sorry, but you gotta eat your greens, too. Molly posted about this Savoy Cabbage Gratin a couple days ago and lo and behold if there wasn't a Savoy cabbage sale at the local supermarket shortly after. I grabbed one, remembering Molly's post, something about some triple cream cheese and... hm. Went to the cheese shop, got me some Delice de Bourgogne, the only triple cream cheese they had - and one I later found out Molly'd used too! Crazy coincidence! Molly warns against using the rind of the cheese - I hadn't read that (I'm so attentive, aren't I?), and used it, and yes, it's pungent, but if you don't mind that, I say go for it. Also, I used a shallot, finely minced, in place of the spring onions - I might have gotten lucky with remembering 'triple cream cheese', but something as mundane as spring onions - no.

Molly had me buying the book this recipe is from a while ago, after she'd raved about it, and this dish is just one more that makes the book a great buy. I absolutely LOVED the gratin. Had the leftovers for lunch Saturday, and it was even more perfect with a poached egg and buttered brown bread. I didn't mind that M wasn't so fond of it, 'cause it meant I had it all to myself :)

Green Beans with Hazelnuts from Fresh Approach Cooking

Yes, more greens - you need something to make up for those cupcakes;) I like green beans. Like, really like. Especially for Pariserbøffer, and the ones I usually make is just a tad mustardy for when you also have pickles and everything there. These here, green beans with hazelnuts, were perfect though. Crispy, buttery, with crunchy-buttery nuts. Easy, fast and yum! Will definitely make them again.

Wish I Was Here...

2008-11-16T23:14:00.004+01:00

But reality is, I haven't cooked a single thing this weekend. Not one. Work, you see.

The closest I got was poaching an egg for eating with my leftovers from Thursday night. I didn't think I knew how to poach an egg, but apparantly, I did. It was perfect - whites solid, yolk runny and lovely. Mmm. Imagine what you can learn from reading food blogs.

Hope you had a nice weekend!

[DANSK] Time for a Good Old Standby: Den der du ved nok...

2008-11-15T13:50:00.005+01:00

It's been a while since we've had cake, has it not? Maybe not so, I guess the whole dulce de leche affair the other day counts as cake. But it's been a while since DANSK has been showing it's pretty face, so why not combine the two and bring you this - Den Der Du Ved Nok-Kagen. Didn't get a word of that? That's fair. It translates into That-Cake,-You-Know. How did it get that name? I don't know. But what's in a name? A rose by any- you know!

What it is, is a cocoa version of Drømmekage. Just like Drømmekage, this is tender sponge cake with lots of coconut and butter on top, and it is awesome, both in the eating and in the making. It is one of those cakes where you need exactly three bowls and a cake pan and nothing more strenous work than a few stirs with a whisk and a spoon. And maybe a bowl for melting the butter, and a coffee pot for making some coffee, but honestly, it's dead easy. When I was a kid, I used to make it a lot after school, inviting the friends over for doing the dishes. In the bath tub. But that's a different story. And they did get to eat the cake, after they'd done the dishes ;)

The worst part about this cake is that you have to wait for the cake to cool before you can put the topping on, and then you should, ideally, wait for that to set a bit. In reality, that seldom happens. And then you have topping dribbling down your fingers and chin, but oh, it's all part of the enjoyment.

Den Der Du Ved Nok-Kage - or Cult Cake (as in it certainly developed sort of a cult following in the years of bathtub dish washing), or, as it was known in my family, in fact, still is: chokoladekage med snask - litterally, chocolate cake with sticky goo. May not sound yum, but it is.

I use a 20 x 30 cm. roasting pan, and line it with baking parchment - that way it's easy to get the cake out of the pan afterwards, and cut it into neat slices.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius.

For the cake:
350 g. sugar
450 g. flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 tabelspoons cocoa
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla essence
200 ml. buttermilk
175 ml. milk
250 g. melted butter

In one bowl, mix the dry ingredients. In a seperate bowl or pitcher, mix the eggs, vanilla essence, buttermilk, milk and melted butter. The butter will go a little lumpy, don't worry. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry, making sure there are no pockets of flour left. Pour ito the prepared baking pan and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

For the topping (snask, goo - whatever you prefer!)
250 g. icing sugar
100 g. shredded coconut
3 tablespoons cocoa
2 tabelspoons vanilla essence
7 tabelspoons coffee (as in the hot, liquid beverage - not granules or something!)
175 g. butter, melted

When the cake has cooled, you make the topping. You can make it earlier, but it most certainly will set, and it's not a problem to stir it with a bit more coffee to make it spreadable again, but why go through the trouble? This is a hard step (not) - mix all the ingredients, and spread the topping on top of the cake. It may seem a wee bit liquid, so you may want to start with 4 tablespoons coffee, and then go from there. It should have a texture somewhere between spreadable and pourable, if that makes any sense. Either way, you should leave it to set before cutting into the cake. If you can. Share with friends.

Just a Photo of Summer

2008-11-14T14:26:00.003+01:00

From the batch of elderflower and strawberry jam I tried making this summer. It came out horrendously runny, so I'm not going to share the recipe. The scent of it, as well as this picture reminds me a lot of summer, though, and that was just what I needed on this dull, grey, work-loaded day. Mmm, summer and warmth, and elderflowers and strawberries.

Cracking the Baking Books: Cracked Wheat Rolls

2008-11-13T23:28:00.001+01:00

Bread books. I have, oh plenty. There's the old time favorite, Bread Book, by Linda Collister. She's also done one called Flavored Breads that I own. There are the Danish ones I adore - 'Nannas Brød og Kager' by Nanna Simonsen, and Camilla Plum's 'Brød'. Also, there's a Danish one by THE flour man, Jørn Ussing, Aurions Bagebog. Very back to the roots, that one. Then there's The Bread Bible, by Beth Hensperger and another Bread Bible, by Rose Levy Berenbaum (is that blasphemia? TWO bibles?) The tome, HomeBaking, by (some of my all time favorite cookbook authors) Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. Baking with Passion, by Dan Lepard also snuck itself in there. Not to mention all of the recipes for breads that are hiding in the back of "regular" cookbooks, and in magazines and on del.icio.us.

So enough of the buying - even though I have both this, and this, and oh, don't forget this and this - and okay, there's this one and this one, too - I just don't know where to stop, do I? - on my wish list for Christmas. On with the baking, I say.

Cracked Wheat Loaf - or Rolls, in my house :) - adapted from Rose Levy Berenbaum: The Bread Bible
- I give the recipe here as I made it - it should be noted though, that Rose is a very thorough lady and if you have the book, I would definitely recommend you go look up the recipe there. It's on page 289. She uses instant yeast and dry milk powder, both of which are difficult for me to find in a decent quality. So I snuck out of it, using fresh yeast and buttermilk (I had buttermilk around. You can use milk if you prefer, I'm sure)

For the dough starter:
78 grams bread flour
72 grams whole wheat flour
5 g. fresh yeast
½ tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon honey
166 g. water
100 g. buttermilk

Combine the two types of flour, sugar and honey. Dissolve the yeast in the water. Add this and the buttermilk to the flour, whisking it until it becomes very smooth, about two minutes. It should look like a thick batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, the prepare:

The flour mixture:
312 g. bread flour
½ tablespoon sugar
2 g. fresh yeast

Mix the flour and sugar. Rub the yeast into it, breaking it into as small pieces as possible. Sprinkle this on top of the sponge - it will make quite a thick layer, and that's perfectly fine. Cover with plastic wrap (or as I usually do, a cut-up freezer bag - they're reusable and work great) and leave on the counter for 1 to 4 hours.

Now, you need some finishing ingredients:
85 g. coarse bulgur
118-154 g. boiling water
11.5 g. salt

Cover the bulgur with the water - depending on how much crunch you want in the finished bread, go for the smaller or larger amount of water. I used the larger. Leave to stand for an hour, at least.

To finish the bread, you transfer the sponge/flour mixture and the bulgur to the bowl of a mixer (if you're smart, you started everything out in the mixer bowl) Mix with the dough hook on low speed for about one minute. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 20 minutes.

When the 20 minutes are up, add salt and knead the dough on medium speed for 10 minutes. It should end up a elastic and slightly sticky. Leave the dough to rise until doubled - I let mine rise in the fridge overnight.

When the dough has doubled, shape it - either into a loaf, or as I did, about 12 rolls, tugged snugly into a roasting tin as to make nice, flat, fill-able sandwich rolls. Let rise for 45 minutes to 1½ hour, doubling in bulk.

An hour before the rolls/bread is to go in the oven, preheat it to 350 F. Pop the rolls/bread in once it's hot, and bake for 25 minutes for rolls - the bread more likely needs 40-50 minutes.

Now, having written this, I have to urge you to please, PLEASE, seek out this book somewhere. I swear, I'm a poor excuse for a recipe writer (even when I'm just copying/paraphrasing - all those nitty-gritty details and it's 11 PM!) and I do her no justice when I sum it all up like this. But. Seriously, here. When you're making something from the book, it's nice to have. Like, what does "medium speed" entail? Rose will tell you - it's speed 4, which I personally thought was way to fast for a bread dough to be slung around, but it works! Not only is the book packed with recipes, it's thorough and guiding, and the end results are wow! The rolls here, slightly nutty from the cracked wheat, a hint of sweetness from the honey and sugar, and, as is claimed in the introduction to the recipe, the perfect sandwich bread - what more do you want? Makes me want to bake more, that's for sure. And that's all you could want, isn't it?

Hoarders Anonymous

2008-11-12T23:55:00.000+01:00

Hello.

My name is Zarah.

I hoard food.

I'm not shy of stocking up the fridge, or freezer. But mostly, I hoard pantry items. Rice, flours, lentils, beans, grains, chocolate, dried fruits and nuts. Vinegars, oils, obscure sauces. Any cupboard or drawer, the smallest crevice in our build-in bookcase thingy, fabric bags on the hooks on the rail in kitchen - they're all filled with stuff.

Flours, I usually manage to use before they go past their due-date. Mostly, it's because I've gotten better at ignoring that a certain type of flour has to be used for a certain type of bread. Yes, if it's a specific type of bread, or texture, or a new recipe, I may insist on using what the recipe states, but if it's a version of the everyday bread, who gives whether I use rye or whole wheat? I make that bread often enough for it to be nice to have a slight change of taste every now and again.

There was a reason I brought home 5 pounds of Rancho Gordo Beans from my trip to San Francisco back in June. Besides the occasional chickpea, I very seldom cook beans, but with the recommendations they've gotten from all over foodblogland, I had to get some. It didn't matter that I had to rearrange all of my belongings, right here on the airport floor, because I'd packed my suit case so tightly it was ridicoulously overweight, and the nice lady behind the counter insisted I pack it into two bags instead. I just couldn't help myself. It's an addiction.

But the reason certainly wasn't for them to go bad, stuck in the back of a drawer, little white thingies covering the bottom of the bag of (luckily! only!) one of the bags. ICK! But they did. And see, this is was happens eventually, when you're a hoarder. There's just no way you're going to get to eat all of these things all at once, especially not when you're one to forget exactly what it is you have at home, or exactly how to use it. Or you're prone to need just that one other ingredient you can't seem to find to try the recipe you did actually find, that used the hoarded item.

I refuse to have that happen to the rest of the beans. And a lot of the other things that are fastly approaching their best-by date. So I'm trying to do something about it. I've been looking for recipes to use some of my stash, and I hope to try out these in the next couple of days. Weeks. Ok, soon. -ish.

Eye of the Goat beans - there's a nice hint here, but really, they deserve something more, don't they?
Chickpea flour - how about these chicken and chickpea dumplings? They sure sound nice...
Black Calypso Beans -supposedly, they taste like potatoes. And are good with bacon. Hmm. I'm hungry.
Red lentils - Luisa's lentil stew that she put up just the other day. When she can cut a 5-types-of-lentils down to two, then so can I (I'll try. I promise!)
Masa Harina - why, corn tortillas, of course!
Christmas Lima Beans - with mushrooms?
Cornmeal - corn muffins?
What about flageolets? The black beans? The whole rye kernels? My long grain brown rice? Or the 3 kilos of lovely chocolate?!?

You know, then, when I'm done, and there's all this precious room in the drawers, I'm going to have to go get me some black lentils for dal mahkani, and some black eyed peas for this Goan curry - oooh, and some yellow split peas for the dal! And maybe I do need that funny flour made of a local wheat type. Certainly, I will. Need it. I will.

Mysterious...

2008-11-11T20:55:00.000+01:00

I have no idea how this happened. Well, I do, sometimes, when I have my camera on certain settings, the shutter gets stuck, and this is the result. It's happened quite a number of times. I'm slightly intrigued. Maybe I should read that manual...

Entering Unknown Territory: Butter Chicken

2008-11-10T15:42:00.004+01:00

Do you remember my list of Foodie Dares? from (ahem) 2007? I did do a follow-up post on my progress, and the note is also still on the fridge - the actual crossing off items on the list is the hard part.

Allow me to refresh, briefly, that one of the things I wanted to do, was to try making Indian food. Specifically, I wanted to make samosas and Dal Makhani, and on the list I have on my fridge, I also wrote Butter Chicken (also known as murgh mahkani, I later learned. Mahkani means butter. Obviously, I'm all about butter)

I scoured the internet for recipes, bookmarked half a dozen, thumbed through a couple of cookbooks. With the host of Indian food bloggers out there, I suppose it would have been easy as pie to find a recipe there, but for some reason, the one that intrigued me the most was from a Danish chef, a big, red-haired dude that's as Danish as they get, that I found in a Danish cookbook. Don't ask, the point is, you have to start somewhere and I finally got started!

It wasn't hard to make, the one thing that needed a little attention is the fact that you have to start the night before you want to eat it, as the meat has to marinate in a yoghurt-spice marinade for 24 hours, making it lovely and tender. I'm still working on the exact spiceblend I like. I do make both the tandoori and garam masala mixes myself - 'cause I'm a geek and I like it ;) - but they're not exactly as I want them. Maybe I want it a little sweeter. I also added almonds and raisins to the original recipe, as well as a dash of cream, as these weren't in there, but that's how we get it from our local Indian take-out place, and that's the version I'm measuring against. I'm still playing around with it, but it sure is a keeper.

Butter Chicken - adapted from Simremad og ting der tager tid by Claus Christensen etc.

500 g. chicken - I use breast filets
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
500 ml. drained yoghurt
100 g. butter
2 cans of tomatoes
about 2 large tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon garam masala (I use this recipe)
1 tablespoon tandoori masala (from this recipe)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
100 ml. cream
about a cup of raisins
about 2/3 cup chopped almonds

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Mix about 300 ml. of the yoghurt with a teaspoon each of the tandoori masala and garam masala. Add one of the garlic cloves, finely chopped. Add the chicken pieces and leave to marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Heat the butter in a deep pan. Once it's melted and has gone slightly frothy, add the rest of the spices and let it become fragrant before you add the chopped up onion and the rest of the garlic. Add almonds.

Now, see, this is were I may try something different next time. The original recipe now calls for you to pick the chicken out of the marinate and roast it in the pan with the onion and garlic. But I think I'd rather use my grill pan, making sure I get a little char on that chicken, and finish the sauce by itself, then add the chicken and let it simmer for a little while.

For the sauce, then, you add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, rest of the yoghurt and the raisins. You may want to adjust the seasoning a little here - I tend to add a tiny teaspoonful of sugar, and maybe more almonds and raisins. Leave to simmer for 30 minutes. Lastly, add chicken (assuming you've grilled it seperately) and leave to simmer for a couple more minutes, finishing of with the cream.

Serve with basmati rice and naan, and maybe some raita.

If you have any suggestions regarding the recipe, and how to tweak or twist it, I'm all ears! Should I be using whole spices? Are the almonds and raisins highly unorthodox? Too much yoghurt? Too little butter? Have you tried Meeta's version? Comments are open!

Apologies with Dulce de Leche-filled Brownies & Cupcakes

2008-11-09T22:15:00.005+01:00

I missed yesterdays NaBloPoMo. Actually, I missed Friday, but the post I put up Saturday morning I'd started Friday, so I figured eh. Tsk tsk. But you know what? I'll make up for it with brownies and cupcakes!

The brownies are crazy rich. Crazy. I guess that's what you get when you put chocolate, peanutbutter and dulce de leche in the same baking pan, but don't say I didn't warn you. They're the kind of confection that could almost substitute expensive filled chocolates. In my case, anyways, seeing I'm not big on filled chocolates - in fact, I'd rather eat brownies than filled chocolate any day. I should note that I'm definitely a lover of a fudgy brownie (as this one is - look at this) - no cake-crumbly style for me here. Rich and decadent, these are, and cut into tiny squares, put on a pretty platter and served with coffee or tea - or a tall glass of milk, they'll be fit for royalty. Or people who dig heavy brownies, at least.

The idea came from David Lebovitz brownie I made a while ago. The brownie was unbelievably good, but I did find the brownie-part of it just a bit to cocoa-y and cakey for my taste. So when I was trying it out again, I used my go-to brownie recipe (which I just realized I've never posted here - so that's one more post to do), mixed half the batter with a couple spoonfuls (about half a cup, total) of smooth peanutbutter and then dropped alternate spoonfuls of peanutbutter-batter, regular batter and dulce de leche (I think just short of half a cup total here as well) in the brownie pan. Suh-weet. Very.

The cupcake, oh, the cupcake. Yes, we are behind regarding the cupcake craze here in Denmark - we're just getting started. These, I suggested as a combo back in April 2006, but I never think I nailed it proper. My cousin and I took up the challenge again back in May this year. Who else to provide a basic chocolate cupcake recipe with enough taste to withstand the sweetness of the dulce de leche and the frosting than Chockylit from (the now sadly closed) Cupcake Bakeshop. This was it, dulce de leche came straight from the boiled can, and the cream cheese frosting was as Cheryl directs here. Oh boy. As with the brownie, you only eat one of these in one sitting. Until you find yourself digging into the next one.

I told you're there could never be too many posts on brownies (or cupcakes, I suppose ;))

Photo Makeover! One of My Favorite Lunches

2008-11-07T16:50:00.004+01:00

It's been four years since I started blogging. Mind you, the last two years has had it's share of unusually quiet months. It's not how I want it to be. I admire the people that manage to put up post everyday, all year - heck, I admire the people that gets up posts a few times a week, or just once a week.

I can't explain what has happened. Life, the ever present excuse, yes. Not trying so many new things, or them not working out well, or forgetting to take the photos to prove I actually made something. There are only so many times you can post a recipe on brownies. Actually, on the subject of brownies, there might be arguments you can do a bunch of posts.

I seem to have been in this dump for a while now, and I want it to stop. I guess it's mostly a matter of DOING it. That's probably why I'm trying this NaBloPoMo-thing - so that I HAVE to post. I'm not happy with everything I put up, but at least my mind starts working differently, and with what it is that I want to change. I'd like to think.

I remember the time of wanting to post three posts on the same day, just because I had so much to say. It's not that I want that again, I just want to feel like I have something to say. It doesn't have to be all unique and special all day, every day, but it somehow has to be something that's close to my heart. It has to have a purpose. Even though it is, afterall, only food.;)

This was one of the very first posts I ever did. Wait, stop! Please don't click that link. Seriously, your eyeballs may just pop out from the bad photo experience you'll have if you go there. This was before - long before - I figured out what a macro button was. Or how to turn off the flash. And the likes. Whew. It's quite funny - and oddly disturbing - to go back to some of these posts. Times sure have changed.

The salad's still awesome, though. Brown beans, pickled cucumber, fresh cucumber, hardboiled eggs, lots and lots of chopped parsley, coarse grain mustard, a little olive oil. Feel free to bulk it out with spinach, maybe some bacon bits. A hunk of bread, preferably something dark. Keeps well in the fridge, so you can make it the night before you want to bring it to work, or school or wherevere it is that you're going.

Here!

2008-11-06T22:37:00.004+01:00

Go get your own! At Johnny Cupcakes - and don't forget to have a look at the blog. And his story. And then, buy some t-shirts. You know you want to! :)

What to do with Mayo

2008-11-05T21:43:00.003+01:00

Do you make your own mayo? Really, you should. I mean it. It's easy. I'm not holy or nothing, I do keep jars of mayo in the fridge at home - in fact, I keep several different kinds: one kind for smørrebrød, another for french fries, a third for sandwiches - but I like making my own every now and again. Sure, I'm afraid it'll split every time I make it, but so what if it does? There's always a new yolk to the rescue.

I start with two egg yolks (I use pasturized, and I know some people would then think it it wasn't worth the trouble, but I like to be sure that I, or worse, potential dinner guests, won't catch anything) a nice teaspoonful of Dijon mustard and a good pinch of salt. Whisk it together, then add, drop by drop, an oil of your choice. We use grapeseed oil, but any neutral tasting oil will do. Some people like to use a light olive oil for half or one third of the oil, or a dribble of some kind of nut oil, depending on what you'll use the mayo for. Your choice.

Keep adding the oil, whisking and whisking away as you go. In the end, you'll have added about 250 ml. of oil. If the consistency is to thin, add a bit more oil - if it's to thick, you could add a couple drops of water, but start by adding a bit of lemon juice, to taste, that oughta thin it a little too. Salt and pepper to taste, and then you could go for:

Caesar Salad Dressing - add a couple chopped up anchovies, a squirt of lemon, a good grating of parmesan and you're all set.

Sesame & Tamari Dip - mix equal parts drained yoghurt and mayo, add toasted sesame seeds and a couple glugs of tamari. Awesome with carrot sticks. This sounds so simple, and it is, but I swear, everytime I serve it, people ask for the recipe.

Ranch Dressing - and thank you Garrett for that outline, that I of course when straight ahead and bastardized. I use three parts mayo to one part sour cream and one part buttermilk - and then the rest of the hooha, garlic powder, salt, pepper. And oh, chives, instead of dill. Who am I kidding, this isn't Ranch dressing. But it's good.

Garlicky Mayo - lots and lots of chopped up garlic in there, and it's perfect for shrimps.

Remoulade (the Danish kind) - mixed with drained, finely chopped pickles. You need this for fiskefrikadeller. And fiskefilet. And spegepølsemadder.

Guilty sin, mixed with soy sauce, a little honey and wasabi, for sushi. I know, it's terrible, but it's sooo good.

Chicken salad - and egg salad, and tuna salad and any mayo-based salad. And in sandwiches, for roast potatoes - you keep the list rolling...

(I was just corrected by M - we make mayo at least once a week. Busted.)

Dining with Three Bloggers - November 4th., 2008

2008-11-04T22:02:00.005+01:00

Short and sweet today, I'm on the couch watching series with M :) What would a post-athon be without my trusted Dining with the Bloggers, or as in this case, Dining with Three Bloggers? Nothing, I say, so here you go:

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins from Smitten Kitchen

Deb's Whole Wheat Apple Muffins were a big hit at the ICU I spend a couple of days in (as a medical student, not a patient!) back in spring. Especially after I convinced the nurses they were practically healthy, what with the apples and whole wheat and oats on top (and addition I made) and what have you. They disappeared fast, even though someone else had brought in candy on the same day as well. That's one of Deb's recipes down - now I only have 81 bookmarked to go!

Soba with Peanut Citrus Dressing from Orangette

I think I have yet to do a Dinning with Three Bloggers that doesn't involve one of Molly's recipes - this one shall be no exception. Her soba noodles with peanut citrus sauce (actually, as with the chickpeas, this is the brainchild of her husband Brandon - we must give credit where credit is due! ;)) are nothing short of lovely. Creamy peanutbutter, lime juice and crunchy vegetables. Good-good-good-good-GOOD. I took the liberty of using whatever greens I had lying around, at the time peas and carrots, but I have no doubt that radishes are perfect here, as is bok choy, if you like it - I'm not so fond of it myself. I was planning on bringing some for lunch the next day, but when I was done eating, the bowl was empty. Oooops!

Biscuits from Homesick Texan

Finally, Lisa's biscuits. Ah. Back when I did my first DwB featuring a recipe form Lisa's site (cornbread) I hinted that she may just needed to get up a recipe for biscuits. Two weeks later, my prayers had been answered, and she had put up a post. Fast, that girl. Biscuits are not common around here, so it's not like I knew what i was missing, but for some reason, I knew they were bound to be something I'd like. They were. Buttery and soft, slightly sweet - and great for getting out any anger you may have lingering in you, as you have to beat the c*** out of the dough - the more you beat, the better! I made them on a night we were having soup for dinner and I had no bread in the house and even though that may not be what God intended them for, they served that purpose beautifully. I wouldn't mind trying them in a homemade version of an extraordinarly good egg-bacon-and-cheese biscuit I had on a recent visit to The Buttery in Boston's South End either. Oh my. I think I may have to invite over some friends to have an excuse recreate these, and I know these biscuits will fit perfectly...

South End Buttery Egg Biscuit. Ah-mazing.

Muesli Rolls for Breakfast

2008-11-03T16:39:00.003+01:00

As if it's not enough that we're notoriously bad at eating our vegetables in our household, we're also ridiculously negligent in the breakfast department. No vegetables, no breakfast, no cooking (obviously, since there's been no blogging, there couldn't have been cooking, could there?) - how we even manage to stay alive is anyones guess!

I always make sure I get my (very large) glass of Earl Grey tea in the morning, M always gets his coffee, but the solids? Just. Not. Happening. There are tons and tons of excuses, but really, it's no use. Breakfast is good for you and you should eat it. And noone says it has to be the minute you get up, but sometime during the first 2 to three hours after you've risen I guess is appropriate.

Often, M will get something from a bakery on his driving abouts at work (he's a realtor) and he's usually good at getting something healthy. But lordy, is it expensive! Especially if you want something that's edible and doesn't turn into sawdust the minute you bite into it. So I took up the challenge put up by Martin, oh, three months ago I guess, when he came home from work with a dark-brown roll filled with raisins, pumpkin seeds and oats and said: I KNOW you can make these better. Will you make me some? I promise I'll have breakfast every day if you make these for me!

It did take me a while to get on it, but when I did, it was actually not that hard. Using my Malt Bread recipe as a blueprint, and the method Susan introduced me to via her Oatmeal Bread of softening the oats in a bit of hot water, it only took me two tries to get what I wanted. Chewy, moist, darkly flavored rolls, dotted with sweet raisins and walnuts. I'm telling you, that man of mine is having breakfast and even I have been seen sneaking a couple of rolls into my bag before I dash out the door.

Muesli Rolls - makes 12 muffin-sized ones

For the "muesli"
75 g. rolled oats
65 g. raisins
40 g. coarsely chopped walnuts
30 g. soft brown sugar
190 g. boiling water
- feel free to substitute any kind of nuts and dried fruit you favor.

For the dough:
125 g. yoghurt (or even the whey from drained yoghurt - I've used that succesfully quite a number of times and it makes me feel so virtous!)
12 g. salt
4 g. malt powder (flour)
5 g. yeast
250 g. water
150 g. spelt flour
400 g. bread flour

In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, fruits and nuts. Pour the boiling water over it, and give it a good stir. Leave on the counter for half an hour to cool.

Now, for the dough - in a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the yoghurt. Mix the salt, malt powder, spelt flour and 4/5 of the bread flour. Add this to the water/yeast/yoghurt mixture, kneading to make everything stick together. The cooled oat mixture can now be added to the dough, and then its time for kneading. I usually do it in the bowl, as the dough is pretty wet, but do as you please - if you think it's easier on the tabletop, take it out. You may need more flour then. But only add more flour if it really needs it - it's supposed to be quite sticky. Knead for ten minutes.

Transfer the dough to a clean plastic container or bowl. Depending on when I want to eat the rolls, I then put the dough in the fridge to rise (it can easily stay here for 12 hours and then some) or leave it on the counter to rise, 2-3 hours.

Once risen, shape your rolls. Make a log out of the dough, cut it up in 12 equal portions and shape them into rolls. I like leaving them for their second prove in a buttered muffin pan, it gives them a really nice shape, but just letting them rise on a baking sheet is also fine. If you like, after shaping the rolls, you could dip the top in first cold water, then rolled oats, but if you want to eat these on the go, the oats might go flying all over your (black, naturally) skirt, so I often don't bother. Whatever you choose, they need to rise again, 1½-2 hours. Or for a couple of hours in the fridge, depending on your schedule.

Preheat the oven to as high as possible. Once warm, put in your rolls, turning the oven down to 240 celsius. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 200 celsius and let them have another ten minutes. They may need an additional 5 minutes more after that, depending on your oven. Enjoy, with butter, if you have the time for such fanciness - it only makes them better.

So Last Season: Zucchini in Fine Slices

2008-11-02T22:39:00.004+01:00

Listen, I know, I know, that picture up there practically SCREAMS out of season. Not very comme il faut, I know, but if I tell you I made this back in July, will you forgive me? I did tell you I had a lot of photos lying about with stuff I never blogged about and I might as well start now.

I - come to think of it we, as in both of the people in this household - eat too little vegetables. One of the things I have resorted to doing is to make salads to eat either before or after the "main dish" if you will, just to make sure we actually get some greens. This was one of those, heavily inspired by Shauna's Zucchini Carpaccio (from October. 2005. Yowser, time moves fast!) that I bookmarked some time ago (obviously). It's easy to do, and if you have a garden with zucchinis growing in it (I envy you - but that's not really the message I'm trying to get across right now), a bag of almonds and a block of crumbly cheese in the fridge, you're all set.

Finely slice your zucchini (I use a mandoline), layering them on a big, flat plate. Drizzle a little of your favorite vinagrette between each layer (for looks, use one with a light vinegar, such as white wine or elderflower - if you don't care about the dark streaks and want your balsamic, by all means, go ahead. Just don't say I didn't warn you) Chop up a small handful of parsley and basil. Toast a handful of almonds in a warm skillet and sprinkle on top. Crumble a nice chunk of feta cheese over everything, give the lot a good grind of black pepper and of you go.

Currently, I have 1254 (!!!) recipes to try in my del.icio.us account (isn't del.icio.us fantastic btw? I wouldn't know what to do without it!). Not to mention the piles of magazines with post-it notes sticking out from them and the cookbooks. 30 days of NaBloPoMo? Pshs! ;)

Seriously? Seriously.

2008-11-01T23:59:00.003+01:00

Cupcakes for a friend of mine's wedding, back in August. The living room served as assembly station - there was A LOT of cupcakes, I'm telling ya! I used a recipe from my trusted source, Chockylit - the one here.

I'm joining NaBloPoMo.

Why?

Because there are too many photos lying about, too many words unwritten, too many post-it's in the cookbooks, too little focus and too little time. And because I miss doing this, and it seems I can only either do it all day, every day, or not at all.

No promises as to the content, but (hopefully) I'll have a post for you, every day of the month this November. Heck, I may even keep it up for December, like last year. You joining the madness too?

(And I know, this is already a cheat's post, 'cause I'm backdating, but I didn't realize NaBloPoMo was yesterday until today. So excuses already ;))

Kind of Apple-y

2008-10-05T14:12:00.001+02:00

I grew up in a small suburban town, in a red brick house build by my Grandad. The house was surrounded on all sides by a big, lush garden. It was a great garden, with hiding places under the bushes, a swing and a small corner with lots and lots of rhubarb in summer. Mom used to make a mean rødgrød - a Danish fruit soup/jelly thing, served with cream and sugar (for the crunch) - out of those rhubarbs.

I wish I could have said it had had an apple tree, but it didn’t. It would have been perfect in it, though. It should have been one of those huge, old ones with big, gnarly branches, in the spring adorned with delicate white blossoms and come fall, full of red and yellow orbs, like mini chinese lanterns, swinging about in the rough winds. Maybe, if you were lucky, there’d still be a couple left for the first couple weeks of winter, too. Alas. No such tree.

Now, I live in the city, in an apartment, and I stil have no apple tree. But in my uncle’s little house, a mere 30 minute bike ride from where I live, there are apple trees. He has not one, not two, but a total of three different kinds of apple trees in his miniscule garden and they’re just perfect. The dream of apple tree climbing children all over the world, with thick branches that hang low to the ground but are nicely enough set apart as to not make it a dull climb. And the dream of all apple lovers in the world, to boot. Plenty of crispy, not-necessarily perfect looking, but perfect tasting, juicy apples. There’s just something about homegrown and homepicked that’s hard to match.

Whenever my uncle is kind enough to ask me come relieve him of some of his bounty, I live of apples, day and night. We have pork chops with sauteed apples and onions. Bright pink beet and apple slaw, for lunch, with a hunk of crusty bread. For breakfast, grated on top of oatmeal, with a spoonful of brown sugar. In cakes, oh, the cakes: Tarte Tatin, caramelized, buttery and flaky. Apple pie, with pretty latticed tops. Crumbles with vanilla custard. Layer cakes with almonds and apples.

I make applesauce, in big batches, for the freezer, to be used as a sweetener in homemade granola, or in an impromptu Danish æbletrifli, with layers of chunky applesauce, sugar-roasted breadcrumbs or crumbled macarons and softly whipped cream.

And I make apple butter, for spreading on toast or sandwiching between sponge cake layers. Apple butter, as you may or may not know, is essentially applesauce cooked down with sugar and spices, stored in tightly sealed glasses in the fridge. It’s easy to make, and keeps really well. And it's a perfect way to make that apple season last just a little longer.

Apple butter - from Kille Enna: Killes Køkken
- makes 2 400 ml. glasses

1,5 kg. apples (Belle de Boskoop is suggested, but really, any apple will do. Boskoops are awesome though, and one of my Uncle's trees are Boskoops. I'm ridiculously lucky)
200 ml. water
8 whole cloves
10 whole allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
100 g. golden sugar
200 g. soft brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
zest and juice of one lemon

Chop up the apples, peel, cores and everything. Bring to a boil with the water, turn down the heat and let it simmer until the apples go soft and mushy, about 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill or strainer.

Roast the spices in a small, dry pan. Grind to a fine powder in a spice mill.

Pour the strained applesauce back into a clean pot. Add the spices, salt, lemon zest and juice and sugar. Boil at low heat for 30-40 minutes, maybe covering half of the pot with a lid. Watch out, it spits and bubbles like crazy! Stir it every 5-10 minutes. While boiling, it will turn a little thicker and darker.

Sterilize 2 400 ml. glasses (or equivalents) - here's a guide as to how. Pour the still hot apple butter into the jars, put on the lids. Store in the fridge. The applebutter is also great made with a vanilla pod, omitting the other spices. Or a chili, chopped up, if you'd like to use the apple butter as a condiment with savoury foods.

[DANSK] Hyldeblomstsaft - It's too late now...

2008-07-08T16:44:00.004+02:00

... to make anymore elderflower cordial. At least around here. A mere glimpse is the period when the elderflowers are in bloom. That's how it seems, at least. (okay, so you get peas, and cucumbers and tomatoes, but they don't make elderflower cordial, now do they?)

I only got to make one batch. My first batch, ever, even.

It is so, so good. So if there are still flowers on the trees around where you are, I urge you to make some. I don't care how you get to them - but do get them. Personally, I was found on quiet neighbourhood streets, smuggling a pair of scissors and a large plastic bag around - very discret, as always. And if you didn't make it in time either REMEMBER it next year. Put it in your calender already.

Make the largest batch you can imagine. Then double it. You know you want to. And I'm telling you, you'll regret it if you don't.

Here's the recipe I used, again from Camilla Plum:
-makes about 3 liters which is entirely too little...
40 elderflower bunches
50 g. citric acid
3 lemons
2 kg. cane sugar
2 liters water

Peel the lemons thinly. Cut of the white stuff left on the lemons off, then slice them up. Remove all the seeds (I guess 'cause they'd make the cordial bitter?) Toss the white stuff, keep the zest and the lemon slices.

Cut the flowers from the stalks. Put flowers, lemon, lemon zest and citric acid in a big container - plastic, ceramic - as long as it isn't aluminium and can stand a little heat.

In a large pot bring the sugar and the water to a boil. Pour this mixture over the flowers and lemon.

Leave to steep for at least 3 days and a maximum of 5. Strain (I strained through some cheese cloth as well as a strainer - me no like little bugs) and decant into scalded bottles. I've been told it's smart to use plastic bottles so you can freeze your cordial, as it may ferment if you haven't been religious about your sterilizing (which I for one am not very good at being).

So I now know what I want for Christmas: I want a chest freezer to store elderflower cordial in.

A (perhaps useful link for buying citric acid is here - I gathered from a couple of online searches that it may be hard to find in the US.

'Cause I can I won't and I don't stop

2008-05-31T23:14:00.003+02:00

...and if I havent' got you humming Beastie Boys now, I don't know how to get you to do it ;)

Just wanted to make sure I didn't have a no-post month and to let you all know that yes, I am alive and cooking, to boot. The cooking part of me has been in a bit of a stand-still, lately though. But, I just taught myself how to do those long, swirly cucumber thingies (hence the "don't stop" in the title) and I hope I'll have a proper post up soon. Maybe in the next couple of days. Be well so long.

A Feast For All Your Senses: noma

2008-04-08T11:06:00.008+02:00

This is a post that has been crazy long time underways. I think the pictures have been hiding here in my drafted posts for about two months, and I just haven't been able to get them posted. Why, I don't know. It's not like more well-mannered people didn't get their post up faster than I did, it's just. I think maybe I'm lost for words. So again, I give you photos+just a couple words. People, this place is nothing short of amazing.

Æbleskiver filled with pulled pork, dusted with vinegar powder. A nice start to the afternoon.

Yes, I'm talking about noma. The restaurant that is the 15th. best in the world and which is located in our tiny town. The restaurant that has a dogmatic approach to the food it makes, and that has a well-educated and completely lovable staff and kitchen. This is a restaurant that is just a thrill to be in. Which is probably why we stayed for six hours, even though it was just lunch!

Beet raisins, horseradish snow and vinegary "sago". A play with textures - the sago (which I think may be like tapioca?) go POP! in your mouth, the beets are slightly chewy and sweet, and then there's cold, strongly hot flavored snow. Had us intrigued - how on earth do you make raisins out of beets?? Luckily our waiter, Frederik, explained - and I promptly forgot... It had something to do with boiling, then baking and then... Hm.

We, was Trine and I. Who's Trine? you may ask. I think I may have slipped her link in here and there, and I've followed her blog, Very Good Food, for quite a while, because face it, if you can't dine out yourself, you can always let someone else do the hard work (and the bill-paying) for you. Trine did mine. Blogging about the Copenhagen (and the world's) restaurant scene, I lived vicariously through each of her renditions of yet another visit to yet another gourmet restaurant. (It even seems that in between our visit and now, she's sneaked in one more visit to Noma. No, I'm not envious- Like, at all :P)

Tartar of beef, wood sorrel, aromatic juniper, tarragon emulsion. This gets messy quickly, as you're supposed to eat it with your fingers, but boy, is it good. You'll want to lick your fingers (and your plate, ahem) after eating this and for once, it's perfectly okay!

Back on her 1005th. review of a visit to Noma, I wrote a comment essentially saying "So when are WE going????" And she took the bait, luckily! Promptly, an e-mail arrived in my inbox, asking when, indeed, we were going? So we set up a date after my exams, I put on real peoples clothes and off we went.

Burnt salsify with milk skin, truffles from Gotland and rape seed oil. This was such a treat - the textures - a gentle bite to the salsify, sticky-gooey milk skin and a little crispy bread to give contrast. The truffles, holy cow - when do you get to eat pureed truffle?? These had been frozen, which was why it was in a puree, earlier in the season they'd served it shaved over the dish, but I like the indulgence of the puree. And yes, I think it's perfectly fine to use frozen truffle - as long as they're honest about it, and can come up with something this good using it.

For a minute there, while waiting for Trine to arrive at the restaurant, I was getting the "That's right, that's how a blind date feels!"-heebee jeebies, but it never got to last more than a few seconds. Trine carried along with her a small bag with her camera (we have identical cameras, heh!) so as soon as she'd sat herself down, I wrestled my camera out from the darkness of my bag. This is what it's like when foodbloggers lunch together, yes it is, I thought.

Halibut with celery and oyster foam, watercress and stalks. Now, I have to be honest - I'm not quite sure this is what is on the plate. Frederik, our waiter, graciously e-mailed us the menu, but there's a dish missing, and I didn't want to bother him again. Trine has something like this in her description, but I'm pretty sure I remember those stalks being watercress, 'cause I remember finding it so cool that they'd use the ungrateful herb stalk (c'mon! It's trash in my mind, most of the time!) and gave it a role in this dish. Lovely dish, but probably the most boring we had, if I have to make that kind of list.

And lunch, we did. You can probably tell from the pictures here that we got a LOT of food, but as I may already have revealed, this was so far from just being a matter of getting the calories you need to sustain you. This was a constant bombardement of your senses. As if it wasn't enough that what was put in front of you was amazingly pretty - look at that beef tartar? Isn't that picture perfect? And the perfect, round, sun-yellow egg yolk further down? Puh-lease! - there were scents constantly begging your attention and tastes so well-distinguished and balanced against each other it was hard to not succumb, lean back and enjoy.

Turbot, apple and celeriac, sweet cicely. Sweet cicely, how do I love thee? It has a slight anis-y taste and there's just something about it I really dig (mental note - grow some on terasse this summer) And would you look at that crust on the fish? PERFECTION, if you ask me. Really well-played dish, and so pretty!

We surely did.

Clear mushroom broth and birch wine, egg white and yolk, chickweed and pickled onions. My absolute favorite (not that every plate didn't look like that going out, but still.) I think I have a thing for the humble egg, and when paired with that mushroom broth? Heaven! When you pierced the yolk it drifted slowly into the soup, making it creamy and oooooh... I asked if they could fill a tub with the broth so I could take a dip in it, but somehow they didn't take me seriously... I bet it would have been great, though ;)

It's in everything they do out here, that the perfection of this place shines through. It's in the way there's a gentle curl of smoke coming from the porcelain egg they serve you to start, with two small smoked quails eggs, for you to pop in your mouth, letting the still-runny yolk cover your tongue. It's how they finish your dish off at the table, letting a gentle storm of horse radish snow cover your plate. It's wanting to know what you think of the dishes, and genuinely caring. It's in keeping a track of what dishes Trine already tried, so as to not serve her the exact same things over and over again. It's in pouring two different wines to hear what you think goes best with the dessert. It's in playing around with scents, textures, presentation, tastes and looks.

Reindeer, beets, smoked marrow and apple (green stuff may be the new ramp onions? See, again, my memory is not what it's supposed to be. René (the head chef) was so proud of already having new ramp onions and asked if we'd noticed them in the menu, and I was all - yahaa! and now I've forgotten where it was. Sheesh!) The deer was so soft you could chew it with your eye lashes, should you wish to do so - I opted to use the lovely daggert-style knife. The marrow - a thing I love, but unfortunately can't eat so much of, it gets too fatty - was perfect, and the earthiness of the beets played well with the slightly sweet meat. Awesome dish.

It's the gentle pleasent-ness of it all, the calm with which they walk the room, the way the people are proud of what they're doing.

Pears and hazelnuts, yoghurt and 'mjød'. Moving onto desserts. It was like a little tart, with the hazelnuts taking on a slight marzipan-y texture (I actually thought they were almonds - fooled by the texture, I think) We had to different Rieslings with this, and while the dish was lovely, it wasn't really memorable to me. The wines where, though ;)

Noma is a two-star Michelin restaurant, so naturally, you should expect excellence. And you get it, but there's somehow more to it. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's not just that the food is flawless and the servers attentive. This just seems like well-thought through handicraft, combined with a a lot of knowledge and will to experiment and be playful. But most of all, I think it's because every dish somehow exudes the proudness and joy of doing what it is they're doing out here. It's actually very anti-Jantelov. There's an enthusiasm to what they do, and that's really contagious.

Caramelized 'egg yolk potatoes', carawayseed ice cream, dried berries and akvavit. Wow, this was - special? I absolutely loved the caraway ice cream and thought it a funny idea to use potatoes in a dessert (especially seeing that caramelized potatoes is a thing we usually serve with the traditional Christmas dinner) At this point, it was just too much, though. Nice and playful, nevertheless!

So why should you go? Because there's no where like it anywhere else. The use of (exclusively) Nordic ingredients is pretty unique, and very speciel. The use of herbs is amazing. The kitchen is not feminine and fragile, like I thought Geranium to be. It's more woodsy and gutsy, but with a gentleness, a delicateness to it, that I like. You have to go because you will be having a great time. And you have to go because you will walk out of there, not just full, but satieted, with a smile on your lips and a glimpse in your eye. You will walk out of there pleased, all of your senses stimulated, and the world seeming like a better place. That's why you should go.

noma
Strandgade 93
1401 Copenhagen K
Tel: +45 3296 3297

If you'd like to know more about the wines, head over to Trines rendition of our visit. Trine took thorough notes, which, unfortunately, I didn't. I've got so much to learn!;) If you're interested in reading other reviews, Bea and her significant other also went when they visited Copenhagen - you can find her words and photos here.

Sugar High Friday # 41: Sweet Gifts - Best Friends & Cookies

2008-03-23T09:19:00.004+01:00

Back when I was 12, I met a girl. We met in dance class. She was a blond, skinny, aristocratic looking girl, all arms and legs, like we all were at the time. She was one of the few dancers that could compete with me in tap-dancing. She became my friend.

J and I have spent innumerable hours together. In the beginning, it was mostly during dance classes, but soon, we met up every morning, biking to school, having a chat on the latest boy/girl gossip. After school, we'd meet up again, going to dance classes, or hanging around at the sport complex, checking out the guys on the skateboard ramp. We shared stories of first kisses, and first break-ups. We laughed, we danced and we sang. We watched Clueless, and Dirty Dancing, and Pretty Woman a hundred thousand times. When the first guy I had a crush on failed to call me (and I'd been waiting by the phone all night long), J was the girl to hold me close and feed me leftover rice pudding. When I broke up with my first long-time boyfriend, she was the one who understood the choked-by-tears words that ran through the telephone lines. She was the one to take me out dancing, all through the night, and a little bit of the morning, too.

When we started in high school, we could be together all through the day. We formed a coalition with a girl from J's class and the three of us partied our way through the first six months, caring about nothing but boys, music, clothes and hair. Oh some of the pictures from those days! In the end, we all ended up with a boyfriend. And then something happened. We drifted apart.

But at the graduation party, the last party where we'd be sure to see each other, J grabbed my hand and dragged me off to one of the toilets, pointed her finger at me and said: "I will not have this. If we are supposed to be best friends, why do we never call each other? Why aren't we there for each other when we are sad, or happy? Why do we never do stuff together?" I had no answer. But somehow I knew that if I didn't make an effort, she was sure to slip out of my life.

Even though I know it was incredibly sad at the time, I still do sort of see it as a stroke of luck that shortly after that graduation party, J's boyfriend at the time "accidently" did a Monica Lewinsky on J, forcing her to break up with him. She called me first. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The both of us moving around the globe, time spent together and apart, countless bottles of champagne and nights on the dicoteque's dance floors, large wooden boards with cheese (we are cheese lovers), a lot of men (!) and a lot of fantastic nights and days. The joy never stops. She IS my favorite girl in the whole wide world. She's the kind of woman that even though we haven't sat in front of each other for months, she can have one look at me and know what's going on. She hears it in the tone of my voice and in the way my body twists in the chair, or in how I curl my hair. She's shared my life, my story. She's a part of me.

And now, she's a mom, too. Just a little over a month ago, she gave birth to a beautiful little girl. So now I have not just one amazing woman with her gene-pool in my life, but two. I wonder if little F will grow up to like oatmeal-chocolate cookies just as much as her Mom? 'Cause her Mom sure likes these...

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
The recipe here is, apart from me exchanging the ratios of sugar and translating the measurements to metric, a direct transcript of one from Moira's blog Who Want's Seconds? Shout-out to Moira for this recipe which, ever since I tried it the first time, have been somewhat of a staple around our home!

This of course isn't the recipe I used to make back in the days when J first got hooked on these cookies, but they're her favorite now. So what better gift to bring when Martin and I visited her, her husband and the little newborn girl a week ago - a couple logs of unbaked cookie-dough for the freezer, for those moments when you need them, be they moments of craving our unannounced guests. Giving cookie dough as a gift - any recipe that will freeze is good - is an idea I've only recently picked up, but I like it. It's all "it's homemade and I spend time (the most valuable gift of all these days) making it, so you better like it ;)". With a little cute ribbon and a card on how to bake 'em, you have a perfect sweet gift. And what do you know, that's exactly the theme for this months Sugar High Friday. The theme is Sweet Gifts, it's hosted by Habeas Brûlee, and if you hurry, you may just be able to join!

You need:

230 g. softened butter (I use unsalted)
240 g. sugar
205 g. soft brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
230 g. wheat flour
2 large eggs
270 g. rolled oats
300 g. milk chocolate chips

And then you:

Beat the butter with the sugars, until fluffy and white. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add this to the butter/sugar/egg-mixture, gently folding it in. At this stage, I always think it will never, ever get incorporated, but trust me it will. The same thing happens at the next step: add the oats, fold 'em in. They WILL incorporate, oh yes. Lastly, fold in chocolate chips.

If you want, you can bake straight away (10-20 minutes, depending on your crunchy/chewy ratio preferences) in an oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius. Use parchment paper under the cookies.

Or, do as I do and bake a few (c'mon, you just made cookie dough, you need to taste test!), then divide the rest of the dough onto squares of clingfilm, roll them up tigthly and place in freezer. This way, you always have cookies ready for unannounced guests or hostess gifts. You don't need to defrost the dough completely before baking, but can slice and bake the cookies almost straight from the freezer. A 10 minute rest on the counter before slicing the frozen log with a serrated knife should do the trick. Bake as instructed for the unfrozen dough. I might add that I actually think the texture of the finished cookie is better after the dough has been frozen.

[DANSK] Will need Havregrynskugler

2008-03-15T02:09:00.000+01:00

I love the wee little hours. The ones late, late in the night - some may call them early in the morning - where I feel like I might be the only one still awake. I like to putter around in my kitchen, maybe getting that bread dough ready, so I can bake fresh bread in the morning. Getting the dirty dishes over with. Checking the internet. Being.

When I worked as a waitress, I had lots of those hours. Coming home from work late, usually after midnight, I would be hard pressed to go to straight to sleep. There was always a book to be read, an old newspaper to page though, or an episode of Seinfeld to watch.

These days? The wee hours have become the ones in the morning. No, I don't get up early to knead bread - I get up early to go to work. You see, the reason for the the post-exam silence around here is this: I'm on leave from school. And I've gone and gotten myself a job where we start at around 6.30 am. Luckily, there is somehow also a certain something to those early, early morning hours too. When the light is a little grey-ish outside, and the whole world still has sleep in their eyes.

I've told you quite a number of times how I'm not quite sure being a doctor is what I really want to do. Maybe being a doctor, or finishing medical school, is not what will make my life the best it can be. Will being a doctor make me the kind of happy I believe I should be?

There are tons and tons of reasons why I don't think so. There are also a gazillion reasons why this could be a job I would love. But for the last couple of months, it's been hard to see past the "I don't think so!" reasons.

It's not the job itself. It's not the patients, the long hours, the sad stories or the stress. It's not "you've got LIFE in your hands", it's not the white clothes or the clogs. It's the way things are run and done, it's effing traditions and "that's how it's always been done so don't you come here thinking you can change it". It's the hierachy. It's the lack of space and ability to be yourself, and not being able to have an opinion and a say in how things are done. It's the lack of commitment. From everyone, including, unfortunately, oneself.

So what I am doing these days is working as an assistant to a doctor who's doing a Ph. D. project on intensive care. In time, I'll be doing my own project (a much smaller one, granted), but for now, I'm just trying to tag along and learn as much as possible about the intricate ways of research. Maybe figure out something, about me, and my future. And showing up unbearably early in the morning, without too frizzy hair. Seinfeld is still on, you know...;)

Havregrynskugler
These are sweets we used to make when we were little, and yes, they aren't nothing but butter. I have no idea what got into me and M when we made a batch a couple weeks ago, but maybe we'd just both had a couple of those gruelling days and needed a little calorie-boost mixed with a good dose of nostalgia. They sure hit the spot. I'm not saying these should be eaten for breakfast, I'm just saying that if you happen to have a couple leftover in the fridge from the night before, they may be exactly what you need after an early rise and a couple hours of work. Just saying...

Ingredients, roughly:
125 g. butter, soft, but NOT melted
150-200 g. rolled oats
4-6 tablespoons sugar (if you've got vanilla infused around, use that)
3 heaped tablespoons cocoa powder
Extra rolled oats, for topping

Beat the butter to make sure it's good and soft. Add the oats, sugar and cocoa, incorporating it well into the butter. With your hands, roll the mixture into little bite-sized balls, and roll in a
deep dish filled with rolled oats. Put in the fridge and leave for a couple hours to get nice and cold. Indulge and eat. And remind yourself that oats are full of fiber ;)

Hello? Is this thing on?

2008-02-25T22:26:00.003+01:00

Whoa Nelly, have I been busy. There was an exam, actually two, both of which I've passed, wo-hoo! Then there's been taking leave from my studies, and a new job. There's also been a visit to an amazing restaurant, and strewn about the last couple of weeks at least a hundred birthdays and other reasons to celebrate. Like my best friend giving birth to a beautiful little girl.

And well, of course I've been busy cradling flowers in my cupped hands, 'cause you know, someone has to do that every once in a while, and this time it was my turn. Next up, food. Really.

On Pause for a Moment...

2008-01-13T14:26:00.000+01:00

There was a couple tranquil days by Vesterhavet...

I gave you post on post on post for 24 days, and then - nothing. I am just a tease, aren't I?

I have been sucked into the vacuum that is preparing for yet another exam. Come the end of this month, when the exams are all over, I will have, oh joy of joys, time again. Especially seeing I have taken next semester off, to join a research project. Hopefully, there'll be time to do all of the things I would like to in the kitchen. Like get those 2007 foodie dares out of the way. And embark on the ones for 2008, which could include... Well, what? I'll tell you. Later. If you have suggestions for me, please leave them in the comments.

Enjoy January!:)

On The Twentyfourth Day of Christmas: At Long Last It's Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T23:58:00.000+01:00

Dad pouring me port to go with the ris a l'amande. No I didn't get the almond.

I'm back-posting by a couple of hours, 'cause the date here really has to say the 24th. And it sort of still is the 24th, Christmas Eve, seeing we just returned from a feast at my Dad's house and I haven't slept yet. Oh, there was plenty of food & drinks, and presents, and good company. Just like Christmas should be. I hope yours will be the kind of perfect you want it to be.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

On The Twentythird Day of Christmas: Dining with the Bloggers - Stonesoup

2007-12-23T23:55:00.000+01:00

Surely, what is a Christmas Countdown without at least two installments of DwB? And seeing I only gave you one so far, here's one more, for your entertainment.

If it wasn't because I like Denmark as much as I do, I'm sure one place I'd love to call home would be Australia. They have a great food scene, it seems. And they have the most fanatstic light there - at least that's what I gather from the photos taken by Jules of Stonesoup. They are nothing short of amazing - light, natural, ethereal. Beautiful.

As if taking incredible photos isn't enough, she also writes awfully well. About her friends, about her family - she writes about life with an honesty that is captivating. Her pieces on the recent passing away of her Mum had me in tears. Even though she is several oceans and time zones away, and all I know of her is what she writes on her blog, I felt like reaching out and giving her a big hug. When a blogger does this to me, I know there's no way I'll ever stop reading their blog.

But that's one thing - this is a food blogger, after all, and as if all of the above doesn't float your boat, her descriptions of the food she serves - often in carefully composed and arranged menu set-ups - is the kind of food I dream of. Lamb shanks. Duck confit. Braised fennel with olives and soft polenta. Osso Buco. Chocolate Souffle with Dulce de Leche. Mmm-mmm-mmm. Also, she recently started doing this shopping guide to Sydney, a must-read if you're going anywhere near there. And, just maybe, an idea I have to steal and apply to the shops around my city :)

Exactly why I decided to make mahamarra is a good question. It's a dip! It's not braised or nothing, like a lot of the other things on her blog I'd love to try. But that's a thing she's able to do - make me think about trying things I never thought I would. I'm actually not crazy about walnuts, so why I decided I had to try it - well. I told you, she writes with conviction, that Jules. I guess I thought that if she liked it, so would I. And I did have that bottle of pomegranate molasses in the back of the cupboard, needing to be put to good use.

So I made it, for a night where the girls and their significant others came around for a couple beers and vegetable sticks, and it went down a treat. The roasted red peppers takes a bit of the bitterness away form the walnuts, and the pomegranate molasses, together with the smoked paprika, makes this dip something special. Definitely not the last time this has graced my table. And definitely not the last time I'll let Jules convince me there's something I got to try. Next up, lamb shanks, in any of her disguises. I'm game. All good things...;)

On The Twentysecond Day of Christmas: My Favorite Man and His Favorite Bread

2007-12-22T23:55:00.000+01:00

Even though I've had this blog for 3½ years, there's a certain someone I haven't told you very much about. He's one of the most important persons in my life. So why not a word? I guess because the people that are there all the time are also the people you easily take for granted. Not because you want to, but because it's so easy to forget to appreciate the things we have when they're just there, when they become something natural and something that's just part of everyday life. And he is. Part of my everyday life. And boy am I glad he is.

Let me tell you a little bit about M. I met him 8 years ago, at the place where we both worked at the time. We talked a couple times, and I guess I thought things went to slow. So after a night out on the town, I text messaged him. I forget exactly what I wrote, but it resulted in him calling me, while I had a toothbrush in my mouth. We planned to meet for coffee. And the rest, as they say, is history.

This is the kind of man Martin is: After having known me just short of two months, he decided to come with me to London and live with me there. We stayed for six months, no money, lots of work, plenty of adventure. The money we did manage to scrape together, we used on restaurant visits, food, paperbacks, a few cookbooks and movie tickets. We had no radio and no television. We visited everywhere in London we could think of, walking, talking, eating and looking. I guess our love for a lot of things that are still important in our relationship today was born back then. The whole London-concept - the eating, walking, talking, looking, exploring - was re-vitalised when he agreed that surely, we had to borrow a ton of money so we could go on the trip across USA. Because Martin is the kind of man that will listen to any crazy idea I have, think them over and make them even better.

We surely have our issues. Like, he won't let me have breakfast in bed, which I used to love (I grew up on it, for crying out loud!) He makes me spend Saturday mornings cleaning the bathroom and the kitchen while he vacuums the entire house. He rarely stays in bed 'till late, and he won't let me take my down comforter with me onto the sofa. Up until recently, he couldn't remember the exact date of my birthday - in fact, I only got it pummeled into his mind because I for a week straight asked him what date my birthday was, and every time he answered the wrong date, he got just a bit embarrased. None of us know our "anniversary" date, so at least none of us forget. But then, our relationship did evolve over time, there's been a break of a six months time and - well. What's a date, anyways?

But he's also the man that will make me tea in the morning. Or when he comes home from work and I've been stuck inside with my books for an entire day. He's the man that will make me cupcakes in the middle of the night, and entire meals out of the fridge in which I found nothing. He's the man that puts up with my mess, my stress, my too-much-work, my leftover dirty dishes next to the sink and who, back in the days when I worked really late, would snuggle up to me when I fell into bed like a sack of potatoes, too, too late in the night.

He's the man that will put his hand on my head, so I can feel the heavyness of it, and know that he's there. Not just physically, but mentally. The man is my rock, a person I know will always be there, and a person that, even though he doesn't understand me, understands. Because we've known eachother for so long, because with him, I'm just me. Not pretending, no demands of perfection, not more, not less. Me.

Martin knows how to make me laugh, he loves my silly guinea pig as much as I do and he knows what's important to me. He's the one person in the world with whom I share one of my own biggest interests: food. We cook together, or seperately, but tasting, exploring and inventing together. Making fun of each other, suggesting things, growing together. We do have very different approaches and opinions on the subject - but somehow, it all still works out.

And he's the man that will come home from being at a friend's house till late, take a deep breath just as he's entered our home and ask: Did you bake? What did you bake? And minutes later, I'll find him in the kitchen, a big smile on his face, and in his hands, a slice of a freshly baked cake, a cookie or the heel of a just-out-of-the-oven bread. I love that. I love being able to give him that.

Everyday Bread - from Berlingske Tidende, by Nanna Simonsen

This is Martin's favorite bread - he had one slice and said: "You don't need to try no more bread recipes. From this day on, I want just this bread." It was that good, apparantly. I'm not sure I'll never do another kind of bread, but ever since I made this the first time, it's been baked at least every other time bread is needed. That must say something.

I usually make a double portion, and put the dough together in the evening, then bake it in the morning. It's one of the first breads I've made that actually makes both the crust and the crumb we like: crispy on the outside, hole-y and chewy on the inside. Maybe it's the water-spritzing that does the trick? Oh yes, and the low-level handling of the dough, perhaps.

50 ml. buttermilk
400 ml. lukewarm water
5 g. fresh yeast
3 teaspoons salt
50 g. rye flour
100 g. durum wheat flour
450 g. wheat flour + extra for kneading

Put the buttermilk and water in a bowl, dissolve first the yeast, then the salt in this. Add the rye flour and the durum flour. Little by little, add the wheat flour.
When it's no longer possible to stir the batter, start using your hands. Transfer the dough to a floured counter and knead for 8-10 minutes. Try not to add too much flour. You want the dough elastic and smooth.
Gently shape the dough into a ball, then transfer to a clean bowl. Dust with a little flour, then leave to rise for 8-10 hours in a cool, but not cold place, until doubled in size.

When the dough has risen enough, preheat your oven to 250 degrees Celsius. Put baking parchment on a baking sheet and dust the parchment with flour. Gently transfer the dough to the parchment, essentially nudging it from the bowl onto the baking sheet. Nanna says to treat your dough as if it was a balloon, and I like that analogy. You don't want to loose all the air the long rise has incorporated into it. If you do wish to divide the dough in two, dust the dough with a little flour, then cut in half and gently divide it. Push the dough a little into a breadlike shape, but don't poke it too much.
Make a couple cuts on the diagonal in the shaped breads, then bake in the preheated oven. (no, there is no rising after shaping the bread - it doesn't need it. I was a little baffled at this the first time I made it, but trust me, it works) Before you put the bread in, spritz the oven with a little water, to create a steamy environment for the dough to bake in. Turn the temperature down to 225 degrees Celsius. Repeat the spritzing a couple times while the bread is baking. The bread will be done in about 30 minutes, but keep an eye on it after 20. Leave to cool on a baking rack.

On The Twentyfirst Day of Christmas: A Photo Essay of a Day with Loads o' Cake

2007-12-21T23:01:00.000+01:00

One of my old friends, a chef from one of the restaurants I worked at, recently had a crazy idea. It's really like him though, he gets crazy ideas, and that's what makes him so much fun to hang around.

This time, it involved cake, and a group of people loving cakes. To be specific, we're about 200 people who's all joined a group called "Team Kagemand" (team cake man, literally) on Facebook (what, you're not caught in there yet?). We fight for the good cake - those with REAL, proper, ingredients. No butter substitutes. No strawberries in the dead of winter. Good chocolate. Fresh nuts. No plastic-wrapped monstrosities from the back of the rack. Homemade, with love. That's what we're all about.

And two weeks ago, a couple of us met up, all bearing - cakes. Only 14 of us came, but I think that was probably a good thing - I couldn't imagine the tummy ache I might have had otherwise... Hopefully, this was only the beginning of Team Kagemand's adventures...

I was trying to put some advice from Lara to good use. I most definitely have issues with my whitebalance and that yellow hue, and generally, why are people moving about when I'm in the proces of taking a picture? But just having her advice in the back of my head made me think about what kind of pictures I was going for, and being conscious about my camera and where I point it is something I need to work on. I can't help but feel that too much mucking about with the photos afterwards isn't what I'm going for. Besides, I'm not very skilled in the editing department, either. Hopefully, I'll learn. Baby steps... :)

On The Twentieth Day of Christmas: Serve Them Creamy Tomato-Carrot Soup

2007-12-20T18:08:00.000+01:00

My idea of Julestue, when I started it three years ago, was for people to drop by for a nibble of something sweet, a sip of something Christmassy and then to move on. An informal event, some people standing, some people hanging around upstairs, some people sitting by the table chatting, some people boiling water for coffee in the kitchen. Mixing my family and Martins, and adding friends into the mix. Christmas Classics on the stereo, people wishing each other a Merry Christmas. Lots of cookies.

But you know, people don't seem to leave once they get here. They may not all arrive at the same time, but gosh darn it, none of them leave. It's not like I don't like having them around - I did invite them in the first place - and we do have a sort of large apartment - but 25+ people is just on the verge of what it's possible to have hanging around when they can't all sit down at the same time. And I think I figured out why they don't leave. They know proper food is coming later on. How do they know? Because the first time we had Julestue, we served a little savoury thing, but not until a little later on. Reversed meal, cookies first, then salty food later, and it wasn't mean to be a meal as such, but. Now we're stuck in it. Besides, it works. Once they've had their food, they seem to get it, and then they leave. After having another cookie or two, at least ;)

Feeding a crowd is one thing, but feeding a crowd when you have limited resources as to the number of plates, cutlery and seating spaces available, you are somewhat restricted. I told you about my love for glasses before, and Julestue is one event where I wouldn't know what to do without my (okay, HUGE) collection of glasses. Yes, I could use plastic cups (and I do use plastic spoons), but I'm a snob and a half and I like using real dinnerware or in this case, glassware, if at all possible. Apart from using glasses for glögg, coffee, tea etc., I serve soup in them. Besides the fact that it's practical, and, I think, pretty - is that your guests can easily stand up and spoon a little soup into their mouths, tapas-style. Soup is great for these kinds of events - people love a warm, creamy, pureed vegetable soup after having gorged themselves on cookies, you can make it in large quantities, it reheats easily and you don't necessarily need any form of garnish with it, other than maybe a hunk of bread.

So I serve soup, homebaked bread, Mom-in-laws leverpostej (liver paté), her pickled beets and some thinly sliced spegepølse (salami). People sitting down make sandwiches, pass them along on napkins to the people standing up or running around (that would be the kids) - and there is no real need for plates, yet people feel like they get proper food.

Feeding people like this, I'm pretty sure to have my home back in an hour. Maybe two. But sometimes, someone puts the kettle on for another round of coffee and cookies...;)

Creamy Tomato-Carrot Soup - a recipe Martin got from an old colleague
6-8 servings

This is ridiculously easy to make. Cut up your vegetables, boil, purée. You can freeze it, but I find that it looses taste after having been frozen. I know, tomatoes aren't really in season, but sometimes, you need that little reminder of sunshine and summer in the midst of winter. Find the best ones you can. You could probably also substitute a good quality canned tomato, but I've never actually tried that myself.

8-10 large tomatoes
3 large carrots, peeled
2-3 large onions
3 cloves of garlic
1/4-1/2 head of celeriac, peeled
1 fresh red chili, deseeded
500 ml. cream
500 ml. full fat milk
salt and pepper to taste, maybe a pinch of sugar also?

Cut up all of your ingredients into 3-4 cm. sized bits. Put in a pot, pour over your milk and cream, and bring to the boil. Let simmer until the vegetables are soft, about half an hour. Purée in a blender - let it run for a while, making sure the soup gets really smooth. Reheat once puréed, then season to taste with salt and pepper. If you find the soup to be too thick, thin it with a little water, or more cream or milk.

Serve, if you wish, with a dollop of créme fraîche or a swirl of olive oil or maybe croutons, or how about pumpkin seeds? Or you could make basil oil - purée blanched basil leaves with a spoonful or two of your best olive oil, then swirl that on top. And I like a slice of homemade bread on the side, for dipping into the soup.

On The Nineteenth Day of Christmas: How to get rid of those Christmas-shopping sore feet.

2007-12-19T21:30:00.001+01:00

By buying marzipan and nougat. Bo Bojesen is a chocolatier (and a chef, and all sorts of other food related stuff) and he has collected the best Marcona almonds he could find, made it into marzipan, then found some awesome hazelnuts from Turkey and turned that into soft, sweet nougat. And now, he sells it. For like, people money. If you are anywhere near these boxes, you owe it to yourself to buy these. You're worth it, you know. And after eating a couple slices of each, sandwiched together, it's like your feet aren't that sore anymore...:)

The last of Julestue will be back tomorrow! I'm exhausted, but I think I got all of my Christmas presents today - wo-hoo!

On The Eighteenth Day of Christmas: [DANSK] Æbleskiver

2007-12-18T15:11:00.000+01:00

Allow me to continue where I left off yesterday - yes, I most certainly will stretch those photos from the Julestue for as many days and posts as possible!

I shot the photos the day after the actual get-together. As I said yesterday, I try to organize myself out of anything that may happen, but I sure am busy like a little bee when I do these things. I'm not quite the proverbial chicken without it's head, and people generally get fed within a short time after they've arrived, but. Still. I have, over time, managed to get so together that I no longer relive the first birthday party I threw all by myself, where the first dish was on the table oh, a good three hours after people had arrived. But. Busy. So it's not often I get to take photos during the party (of people, maybe, but food, seldom) and besides, it was already dark outside. We all know that me + photos + darkness is no good match.

What I do try to manage is to get some photos of making the food - you can only imagine how many pictures I have of ingredients and batters and so on, with no end result. Hey, maybe I should start making little "guess what dish these photos adds up to?"-quizzes?

But, I digress. I try to organize myself out of the hoo-hah. Like, I make sure I have all the plates and glasses and serving dishes that I need ready, and I know what dish goes in which bowl and on what platter. I set the table and get out the extra chairs. I make sure new candles are put in their holders and the soap dispensers are filled (and that extra toilet paper is stocked). I make sure my pantry is well-stocked: sugar, flour, salt, spices etc. Oh yes, and freezer bags, parchment paper, paper towels, and napkins are at the ready - nothing more annoying than running out of any of these when you have 25+ people stopping by. I do this several days in advance.

I also make as much as possible of the food beforehand. I make dough for bread and leave for over-night rising. The soup (and more about that later) was made two days in advance and kept in the fridge. The glögg extract was made a good 14 days before I needed it.

This was not one of my bigger events (people-wise, yes, but the food was kept pretty simple, and my mother-in-law even brought a couple things), so arranging for extra fridge space wasn't an issue. Neither was matching recipes you could do well in advance (and maybe even freeze) with recipes that needed a simple arranging or recipes that needed heating or cutting just before serving. I will usually do a little calculating in my head - especially because I like serving lots of smaller dishes - regarding how many dishes that need to be on the stovetop and/or in the oven, and those needing to be lukewarm, compared to how many dishes that will almost already be on the table when people arrive. There is plenty of calculating to do - and sometimes, I err on things.

Like these æbleskiver. I thought I'd figured out how long it would take for me to make them. Making one try-out batch on Thursday night, using one pan, taking me about 45 minutes, I figured I could do a quadruple batch, using two pans and get it over with in about 2 hours. I figured I could heat glögg and boil water for tea and coffee and arrange cookies in between turning the æbleskiver, 'cause you don't need to watch them like a hawk all the time. It would be perfect.

As you may have guessed, that didn't work out exactly as planned, but hey, I actually think there's a charm to greeting your guests while still in an apron. I like my apron, and it just goes to show that I actually cook and bake what I serve myself. Luckily, my guests are the kind that will gladly don one of the other aprons in the kitchen and lend me a hand - that is exactly the kind of place I want to live in. A place where people feel at home, where they aren't afraid to jump in to help because they're intimidated by the cook, and where they are greeted by the scent of lemon zest, baking and freshly brewed coffee wafting through the door and down the stairs. Mmm, home.

Æbleskiver - Camilla Plum's Jul

The translation of æbleskiver is apple slices, but there's nothing slice about these and in the commercial version definitely nothing apple either. The name, however, does stem from there originally being added a slice of apple to the batter as it was cooking, just before turning it over. I added apple (in cubes) to mine, and liked the little fresh fruit burst it gave.

Commercial æbleskiver are a lot greasier and more puffy than the ones I made. I'm sure with training, I could get rounder and prettier looking æbleskiver, but tastewise, these definitely beat the commercial variety (am I surprised? No ;)) For another time, I'll make them well in advance (the day, or even two before), especially if I'm feeding a crowd - you have to start early to get them done, so no matter what, the first ones you've made will have gotten cold and need reheating. Once made, if making them well in advance, you can keep them in the fridge, then reheat them in a 50-100 degree Celsius hot oven, laying them out on baking sheets and covering with foil. It's my experience that while in the fridge, they harden up a bit, but after 5-10 minutes in that lukewarm oven they go soft and supple again, just the way I like them. In my opinion, æbleskiver aren't supposed to be crusty goods, but they can be, depending on how long you heat them. If that's the way you want them, just heat them a little longer.

You do need an æbleskiver-pande for this. That there is no way around :)

Makes about 25

250 ml. milk
15 g. yeast
3 eggs - divided in yolks and whites
1 tablespoon sugar
200 g. flour
½ teaspoon groudn cardamom - or more if you like
zest of one lemon
65 g. melted butter
8 small apples, I used a variety called pigeon, I'm nut sure what they're called in English - they're small, red-skinned, but with a perfectly white interior. The taste is reminiscent of almonds (so wise people tell me)

extra butter for the pan

Heat the milk until lukewarm and dissolve the yeast in it.

In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Into this, whisk the flour alternately with the milk/yeast blend. Stir in the melted butter, cardamom and lemon zest.

Whip the eeg whites until they form stiff peaks, then fold these into the batter.

Leave the batter somewhere warm for about 30 minutes. When the time is up, the batter should have risen a bit and be foamy and "alive".

Heat up your æbleskive-pan. Add a little butter to each hole. Once the butter has stopped foaming, add a spoonful of batter. You want the hole to be full, but definitely not overflowing. Add little cubes of apple to the batter, gently pushing it into the batter with a toothpick.

Once the batter is bubbling all around the edge, it's time to turn the æbleskive. With a toothpick (or like mu Mom suggested, a knitting pin - or maybe an old, small-ish fork?) stuck into the edge, flip the æbleskive over so the unbaked batter fills the hole. This takes some training, and the first batch usually flops (just like pancakes), but you will get the hang of it. Bake untill done, maybe turning once more. Keep up until you have no more batter.

Oh yes, last but not least - æbleskiver are served with lots of powdered sugar (NOT regular sugar!) and strawberry jam (NOT some other variety!) Heh. I mean, that's how I do it, and seeing it's Christmas and traditions and what have you, I have to say it like this, don't I? In the real world, you can have it with any kind of jam and sugar you fancy, I suppose. It's just not right, you know ;)

Æbleskiver aftermath...

On The Seventeenth Day of Christmas: [DANSK] Hvid Glögg

2007-12-17T20:42:00.000+01:00

Ah yes. Yesterday was all about the Julestue - our Christmas Open House for family and friends. It's third year in a row we're doing it and I love it. There's something about gathering the people you love around you, treating them well and stuff them with goodies of the drinkable and edible kind.

I try to be organized when I throw these things. Even more so this year, 'cause Martin was working. The two last years, my Bonus-Mom C's also been around before the guests arrived - it is usually our Christmas Cookie Baking Day - but this year, she had to be somewhere else (it was her godson's birthday. Pshs! ;)). So she wasn't there either - I was all by myself. Not that I mind. But as I said, I try to be organized. I didn't say I always manage...

Drinks - those I managed. Coffee, tea, lots of cold water, dad-in-law brought cold beers and then I made white glögg. One of the good things about glögg is that you can make the extract well in advance, and then all you have to do is heat it up before you serve it. That does mean you need to make sure you have a heat-source of some kind available, and not, say, occupied by æbleskive-pander... But one can only be so well-planned.

Glögg made from red wine is the traditional thing, but we've made this white glögg for the last two years, and I think we're going to keep it up. I find the red version to become a little sickly sweet fast, while this white one is a little fresher. I haven't tried it with cider yet, but can only imagine it to be good. Oh yes, and don't splurge on a fancy bottle of wine - you're going to load it with spices, rum and sugar anyways, so it would be a shame to use that lovely Chablis you got from work. Something cheap-ish, but okay, and fresh, not something that's been open for four weeks. You get it, right?

White Glögg - from Camilla Plum, again

makes about 12 glasses (depending on the size, of course!) - I serve it in small glasses and probably get about 16. Glögg is a thing you love and want more of, or have one glass of because 'tis the season and all, but really, you don't appreciate it all that much. With small glasses, it's possible to have just that obligatory glass and then the people that love it can go get themselves a refill in the kitchen. You could choose to put a couple pitchers or thermos with glögg on the table too, just make sure it's warm when it's served. Pitchers will lose heat fast, and thermos will take up the taste of the warm wine, so for me, the "refill's are in the kitchen!" works best. Plus it's a great way to lure people into the kitchen, and maybe have them lend a hand with the dishes at the same time :)

2 bottles white wine/real cider (1,5 liter total)
200 ml. dark rum (maybe more?)
4 star anise
4 thick slices ginger
half nutmeg
20 black peppercorns
2 cinammon sticks
4 all spice berries
4 juniper berries
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
Piece of one bay leaf
Zest of 1 lemon
cane sugar

Crush the spices lightly in a mortar - put them, together with the lemon zest and 500 ml. water, in a pot and let it simmer for half an hour. Leave to infuse for at least a day - I've left mine for up to 14 days with no problems.

When ready to drink, sieve the extract into a pot, and mix it with the wine/cider. Heat it till just below boiling - do not let it boil, ever, you'll boil away the alcohol ;) - and add sugar and rum to taste. Serve straight away. If you wish, you can also add yellow or green raisins, soaked in rum, to the glasses. Sometimes, people put in slivered almonds as well, but I personally think it's overkill. It's good in the red version though.

On The Sixteenth Day of Christmas: Oh. So. Tired!

2007-12-16T22:38:00.000+01:00

Vaniliekranse - again...

Yes, another excuse. There was loadsa people. And great company. Christmas music with Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby and, of course, Wham. Cookies and æbleskiver and glögg. Hygge. I will tell you all about it tomorrow, 'cause right now, I have a date with my couch. I promise I'll have a proper post for you tomorrow. Promise! Seriously. I'm off from school tomorrow, you see. He!

On The Fifteenth Day of Christmas: Oh. So. Busy!

2007-12-15T23:24:00.000+01:00

That's what I am. Good thing I had a substantial breakfast - Martin makes a mean omelet, and this one was portobello mushrooms, bacon, cubes of pecorino and a little parsley. Very good.The rest of the day was crazy busy.

Tomorrow, my entire family and a couple of friends to boot, will arrive at our apartment, expecting Christmas Cookies, glögg, æbleskiver and oh, the usual Christmas suspects. So I'm cooking and baking - and have been shopping - up a storm. I'll be back tomorrow with goodies. Christmas is all about waiting...:)

On The Fourteenth Day of Christmas: Sweet Like Chocolate, Girls

2007-12-14T23:36:00.001+01:00

A couple weeks ago, I had a veritable Chocolate Extravaganza get-together at my place. The occasion? Oh, I don't know. Isn't wanting to eat a lot of chocolate enough? Do we NEED an occasion? I didn't think so.

Actually, I was convinced I had to throw this party-of-a-kind by my two cousins. Those of you who's been around for a while know I have a weird family tree, so naturally, these two aren't my real cousins, but my Bonus-mom's nieces. They're 15 and 20 years old, respectively, we battle each other in SingStar and on top of that, they're gorgeous, tall, blond, funny girls and one loves food more than the other. They get all of that from their Mom, my Bonus-Aunt, I'm sure. It's a tough family to like, eh?;)

In October last year, we all, bonus-mom, my dad and my younger siblings, bonus-aunt and bonus cousins, me and Martin, had the good fortune to spend a couple days, courtesy of Bonus-Granddad, at a beautiful place on Fyn. Fyn is where Hans Christian Andersen was born, and yes, it is kind of fairytale-ish, if you ask me. I mean, we stayed at a castle fer crying out loud!

Hvedholm Slot

What we also did while there, was to go to Falsled Kro, one of the best restaurants in Denmark, to have hot chocolate and croissants. They served proper hot chocolate there - as in "you can stand a spoon upright in this, and it'll stay put upright" hot chocolate. The girls were swooning. And that was when I made the minor faux pas of mentioning I could certainly make this, too!

Then, during this summer, we went on a brief stint to Skagen (the northern-most point of Denmark), and had lunch, just Martin, the cousins and me. We went to Ruth's Hotel:

- a cute, old hotel and brasserie, run by one of the best chefs in Denmark. We had Gâteau Marcel. And F, the older cousin, almost cried. It was soooo good. And I told them why, I have the recipe for that cake at home in one of my books. And that was how I was lured...

Fast forward more than a year, and I finally pulled myself and 1 kilo (!!!) of Valrhona chocolate together and made them awesome thick, hot chocolate. And chocolate cake. Just to make sure we all got the theobromine we needed. It is a womans right, you know.

Gâteau Marcel - from Michel Micheaud

For some reason, I wasn't quite pleased with this. It wasn't as dark and heavy as I remembered it from Ruth's Hotel. It was probably the chocolate I used (which, silly me, I'm not that much into really dark chocolate, so I used half 70% and half milk chocolate) so I URGE you to try it with all dark chocolate - it was AWESOME back at Ruth's. I've never tried making chocolate curls before, but it was easy and fun, and I love the sophisticated look.

140 g. dark chocolate (70%)
140 g. sugar
140 g. unsalted butter
7 egg whites
5 egg yolks

One 24 cm. spring form cake pan, brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with sugar.
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius

Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie, add the butter and 80 g. sugar.
Take of the heat, then stir in the egg yolks.
Whip the egg whites until just stiff. Add the last 60 g. sugar, then whip until peaks form.
Mix the egg whites into the chocolate mixture - gently, gently.
Use three quarters of the batter for baking - gently pour it into the prepared spring form pan. Bake for about 40 minutes. Cover the rest of the batter, and leave in the fridge until later.
Once the cake has cooled, add the refrigerated batter to the top of the baked cake. Serve with chocolate curls on top, or sift a little cocoa or powdered sugar on top.

Proper Hot Chocolate
Chop 200 g. of best quality dark chocolate. Put in a big container. L, the younger cousin actually had me add 100 grams more chocolate, it just wasn't thick enough, she thought. That girl is crazy about her chocolate...;)

Gently heat 500 ml. milk and 200 ml. whipping cream in a pot, together with 3 tablespoons sugar. If you like, throw in a split vanilla pod, too. Once it's just below boiling point - do NOT let it boil! - pour over the chopped chocolate, while whisking gently. You're just whisking to melt the chocolate, so small circular motions will do. Leave to cool. You can easily make this a day in advance, in fact, it will leave the flavors time to develop. It'll keep in the fridge.

Once you're ready to drink, gently heat the chocolate-mixture, again, taking care not to let it boil. Lightly hand whip 2-300 ml. whipping cream (yes, it does make a difference whether you whip by hand or with a mixer. In my book, anyways)

Serve the hot chocolate with a spoonful of whipped cream on top, and more on the side. This portion will make enough for 8 small cups, but it really is crazy rich - you can't drink more than a small cup. Even though you really, really want to.

The cake here in the last picture is not the Gâteau Marcel - it was a chocolate cake with white chocolate cream cheese frosting, and while it looked good, it was a disappointment - therefore, you get no recipe. Yes, I actually made two chocolate cakes to go with the hot chocolate. When you're going do it, you might as well go all the way!

On The Thirteenth Day of Christmas: Something To Chew On

2007-12-13T20:31:00.000+01:00

This is actually more of a spring/summer dish, but forgive me. I'm not putting one more of those yellow photos up here again (yet). It's not totally out of season though - yesterday, I laid my hands on a lovely head of spring cabbage and remembered this dish I made in - spring. It's a lighter version of coleslaw, if you will. Ah, spring! Today was 1 degree Celsius outside, and I, stupid me, forgot to put on pantyhose under my jeans. Brrr.

This is not so much a recipe, as it is a set of instructions. Slice your cabbage finely, and dress it with a couple pinches of salt and sugar. Leave to one side for half an hour. The salt and sugar will lightly cure the cabbage, and make for a smoother chew. Meanwhile, toast your pine nuts and leave to cool.

When you're ready, give the cabbage a good grind of pepper and mix in half the pine nuts. Transfer to a pretty bowl and top with the rest of the pine nuts. There's no dressing as such, but if you think it needs a spike, a little white wine or champagne vinegar could definitely work.

Serve with fish, or maybe a pork chop, a frikadelle or... something grilled. Dream of sun and bird song (and forget for a second that you haven't bought all your Christmas presents yet. Like me. Yikes!)

On The Tweltfth Day of Christmas: Just Another Weeknight Wednesday

2007-12-12T21:49:00.000+01:00

Yeah, so the picture's yellow-ish, and not all that fantastic and haven't I just told you that I'm getting better at taking photos? Well, I'm sorry, but that's what you're gonna get - I'm busy lounging on the couch, with my Man, three episodes of CSI, tea and a Banana Chocolate Bread. Beat that. I know, I'm lucky. So this is all you get - the recipe for the cake - it's not like the world really needs one more recipe for banana bread, but this is our favorite. Maybe yours, too?

Banana Chocolate Bread - from The Little Red Barn Baking Book

195 g. sugar
110 g. unsalted butter, room temperature.
80 ml. butter milk
250 g. flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
250 g. mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)
125 g. chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Butter and flour a 23 x 10 cm., 7 cm. deep loaf pan.

Sift the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda together. In a seperate bowl, cream the butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition. Fold in the mashed bananas.

Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comesout clean. Leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing. If you have that kind of time.

On The Eleventh Day of Christmas: Friends IRL

2007-12-11T23:34:00.000+01:00

When was the last time you made a new friend? I mean, a real life new friend? Not just a new person stopping by your blog, leaving a comment, and with whom you feel strangely connected? But a real, flesh-and-blood friend? How do you even make that kind of friends??

It's no longer something you just do, is it? I'm making the assumption that the larger part of food bloggers are past the age of elementary school here, but really. They don't just fall into your lap, once you've reached a certain age, do they?

When you're a kid, you're constantly bombarded with new friends. First, kindergarten - all new people. Then, you start school - hello! If you're lucky, you know some of the kids from kindergarten, but if you're not, they're all unfamiliar faces. Then it's high school, college, university, whatever you call it where you live - and then slam! It's over. Yes, there are jobs, new jobs, new faces, but honestly, its' not often you stumble across someone that actually gets to be part of your life. That you feel like you need to keep in your life. Why is that? Do we simply grow to lazy to put in the effort it sometimes take to establish a friendship? Do we already have enough friends?

I don't know about you, but my interest in food started relatively late in life. I have a lot of dear, dear friends, and it's not like they don't like food. But. It just seems it's not as over-shadowing an interest to most of them as it is to me. And sometimes, you just want to spend hours waxing over the superiority of organic products vs. regular, or arborio vs. carnaroli rice, without constantly having people yawn with boredom. Having found this forum, this foodblogging business, where you can make as many internet friends as you want, that all, each and everyone, are as crazy about food (if not more so) as you? That is a gift.

I had the great fortune to turn a couple of these so called virtual friends into IRL friends when M and I travelled across the States. Some of them were even so generous as to open up their own homes, even the homes of their relatives, for us. That trip just wouldn't have been the same, hadn't it been for you women. Did I ever thank you? Like publicly? Just in case I didn't, and because either way, it can't be said enough, let it be heard, from the bottom of my heart:

THANK YOU. For giving us a home while on the road, for feeding us, giving us a place to sleep and an opportunity to wash our clothes. For showing us great times. For being your lovely selves. For telling us about your culture, your country, your people. For being real.

But why do you have to be so far away?;)

I've also had the chance to have a couple people come meet me here, in Copenhagen. Got the chance to show them a tiny bit of the city I love so much. Awesome, too. There really is something about putting a face to all those words you read, almost on a daily basis. To find out they are real people, with feelings and opinions, in other departments than the food one, too. and it makes reading of their blogs (if they have such ones) so much more interesting.

But why do you have to be so far away, too??

Luckily, it seems the virtual-turning-IRL friends aren't only to be found outside this country. Because there is also Anne.

Anne is a girl that, about two years ago, found my blog. She found my e-mail adress and wrote me the dearest mail, explaining about her own relationship with food, how she loved it and how she was in the midst of doing an internship at a cooking school in the South of France, and oh, the food they made, and is Pierre Hermé a genius or what?? How could I not like this girl? We e-mailed back and forth for a while, planning to meet once Anne was back from France, I was done studying for exams etc. etc. You know how life is.

And finally, a couple of weeks ago, having met each other only briefly one night in December 2006, when Anne coincidentally came to have dinner at the restaurant I worked at, we managed to set up a cooking date at my place. One Friday afternoon, we finally browsed cookbooks together, planned a menu, went shopping for ingredients, came back, cooked and talked about food, men, life histories, more food and oh - you know. Everything you talk to a new friend about.

It wasn't hard, or weird, or akward, as I thought it might have been. In fact, it never has been, when I've met my virtual friends IRL - and hopefully, this isn't the last transformation of friendships that's happened. Because it's just plain old fun and good times. And you know? There's ALWAYS food involved - good food!:)

Henriette's Apple Cake - from Æbler af Per Kølster (Recipes by Camilla Plum)

Anne made this cake for us - one of the great things about new friends is their fresh look at what gems your cookbook shelves are hiding. I would never have jumped at this recipe, but Anne saw it and decided that was what we were having. Good choice, too. It's sorta meringue-y, but the apples takes teh sugar high tendencies you sometimes get with meringue onto a reasonable level. Oh yes, and you MUST have this with whipped cream - I'm usually all for creme fraiche with apple cakes, but softly whipped cream is but pure love with this. Give it a go.

(the original recipe calls for double the amounts given here - since we were just the two of us, we scaled it down)

750 g. apples - you want something like Belle de Boskoop or Cox Orange
50 ml. dry white wine (you could substitute water easily)
1 vanilla bean
2 tabelspoons sugar

180 g. blanched almonds
180 g. sugar
110 g. butter (room temperature)
1 egg
1 egg white
40. g. flour

Butter an 18 cm. spring form pan. Line it with parchment paper, then butter the parchment. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Peel the apples and remove the core. Chop the apples up and boil them in apot, together with wine, sugar and the vanilla bean (cut it open and scrape out the seeds into the apples - put both the seeds and the pod into the pot) Boil over a low heat until you get a very firm apple "mash". You don't need to boil it to oblivion, some firm pieces in there are fine - just make sure it isn't too wet. Leave to cool

Chop the almonds very finely. Beat them together with the butter and sugar until it's soft and creamy. Stir in the egg and egg white (I actually think we just used two whole, small eggs) Stir in the flour. The batter will be pretty soft, so you need to spread it out evenly into the prepared spring form pan. Only use half to start, making a layer about 2 cm. thick.

On top of that, spread your apples. Top with the rest of the batter. Bake for 45-60 minutes - if it grows to dark on top too fast, cover with a little foil.

Leave to cool before unmolding. Eat with softly whipped cream.

On The Tenth Day of Christmas: Bacon - How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways...

2007-12-10T13:12:00.000+01:00

1. I love you in thin slices, with my weekend morning's scrambled eggs. You make eggs the Belle of the Morning Table. You make eggs the Belle of any table, in fact.

2. I love you in a greasy burger, smothered in cheese, ketchup and mayo.

3. I love you in thick slices, with kartofler og persillesovs (it's a Danish thing). I would alwaus choose you, bacon, over your non-smoked brother, flæsk.

4. I love you in a quiche, with a crumbly tart shell, and meltingly tender leeks, a dash of cream, and. You. Maybe a frisée salad on the side.

5. I love you in cubes, fried, then tossed with a salad of baby greens, goat's cheese and maybe a crouton or two.

6. I love you in a BLT. Especially if you add a little avocado as well. I think bacon and avocado is a match made in heaven.

7. I love you with cabbage. Controlling the sharp taste of cabbage is something only few can do. With brussel sprouts, you're at your game, noone above you, noone beside you. You rule the brussel sprouts.

8. I love you with white fish. Your smokyness and saltiness adds a depth to a dish, that noone else can. You bring out the best in what your pair up with.

9. I love you crumbled over a baked potato with sour cream and chives.

10. I love your leftover grease, using it in breads, with beans, or in my favorite, the bacon vinaigrette.

11. I love you crumbled on top of soups, dazzling me with your crunch and flavor, you do.

12. I love you with chicken. You add that little extra oomph, that makes chicken/mayo salad stand out, and win over the other mayo salads, when you're by her side.

13. I love you with jerusalem artichokes. You make sure their sweetnes is tamed, their taste of nuts enhanced. You make jerusalem artichokes stand at the top of the podium, smiling.

14. I love you in carbonara. Playing with some of your best friends, Egg Yolk & Cream, you make everybody all warm and fuzzy inside.

15. I love you with warm leverpostej and mushrooms. No wonder the Danes have taken to you so.

16. I love you, munched in crispy, crackly bits, straight off of the kitchen towel where you lay to drain, after having been fried.

... And to think I was once a vegetarian.

On The Ninth Day of Christmas: A Package Arrives

2007-12-09T22:15:00.000+01:00

Good things come in brown packages. But what? You will have to come back tomorrow to find out...

(I have been to a cake fest. Seriously - I think I have cake coming out my ears. I'm all sugared out!)

On The Eighth Day of Christmas: Photo Makeover! The Best Sweet Chili Sauce. Still

2007-12-08T21:56:00.000+01:00

Shameless, shameless. Yes, weekends should be the time where I had plenty of hours at my leisure, to spend blogging and - you know, doing the other things life requires of me. And that is exactly what I have been doing - the things life's requiring of me. Like making chilisauce again, 'cause lordy, we've almost run out - oh the horror!

Of course, I jumped at the chance to snap some new pictures while I was at it. As much as I am a kind of person that very seldom regrets anything, I just didn't feel very, well - proud - of the photos accompanying my original post for chilisauce. Which, coincidentally, is probably my most Google'd post. (I'm second on the list - doesn't that make me almost famous?!?) Honestly, those photos are crap, and the people arriving here from Google deserve better. You deserve better. And while I still have a whole lot to learn in the photography department, I can, without saying too much, do better than that, today. So here is the post again, recycled, but all brand new. (If you haven't made this yet, I still urge you to try it. It's easy, and the results are so, so worth it)

The Best Sweet Chili Sauce. EVAH!
Originally posted to Food & Thoughts on March 4th, 2005

So you're probably going: why on EARTH would I want to slave over my own chilisauce, when there are so many nice brands out there, that are even cheap? Well, I for one do, simply because this is the best one I've ever had. The taste may not be as the commercial kind, here you can taste every single ingredient - maybe I'm not able to taste the galangal from the ginger, but I know it's there! And there's just something weirdly satisfying about reading a recipe that says "2 tablespoons of chilisauce", then taking that little, dark, sweet-spicy smelling, sticky jar of your own homemade sauce out of the fridge, instead of a large bottle. I'm weird like that, but I do like that feeling...

Sweet Chili Sauce
Makes three small jars (250 ml each)

You need:
10 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 large red chilies, stems removed
3 thumbs of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 thumb of galangal, peeled and roughly chopped
8 lime leaves
3 lemon-grass stems; remove the two outside leaves, discard the top third of the stem and finely slice the remainder
1 cup fresh coriander leaves

Put in a food processor and purée to a coarse paste.

Then put
1½ cups caster sugar
together with 4 tablespoons water in a saucepn, place on a moderate heat, stirring well intil the sugar dissolves. When it has, remove the spoon and turn up the heat to full. Boil for 5-8 minutes, do not stir, but of course, don't let the caramel burn either. (I never actually need to turn the heat to full - it seems to boil away nicely on a medium heat with me...)

Stir in the paste, bring the sauce back to the boil and add:

100 ml cider vinegar
50 ml Asian fish sauce
50 ml tamari

Return to the boil and simmer for 1 minute. Pour in jars, and leave to cool before eating.

The recipe is not actually made to be a keeper, but I've had mine around in jars for about a year or so, no problemos at all - I don't really do anything special to keep them, other than sterilizing the jars (ok, basically pouring boiling water over them before I fill them!) and keep them in the fridge. Also, if you want it to be HOT you could probably leave some of the chili seeds in - this really isn't hot at all, but I just am not that big on hot-hot stuff...

I stole the recipe from Peter Gordon's: The Sugar Club Cookbook, a, in my opinion, really nice book. Very pacific rim, and okay, I am a bit biased: I used to work at The Sugar Club's sister restaurant, Bali Sugar -when The Sugar Club moved to Soho, the owners opened yet another restaurant, Bali Sugar, at the original place in Notting Hill, so all the pictures in this book is from the restaurant I used to work at. Ah, memories!

In the cookbook, the chilisauce is served with grilled scallops, watercress and creme fraiche - that's a great combo, and a signature Peter Gordon dish! I'd also use the chilisauce with homemeade fries aka potato wedges - small saucer with creme fraiche, small saucer with chilisauce, and then you dip your potato wedge into each one alternately. I had this in Australia and though I at first thought the combination sorta weird, it really worked!

On The Seventh Day of Christmas: Working Out Those Green Thumbs - Growing Cress

2007-12-07T20:35:00.001+01:00

These are some of the remains of The Balcony. Actually, only the thyme (far left) and the rosemary (middle) is from the balcony. The basil is a new addition, seeing I killed my basil not far into summer. The rain killed it, that is. There's still quite a small bundle of thyme on the balcony now - it seems to thrive in the cold up there. The rosemary has liked taking up warmer quarters and is growing like crazy.

As for the rest of plants I scattered around the apartment in the end of September, well... The pineapple sage has gotten some sort of bug, but is growing. The regular sage - dead. Both of them. Majoram - is not really liking me, seeing I forget to water it (so who can blame it?) but it seems to hang in there. Bay tree? Keeping it real. Lemon verbena - hibernating, I hope. Tarragon? Doing better than ever!

But what I'm really having fun trying out my 10 green thumbs on these days is cress. I remember us growing cress back in kindergarten, in cut up milk cartons with a little cotton in the bottom. The fact that it grows so fast - mine was ready to cut in less than seven days! - is always a treat when you have kids - or those young at heart, like me - around.

I'm so having egg salad with home grown cress tomorrow...

How to grow cress:
Cress seeds are inexpensive and easy to come buy around here. You can grow them in a windowsill, mine don't get much direct sunlight, but it's not in shadow entirely. The key, in my experience, is to keep whatever you grow the seeds on (paper towels, cotton, soil) moist at all times. Apparently, it may go bitter otherwise. So gently water your chosen growing medium - scatter a few seeds (pretty close) on top, and now, wait. Water as necessary - the paper towels, in my case, leaked a little water when you pressed a finger on it, which seemed fine - the only other ingredient you need is a small bit of patience. In anything from 5 to 10 days, you'll have a thick, green blanket of lovely cress, ready for your egg salads, tomato-mayo sandwiches or whatever you fancy.

On The Sixth Day of Christmas: Breakfast for the People That Don't Like Getting Up Early Enough To Make It: Granolabars!

2007-12-06T17:03:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, I had actually planned to get home early so I could snap a couple of pictures before the last snippet of daylight was gone. If one of these days you'll see a post with the title: Yeah, so the picture is awful, but the meal was awesome! you shouldn't be surprised. I've whined about the whole darkness thing before, and I probably will again. Don't let it scare you. I like darkness, and the almost obligatory accesory of woolen socks, hot chocolate and roaring fire places that goes with it. But taking pictures in it is not a hoot.

Enough already. What happened yesterday that prevented me from shooting food in daylight was a breakdown on the train line that I catch every morning and every afternoon, going back and forth to the hospital. Instead of the 45 minutes I usually spend on the train, it took me two hours. Doh. But sometimes, that's just the way it is, and while it is slightly annoying, I got a good chance to leaf through the cookbook I brought - I really can't study on the train. Sorry, just can't ;) I also got to contemplate how to work around the fact that both Martin and I are notoriusly bad breakfast eaters. Me, it's got to do with the whole 6 am thing, Martin is more of a 8 am thing, but the result is the same. We don't eat breakfast, we're crazy hungry at 10 o'clock, then eat something nasty and probably not very nutritious, and definitely not very homemade.

Martin's been poking me to make the granolabars I used to do again, so we could eat those. While I think Nigella's recipe for granola is still the best I've come across, the granolabar recipes I've tried needed some tweaking that I hadn't gotten round to working on. Waiting on busses and trains, I figured out what I might needed to do to them, so when I got home, I tried it, and this morning - on the train, still not getting up early! - I had one scrumptious granolabar for breakfast. I almost felt healthy. And I didn't even have to get up earlier than usual - that's a quality I really dig!

Granolabars
Yes, there's butter and sugar in there, so relatively speaking, they aren't as healthy as a bowl of oatmeal. But hey. You make them yourself, so at least they aren't full of weirdo additives and other ickies as the bought kind may be. Calculating the nutritional info, I got about 270 calories, (about 100 of these from fat), which actually isn't to bad. It's more than a grocery store granolabar, but these are so much better, and I'll eat a homemade one over a storebought one any day. I'm like that.

These are chewy granolabars, rather than crispy, and a bit on the heavy, compact side and not fluffy and light, like some granolabars you buy. What I want is a granolabar that isn't too sticky or buttery, and not too sweet either. These are just about right - I may still try tweaking the amount of sugar/honey, by adding a bit more applesauce as these are a tad on the sweet side, but texturewise, they are the best I've gotten so far. If you have any other ideas on the tweaking, I'm all ears!

170 g. unsalted butter
130 g. runny honey
140 g. sugar
100 g. applesauce
400 g. rolled oats
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
150 g. nuts, dried fruits - I usually use cranberry, raisins and almonds, but have been known to add coconut, hazelnuts and apricots too.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Line a 30 x 20 cm pan (I use a Pyrex dish that we usually use for making lasagna) with parchment.
Melt the butter, honey and sugar in a small saucepan. Make sure the sugar is fully dissolved.
Mix together the oats, spices and nuts and/or dried fruits. Stir in the applesauce, then stir in the melted butter/sugar/honey mixture.
Press into the prepared baking pan - it's okay to give it a firm squeeze, you want it to be rather compact. Bake for 15-20 minutes, untill golden around the edges AND in the middle. I think I tended to bake mine too little, which made for very floppy granolabars - not what I wanted. Once done, transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool. With a sharp knife (I used to use a serrated knife, but found I got better (i.e. less crumbly) results using a large, sharp knife) cut into bars. I get around 16 bars from this portion.

Enjoy on the train, in the car, with tea, coffee, in the afternoon or in the morning. Just remember to have breakfast, whatever else you choose to do. It is good for you.

On The Fifth Day of Christmas: Dinnertime with A Messy Salad & Baked Cod

2007-12-05T21:15:00.001+01:00

Look, I know this looks like a pile o' mess. But trust me, it doesn't taste like a mess. What it does taste like is fantastic. I promise. Sweetness from the beets, salty capers, starchy potatoes, mustardy hotness and smoky bacon backdrops flaky, clean-tasting cod. It's lovely, if you ask me. It fits right in here during winter - not being very Christmas-sy, or too heavy. Lord knows there's enough of that kind of food around in December.

And there's a lot you can do regarding the attractiveness of the dish - like not mix the beets in with the rest of the ingredients, but just gently bounce a couple round the top of the rest of the "salad" before serving. That way, everything won't be pink. Even though I'm all for pretty girl colors in food, there's gotta be a limit.

The dish does take a little time to put together, but I'm thinking you could make a couple shortcuts. Like use already pickled beets, boil the eggs the day before, and use leftover boiled potatoes. It's mostly a matter of assembling, and because I serve the vegetables only lukewarm, it's not that much a matter of timing everything, but just doing them.The blueprint for this dish is one I got from Jens, the chef at one of my old work places - and I am ever so grateful. Here's what you have to do:

The key to the vegetables are to make the pieces the same size - I aim for about 1x1 cm. You need a couple hardboiled eggs - one per person will suffice. Peel them, and cut them into pieces of your chosen size.

The potatoes are the same thing - you need small bites. I plan for 2-3 per person, depending on size. Roast them in a pan (you could probably roast them in the oven, too, but I've never done that) - they need to go all golden and slightly crispy. Remember to salt and pepper generously.

With the beets, I usually bake a couple in the oven (160 degrees Celcius, 1-2 hours, depending on size - I try and get the baby-fist sized ones, and use one pr. person), peel them and cut them up. Then, just before assembly, I roast them quickly, with a tablespoon of red wine vinegar. So you see, this is basically pickled beets. Just make sure, if you choose to use jarred, pickled beets instead, that you take them out of the fridge in good time - you don't want ice cold beets!

Bacon. Ah, bacon. You like bacon too, don't you? Again, cut a nice slab (1-1½ one centimeter thick piece pr. person) into the same size as the vegetables. Fry these slowly, making sure they release a lot of their lovely fat, but of course, not letting them end up all dry. Transfer to a piece of kitchen paper, allowing for some degreasing. For God's sake, keep the fat on the pan! This is the gold you need to make your bacon vinaigrette.

The vinaigrette I make is very simple - onto the still hot bacon fat, I pour about 5 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar pr. person (don't use your most expensive one - a decent, but fairly priced one will do), let it cook down a bit, then add 2 teaspoons of coarse grain mustard, salt and pepper and stir that in. Now you have sauce for your dish. Keep it warm.

For the cod, I go for about 150-200 g. per person. Gently rub it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake in a 200 degrees (celsius) hot oven, 6-7 minutes.

Now, when you put in the cod, pop a couple of plates into the oven as well - the vegetables are lukewarm, but there's no need for them to go even colder than they are. And people are always so impressed when you serve on hot plates ;) As the cod is baking, gently mix the potatoes, egg, bacon and a couple tablespoons capers - I use the ones preserved in vinegar, but if you prefer salted ones that you soak in a little water first, that's okay with me - and a bit of finely minced parsley together. Salt and pepper to taste. A minute before the cod is done, take out your plates, and spoon the vegetables onto the hot plates. Top with the beets. Arrange the cod on top of the vegetables, drizzle with the bacon vinaigrette, sprinkle with a bit more parsley (which I totally forgot to do in the picture). Serve, straight away.

That wasn't hard, was it?

On The Fourth Day of Christmas: A Healthy Addiction.

2007-12-04T16:30:00.000+01:00

I have very few bad habits. Yes, I'm messy. I spend way too much time on the computer. I twirl my hair. I buy too many cookbooks (but not this year!) I leave the dishes for a little longer than they may need. But still. I don't bite my nails. I don't hog the remote control. I don't interrupt people when they speak. I don't burp in public. I apologize if I walk into someone on the street.

But I also have very few good habits. Like that yoga thing I had going on for a while? Not happening so much these days. Other sports? Nah. Not really. Cooking well for myself and Martin? If I'm lucky, yes. Other days, it's bacon and egg sandwiches and potatoes with mayo. Tasty, but not healthy in the veggie, fruit and cholesterol-low way.

I had one good habit. WE had a good habit, I have to say. We used to get up together in the morning and make juice for each other - if I was due in school early, Martin made it, and vice versa if he was the first person out the door. Somehow, that's gone all awry this semester.

For some reason, M doesn't feel it's appropriate to get up with me these days. Why? Well, it may have to do with the fact that I have to get up at 6 am in the morning to catch a train to the middle of the city in far, far away, where I'm currently doing some hospital duty. Yes, 6 am may be piece of cake for some of you out there, but I. LIKE. SLEEPING. As does he. Preferably late. And definitely longer than 6 am. You can probably tell what this is doing to our otherwise nice habit of getting the juicer in gear every morning.

So currently I am in a state of deprivation. Nay, make that in a state of cold turkey. I get no juice in the morning, and I like my freshly squeezed juice. Naturally, a true addict will find a way out. Therefore, I now drink my juice in the afternoon. The pretty colors doesn't make it any less of a relaxing thing to be doing after a hard days work (yeah right. I have a lot of those - pshs!). I guess there's no law saying you can't have juice in the afternoon, but for some reason, it felt weird. So afternoons, and on the weekends it is. Then I can make sure Martin stays healthy too.

This one up here is pear juice, but I'll take anything. Except maybe mango, or pineapple - pineapple makes my tongue numb. Oh, or celery. Don't even ask why I tried it - I guess it's just what happens when you have a juicer and celery hanging around - they will inevitably clash at some point, with bad results. And always remember that no matter what, the jucie will only be as good as the fruit you use.

Classic Combos Chez Zarah & Martin - for you to try, should you chance to run the risk of becoming an addict too. You will need a juicer for most of these, but for us, it has been an investment worth itself.

Apple & Ginger - a small knob of ginger will do! I like Pink Lady apples, but use your favorite crispy apple.
Apple & Pear - 'tis the season. Use hard pears - the soft ones will only produce mush.
Orange & Apple
Orange & Carrot - probably THE favorite in our household
Strawberry & Watermelon - awesome in the summer time. The strawberries shouldn't be too soft, or you'll get purée instead of juice.
Orange & Strawberry
Grapefruit & Orange - especially the ruby grapefruits.
Grapes & Apples
Bloodorange & Orange
Apple & Pomegranate - I knock out the seeds and run them through the grate-thingy - this makes for more juice than merely juicing them.

Suggestions are welcome in the comments!

On The Third Day of Christmas: Green Raisin Chutney

2007-12-03T22:56:00.000+01:00

I think Camilla Plum is my hero. Camilla Plum is everything I am not. For one, she's quite a bit older than I am - somewhere in her 50's, I think. Two, she lives on an all-organic farm with lots and lots of animals and kids and a husband that runs his own breweri. To boot, she's an awesome cook. I'm pretty sure she used to be a chef-chef - you know, one of the one's in white aprons with a chef's paper hat with years and years of experience in a kitchen and the cuts on her underarms to prove it - but to me, she's a cook. A darn fine one, too. You see, she cooks real food - the kind you do at home. Wait a minute, make that the kind I want to make at home, and could make at home, was I organized enough.

She uses bunches and cases of fresh herbs - in all her meals. She braises stuff. She simmers beans. She cuts up whole cows and pigs and lambs and trots into her kitchen garden to get the cabbage she needs for her dinner. She makes down home comfort layer cakes and good, old-fashioned Danish food, with a twist, but also reaches out towards Italian, Middle Eastern, Indian and French cuisine. She bakes bread, made with flour milled from the grain from her fields, for her rosy-cheeked children. She is the woman that made me really fall in love with baking bread.

She writes the most awesome cookbooks. Her cookbooks are the kind you read in bed - which is a good thing, too, 'cause no matter how much I love them, there's no doubt that if I tried to learn cooking, or baking by them, I would grow frustrated early on. For some reason, especially in her baking book, baking times and oven degrees are left out. Mostly, it's a matter of "cook/bake untill done" which is, naturally, how it should always be done - but, still. A guideline's always nice to have.

This is a woman with an opinion, and a strong one at that. If it isn't organic, it isn't good enough, but if she wants foie gras, she wants it, and there's no stopping her. She's the kind of person you either love or hate, and I - am in love. Martin and I visited her farm a couple of times this summer - it's open to the public - and we heard her speak about her approach to farming, growing organic produce and cooking. She grows flowers in between rows of cabbage. She grows currants of the kind that are the most difficult to grow, and that yields the least - but they're the ones with the best taste, so that's just the way it's got to be. Basically, she's all about good food, and how to get it like you want it. She somehow manages to bestow some confidence in me, 'cause even though I've sometimes felt like pulling out my hair at some of her recipes, they very, very seldom fail me. And I have cooked my share of them. Unfortunately for you in the non-Danish-speaking part of the world, all her books are in Danish. Maybe she needs an English translater?

One of the latest of her's I've cooked was this Green Raisin Chutney. I had a large jar of green raisins that I had no idea what to do with and that was rapidly growing past their prime date. Add to that a whole lotta spices, a bunch of cilantro, a couple chilis, a couple scolded jars - and you have the perfect partner for falaffel (and if you haven't tried Nic's oven baked version, here's your chance) I'm sure it's also great with Indian foods but, ahem, let's not talk about that combo, seeing I'm still sorely lacking any experience in that department... The raisins are a little sour/sweet, there's heat from chilis and harissa and a lot of palate-pleasing flavour from all of the spices. Give it a go - or give it away as Christmas presents!

Green Raisin Chutney - from Camilla Plum's Grønt II

2 tablespoons cumin
Seeds of 10 cardamom pods
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1-3 red chilis
small bunch fresh cilantro
small bunch Moroccan mint
250 g. big, green raisins
zest of 1-2 lemons
juice of 2-3 lemons
3 tablespoons harissa
3 tablespoons cider vinegar (or other clear vinegar)
200 ml. olive oil (not necessarily your most expensive one)

Toast the spices in a heavy pan until you get a nice fragrance lifting from the pan. Toast each of the spices seperately, or you'll end up with some of them all black and some not toasted yet. Grind them to a fine powder in a large mortar or spice mill.

Remove the seeds from the chilis and chop them up finely. Chop the cilantro and mint coarsely - you can include the stems and roots from the cilantro if you like.

Mix all of the ingredients. Depending on how spicy you like it, you can up or down the harissa amount (or the chilis) Add salt if you think it needs it. Pulse half, or more if you like, of the mixture in a food processor. Transfer to cleaned jars, and leave for at least a couple of hours before you dig in. Keeps for several weeks in the fridge.

On The Second Day of Christmas: [DANSK] Vaniliekranse

2007-12-02T11:06:00.000+01:00

It's 9.30 a.m., Martin just left for work and I snuck my computer with me into bed. Wham's "Last Christmas" is playing on the radio, it's grey outside and it's the first Sunday of Advent. Heh! Heeeee. I like December so far. Later today, we're going to my Dad-in-law's place for a little roll-the-dice present-game and food - we're bringing bread. The dough was done yesterday, so I just have to shape it, let it prove and bake it off. I have HOURS on hand, it seems, right now. Yes, yes - I need to wrap a couple presents for that game, and um... Did someone mention I have an exam in the middle of January? 'Cause I'm very good at ignoring that fact.

I oughta be planning what the whole of December should look like, when to bake cookies, when to take care of all of those things I still haven't done on my 2007 Foodie Dares, when to buy Christmas presents and - you know the drill, I don't have to keep rubbing it in, do I? Instead, I'm listening to the radio and contemplating leafing through a couple of the cookbooks that's occupying M's side of the bed as I write. Yes, I'm actually LISTENING to the radio - call me old-fashioned. I am, and I'm proud of it. I'm also going to set up a couple of posts for the next few days. I'm only two days in, and already I seem to have problems figuring out what to entertain with. Shesh!

Speaking of cookies - it seems I have totally forgotten I promised you a recipe last year. Shame on me. Here it is - these are probably my favorite Christmas Cookies around.

Vaniliekranse - a Family recipe
550-600 g. flour
200 g. potato starch
325 g. sugar
500 g. butter - semi-soft
2 pinches ammonium carbonate
5 vanilla beans - cut open and the seeds taken out. Stick the leftovers in your vanilla sugar or vanilla extract.
150 g. almonds - blanched and finely chopped

Mix together all of the dry ingredients. Rub in the butter, untill you get something looking like a coarse pie dough. With the warmth of your hands, quickly assemble the dough, and roll into logs that will fit into the opening of a meat grinder. Leave in the fridge, at least for a couple of hours, but preferably for a couple of days.

When ready to bake the cookies, take them out of the fridge and leave to get to room temperature - if you don't do this, it will be near impossible to get them through the meat grinder. Yes, you did just read the words "cookies" and "meat grinder" in the same sentence. What? ;)

This is the fun part, you know. You attach a star-shaped disc to the meat grinder - I have one that fits my KitchenAid meat grinder, and that works perfectly. The dough is simply too hard for using a star-shaped nozzle on a bag - at least this particular recipe is. So - on it goes. One by one, gently push the cookie-dough logs through the grinder - around here, this is usually done with one person pushing through dough, one person catching the dough, and one person shaping the dough. Baking Christmas Cookies is not a one-person job! :)

Once you have a sheet full, bake the cookies in a 190 degree hot oven, for about 8 minutes. They need to go just very ligthly browned around the edges, and no more. Allow to cool, and keep in airtight jars.

I have no idea how many cookies you get from this recipe, for some reason, I haven't noted it in my little book. Once I've made this years batch I'll get back to you.

Other cookies I might make this year:

Hazelnut Crescent Cookies
Alfajores
Mexican Wedding Cakes
Korova Cookies

Hey, I just made a list - that's almost planning! What are you baking?

On The First Day of Christmas: Dining with the Bloggers - Downright Comfort Food

2007-12-01T13:08:00.000+01:00

I did warn you - old(er) pictures and ideas would be coming up. Let's start Christmas off nicely, with a little DwB'ing...

Homesick Texan's Refried Beans

I really like that whole tex-mex food thing. I have no idea as to what is authentic or real or the right thing, but that's why I turn to Lisa, the Homesick Texan - she is my go-to person when it comes to anything tex-mex. Lisa cooks lovely looking food and tells tales of Texas and New York, and of food so nice-sounding, you can't help but want to cook it yourself. That's what happened to me with these refried beans - I'd been looking for a recipe for a while so I could add to my repertoire of Mexican dishes. Naturally, when this post went up, I bookmarked it and cooked it asap.

It's easy and relatively quick to do, once you've cooked the beans. You even get to munch on bacon while you're finishing it up. I'm a simple person - there's not much more I ask for when it comes to cooking than that ;) I ate the beans on homemade tortillas with a scoop of guacamole and a topping of cilantro - nothing more needed. Comfort food at it's finest.

You know it, I know it, Everybody knows it - the No-Knead Bread

Look, I know this isn't really new or anything. And it has been a while since I made it myself (courtesy of everybody's favorite Wednesday Chef Luisa), but I just thought I'd remind us all of this very easy to-do bread, here in the days of eternal stress and busy-ness. There's nothing like homebaked bread, and the scent of it sure belongs in your Christmas home. So cut out a little of the labor, and make this again this season. You could easily double the recipe, as I have the couple of times I made it. Either way, make it, now rather than later.

Nutmeg Muffins from Orangette

As well as bread baking, you need sweets baking. And yes, cookies are all good, but sometimes, you need something a bit more substantial. These are it. Again, it's that Molly. This time, she made some lovely muffins with a touch of nutmeg. And c'mon, nutmeg - it doesn't get much more smelling like Christmas and the muffins themselves couldn't have you thinking more of winter and snow with that look of theirs (powdered sugar = snow). I added a couple chopped up plums to these, and that worked fine, BUT, the next time I'm trying them, they're going to be smaller, and as far as possible, they'll be nothing but muffin tops, 'cause that whole butter and powdered sugar thing on top? YUM!

You still here? Go, go buy Christmas presents! Shooo!:)

Goodbye Fall! Hello Winter! And Hello Christmas Countdown!

2007-11-30T17:13:00.000+01:00

Fall has come and gone, and you know? It's officially winter. I didn't order it, and it doesn't seem to come with a "return"-option. I'm not sure I'd use it if it had one though - I kinda like winter. But you see, summer? Almost didn't happen around here. We had the hottest spring for the last 50 years, but then summer was nothing but a grey and rainy mess. And of course, this summer, I had decided to not work and just kick back and enjoy. Fall? Well, fall is supposed to be all grey and rainy, but still. They could've cut us some slack, now that summer was such a bummer. A girl needs her vitamin D. But winter is welcome - it may be cold, but at least you have an excuse for bulky knit sweaters and hot chocolate with whipped cream!

Today also marks the last day of NaBloPoMo - you know, that thing with the writing ALL the time, every day, no excuse. It's not like I did it - see, that sidebar? Only one (1) - now 2!, with this post - entries to show. I was contemplating joining NaBloPoMo, but you know, life got in the way.

It's not like life got any less in the way, but I really need to get back in the blogging game, and I think I need a little pushing and shoving. And determination. And plain sitting my behind down in front of the computer and start WRITING. So I was thinking: I like countdowns. I like Christmas. I'm looking forward to Christmas. Why not do a Christmas Countdown?

Therefore, every day, until the 24th. ('cause that's the day we celebrate Christmas around here, so you people celebrating on the 25th. will have to make do yourselves), I'll put up something. Some of it may be food-related, some of it more thought-related, there'll be short-short post and long ones. And probably not all of it will make sense. We'll see as we go along. Like Michèle said, there's just no way you can get decent pictures in this darkness, so in the photo-department, you can probably expect a lot of cake and breads (and left-overs). I might even throw in an old photo or two.

But for the next 24 days, there'll be a new post for you, here on Food & Thoughts, every day. All for you, m'dears. And if you feel like joining the madness, please do - there's nothing like being surrounded by people you like around Christmas ;)

Humble Cake (it is not)

2007-11-29T12:15:00.000+01:00

I know the person least suitable for explaining traits of one's personality is one self. At least you can hardly call it objective. So then, let me put it this way: I think people I know would call me reasonable. I'm not one to make hasty decisions (unless of course they need deciding NOW-NOW-NOW), I'm not one to jump at conclusions, I'm not one to get myself into things without having thought them through, I'm not one to let my emotions get the better of my judgement. I occasionally get the odd idea of something outragous, but I usually have enough common sense to stop myself in my tracks. Usually.

Except for this Monday. This Monday, I stormed out of a doctor's consultation, a consultation in which I was supposed to be merely an observer. Or, at least, so I thought. Turned out the good doctor had an idea of running me ~~over with~~ through an anatomical review of the eye socket. Actually, he thought I was the one supposed to give the lecture. Unfortunately, it's just shy of four years since I read up on that subject.

To my defense, I'd briefly, during my morning train ride, glanced at the chapter in the book about the patient group I was to see that day. And yes, a few of the diseases within the group will sometimes have symptoms from their eyes, but it is, I have since learned, not very many. I'm all for deducting symptoms from the knowledge you have of anatomy, physiology, bio-chemistry and pathology, rather than just learning symptoms and categories by heart. But you just can't know everything about everything, in detail, all the time. At least I can't.

I guess I just ticked the man off from the beginning. And I'm not quite sure what I did, but if I'd gone with my gut feeling from when I entered his office, I should've turned around and run, RUN, 'cause that's what I felt like after just a few seconds. For some reason I stayed. When the patient arrived, the doctor didn't introduce me. Which isn't necessarily an unexpected event in the life of a medical student in a hospital. So I introduced myself - afterall, it feels more right to have done so when you're about to sit in on a private conversation between a patient and his/her doctor. If I was the patient, I'd like to know the name of the persons in the room, no matter the reason they're there, or how many pledges of confidentiality they may have sworn.

On it went, and for some reason, the conversation turned into this overhearing of me and my knowledge of the beforementioned eye sockets, synovial membranes, and their likeness with hand brakes for bikes. Because this is a comparison that is often used. Or not.

Regardless. He kept asking the kind of questions were you know the person asking it has a very specific answer he wants, but you really aren't quite sure what he asked in the first place. And he looks at you over the rim of his glasses, expecting you to not be able to answer. So you try an answer, just to see if you're in the ballpark, and if you're lucky, you're right. And I was, lucky, a couple of times. But not much wiser, 'cause I wasn't sure what question I'd answered. In the end, when there was no more guessing to be done, he answered his own question. Maybe with a little scorn in his voice. Glad it seemed to be over, I mumbled "Oh, yes, that's right!" because I actually, faintly, remembered the existence of the structure he just mentioned.

This went over a couple of times. For the third time, I answered "I don't know". I looked down into the floor, tears welling up in my eyes, my throat turning into a knot. And by the way, why is it that when I get really, REALLY mad, I can't seem to stop myself from tearing up and growing hoarse and just generally not look or sound like a very intelligent woman?

His attention turned back to the patient for a second and I thought: You know, Zarah. You have two choices. 1, you wait this out, keep answering yes and no and I don't know, with the risk of you starting to cry, right here, in front of the patients and him. And then tell him afterwards that he's a bastard and that when he heard the second "I don't know", heck, when he saw the third, fourth or fifth quizzical look on your face, because you didn't even know what he was asking, he could have caught up on the fact that he was WAY beyond the scope of your pretty basic knowledge, and he could've stopped. You could tell him that this is no way to educate anyone, and for that matter, not a way of conducting a consultation. I don't know much about teaching (or conducting a doctor's consultation for that matter) but I'm pretty sure humiliating people ain't the way to go by it.

Or, 2, you can get up and walk out of here. This isn't the first time you hear about these situations. You'd never imagined yourself to be in one, but hey, here you are. You have to stand up for yourself, because it's becoming more and more obvious, during the time you've spent in the hospitals, that noone else is going to do it. Ever. You could let this guy continue, and you could put up with it, and you could feel even more humiliated than you do now. And you can be sure that somewhere along the way, there will be more people like him. And some day, you're going to have been walked over by so many people you no longer know who you are. Or you can say stop, and stick with what you believe in. That you're good enough, and that no man and his twisted view of the world should tell you otherwise.

So I got up, just as he was about to turn his attention back to me and I said: "I think I'll say thank you for now" and he was all "Why?". I pointed (I actually did - that wasn't very polite, but I had to strengthen myself somehow) towards him, saying "because you have no right to behave like you do". And left. Storming down the hall, tears starting to trickle down my cheeks.

I was furious. I was MAD. No, I didn't know the answers to his questions (later, my co-students has assured me they wouldn't have known the answers either), I had no idea what he was asking me, but I tried answering, initially, at least. I tried to seem interested and wanting to learn.

Yes, I am a poor little medical student. Feel sorry for me. Ya-dah ya-dah. But the irony is that that is exactly the feeling I've had the last couple of months. Poor me. I hate this. I don't like hospitals. People smell there. The doctor's are stupid. We, the students, have to fight like cats and dogs to get in on the operations, the ward rounds, the consultations, to get to see patients. And get nothing but ignorance from the senior doctors. Medical students - oh, they're here again, are they? No, no, I'm not doing anything interesting today - you better go find someone else. Well, you're the only one left, dude. It's a struggle, and I mean that very litterally - to actually get the chance to learn.

That's how I used to feel. But last Monday, I didn't feel like that. That day, I was looking forward to getting some questions answered, I was actually interested, and not just pretending to be. I was actually willing to fight for some knowledge. And then this was what I got.

I know it's a privilige to have the opportunity to learn. I know I'm lucky. But darn it, sometimes, it sure doesn't feel like it. Sometimes, it feels like the only thing you get is a slap in the face. Wanting to learn and actually acquiring it seems miles apart in this field. It's a minefield, and one where you're sure to get yourself hurt, stepped on and humiliated, it seems.

So if you're wondering why I'm questioning my whole carreer choice, this is just one of a whole lot of reasons. And pardon me for loading of here - at least now I have more room for cake. Not of the really humble kind, though - I have to hold my head high, at least in some aspects of my life ;)

Pear-Marzipan Cake - an adaptation of Maria's Pear Cake from Nigella.com

250 grams unsalted butter
100 g. soft brown sugar
200 g. sugar
4 eggs
300 grams flour
pinch each of ground cardamom, ginger and grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons milk (or cream)
100 g. grated marzipan
2-6 pears, depending on size and personal taste (I used 4 largish ones)
demerera sugar (for sprinkling on top)

Butter and sugar-dust a spring form cake pan, 24-cm. in diameter. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Cream the butter with the sugars. Add the eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition.

Sift together the flour, spices and baking powder. Fold this into the batter, alternately with the milk. Lastly, fold in the grated marzipan. Spoon half the batter into the cake pan.

Peel and core the pears, and cut half into chunks. Spread the chunks on the batter. Top with the rest of the batter, then lay out slices of pears in a nice pattern (or just cut the rest of the pears into chunks too, and sprinkle on top - all up to you!) Sprinkle the whole thing with a nice layer of demerara sugar. Bake for 40 minutes to one hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean. The total baking time will depend on how many pears you've used - mine took closer to one hour than 40 minutes.

Serve with crême fraïche or vanilla ice cream - or as suggested in the original recipe, with caramel ice cream. The cake keeps - and actually improves, I think - after a couple of days on the counter, so this is one to make in advance, if need be.

Saturday Morning

2007-10-20T13:46:00.000+02:00

... is merely a couple hours already gone, but how I liked it. Freshly baked bran muffins, a smearing of butter, a dollop of mirabelle jam. A huge mug of tea and me on the sofa. All very simple, but needed. A couple of hours all to myself.

There's a whole lotta going on. Mostly in my head, but man, is it busy up there. I'm "working" (in quotation marks 'cause it's more a matter of looking over people's shoulders, really) the hospital again this semester, and it's not only taking up a lot of time - the time I usually spend blogging, cooking or thinking about blogging or cooking - it's also hi-jacked a huge part of my brain capacity. Because I have to keep re-thinking all the things I learned. And because all of a sudden, it seems there's only an extremely limited time left before... Before I'm done. Seriously. And that, my friends, I have no idea how to deal with. For some reason, I never saw it coming.

So forgive, once again, the quietness around here. I'm all well, just busy elsewhere. Sometimes in scrubs, and very seldom, lounging on the sofa with a mind-buzzing and spinning head. And bran muffins.

Bran Muffins from Home Baking by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

I am no expert on bran muffins, in fact, I only ever tasted the ones Cathy made for me and Martin when we visited her, a year back. Cathy's muffins got me hooked, and now I finally found the bran at home, I can make some myself! Her recipe includes shredded wheat biscuits, which I can't find around here - so I went for this recipe instead. Yummy, indeed!

makes 10 medium sized muffins.

1 cup sour cream
1½ cups wheat bran
1 large egg
½ cup whole milk
1 tablespoon molasses
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Blend sour cream and wheat bran. Add the egg and the milk. Leave to soften and blend for 30 minutes to one hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 Celcius). Grease a 12-cup regular muffin tin. Stir molasses and brown sugar into the bran-mixture. In a different bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add this to the bran-mixture and fold in until combined. Divide the scoopable, but not pourable, batter into 10 muffin tins. Bake for about 25 minutes.

As soon as they're baked, turn out onto a wire rack to cool and firm up. Eat as desired - mirabelle jam is a treat!

Spoil Yourselves Rotten: Restaurant Geranium

2007-09-15T15:48:00.000+02:00

Appetizer of King Crab with Cauliflower - purée and crudité. A small leaf of mint-flower and mint leaves for that hint of freshness. Way to start a meal.

Alright, people. I have never, ever done this before. What you're about to witness is a Food & Thoughts First. I'm going to try and do a restaurant review.

Why, you may ask, haven't I done this before? Afterall, this is one blog that's lived past the 3 year mark, is one of a very few - maybe the only one? - written in English, food blogs from Denmark. And yet, yet, the closest I ever got to mentioning a restaurant has been a very short remark here (which did prompt an e-mail from the owner after a guest he had mentioned they went there because they read that short notice - so obviously I have POWERS! Muahaha!) but other than that, the closest I've gotten to restaurants is the recipes from a couple of them that I've been tooting.

I just stared at this plate when it was put in front of me - is cooking art or handicraft? Scallops with beets - purée, raw in slices, cooked cubes - hazelnut mayo and fresh hazelnuts - blackberries, sweet cicely and chickenwort. This was probably my favorite dish of them all. I love the use of herbs, how they totally change the flavor of one bite from the next, depending on which one you happen to pick up on your fork. And yet, they all just matched the dish, seperately and together. Plus, scallops is probably one of my all time favorite food items. Crunchy fresh hazelnuts, bursting fall in your mouth. Lovely.

And there is, of course, an explanantion. You see, in case you didn't already know, for the last 8 years or so (and how on earth could you have been reading this site and NOT known??), I've worked as a waitress. I only very recently stopped - as in, it's been 8 months since I had a regular employer. Yes, I do still have an occasional shift here and there, but these days, I'm revelling in Friday and Saturday Nights Off. It's a whole new experience, I'm telling you.

Copenhagen is a very small city. We're a little more than one million people here and we have A LOT of gorgeous restaurants, but the people running them are a select few. So when you know one, you know a lot. At least by name and appearance, and who knows, you probably, at one time or the other, had a few night caps with every last one of them, or worked with them for a shift. I'm not saying this to sound like a big-shot. I doubt many of them would recognize me. But I know who they are. Somehow, like I said before, this makes me feel even more like an amateur. I don't like judging people, and more than anything, I don't like judging people I kind of know, but then don't, 'cause oh dear, what might they think of me and I'm only a wanna-be and... You can just tell how much I worry, right? Of course, there's also all the stuff about "do I really take photos at a restaurant??" and the whole fact-checking-enchilada that... Eh.

Jaw of cod, tortellini with pumpkin, pumpkin squares, onions, fresh lima beans and pumpkin bisque. Earthy beans and pumpkin combining with the flavors of the sea in form of the cod jaws, with the onions somehow like a lightly pickled one broke the intensity of the bisque in a perfect way, both with regards to texture and taste. The bisque was poured on top of the rest tableside, one of those nifty little, albeit often used, tricks I adore. The last of summer/beginning of fall in my mouth. I like that season.

On the other hand, I can't go on any longer and not let you all know that really, there is a reason you should all get your behinds to Copenhagen and eat your way through it. Not just because I say so, but maybe, just maybe, I could show you some pictures, add a few choice words and then YOU be the judge yourselves. And I can point you to Trine's blog, Good Food, and let you check out all of her reviews, while I try to secure my unsteady legs here in the unknown territory that is ~~restaurant reviewing~~ telling stories about restaurants. Please indulge me...

Probably the least favorite of all, but for some reason main courses are often a thing that doesn't speak that much to me - maybe it's just that there's more on the plate? Anyways - Pork with potato chiffonade, parsnips and parsley-pesto, wild mushrooms and "gravy". Everything was absolutely lovely, the parsnips maybe a bit on the crunchy side for me, the parsley maybe over-powering everything else? But I loved, loved, loved the potato chiffonade - I guess when it all comes down to it, I'm just a carbo-loving kinda girl!

For lunch this Thursday, Martin and I went to Restaurant Geranuim. This is one thing Trine reminded me of: go for lunch. It's cheaper, and you can take better shots. I'm on a steep learning curve here, and I'm looking to Trine for help - Thank you, T!:) Also, as Sam says, transperancy is everything, so I will mention that one of the waiters there is an old colleague of mine. The reason we went here for lunch is also because I did one shift there, helping them out when there was a sudden sickness in staff, and I got totally smitten with what I saw on the plates. I had to try it out while not apron-clad and in a white shirt, pouring wine for others. This time, I wanted wine poured for me.

Restaurant Geranium is the brain child of chefs Rasmus Kofoed and Søren Ledet. Rasmus Kofoed is a recent winner of the silver medal at the Bocuse d'Or (sort of a chef's world championship) and Søren Ledet doesn't come short of recommandations either: Chef of the Year 2004 (in Denmark, naturally), former co-head of kitchen at Noma (only the 15th. best restaurant in the WORLD) and generally speaking, just a world class chef. And I'm not going to start on the rest of the kitchen staff there, 'cause it would be all Chef of the year 2005, Best Young Chef etc. etc. You get my point.

Danish cheeses, clockwise from the front: smoked brie - røde Kristian - some goat's milk cheese washed in ashes that was VERY pungent - blue cheese, that I really liked, but sadly, have forgotten the name of. I'm like that with cheese names. With it we got a green tomato chutney, crispbread with muesli and pumpernickel. Yummy in my tummy, but I wouldn't have wanted to kiss me right after it ;-) (Martin's not that big on smelly cheeses - he loves his cheese alright, but is into the firmer kinds)

The philosophy of the restaurant is one of "unconditional love for the finest, pure ingredient" - they're pretty much organic and biodynamic throughout. The actual placing of the restaurant in Kgs. Have, one of the green breathing spots in the middle of the center of the city makes for a gorgeous backdrop for what they put on their plates. Large crocks of herbs are everywhere outside the windows on their little patio, and people are passing outside with strollers and dogs. Mighty pretty.

So simple, so perfect: blueberries (fresh and dried) with blackberry sorbet, "koldskål" (Traditionel Danish cold dessert "soup" made with buttermilk, eggs and vanilla) and kammerjunker (the traditional "cake" to go with koldskål) - oh yes, and caramelly, chocolate-y thing for garnish. And a couple of delicate lemon balm leaves. Yay! Not too much, not too little, just a little sweet something to finish off. I hope I'll remember the taste of those blueberries forever, they were unlike anything I ever had. And if i don't remember that, I hope I remember how much fun Martin and I had looking at our tongues when we finished. Heh!

As I said, I'm not going to be doing a review as such, but the pictures in this post I think pretty much speaks for themselves. A photo's worth a thousand words, right? What they serve there is nothing short of gorgeous, and for some reason (we are talking about big, broad-shouldered, wild haired chefs here) very feminine. Look at that scallop serving? Any girl worth her salt would swoon just looking at that.

Sweets with coffee: liqourice marshmallows, caramel-discs and pistachio-covered truffles filled with a dulce de leche-like confection flavored with eucalyptus oil. That last one - I'm sorry, but ick. I've never been fond of eucalyptus, so that might explain it. You try new stuff. It's all part of the learning curve, growing older and wiser, right?

There's no doubt the people here know what they're doing, and that they are exceptionally good at it as well. Scallops cooked to perfection (caramelized on the outside, just this side of raw on the inside) potato chiffonade you want to put your head to sleep on it looks so soft, perfect blueberries that leave your tongue all blackish-blue you daren't speak afterwards because noone will take your seriously with a tongue looking like that. People caring about what they do. The attention to detail. The light, the lovely light. The gorgeous food, the glorious wine - which, on a side note, I only remember along the lines of: riesling, white burgundy, riesling, red burgundy, riesling and monbazillac - and yes, we REALLY like rieslings, so we were close to heaven here.

This is most definitely a place to come back to. You should go, too.

Restaurant Geranium
Kgs. Have
Kronprinsessegade 13
1306 København K
Phone: 33111304
Open for dinner Tuesday-Saturday, lunch Tuesday-Friday.

[DANSK] Pickles Here, Pickles There, Pickles, Pickles Everywhere!

2007-09-08T11:37:00.000+02:00

Back when I told you about Pariserbøf, I briefly mentioned pickles, our rather, the thing we Danes call pickles. I think it might go under the name mustard relish or picalilli out in the big world. It is a complete necessity when making Pariserbøf, but also makes for a mean quick remoulade (again, the Danish kind - French may think us calling this remoulade bordering on an insult!) if you chop it up finely (or buy the finely chopped kind, of course) and mix it with a little mayo.

Basically, it's an assortment of vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, onions - some people add celeriac, cucumbers, green beans, bell peppers, too) in a mustardy, spiced (not necessarily spicy) sauce. It's usually something I buy, but when rummaging through my old magazines at the beginning of my vacation, I found a recipe in my favorite Danish food magazine. Slowly, it dawned on me that "hey! I can make this myself!" And not have all the E-numbers. There is already a way of avoiding the E-numbers, but the brand I found without them will cost you an arm and a leg (45 kr./about $7-8) for a small jar. Which is no good when you tend to eat an entire jar in one sitting.

So I bought the best Danish cauliflower and organic carrots and onions money could buy, found the big bottle of vinegar and set to the job. Now, I am the proud owner of three half litre jars and one 3/4 l. jar of pickles. It's mighty great pickles. And here's the recipe:

Gastro's Pickles - adapted from the October 2006 issue

750 g. carrots, peeled
750 g. cauliflower
500 g. onions
500 g. salt
3 l. water

Cut the carrots into 1x1 centimeter cubes and divide the cauliflower into small florets, roughly the same size as the carrots. You can go smaller or larger here as you like, just adjust the cooking time later on. Peel the onions, then cut it into 12 wedges (depending on the size of your onions - mine were a small medium size - very precise, aren't I?)

Dissolve the salt in the water. Pour this over the cut-up vegetables, and leave in the fridge to salt for 12 hours minimum.

For the sauce:
1 ½ apple cider vinegar
1 kg. sugar
3 tablespoons paprika
1 ½ tablespoons cayenne pepper (the original recipe calls for 3 tablespoons, but I'm a whimp)
3 tablespoons curry powder
3 tablespoons turmeric powder
3 tablespoons mustard powder
(you can up or down the amount of spices to your liking, naturellement!)

30-40 g. corn starch (maybe more)

Mix everything but the corn starch in a big, shallow pan. Bring to the boil and boil for 3-4 minutes. Thicken the vinegar-mix with corn starch dissolved in a little water. You want a consistency sorta like mayo, 'cause you really need the sauce to cling to the veggies, once they're mixed. I needed to use a lot more corn starch than originally called for, to get that texture. The sauce wont thicken particularly once it cools. Believe me, I thought so and went ahead and jarred everything, just to have to re-boil and re-thicken the sauce. It's just not necessary for you to do the same :)

The pickles will keep for about 6 months in unopened jars in the fridge. Yes, my fridge is pretty full. Which is good, 'cause I think I feel a craving creeping up...

Pass the Beans, Please

2007-08-30T10:40:00.001+02:00

Do you eat enough vegetables? Do you really, honestly, get your "6 a day?" I think it is pretty safe to say that even though I have the best of intentions, I don't. For all the thinking, writing and enjoying food that I do, I'm actually a real slouch on an everyday basis.

This is an account of last Thursday, but you could tell the same story for many of the days during the looooong time off I've just had:

I wake up, a large glass of tea on the bedstand next to me, lovingly provided by Martin. I get up, lounge around the apartment for a couple of hours (internetting, checking the balcony, doing some scrap-booking (on a good day)), then suddenly realize I need to get to work. I shower and run out the door.

You did notice I forgot to eat breakfast, right? And even though I take my tea with both milk and sugar, please, and there is a lot of it, I'm pretty sure it doesn't fit neatly into the category of "stamina-inducing breakfasts".

So I jot to work, sit there for a couple of hours, willing the words and numbers on the computer screen to come together. And because I was hurrying out the door, it's not like I remembered to bring lunch. Fortunately, sometime around 2 or 3 o'clock, one of my co-workers feels sorry for me and offers me a couple Werther's Echte. Real nice - but again, food? It's not.

I finish up work, my stomach growling so loudly people passing by my desk must surely be able to hear it. Irma, the local, petite supermarket is my next stop. Because face it, the reason I didn't really eat that much and didn't bring lunch was because there was no food in the fridge/fruit bowl/on the counter.

And naturally, what happens next is I go into a frenzy, buying all the things that look even remotely good. A pound of fresh, organic green beans, yoghurt, carrots, a whole chicken, milk, cream, cheese, eggs - oh yes, and that ham overthere looks good too, doesn't it?

Meanwhile, I completely forget that I'm only cooking for myself that evening. And that we're not going to be home for the next couple of days.

So what does a very hungry preson then do?

She roasts her chicken, simply, the Nigella Lawson way, with just a couple lemon wedges and some rosemary stuffed inside it, butter, olive oil and salt and pepper slathered on top. She finds one of the most simple recipes for green beans she could lay her hands on (because hey, it's gotta be done in a snap) waits for the chicken to finish, quickly assembles her beans - and sits down to a well deserved meal, finally. She eats all of the crispy skin from the chicken, together with the entire pound of mustardy green beans.

And crosses of one of her vegetables -out of a should-be six- of her list. Then another three or four. Because afterall, she did eat a pound of beans.

Green Beans in Vinaigrette - adapted from Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Dinners (p. 137)

Simple, classic, and wonderful, if you ask me. But then, I love the nose-biting effects of mustard and the crisp of green beans, so it would most certainly be a winner in my book!

4 handfuls of French beans, stalk ends removed
2-3 heaped teaspoons good French mustard, to taste
2 tablespoons good-quality white wine vinegar
7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 a clove of garlic, finely chopped
optional: 1 tablespoon capers

Roast the beans in a little butter in a big pan. (You may want to blanch the beans first, but I usually get by with adding a splash of water during the first couple minutes of sauteeing, then letting that boil away. I do like my beans just this side of al dente, though, so you work out what you want.) Roast them until blistered in spots, then add half the chopped shallot and
the garlic. When you start smelling the garlic, turn of the heat, having let the garlic and shallots just started to go translucent. Season with salt and pepper.

Assemble your vinaigrette: into the mustard, stir vinegar and olive oil, like when making mayo. Add the rest of the shallot and salt and pepper to taste. Add the still warm beans to the vinaigrette. Mix in the capers, if using. Serve immediately.

And, um - if you plan on eating the entire portion... How do I put this? Account on a certain amount of gassy build-up (this may have to do with me liking the beans only slightly cooked, though). The dish is definitely worth it, but I just thought I'd warn you!;)

How Am I Doing?

2007-08-21T09:46:00.000+02:00

It's time for a chat.

You probably remember I had a loooooong list of New Year dares up back in January. I thought this was the time to do a short recap of how I'm doing on that list, because, you know, I've had all of my summer holiday to get stuff done, there's only four short months left of the year and - maybe, just maybe, I need a literal kick in the behind to get back in gear. So:

Do more comparative cooking and, especially, baking.

Well, it started out great! But since that fight, not much has happened. I've done quite a lot of comparative tasting, like organic vs. regular cucumbers (couldn't tell the difference, except for a slight difference in texture), and mayo (homemade wins, no doubt) , but other than that. Meh. So I can't quite cross that of my list, yet.

Cook Osso Buco.

I actually did do this, quite a while back, but it just wasn't worthy of a post. That may have had a lot to do with the recipe, which I sorta winged, drawing on a couple of insprations. I absolutely lovede the gremolata thing, and I haven't given up on Osso Buco - come autumn, I'm sure I'll find an excuse to try again.

Make pasta/to use my Kitchen Aid attachments more often

I have done pasta a couple of times, since that first encounter on New Years Eve. But the other attachments haven't been put to the good use they should. Sausages, really, c'mon Zarah!

Enter the Indian kitchen.

Nope. Well, and then again, There was a probably-not-so-authetic version of Chicken Tikka Masala. Which was tasty. But I need to get my groove on, here....

Cook Chicken Parmesan, a classic Wienerschnitzel and Cordon Bleu.

Martin's done saltimbocca a couple of times! But, no, none of these, either...

Make puff pastry. And then bake me some fine Danish "Wienerbrød" with it.

Who on earth put this on the list? Who?? Geez... A no on that one, too.

Thrash less food because it's gone bad.

This is actually going ~~quite well~~ better than expected. That is to say, it's become more present in my mind and thus in my everyday shopping and eating habits that I need to use some of the stuff I already have. Also, I've made lists of what I have in the freezer and cupboards that hangs on the fridge door, which helps with me knowing, at any given time, what's available (and what needs using). I update them regularly, 'cause even though I try to remember to cross things off when I use them, something always slips.

Mostly, though, this is going well, because (pat on shoulder) I've gotten better at substituting - no, you don't HAVE to buy buttermilk because you need two spoonfuls - soured milk or creme fraiche or yoghurt, that you already have in the fridge and that is very near expiration, just might do the trick- and improvising with the stuff that's already there. In fact, it's become somewhat of a sport to do a fridge clean-up cooking whenever Martin's out for the night and I just have to cook for myself.

Find the recipe for Ranch dressing I've been looking for...

Any suggestions??

Make stock! Vegetable, veal and chicken - and maybe fish. And actually keep some handy, throughout the year. Shall this be the year of the death of Touch of Taste? (a liquid stock thing)

Well, it has been the death of Touch of Taste (read: I'm substituting water and wine), but I haven't quite, shall we say, kept stock handy. There is a small stash of chicken stock in the freezer as I write, and this is one thing I am adamant about. Besides, chicken salad is gooooood!

Cook fish, at least once a week.

Wo-hoo, one thing that's actually going well!! We've had tons and tons of fish and shellfish, and we're enjoying it, too. Sometimes, they're classics, other times, we're doing new and adventurous recipes - it's all good.

I'll try not to buy any cookbooks.

I thought this was going to be the hardest one of them all. Seriously. I've bought at least 10 cookbooks a year for the last 5-6 years. And even though my Amazon Wishlists are ready to burst at the seams, I haven't bought a. Single. One. Yes, I've been blessed with three (all courtesy of Mom - Mom, I love you!)

Two Danish ones: Noma, from the restaurant, which is gorgeous, but has totally inaccesible recipes (for an everyday meal, anyways) and FISK by Nikolaj Kirk, our version of Jamie Oliver, only better (Take THAT, J.O!) Fisk means, as you probably guessed, fish, so this one has come in quite handy.

Also, I got Heston Blumenthal's In Search of Perfection. I like it, but it was more of a nice read than anything I suspect I'll ever cook anything from. But time will show.

That's it. I'm so proud of me. Yes, there are still three cooking magazine subscriptions (gastro, a Danish one, and Gourmet and Saveur) and I love them for the thrill of them dropping in my mail box ever so often. They probably make the longing for real cookbooks easier to resist. I've also re-discovered the library - did you know they actually have pretty cookbooks there, and they let you have them for a month, and you don't even have to PAY for it?? Amazing, that.

What we have been doing with regards to cookbooks, is putting the ones I (we) already have to good use. Like, we've been using them. Like, we've cooked recipes, straight out of the books, only using our good judgement to adjust etc. Every Sunday, we picked out three cookbooks, then picked a recipe from each, and cooked it during the following week. It's brought us lovely treats such as Thai fishcakes, croquetas and pappardelle with scallops. The project has been on the backburner over the summer, but we're counting on getting in back in gear, now that I'm starting school again.

So that's how I'm doing - how are you doin'?

After that, you need food.

2007-08-17T20:23:00.001+02:00

Hello?

Um. I, um. Well, okay. I sorta borrowed the 5 first books of the Harry Potter series from my (9-year-old) little sister.

The first four was devoured in three days. Then I got stuck with number five, probably because I'd just seen the movie.

But then, um. The 6th. was available from the library. And. Um. The last one was in the shops again.

So - ah. The last two days, I've been cooped up in the chair in the corner of our living room, only breaking loose when making tea (they have an awful lot of tea in those books, don't they?) and changing the candles and turning on lights.

And now. I read them. All of them.

Forgive me. But. Um. Does anyone around here carry wands?

No?

Any snakes? Scars? Robes?

Okey-dokey.

Just checking if I really AM back in the real world...

I'm hungry.

Don't you just love vacations?

Promise, I will be back - with food - soon!;-)

10 Green Thumbs Worth of Harvest

2007-07-21T02:01:00.000+02:00

Tarragon

My posts have become somewhat of photo-marathons lately. The last couple, the chocolate ones, was mostly comprised of old, old, photos - you all know how they tend to bulk up, and there's not a much better feeling than when they actually get put to good use. But this post? These photos are pretty much all of them fresh of the press - I promise! Not much in the way of recipes, though - hey, you can't have everything at once!:)

You see, I've started a small balcony garden. Uhuh. Me. And lemme tell you: I am the kind of person that can kill cactus and succulents. Yes, that is the kind of plants you give to students so that they can have some greenery around they don't have to give much thought. I am not widely known for my green thumb, let that be said.

See that? That's chicken salad. Made with mayo, creme fraiche, chicken (obviously!) and tarragon - the one from the photo above.

So why on earth I thought it a great idea to start planting and growing herbs! flowers! even tomatoes and peas! on our balcony is beyond me. Considering my aforementioned talents. The fact that all that "thrives in direct sunlight" etc. is just wasted on me - if it's pretty and I want it on my table and that's in full sunlight? You can guess how that story ends.

Dill

What might have spurred it though, was the fact that, without me doing nothing at all, the chives that I planted last year - one of those little pots from the supermarket - showed up AGAIN this spring. One day when I looked out there, fine little grass-like straws where sprouting up. So I ventured forth, happily entertaining the idea of the great big bunches of basil and thyme and majoram and mint and (fill in the blanks with any and all herbs you've ever heard of) I'd be able to pick from my little patches of dirt. Oh yes, and Tea hasn't made it sound any less intriguing to be self-sufficient, even if only with herbs, in my case.

Whitefish with spring cabbage, peas and dill

I ordered little seedlings from a place called Urtegartneriet that sell organic, some of them even biodynamic, herbs and flowers. I dragged Martin from one plant nursery to the next to get the exact amount pots and seeds I needed and thought looked interesting. We dragged big bags of soil all the way up the stairs to our 4th. floor apartment (actually all the way to the fifth floor, seeing that's where the balcony is) Oh yes, and all that made for a great distraction in between preparing for that exam, which, btw. I managed to pass - WO-HOOO!!:) The green gods must have had a serious chat with the exam gods somewhere...

And so, I planted, I grew, I hardened, I planted out, I watered. I talked, I nursed, I checked, I looked, I moved around. I tried to pay attention to all the "likes water/doesn't like water" "needs shade" and, of course, somehow completely forgot to check how tall borage flowers and sunflowers grow, happily planting them in my little plastic boxes. They can go up to three feet/1 meter, in case you didn't know either.

But in between, the thumbs got greener and greener. If I may say so myself.

Basil

What am I growing? I think I kinda went in any and all directions and got a little bit of this and a little bit of that - which, I've learned now, is a bit silly, because it's really hard getting enough leaves for a portion of pesto with just eight little sprigs of basil.

but before we went on vacation, I did make up a great big batch of pesto - one hand-made, the other one pestle-and-mortar'ed - fun experiment, and yes, Heidi's right!

But I didn't title this post 10 thumbs for nothing - because while some of my plants are thriving, there are also the less, ahem, unfortunate ones...

The mint that I bought two different kinds of, thinking 'I need succes-stories here in my first attempt at gardening, so mint must be good'. I always heard that mint grows like a weed - it's impossible to kill! (Nevermind we don't eat it very often, but who says no to a mojito?)

Well. The mint DIED. Both of them - or wait, one of them is still there, but not in too great a shape. The first one, regular green mint, got attacked by rust, a fungus of some sort. It even evaded my attempt to rescue it (replanting and cutting it back), getting itself thrown of the roof-top while I was away on vacation. Maybe it just was suicicdal from the point go? (Sorta like Rags?)

The second one - well, suffice it to say that I think it may be attacked by rust, too. Or aphids. It somehow doesn't look all happy, yet keeps growing and growing. So I'm leaving it for now.

And then there's the oregano, that went from this:

to this:

...in a matter of two weeks. The rain pouring down like crazy for the last couple weeks may have something to do with that last picture (root-rot?) but ARGH!

The ones that do like me, and are growing, apart from what's already pictured here, is: pineapple sage, thai basil, majoram, thyme, rosemary, lemon balm (now THAT thing is growing like crazy!!) borage, baby salad leaves, dill, lemon verbena, tomatoes, peas... and um, I'm sure I forgot something. We're not the only ones enjoying the harvest - the Piggie loves his daily dose of l'herbe mixte. Oh yes, and the bumblebees are pretty enamoured with everything, too.

I guess it is natural, that the next step from wanting to make all your own food is wishing to grow your own food.

I've especially liked growing stuff from seed - the thrill of there not being anything, and then all of a sudden, two little leaves peek up, then it grows, and grows, and grows, and all of a sudden, there are flowers, and a real, actual vegetable after that. I like getting to know each herb, how they grow, what they like and what kind of treatment they respond well to. Believe me, I'm learning, and I'm loving it!

We may not be able to make a pea purée for two, or even a tomato salad - but that's not the point. The point is watching it happen. It's about the great feeling of snipping of a couple sprigs of dill for the fish tonight, or thyme for a baking sheet full of tomatoes, destined for a couple hours in the oven. It's the scent of your hands, after you've run them across the majoram or you've groomed the tomatoes. Growing it myself is probably the only way I could ever get close to stuff like pea shots, or lemon verbena. And I feel smugly proud that I'm growing stuff that I can't just go down the street and buy. Heh.

And I'm so not giving up on that mint. Just you wait until next year...