prairies on petals - food and photography

Aromatic chicken - slow roasted

2012-03-11T22:46:00.001+01:00

When a whole roasted chicken is presented at the table, it better be good. My mother used to roast it with only salt, pepper and oil and it was always a family's favorite. Simple and glorious. But I do love to experiment and made my very own mix. And I must say that this one is quite a success. I know that my family loves this dish and that they always go for second servings. It has a punch of flavors, it's tender and moist. Plus the effort in preparing is so minimal, it's a winner for all!

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken - about 1.5kg
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cardamom
3 slices of fresh lemon, roughly chopped
1 tsp grated orange zest
2 tsp fresh thyme
3 stalks green onion, cut into approx. 2 cm length
1 medium sized white onion, sliced
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped fennel or celery stalks
500 ml chicken stock

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients except for the vegetable stock. I suggest to do it by hand instead of using a spatula in order to press and blend everything together.

Preheat the oven to 200º C. Rub the chicken with the mix, inside out and get underneath the skin, being careful not to tear it. Don't worry if some vegetables remain under the skin, it helps in keeping the meat moist and infuse it deeper with flavors.

Fully fill up the cavity with the rest of the mix. If there's any of it left, add it into the pan 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

Place the chicken into a roasting pan, breast side up. Cook for 30 minutes then pour the vegetable stock on and around the bird. At this point reduce the heat to a 150º C and cook for 2 hours, basting regularly. If the skin browns too fast, place aluminum foil on top to prevent it from burning. Serve with rice and a mixed salad. Enjoy!

Side note: I have done this with a frozen chicken straight from the freezer and it works perfectly. With a slight variation in the procedure. Place the bird in the preheated oven for 30 minutes then take it out and massage it with the mix, only this time without getting under the skin. Tuck the remaining mix into the cavity as for the normal way. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes then pour in the chicken stock. Cook for 4 hours, at 150º C.

Svensk pølseret | Swedish fried potatoes with sausage

2012-03-07T17:07:00.003+01:00

A wintertime dish, even though we are approaching spring, the weather seems to ignore the calendar. It's still very much cold over here but there's hope: snowdrops are claiming the grounds and sprouting wildly all over the place! It's so charming!

Back to this hearty dish. A solid one as well, if I may say so, alas not too waistline friendly. Per introduced me to this dish and I thought I'd share it with you, with a slight modification in the presentation. The original recipe consists of cooking all the ingredients together, pretty much like a 'potato and sausage casserole' but without baking time.

Ingredients:

4 medium sized potatoes
2 sausages Frankfurter type
50g butter
2 tsp paprika
1 large onion
70g tomato paste
2dl cups milk
2dl heavy cream
1 egg per person
salt & pepper
chive or parsley for garnish

Peel and cube the potatoes; the same for the onion. Slice the sausages in diagonal, about 1cm in thickness.

1. Place half of the butter in a heavy pot to melt on medium heat then add the potatoes. When they are half cooked add the onion. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to gently fry until potatoes are done and golden.

2. In the same pot fry the sausages. I didn't add any butter intentionally, the fat in the sausages is enough to bring them to a beautiful 'roasted' texture and color.

Transfer the potatoes and the sausages into a dish and place in the oven to keep them warm.

3. Pour the heavy cream in a small pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Add tomato paste and whisk. When the tomato paste is well blended add milk and paprika. Place the remaining butter and stir until the sauce thickens and is smooth in texture. Season with salt.

4. Right before serving, fry the eggs, sunny side up, making sure the egg yolks is still very soft. Place on top of the potatoes and sausages, sprinkle with chopped chives or parsley and serve at once with the cream.

The original recipe:

After step 1, add the sausages, season with paprika and fry until everything is golden. Then add the milk, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Stir for about 15 minutes then add the heavy cream and mix until all the liquid is absorb by the potatoes.

Serve topped with fried eggs. Decorate with chives or parsley.

Orange pound cake

2012-03-04T22:40:00.001+01:00

Pound cake is a favorite in my family. My son loves it with candied cherries but in general all my children and my better half prefer it simple with the full flavor of the butter.

Today I baked the orange version because I had some organic oranges available, begging to be used.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
180g flour
180g white sugar
180g unsalted butter
1 tsp baking powder
1 orange, zest and juice
a pinch of salt
icing sugar

The weight of the eggs will determine those of the flour, sugar and butter. I used only 3 eggs but please adjust according to the number of eggs you'll use. Butter should be at room temperature and save some of the zest for the decoration. Preheat oven on 250º C and grease the baking dish with butter.

Beat butter with sugar until creamy and white. Mix in the eggs, one at a time mixing well between each egg. Gradually add the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt. End with the orange juice and the grated zest. Transfer the batter in the baking dish.

Place the cake in the oven and reduce the temperature to 200º C and bake for 45 minutes to one hour, depending on the size of your cake.

Serve dusted with icing sugar and a sprinkle of orange zest. Enjoy!

Smoked mackerel pâté

2012-03-01T21:16:00.001+01:00

I would like to close my smoked mackerel mini series with a great pâté. It's spiced with curry and horseradish and it makes a delicious appetizer, ready in just a few minutes.

Ingredients:

200g smoked mackerel fillets, skinless
2 Tbsp crème fraîche
1 stalk green onion, chopped
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp grated fresh horseradish
½ tsp salt
black pepper
fresh parsley, finely chopped

In a deep dish flake the fillets with a fork. Add all the remaining ingredients and blend. The amount of grated horseradish can be reduced if to 1 tsp if you prefer a less spicy pâté. Enjoy it on toasts or crackers.

Caramelized smoked mackerel salad

2012-02-27T23:10:00.003+01:00

This is the second recipe of my mini series on smoked mackerel.

Ingredients:

1 whole medium sized smoked mackerel
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp red balsamic vinegar
2 large potatoes
½ cup diced pickled beetroot
½ cup crème fraîche, more if needed
1 Tbsp fresh orange juice
grated orange peel
fresh thyme
salt

Peel potatoes and boil in salted water until done and still firm. Drain and allow to cool, then cut them into large cubes. In a big bowl mix crème fraîche and the diced pickled beetroot. Add 1 Tbsp of range juice. Season with a pinch of salt. Mix in the potatoes and toss lightly. Sprinkle with thyme and place in the fridge until serving time.

Heat the oven to 250º C. Mix honey and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Discard the mackerel's skin and fillet it. The skin separates itself easily so all it really takes is to pull it with the fingers. Check for any bones and gently break the fillets into large pieces. Depending on the size of the fish, this should yield between three to four 'chunks' per fillet. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Baste the pieces of mackerel with the honey mix and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

Pull out the potatoes and arrange on a plate. Sprinkle with grated orange zest and a bit of thyme. Top with the caramelized mackerel and serve at once. Enjoy!

Smoked mackerel

2012-02-24T22:48:00.001+01:00

I have such an unwavering love for fish! Today it's smoked mackerel, almost au naturel. With just a drizzle of olive oil and fresh lemon juice, served with a cucumber and onion salad and some fries. Oh, and a lot of freshly cracked black pepper!

Warning: this is not the last post on smoked mackerel. There's more to come, with recipes! In the meantime, I wish you all a great weekend! ;)

Spicy Potato Wedges

2012-02-17T15:21:00.002+01:00

A happy and tasty food doesn't always require high techniques, paired with an entire measuring tape's length of ingredients. I mean I do have recipes - my own included - which have steps that would make an obstacle relay a joke! Truth is they are absolutely worthy of the time and effort we put into them. It's just that sometimes, it's really nice to simplify. Without neglecting quality or taste. These potato wedges have it all and the recipe is insanely simple! :)

Ingredients:

3 large baking potatoes, unpeeled
2 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled
several dried chilies
fresh rosemary
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to high. Wash the potatoes and cut them into wedges, crush the garlic and chop the rosemary. I prefer to place them in the mortar together with the chilies, salt and pepper and roughly crush the whole thing. Transfer in a large bowl and add the olive oil. Throw in the potato and mix. Make sure all the wedges are well coated.

Place potatoes onto a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes at high then reduce heat to medium and bake for another 35 minutes or until nice and golden brown. Sprinkle chopped parsley right before serving. Enjoy them as snacks or as a side dish. :)

We love our bacon

2012-02-11T21:06:00.003+01:00

Any food turns special when it's prepared without rush, nice and easy, day dream a bit between the stages... and a hug here and there doesn't hurt at all. Everything becomes quite perfect then, right? Therefore I'm convinced that bacon never tastes better than on a weekend morning. ;)

This pizza was perfect for this day.

Ingredients:

400g pizza dough
2 medium leeks, sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
200g mixed cheese, grated
100g diced bacon
50g diced ham
1 tsp dried pizza herbs
fresh parsley
dried chilies (optional)

Preheat oven to 250º C. In a small pan, lightly fry leek in olive oil until just tender. Transfer in a plate and allow to cool. Dice bacon and ham in the meantime.

Spread leek on the rolled out dough. Add bacon and ham, then top with cheese. Sprinkle with the dried herbs and chopped parsley.

Cook for 20 minutes or until golden. Enjoy! :)

Have a great weekend, all!

Perline and pea soup

2012-02-07T22:13:00.002+01:00

Lately it feels like there's no telling when this winter is going to end. Europe is severely beaten by freezing temperatures and honestly, I can't wait til spring moves in. Maybe it's due to some health issues I'm going through at the moment that make me long for warmer days... One thing is sure though, I'm not alone in my impatience.

Soups are something I enjoy all year long, where ever I am, what ever the weather. Today's special is perline and pea soup. Not the usual robust winter classics but just as nutritious. Thus perfect! :)

Ingredients:

50g perline or any tiny pasta
5 cups of vegetable broth
50g diced ham
150g peas
1 small carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, sliced
salt and pepper
Parmesan

In a medium pot bring the vegetable broth to a gentle boil and add the pasta. Perline take 6 to 7 minutes to cook so half way through add the vegetables. Cook until pasta is done. Season to taste. Serve with Parmesan. Enjoy! :)

Calamansi flavored chicken nuggets

2012-01-23T23:25:00.000+01:00

One of the things I brought with me from the Philippines is a pack of the awesome calamansi. It's a native lemon the size of a large marble, filled with seeds but it's so flavorful! I've used it previously in my crème de calamansi. This time I tried a light version of chicken nuggets, adding calamansi and leaving out the eggs. The result? Great tangy and subtle zesty chicken nuggets!

Ingredients:

300g skinless chicken fillets
3 whole calamansi, juice and zest (or 1 whole lime)
1 tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole milk, more if needed
2 cups panko
peanut oil for frying

Marinate the chicken fillets with calamansi juice, salt and pepper for a couple of hours.

In a shallow dish mix paprika with milk. Add the garlic powder and the grated zest of a lime, if used. I found it almost impossible to grate the calamansi's zest due its size - gee... even the sentence is a tongue twister! Seriously, it has to be chopped by hand as finely as possible. Place flour and panko in two separate dishes.

Coat each fillet in the flour, then in the milk and end with the panko. Arrange the fillets on a tray.

Heat oil in a pan on medium high and fry the fillets by batches, until golden and crisp. Serve with your choice of sauce. I used whole yogurt mixed with capers and served with fresh celery. Enjoy! :)

Postcards from the beautiful Philippines

2012-01-08T14:05:00.000+01:00

Images I will always carry with me...

I spent three amazing weeks in Manila during which I took mainly snap shots, portraits, precious moments with my children. The above images are old shots, facets of a wonderful country where I lived for many years. I decided to share them with you. Call it missing...

Hello from Manila :)

2011-12-26T11:40:00.002+01:00

I hope you had a heartwarming Christmas and wishing you all a wonderful Holiday Season. :)

Much love and hugs!

A different corner...

2011-12-11T20:38:00.001+01:00

Something about this song... always loved it. :)

Busy. Exams. Packing.

Hope you had a great weekend.

I'll be away from Denmark for some weeks.

See you soon! :)

Wholegrain fusilli with thyme infused olive oil

2011-12-02T12:51:00.003+01:00

Home alone for lunch and indulging in a dish of organic rye wholegrain fusilli. These are superb, with a surprising smoothness. I think their color is simply gorgeous! I decided to combine them with minimal yet bold ingredients and a generous amount of Grana Padano. Its mild, fruity and sweet taste is perfect with this dish. Need I say that I'm extremely happy with the result? ;)

Ingredients:

50g fusilli
1 Tbsp olive oil
fresh thyme
Grana Padano (or any hard cheese of your choice)
salt

Cook pasta according to instructions of the package. In the meantime, gently heat olive oil with fresh thyme. Remove from heat as soon as the fragrance begin to develop. This should take not more than a minute. Keep the oil in a warm place.

When the pasta is done immediately toss into the pan of olive oil, mix gently. Season with salt and serve with large cheese shavings.

Prawns, saffron mayo and mixed baby salad

2011-11-30T17:31:00.002+01:00

Not so long ago I ran into the delightful Salad Pride and have been really amazed by David Bez's creativity. He makes some stunning mixes! This salad is totally inspired from his latest entry. It's absolutely refreshing and addictive. Again, thank you David for sharing! :)

Ingredients:

- mixed baby salad: red Mangold, arugula, pak choi, bull's blood
- mayonnaise
- a pinch of saffron
- 150g black tiger prawns
- 2 Tbsp pine nuts (approx.)
- chives (I chopped the chives)

dressing:
- olive oil
- salt

Cook prawns in boiling water with a pinch of salt, for a minute or two, depending on the size. Drain and set aside. Arrange a bed of mixed salad in a serving dish and add the prawns. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and the chives. Add mayonnaise and top with saffron. Serve with the dressing on the side. Next? Enjoy! :)

Janssons Frestelse (Jansson’s Temptation)

2011-11-27T23:29:00.001+01:00

Scandinavian food? I love it, particularly Danish dishes. And it has a lot to do with the fact that my man is Dane, who happens to be a fantastic cook by the way. Which makes me quite shy to try my hands at Danish cuisine. I'm however starting to be good at cooking potatoes! And that is extremely important, when you live in the land where potatoes are one of the major staple foods. :)

Many years ago, Discovery Travel and Living channel showcased Swedish food and Jansson's Temptation was amongst the dishes that caught my attention. It looked absolutely delicious! This dish came back into my panorama during one of our trips to Malmö, in Sweden.

I thought I'd share it here. Perhaps you'd be tempted as well. ;)

Ingredients:

500g all purpose potatoes
300g heavy cream
1 cup milk
50g butter
1 can anchovy (approximately 12 fillets)
1 large onion
pepper
1 Tbsp bread crumbs

Peel and julienne the potatoes. Keep them in water to prevent darkening. Slice the onion, set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180º C.

Drain the anchovies, but don't discard the oil. Mix cream and milk. Butter an oven dish and a layer of potatoes. Add half of the onions. Season with pepper. Arrange the anchovy fillets and add the rest of the onions. Top with the remaining potatoes. Pour the cream and milk mix over the dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs, drizzle the reserved oil and top with dabs of the remaining butter.

Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Potatoes should be tender and top should be golden. Serve piping hot!

Stuffed crepes with ham and cheese

2011-11-25T22:17:00.004+01:00

Autumn gets the last word and the roses in my garden are slowly giving in. As usual, they go with elegance and beauty, every step of it. Up to the last petal.

The recipe? It's so simple, really: a few crepes, preferably homemade, slices of ham and cheese. I used Gouda but Gruyere would be great or Emmental if you prefer.

Place a slice of cheese in the center of a crepe, top it with ham and end with another slice of cheese. Fold into a square shape pocket. In a non stick pan, melt about a tablespoon of butter. Place the crepes, seam-side down and fry on medium heat for a minute or two, until golden and crisp. Flip and fry the other side for the same amount of time. Serve immediately, with Dijon mustard. Enjoy! :)

Penne alla puttanesca

2011-11-17T23:33:00.003+01:00

This is great stuff! Anchovies, capers, olives and dried chili flakes flare-up this dish to higher heights. Granted, it's a bit salty but the tomatoes do the magic and balance the sauce marvelously. When a dish comes with such a 'bold' name, it can only be striking! ;)

Ingredients:

200g dried penne
5 anchovy fillets
1 Tbsp capers
70g Kalamata olives, pitted
2 cloves garlic
400g tomatoes, chopped
½ tsp dried chili flakes
2 Tbsp olive oil
fresh parsley for garnish - optional

Drain anchovy fillets and crush them on the chopping board to a pureed consistency or chop them as finely as possible. Place pan on low heat. Add oil and garlic, toss until just fragrant then add the anchovies and the chili flakes. Allow the anchovy to melt before adding the tomatoes. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce is homogeneous. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Right before draining the pasta, add capers and olives to the sauce. Toss drained pasta into the sauce and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Soft pear cake

2011-11-14T21:22:00.004+01:00

"Have you ever had a prayer answered?"

"Yes! I have you here with me."

♥

He knocks my socks off. Again. :)

Ingredients:

4 pears, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch slices
180g sugar
4 whole eggs
150g flour
125g butter, melted and cooled
a pinch of salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp sultana raisins
2 Tbsp almond slivers

Lightly butter a baking dish and arrange pears evenly at the bottom. Preheat oven to 180º C.

Mix flour with salt and baking powder. Beat eggs with sugar until creamy, white and doubled in volume. Gradually add the flour mix, then the melted butter. Blend in the sultana raisins. I didn't add any spices because pears are so aromatic!

Pour the batter over the pears, sprinkle with almond slivers and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm, with a dust of icing sugar and enjoy!

Celery and clementine salad

2011-11-10T20:17:00.002+01:00

Today we're experiencing a glorious sunny day, which is a real bonus when the cold seasons settle in and the temperatures are steadying on a single digit number. I shouldn't complain because October was beautiful and unusually warm. I'm home with a small back pain issue. Feeling somewhat ambitious, I tried to use my time wisely *ahem* by studying Danish grammar. The usage of inversion to be more precise. It's ~~confusing~~ utterly boring!!!

Fortunately, salvation came in the form of lunch. Now we're talking!

Ingredients:

2 stalks celery
kalamata olives
1 clementine
chopped walnuts

for the vinaigrette:
1 clementine
1 tsp walnut oil (or any oil of your choice)
a few chopped celery leaves
salt and pepper

Thinly slice the celery stalks in diagonal, set aside. Drain olives and chop them, if you prefer small bits. I left them whole. Peel the clementine then cut it into small chunks.

Prepare the 'vinaigrette' with the juice of one whole clementine, add oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the chopped leaves and whisk everything together.

Assemble celery, clementine and olives on a plate or in a bowl. Crush some walnuts in your hand and sprinkle on the salad. Pour the vinaigrette, toss gently and enjoy! :)

You. Yes, YOU! :)

2011-11-09T21:20:00.004+01:00

This is a showcase of some amazing blogs I enjoy reading, learning from and reflect upon... through wonderful recipes, touching thoughts and breathtaking photography. Thank YOU for inspiring me!

Photo and recipe by

Memories in the Baking

Photo and recipe by

The view from Great Island

Photo and recipe by

A Food Lover's Journey

Photo and recipe by

MyFudo

Photo and recipe by

Technicolor Kitchen

Photo and recipe by

Spoonful of Delight

Photo and writings by

Smithereens

Disclaimer: Photos and recipes in this entry are their authors' property.

Creamed potato and button mushroom soup

2011-11-07T09:34:00.003+01:00

Must be the weather, so inviting for soups... Luckily I love soups. But then again I love - almost - everything. I have my own list of exceptions such as Brussels sprouts. And eels. And the Danish pickled herring, called kryddersild. On the other hand, I'm crazy about escargots, fresh oysters and smoked cod liver. Did I mention I am weird? :-D

Nothing odd about my potato cream soup though. On the contrary, it's a classic with just a little personal twist!

Ingredients:

600g potatoes
25g baby chard
200g button mushrooms
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups low sodium vegetable broth (optional)
1 cup milk
a pinch of salt

Boil or steam potatoes until done. Transfer in a large heavy pot, add butter and mash with a hand potato masher. Gradually pour in milk and continue mashing. After all the milk has been absorbed, if the mash is too thick, add a little of the vegetable broth. Mix in Dijon mustard and whisk gently.

Chop the mushrooms as finely as possible. Heat olive oil in a pan and throw in the mushrooms. Salt lightly. Toss and stir until the mushrooms begin to render their juices. Scoop out the juice and save it in a bowl. Continue cooking the mushrooms until lightly golden.

Saving some for garnish, transfer all the rest of the mushrooms into the pot with the potato mash. Add the mushroom juices for extra earthy flavor. Whisk it all on low heat. Add grated nutmeg and mix. Check the consistency, and dilute - if necessary - with the rest of the broth. The final result should be creamy and irresistible!

Just before serving, place some chopped baby chard in individual serving bowls, pour soup and garnish with mushrooms and a pinch of baby chard. Enjoy!

Extra: for fun, I cut out some cooked potatoes with a mushroom shaped cookie cutter, then pan fried them in a little bit of butter until golden.

Snowflake

2011-11-05T16:26:00.000+01:00

A beauty which goes by so many names: snowflake, jasmine and white angel as it's called in the Philippines. I'm so happy I found it here in Denmark! Totally unexpected...

Just as orchids, this immaculate flower has no scent at all, but it's oh so pretty!

I had to share it with you and wish you all a wonderful weekend! ♥

Chili paste

2011-11-03T20:57:00.005+01:00

Confession Nº 1: I am addicted to chilies. Having a Vietnamese mother and growing up in Thailand, I can say it started at a very young age. I compulsively use chili in basically everything I eat. Except when it comes to desserts, but then if only I could, I certainly would! :) The need is sometimes so overwhelming that I would crush fresh chilies with salt and sprinkle a bit of the mix on fresh lemon and have it just like that! ... I simply love chilies!

Confession Nº 2: I have a bottle of Tabasco in my handbag. Before you picture me rushing into some dead end allée to have a sip of it, let me reassure you I don't have such a behavior! :) The reason is actually very simple: Tabasco - or any hot sauces for that matter - is generally not available in common restaurants/cafés in Copenhagen. There are exceptions of course. So I carry my own bottle!

Now, the picture below shows my supply of chilies at home... and if harissa is not included it's because I'm out of it. ;)

As if that wasn't enough, I make my own chili paste which I'm sharing with you today.

Since this is more about personal preferences, the proportions of the ingredients should be adjusted to taste.

Natural

2011-10-31T10:45:00.003+01:00

I love desserts. All of them, pies, sorbets, custards, tarts, cakes...and the whole process of creativity, from start to finish. But lately I've been too much into those and my body is once again screaming for less 'compositions' and more 'au naturel'.

This weekend I got loads of fruits and I've been shamelessly indulging into freshness! Had them individually or mixed, always with the same gourmandise! It's a fantastic pleasure to savor the flavors as Nature creates them, juicy, sweet, sour, texture, fibers and last but not least: vitamins!

Honestly, when even the peels tell wonderful stories, it's satisfaction guaranteed, for all the senses!

Have a great Monday everyone! :)

Creamy red kuri squash soup with granny smith

2011-10-27T23:22:00.001+02:00

Pumpkins and squashes are everywhere! They are the stars of the month and so deserve the spotlight. They're nutritious, versatile and let's face it, there must be a good reason why Cinderella's carriage was made from a pumpkin. ;)

Squash used to be a regular in my diet, in different preparations, savory or sweet. But I must confess that I've been 'shying' away from it in the past couple of years, not intentionally though. Can't really explain why, since I genuinely love pumpkins and squashes.

A creamy and warm soup is one of the best ways to reconnect with an 'old friend', right? The addition of granny smith brings a nice subtle note of tartness to the soup while the mushrooms add texture and extra flavors.

Ingredients:

800g squash, cut into chunks

2 whole granny smith, diced

100g mushrooms

1 medium shallot, chopped

3 cups vegetable stock

25g butter

10 cl light crème (or half and half)

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

fresh chives

In a large heavy pot, lightly brown apple and shallot in butter. Add squash and toss. Cook for 5 minutes to lightly soften squash. Pour 2 cups of vegetable stock and bring to a boil on high heat. At this point reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook until squash is completely tender, approximately 20 minutes.

With a hand mixer, purée the soup. If it's too thick add some of the 3rd cup of stock.

In a pan sauté mushrooms in olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Right before serving, heat the soup and add crème. Mix gently and serve topped with mushrooms and chopped chives. Enjoy! :)

Morning rolls

2011-10-21T20:38:00.004+02:00

Baked cinnamon rolls today, using my favorite recipe. Everyone has got one, right? ;) But you see, sometimes I have this strange itch to change things a bit... So, along with the classic presentation I used half of the dough differently, cutting triangles and rolling them as one would do with croissants. This is the result! I find them pretty practical to pack in a paper bag as they are less 'sticky' this way. :)

For recipe, click here.

Citrus cake with clementine syrup

2011-10-16T16:53:00.005+02:00

My language internship is over and it has been a great week! I truly enjoyed each and every single day in the company of really really really nice people. And to make things even more interesting, it took place in the kitchen, so there was a lot of baking! I felt like a kid in a candy store! :)

This cake is totally inspired by one of the cakes we baked, the difference is that back there the proportions were for 106 people and it was with oranges. In my personal variation I used clementines, served it with vanilla ice cream, topped with caramelized clementine slices and chopped nuts.

Need one more reason to love this cake? It's at its best 24 hours later. The flavors are then given the time to be fuller, more dense, while remaining so wonderfully moist! So if you plan a dinner or a picnic, this is the perfect make ahead cake!

Ingredients:

for 6 ramequins

2 whole eggs

110g sugar

110g flour

110g butter, melted

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp grated clementine rind

½ tsp grated lemon rind

For the syrup

the juice of 6 big clementines

110g sugar

For the decoration

6 slices of clementine

chopped pistachio (optional)

Heat oven to 180º C. Lightly grease the ramequins.

Beat eggs with sugar until creamy. Mix flour and baking powder and add to the eggs, little at a time. End with the butter, the grated rinds of clementines and lemon. Blend everything nicely, but don't over mix.

Pour into the prepared the ramequins, half way. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Prepare the syrup: gently simmer the clementine juice and the sugar. When it reaches a loose syrupy stage, remove from heat.

In a dry pan, place the clementine slices and allow them to caramelize, on medium heat.

When the cakes are done carefully unmold them and let them cool down completely. After the resting time, slice off a thin layer from their tops. Place the cakes in a deep dish and spoon syrup into each, then wait 10 minutes. Repeat the last step until all the syrup is used. The cakes should be totally soaked and ooze syrup when pressed on gently.

Carefully transfer on a plate and decorate with the caramelized slices of clementines, sprinkle chopped pistachio. Serve with ice cream. Enjoy!

Liver pâté

2011-10-11T22:10:00.002+02:00

Need a liver pâté for dinner and no time to make it a day ahead? This one's for you! It is delicious! And creamy. And easy. But I must warn you: if you like liver pâté and the people around you are fond of it too, then it's going to disappear real fast!

This recipe is the Danish version, more on the 'mousse' side, thus smoother compared to the French one, but equally great. Danes love their leverpostej so when Per said that my pâté was fantastic, I knew it's a jackpot! ;)

Ingredients:

250g pork liver
250g pork lard (I used the smoked version)
250g ground lean pork meat
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup milk
1 whole egg
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
a pinch of black pepper

Grind liver and lard until smooth. Add pork meat and the chopped onion and give it a few pulse until well blended. Transfer in a large mixing bowl. Add the whole egg and stir.

Preheat oven at 175º C.

In a sauce pan melt butter then add the flour. Mix to combine then pour in milk, gradually. Whisk until sauce thickens. Remove from heat, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add to the liver mix and blend it all together.

Pour into a terrine dish and bake in a bain marie for an hour. The pâté is done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. Serve the pâté on toasts and if you want to have it the Danish way, use rye bread. Top with cornichons, baby cress, thins slices of cucumber or some fruits. Enjoy! :)

Goat cheese and tomato triangles

2011-09-30T19:57:00.005+02:00

Lunch. Munch. Both! Made these today, and ... it's all gone! Why? Simply because they are great! And it's so easy to make that one could do it blindfolded. Okay, maybe not the slicing part. But trust me, it's easy. Flavor wise? Subtle and full at the same time. What more can we ask for? ;)

I can think of a few ways to turn this into something "richer" in calories but to be honest, it's perfect as it is. It's good to remember that sometimes, simple is better.

Ingredients:

1 sheet of ready to use puff pastry
1 ripe juicy tomato
100 g goat cheese (I used Sainte Maure)
fresh thyme
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oven to 220º C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Cut puff pastry into approximately 10 x 10 cm squares and divide each into two triangles. You can go for any shape you fancy, of course. One detail: don't "trace" any margin along the sides, we want a rustic look here. Cut tomato into thin slices. Roughly chop goat cheese.

Place pastry on baking tray, top with a few slices of tomato, a tablespoon of goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil over the cheese and tomato, decorate with fresh thyme.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until the pastry is nicely puffed and golden. Enjoy! :)

Ham sandwich with crisp salad of cress, pear and cucumber

2011-09-27T21:18:00.001+02:00

While fixing this sandwich for my lunch, I thought the colors are pretty close to those displayed by nature in September. Anyhow, I needed a freshness packed munch before heading for school so this is what I made for myself.

For the salad:

Julienned cucumber, slices of half a pear, baby cress. The vinaigrette is made of freshly pressed lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Toast a slice of bread - I used my own baked bread - with ham, top with the salad and drizzle some vinaigrette just before digging your fork and knife into the sandwich!

Intentionally I chose not to use butter or any creamy spreads on the toast, this sandwich had to be as light as possible. And so it was, not to mention very delicious, from start to finish! :)

Stir fried shrimps with snow peas

2011-09-25T23:42:00.001+02:00

Quite busy these days... I've been assigned to create a blog for my class, related to our upcoming language internship. To be honest, when I accepted the project, I had no clues on how challenging it would be, not in terms of working on the layout and such but more on introducing the concept of blogging to some of my classmates. Most of them use the net for all the universal reasons, from researches, emails etc. but none of them blog, so it was pretty interesting to guide them through the whole process. We had great fun there!

Now, how was your weekend? I had a beautiful one, in many ways. And the weather was awesome, very summer like, so that was a big bonus! I hope yours was just as good. :)

In terms of food, here's one of the dishes I cooked: stir fried shrimps with snow peas. Delicious and extremely easy to prepare, the only trick here is in the speed!

Ingredients:

200g prawns, peeled and deveined
150g snow peas
1 small white onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce + ½ Tbsp
1 tsp cornstarch
2 medium scallions, chopped
1 medium fresh chili, sliced
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp vinegar
½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
fresh coriander for garnish (optional)

You can peel the shell off the tails if you prefer, but I kept them because I think it looks prettier. In a bowl, mix sugar with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch and vinegar. Add prawns and mix to coat.

Heat a wok or a skillet, then add the vegetable oil. Add the garlic, onion and ginger. Fry until fragrant, making sure not to let the garlic turn brown. Add the prawns. Stir for less than ½ a minute before adding the snow peas. Season with ½ tsp soy sauce and the sliced chili. Fry for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken stock and the chopped scallions. Stir for another minute to mix. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Soft boiled egg and mouillettes

2011-09-18T16:20:00.000+02:00

The perfect match to a soft boiled egg is called 'mouillettes' aka soldiers. And when you can top the toast fingers with what ever you fancy, it can only make the day start right! :) I love mine with butter, salt and grated Parmesan.

No real recipe here as you can see. Just boil eggs for 4 minutes. While eggs are cooking, toast your favorite kind of sandwich bread - I used whole wheat and mixed grains bread - spread salted butter, cut into strips or batons and top with anything you fancy. Place eggs in egg cups, tip off the top. Dip a mouillette into the egg and enjoy! :)

Crisscrossed

2011-09-17T10:23:00.003+02:00

Summer is officially over and autumn is settling in. Trees no longer dress in vibrant green, and quietly unveil yellow hues... I call it crisscrossed moments. Can't help to make a parallel with life, human life that is. Who hasn't had that period where hesitations take over, long margins of reflection on which choice would be optimal.

Nature's choice is predictable: soon it will be a firework of yellow, orange and red, pure gorgeousness. Peaceful and happy. Just as we are, when we finally reach a decision.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! :)

Banana muffins

2011-09-13T21:47:00.005+02:00

Two things: bananas in the fruit basket were ripe and a craving for muffins was getting serious. Next thing is I find myself baking, so here's the result! And I got to use these cute muffin cups. ;)

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

180g flour

1 tsp baking powder

150g sugar

a pinch of salt

½ tsp lemon juice

1 egg

½ cup milk

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup crushed peanuts

Preheat oven at 220º C. Sift all dry ingredients together. In a bowl beat egg til fluffy, with milk and oil. Mash bananas with a fork, add lemon juice. Pour into the flour mix, stir just to blend then combine with the wet ingredients.

Spoon into muffin cups, top with peanuts or any nuts of you choice and bake for 35 minutes. Enjoy!

Wood ear fungus and glass noodle soup

2011-09-12T20:06:00.001+02:00

As a kid, I used to be fascinated by this mushroom. Its deep dark color would make my imagination run wild, not to mention the transformation from a dry, insignificant looking 'thing' into a smooth seaweed like appearance. Amazingly, it tastes absolutely nothing! As opposed to its lack of flavors, it has a great crunchiness, no matter how you cook it - a rare feature for a mushroom I think. So texture plus visual effect would be the best assets of this strange looking fungus, whole or chopped.

Like most broths, the foundation of flavors rests on the stock. That fact couldn't have been truer here. This is the chicken soup of my childhood. Simple and comforting. Give it a try!

Ingredients:

75g dry glass noodles

5 to 6 pieces wood ear fungus
½ chicken breast
3 or 4 bony chicken pieces
1 medium white onion
1 medium carrot
1 small star anise
2 cloves
green onion
fresh coriander
fresh mint
salt and pepper
fish sauce

the stock:

Peel carrot and onion. Cut carrot into half and stud onion with cloves. Fill a large pot with about 1 ½ liters of water, add star anise, chicken bony pieces, chicken breast, carrot, onion and ½ tsp salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cover and leave to simmer for at least 30 to 40 minutes, regularly skim off foam and fat.

After the cooking period, strain stock then pour the clear broth into a clean pot. Discard onion, carrot and star anise. Shred chicken and place on a dish. Taste stock and adjust seasoning with a few drops of fish sauce.

In two separate bowls, soak glass noodles and wood ear fungus in lukewarm water for 15 minutes. Drain. Chop coriander, mint and green onion. Set aside.

Right before serving, heat up the stock, add wood ear fungus and glass noodles. Simmer for 2 minutes.

Dish up in individual bowls. Add shredded chicken, sprinkle with the chopped herbs and pepper. Pour stock and serve. Enjoy!

Thoughts

2011-09-11T20:16:00.000+02:00

To the innocent victims of 9/11 and

prayers of peace and hope for all

Mini nectarine rolls

2011-08-31T21:18:00.006+02:00

It starts with beautiful nectarines

...and the wish to share fun and yummy snacks with my friends at school, keeping in mind that we have only 20 minutes break. Thus the mini size and the other element in consideration is that my classmates come from different horizons, so it's perfect for the diverse cultural communities we represent.

Ingredients:

for 12 mini rolls

2 luscious nectarines

2 tsp white sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp white sesame seeds

6 sheets of spring roll pastry

1 tsp flour

water

oil for frying

Divide nectarines into 12 wedges, place in a bowl. Add sugar and cinnamon and mix thoroughly. Let stand at room temperature.

Cut each spring roll pastry in half diagonally, making 2 triangles. Place sesame seeds in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix flour and water into a sticky paste consistency, this will be the 'glue' to seal the rolls and attach the sesame seeds. Drain the nectarines.

Place one slice of nectarine on the pastry, at the base of the triangle. Flip both sides over the fruit and holding firmly, roll upward. Half way to the top, brush some of the glue on the tip and finish forming the roll.

Apply some 'glue' to one end of the rolls and dip into the bowl of sesame seeds.

Heat oil in a non stick pan and fry the nectarine rolls until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel, allow to slightly cool down and well...enjoy!

Lemon zest pasta with olive and oregano

2011-08-28T20:40:00.008+02:00

Something about lemon zest connects me to summer, beyond its bright yellow color. I simply love the amazing depth of warmth diffused through the natural oil, mixed with an invasive sharpness that tickles more than my sense of smell...

And yes, holding on to the last strands of summer here... The rare sunny days no longer stretch late into the evenings and nights are now laced with unmistakable autumnal mist.

There are tons of ways to use lemon zest and this pasta dish is one way I shamelessly indulge into! ;)

Ingredients

250g spaghetti

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup fresh oregano

5 Tbsps. olive oil

Zest of 1 organic lemon, grated

Juice of ½ lemon

½ cup green olives (black kalamata would be great as well)

Red pepper flakes to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

Grated parmesan cheese

In a large pot, bring water to a boil with a pinch of salt and cook pasta, al dente. Drain.

Heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and olives, stir for a minute, just to bring the out the garlic flavors. Pour lemon juice and lemon zest. Toss and remove pan from heat. Add the spaghetti, top with a bit of ground black pepper, red pepper flakes and chopped oregano. Mix gently.

Serve garnished with Parmesan and garlic bread. Enjoy! :)

Baked zucchini fries

2011-08-15T18:16:00.001+02:00

Inspiration is back! I'm picking up photography again, after a hazy transitional time. That really makes me very happy: photography is a medium which holds a cardinal place in my life. And the other exciting thing: Per and I are renovating our entrée! To be entirely honest, I should zoom in on the "we"...as he does all the heavy duty tasks while I...give him all the moral support I can! In his own words, "you plan for a couple of days and I slave for the next couple of weeks!" :)

Ingredients:

- 3 medium zucchinis
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 2 egg whites
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, more if needed
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 250º C and line baking sheet with parchment, coat lightly with olive oil. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and Parmesan. In another bowl, beat lightly the white eggs until frothy. In a deep dish, mix bread crumbs and sesame seeds.

Slice zucchinis into fry size sticks. Roll zucchini into flour mix, dip into egg whites and coat with bread crumb and sesame seed mix. Line the sticks in a single layer on the baking sheet, drizzle a bit of olive oil over. Bake for about 25 minutes, turning once until golden and crisp but still tender on the inside.

message: love

2011-08-10T12:10:00.002+02:00

There's always a way to send a message

.

Fried plaice with salted black bean sauce

2011-08-08T22:24:00.001+02:00

This dish electrifies my taste buds! I've been craving for it and used plaice in lieu of cod: the result is just as delicious! The white and delicate flesh stands out perfectly with this preparation. I hope you like fish. ;)

Ingredients:

- 1 whole plaice, medium size, around 250g
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- ½ cup fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
- 1 whole capsicum, julienned
- 4 spring onions
- 2 hot chilies, sliced
- 1 Tbsp salted black beans
- ¼ cup water
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- oil for frying
- a bunch of coriander springs, for garnish
- dash of black pepper

Cut the green stalks of the onions into 4 or 5 cm long and save the white parts. I like to pickle them in white vinegar mixed in water with a pinch of sugar, at room temperature. Drain them right before serving with the fish.

Place 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil with sesame oil in a wok and gently fry in the ginger and the garlic, just until fragrant. Add capsicum, then the salted beans. Toss a bit then pour water and increase the heat to high. After a minute, add chilies and spring onion. Reduce heat and keep the mix warm, but uncovered.

Heat oil in a non stick pan and fry fish for 2 minutes on each side, til golden and crisp. Plaice is quite a thin fish and need very little cooking time, so keep an eye on that pan! Drain fish on kitchen paper towel.

Transfer plaice on a serving dish, top with the stir fried vegetable and drizzle a bit of the rich sauce over it. Garnish with coriander. Serve with steamed white rice and pickled onion. Enjoy!

;)

2011-08-03T20:50:00.003+02:00

Humour saves the day! :)

Cherry lemonade

2011-07-31T21:09:00.151+02:00

What a week... experiencing the "no plans" to the letter, guided only by the mood and the weather! If it's not a luxury then it pretty close, I'd say. Now...calling all cherry lovers: celebrate them in every way! Here's a refreshing drink you'd surely end having more than one glass!

Ingredients:

300 g cherries, pitted
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
½ lime juice
fresh mint for garnish
cold water

Bring water and sugar to a boil, add cherries and boil again until cherries are softened. Add lime juice and set aside to cool.

Strain the syrup and press the cherries to extract all their juice. Store in a bottle and refrigerate. Serving: fill glasses with ice, pour the cherry syrup, add cold water, stir, decorate with mint and...enjoy!

Compote de mirabelles

2011-07-29T14:52:00.003+02:00

Seasons go by and they rarely are identical. This summer was long and slow to come, giving us just a few weeks of real heat to enjoy. I still recall last year's temperatures reaching 30º C and above. Lately it's been rainy most of the time and there's already a subtle sense of early autumn in the air. But then again, Danish weather is known to be quite "unpredictable" so we are hoping that somehow August will surprise us with many bright sunny days before the real autumn knocks at the door.

Preserves are a way to prolong the bounties of summer and trees are generous with fruits ready to be picked! Couldn't resist to make a compote with the mirabelles plums, mixing green and ripe ones together. The result is a superb compote with a tangy twist, a real tease for the taste buds. I so love it's golden amber color!...

Ingredients:

350 g plums
350 g granulated sugar
500 ml water

If using only ripe plums, reduce the amount of sugar. Mix all the ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until liquid is reduced by half and fruits are tender. Enjoy!

Lunch at Stenløse

2011-07-28T15:29:00.004+02:00

Per's parents' house is about 30 km from Copenhagen, with a beautiful garden and it's always such a peaceful place to be, especially during the warm months of summer. Their apple tree holds the center stage but the garden has a lot of surprises, edible ones as well! Thank you Gitte and Preben for a great time!

We had a typical Danish lunch, so delicious that some uninvited guests showed up: wasps! Luckily they weren't that many and were gracious enough not to disturb us beyond the first 10 minutes.

A cozy niche in a corner of the garden, called "the jungle".

Meet Artemis, their 14 years old cat. She doesn't know her age and still plays like a little kitten. ;) Perhaps it's something we should learn : remember to forget our age.

Now, my blog being also about food, are you staring at the above shots? It's Gitte lip-smacking good cake and yes, she shared the recipe. I'm posting it in Danish, because it's so charming!

Muffins og / eller lagkagebunde

2 æg

¼ liter mælk eller kærnemælk

100 g smeltet, afkølet smør

(eller 1 dl neutral olie)

350 g mel (man kan godt bruge halvt fuldkornsmel, det gjorde jeg)

200 g sukker

2½ tsk bagepulver

½ tsk vaniljesukker eller rigtige vaniljekorn

¼ tsk. Salt

Pisk de våde ingredienser let sammen

Bland de tørre ingredienser sammen.

Tilsæt de våde til de tørre og fold dejen let sammen med en dejskraber – den skal være lidt klumpet.

Fordel dejen i smurte muffinsforme eller lagkageforme og bag ved 220 grader i 17-20 min.

Tjek med en tandstikker om de er gennembagte.

Lad kagerne stå i formene på en rist i 5 min. Før de tages ud – ikke længere, så bliver de bløde.

Fyld: f.eks. frisk eller syltet frugt, chokolade, kakao, instant kaffe

Variation:

rør forsigtigt 125 g små rabarberterninger og 1 spsk. Hakket, syltet ingefær i dejen.

Aren't these red currants just gorgeous?! :)

The breaking point

2011-07-27T00:07:00.007+02:00

"The breaking point is a point of hope, a point of a new start, where the building up of the past crumbles because it just can't get worst than it feels. Following it, light clears up no matter how piled up the dark clouds were, it clears without really falling down...Those hues behind, those undefinable yellow pink hues backed up by the light, a light that we know always to be there beyond the heavy darkness, those hues are life and life always finds a way out and a way in to our spirit."

"Never doubt. We were all born with an inner force that made us stand and learn to walk. The only difference between then and now is that we have come, through hardship, to understand the why we need to stand and keep on taking that step forward. It's a walk called life. Rough and smooth. It's the only one we've got. And it's shorter than it looks."

♥

Bruschetta

2011-07-25T20:52:00.007+02:00

♥

The perfect marriage: toasted baguette, flavored with fresh garlic and olive oil, sliced grilled eggplant and feta. Season with thyme, salt and mixed pepper. Enjoy!

Contour of Movement

2011-07-25T15:01:00.002+02:00

chemistry of movements and sensations, away from the world of surgical precision, somewhere between ethereal dreams and flustered impatience: desire

♥

Two cheese flat bread with oregano

2011-07-23T15:40:00.005+02:00

Ingredients:

the dough

300g all purpose flour

7g dry yeast

¼ c lukewarm water

¼ tsp sugar

3 Tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp salt

½ c lukewarm water

the topping
150g feta
150g gruyère
2 tsp fresh oregano
1 Tbsp olive oil

Sift flour in a mixing bowl. Dissolve sugar in ¼ c lukewarm water, add yeast and let stand until it foams. Pour yeast into the flour, mix lightly then add olive oil and salt. Knead gently, adding more water until a smooth dough is formed. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and give it 20 to 30 minutes resting time.

In the meantime, grate gruyère and roughly mash feta.

Preheat oven to 200º C. Punch dough and transfer on a parchment lined baking tray. Pat dough into a long oblong shape, coat with gruyère, top with feta and oregano. Drizzle some olive oil and bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Deviate

2011-07-21T18:08:00.002+02:00

A side dish as late afternoon munch? Why yes, by all means! When it's so easy and a million miles away from time consuming, there's no reason to hesitate. Oh, incidentally it's healthy as well. ;)

This is minimalism per se, delicate with a punch from the dipping sauce.

Ingredients:

Chinese cabbage
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp sweet chili sauce

Whisk hoisin, sweet chili sauce and ginger together in a bowl. Steam the cabbage leaves for a minute or two. Remove and drain on paper towel, then cut into 2 cm strips. It's best served warm. Enjoy!

Penne with oregano blossoms

2011-07-20T11:49:00.002+02:00

"Herbs are the friend of the physician and the pride of cooks" Charlemagne

How true!... This dish is totally inspired by the oregano in my garden, which now has beautiful blossoms, delicate, pink with a je ne sais quoi that charms me! There's something oh so girly about these little beauties... :)

Nothing complicated here. I believe that cooking is also about being simple yet creative in bringing a hearty and delicious food, without spending hours and hours in the kitchen. Especially during summer when the weather is too good to be indoors!

Prepare your favorite pasta, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and a few drops of lemon juice, add a generous spoonful of fresh oregano leaves and blossoms. Top with grated cheese. Mix and decorate with yes you've guessed it: oregano blossoms! Enjoy!

He owns my PC

2011-07-19T14:34:00.003+02:00

Yawn!

Niko, owns my PC and protests by sitting on my desk when he thinks I spend too much time online. Possessive and very attention seeker, cute and endearing. Miko is our neighbor's pet but he has adopted us and our place is his second residence. ;)

Sweet oregano blossoms

My grapes, growing nice and easy :)

Pear in puff pastry with honey syrup

2011-07-14T18:05:00.004+02:00

Oui, oui oui! C'est le 14 juillet! Bastille day! French national day! I've got pears, which happen to come from France but that's coincidental. To celebrate this day, Poire Belle Hélène would have been perfect, but I crave for a tart and soft golden colors. Alors, this is the result! Délicieux!

I baked this tart while keeping and eye on the TV screen, watching the traditional military parade on the prestigious Avenue des Champs Elysées, which was broadcast live on TV5MONDE. And I really enjoyed it. Yup, that's me. ;) Vive la France!

Ingredients:

1 sheet of puff pastry dough, thawed

5 firm small pears

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 cup icing sugar

1 cup honey

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tsp cinnamon

2 cloves

1 star anise

2 Tbsp crushed pistachios

Preheat oven at 220º C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix cinnamon and granulated sugar in a bowl.

Now to strip the pears! Peal and core them, immediately rubbing lemon juice to prevent oxidation. Cut 4 pears into halves, including the stems; slice the fifth into wedges. I used my julienne peeler to create patterns but that's optional.

Unfold the puff pastry and cut out 4 rectangles, approximately 12 x 15 cm in size. Transfer them on the lined baking tray. Lightly score the pastry with a pairing knife to create a 2 cm border. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mix on the center pastry. Top each rectangle with one half pear and surround with the wedges. Dust lightly with icing sugar, avoiding the borders as much as possible.

Place tray into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine is...how should I put it...very "moody"? I always have to camp in the kitchen to keep an eye on things I bake, but we are "good friends" at the end of the day.

For the syrup: in a small saucepan, pour honey and let it melt on a very gentle simmer, with a few drops of lemon juice, star anise and cloves. Set aside.

When tarts are all puffed and golden, place on a rack. Allow them to cool down then spoon syrup over the pears. Dust with icing sugar and sprinkle crushed pistachios right before serving.

Enjoy!

Drawn curtains

2011-07-13T21:38:00.004+02:00

Chiquetaille de morue

2011-07-12T14:54:00.002+02:00

It's anniversary time! Four years ago I started my blog and today I thought I'd celebrate with a special entrée from the Caribbean: salt cod salad. Though the Caribbean islands abound with delicious fresh fish, the dried and salted cod is loved and widely used.

The only "down side" of this dish is the soaking time but it's so worth the waiting!

Ingredients:

1 slab of dried salted cod, about 200g

fresh thyme

1 medium sized ripe avocado

1 or 2 fresh chilies

1 lime

2 Tbsp chopped scallions

1 Tbsp chopped shallot

2 Tbsp olive oil

cucumber (optional)

Preparing the cod: place fish in cold water for 24 hours - changing water twice during the soaking time.

The next day, boil cod for 10 minutes in a small pot with a few branches of thyme. Drain and allow to cool down. Discard skin and bones, flake the softened cod with a fork.

In a large bowl, mix fish flakes with shallots, scallions, lime juice, olive oil and chilies. Season with fresh thyme. Place in the fridge for an hour to allow all the flavors to come together. Serve with sliced cucumber and avocado.

I chose to process the avocado in a blender with a bit of lime juice, just for the presentation and a greater contrast in textures.

Enjoy! :)

Fruit and savory salad

2011-06-25T16:45:00.003+02:00

Cravings for freshness! With the following demands:

1. minimum prep

2. maximum satisfaction

3. 100% healthy

4. no salt, pepper or oil

Ok not necessarily in that order but still, my requests withstand. Again, there's no real recipe here. I have a grape vine growing in my garden, totally untreated so I used some leaves to place at the bottom of the cups. You can substitute with lettuce, of course.

Fill cups with diced tomatoes, green onions, grapes and shredded greens: romaine lettuce, arugula and chives. Cut the orange segments over the cups - it's the only binding liquid as no oil is used. Refrain from using salt or pepper as well. Add a dollop of heavy cream and enjoy!

Now, don't waste a minute. Go in your garden and let your fantasy guide your selection of veggies and fruits. If you don't have a garden, open your fridge and kick start your creativity! :)

Rain

2011-06-24T09:49:00.004+02:00

Sadly rain had the high hand yesterday, at least in the area where I live, therefore we chose to skip the beach and the famous Sankt Hans bonfire.

And today promises another rainy day. Let's hope for sunny days ahead.

Have a great week end, dear friends! :)

Lovely dark rye bread, packed with whole grains...

Sankt Hans

2011-06-23T14:17:00.005+02:00

It's Sankt Hans day, the summer solstice's celebration. I'm so looking forward to this evening, when Per and our friends will join the crowd on the beach and gather around the huge bonfire! As usual we'll bring a blanket and a basket filled with sandwiches and a bottle of wine. Unfortunately the weather this year is execrable: gray sky, with moderate wind and scattered showers... I hope it will improve in a couple of hours.

In the meantime, I've prepared some smørrebrød, the Danish staple food. Between you and me, it's easier to memorize the spelling of that word than to say it. That's if just like me, you are not from Scandinavia! ;)

new potatoes with crème fraîche and dill

smoked ham with green grapes

salami with cornichons and chives

smoked mackerel with cucumber, dill and lemon

Scrubbed not peeled

2011-06-22T22:25:00.002+02:00

One of the things that amazes me since I've come to Denmark is how Danish cuisine and potatoes are magnetized. Potatoes are serious business here and hold the title of the national vegetable. No one even bothers to remember that the humble tubers' roots - no pun intended - are from Peru. While the French have their nouveau Beaujolais event, here the entire land celebrates the first crop of new potatoes in spring, complete with national headlines. Then in September there's the student's "Efterårs ferie" also referred as "kartoffelferie" which means potato vacation. How's that for an "underground veggie"?

These spring potatoes do deserve the craze surrounding them. They are absolutely great, creamy in texture and crisp in flavors, naturally nutty and buttery. Danes will never peel them, but rather gently scrub and cook them whole.

Today I mixed them with thinly sliced fennel, a few drops of lemon juice, a very light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, salt and mixed pepper. Delicious!

Kalderetang Manok

2011-06-19T12:25:00.004+02:00

Kalderetang Manok is chicken stew à la Filipino, simmered in a rich tomato sauce, with basic vegetables. Versions of this dish are many, sometimes including liver but I prefer without it. The traditional meat for a kaldereta is beef, nevertheless chicken is widely used as well and just as popular.

Bay leaf and star anise on Himalayan salt

I like to flavor my kaldereta with a star anise and a couple of bay leaves because they complement beautifully the slightly tangy taste of the tomato paste and to celebrate the mixed origins of Filipino cuisine. When preparing this dish with poultry, it's best to use parts with bones, for extra richness in taste.

Ingredients:

4 medium sized chicken thighs
3 cups of mixed diced carrot and peas
1 whole bell pepper, diced
500g potato
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 whole star anise
2 bay leaves
70g tomato paste
1 cube of chicken stock
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp peanut oil
salt and pepper

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil with the chicken stock. Set aside. Potatoes can be either diced or quartered. New potatoes are available in the market this season, wonderfully creamy, with a slight nutty note so I used them whole, due to their small size.

In a large pot, heat oil on medium heat and sauté onion and garlic. Stir for a couple of minutes until they are lightly golden then add the tomato paste and keep stirring. When the paste turns slightly dark, place the chicken and fry until they are golden. Pour in the stock, the star anise, the bay leaves and the soy sauce. Cover and let simmer on low heat until chicken is cooked.

At this point add the potatoes, and continue the cooking, with the lid on until potatoes are done. Caldereta is ready when sauce has reduced by half and thickened. The rest of the vegetables go into the pot last. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and cook for another minute or two.

Serve with white rice. Enjoy!

Birthday

2011-06-18T21:44:00.003+02:00

Yesterday was my birthday and sharing is one of the best ways to celebrate, so I would like to share with you my first wild strawberries! They were never planted and grow each year in a corner of my garden, albeit their tiny size they are packed with unique flavors! Unfortunately I don't have enough to truly make some jam so it's about savoring these cuties as they are.

A strawberry on a pencil just to give an idea of the size.

A bouquet of lilies and the latest iPhone, part of my birthday gifts. ;)

Last but not least, a portrait of this beautiful kitten, who has been visiting us almost daily. He belongs to one of our neighbors and yesterday he stayed with us for hours. I like to think it was his way of wishing me a happy birthday! His name is Niko. :)

Omelette

2011-06-14T10:20:00.004+02:00

How do you like yours? To me it should be golden on the outside, soft and creamy in the center, fried with butter. Sometimes I would indulge in a decadent cheese omelette or fresh chives but my all time favorite is simply plain.

Ingredients:

2 whole eggs
1 tsp butter
salt and pepper

Heat frying pan and add butter. Beat eggs with a fork until just runny and big bubbles of air is formed. Season with salt and pepper. When butter is frosty pour in the eggs and shake the pan while stirring the eggs with the back of the fork. When the omelette is set but still runny on the surface, remove pan from the heat and fold. Serve at once. Enjoy!

My garden

2011-06-08T21:40:00.002+02:00

Roses are blooming fast now and they are gorgeous! And so are are the other flowers. :)

Sunday

2011-05-29T20:37:00.005+02:00

Just sharing some shots taken during this weekend and my song of the day. I know...it's from yesteryears. Hope you'll enjoy both. ;)

Have a great Sunday!

Baked this morning and immediately savored :)
(recipe here)

Chicken wings

2011-05-28T09:15:00.001+02:00

Singing "I believe I can fly" and I'm glad you guys can't hear me! I don't know if you are familiar with a comic character named Bianca Castafiore... let's just say that if I were to compete against her, I'd be the first runner up. And I have my family's reaction to prove it! ;)

Seriously, I love music and couldn't live without it but singing is not my best. ;-)

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken wings

Marinade:

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp honey

1Tbsp peanut oil

1 Tbsp soy sauce

½ cup hoisin sauce

½ tsp paprika

1 tsp five-spice powder

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

½ tsp Tabasco - optional

Whisk all the ingredients for the marinade and pour over the chicken wings. Toss well to coat each wing. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or even better, overnight.

These chicken wings are great grilled but just as finger licking when roasted in the oven.

If marinated overnight, remove from the fridge a good half an hour prior to cooking. Preheat oven to 200º C. Drain chicken wings, save the marinade. Arrange the wings on a greased wire rack and place in the oven. In the meantime, reduce the marinade in a sauce pan, until thick and syrupy. After 20 minutes, brush the chicken wings with the sauce and return to oven, for another 20 minutes.

Serve with a sweet chili sauce or any sauce of your choice. Enjoy!

Champiñones al ajillo

2011-05-24T22:14:00.004+02:00

Nature has been sprouting at high speed in Denmark. It seems like the long "hibernation" makes everything highly sensitive to the slightest sun rays and warmer temperature. Even if since last Sunday we have been experiencing a lot of rain and strong winds, summer is coming.

Patience, patience... ;)

'nuff said about the weather, let's talk about hot stuff, shall we? It's easy to see that I'm still very much into tapas and champiñones al ajillo is a classic one. Sincerely, I love the earthy and woody flavors of mushrooms. To me there's something mystic about them.. Ok maybe I'm drifting into the magical world here but I do find them fascinating and highly delicious.

Ingredients:

250g mushrooms, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 dried chili
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
toasted bread

A very large frying pan is a must here, as mushrooms contain a lot of water. A quick evaporation will prevent them from boiling in their juice. Heat oil in the pan and add half of the chopped garlic with the chili. Roast gently until garlic softens then add the mushrooms. Increase the heat to high and toss the pan as often as possible to sort of sear the mushrooms. When they reach a nice coloration, add the remaining garlic and parsley. Season and serve immediately, with toasted bread. Enjoy!

Moi

2011-05-21T13:20:00.015+02:00

MOI, three little letters and a word with big meanings... Found this cute hand made cup at the flea market and couldn't resit it! Some say 3 is the strongest number. I don't know how true it is but I can tell you one thing, this simple bread IS good! And guess what? It consists of only three ingredients: flour, water and yeast. It has everything I love in a bread, texture, lightness and crunch. I call it three times bread! Plain, toasted, top it with cheese, homemade tapenade, or anything you fancy, and enjoy each bite!

This morning Per and I we dropped off our eldest daughter at CPH who's flying to the Philippines for two weeks and we're going to a birthday party this afternoon. So let me share this recipe and I'm off!!! Have a great weekend everyone! :)

Three times bread

Ingredients:

300g all purpose flour
7g instant dry yeast
½ cup lukewarm water + ½ cup for mixing

Dissolve yeast in water. When ready to use, add to flour, plus the remaining water. Mix gently then transfer on a board and knead just until smooth. Lightly grease and dust with flour an iron cast pot in which the dough will bake. Place the dough and leave to rise for about an hour. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes then brush top with water, and continue the baking for another 30 minutes, in a medium heat. Enjoy! :)

Toasted

Bouchées asiatiques

2011-05-18T07:13:00.075+02:00

Bouchées, nibble food, tapas, appetizers or canapés, it doesn't really matter what they're called, it's all about sampling delicious culinary cuteness. Whether rustic or elegant these finger foods have one great thing in common: they are undoubtedly best when shared!

I made these Asian inspired canapés with rice vermicelli, using the sharp flavors of mint and holy basil as high notes while the tiny sesame seeds bring a delicate crunchiness.

Ingredients:

125g rice vermicelli
100g lean beef
70g small shrimps, cooked, peeled and deveined
2 tsp white sesame seeds
1 tsp honey
1 tsp soy sauce
fresh mint
fresh holy basil
sweet chili sauce
chives, optional
1 Tbsp cooking oil

In a small pot, bring about 4 cups of water to boil. Place the rice vermicelli and cook for 2 minutes. The released starch will allow the noodles to hold together. Drain and rapidly spread vermicelli in a wide dish, press down, leveling to about 1 cm high and leave to cool.

Heat oil in a wide frying pan add soy sauce and honey. I realize this is an unconventional sequence but it will ensure a fast caramelization, thus reduce the meat's cooking time. As soon as the liquid comes together, immediately add the sliced beef and fry for couple of minutes, until just cooked but still tender. Leaving all the juice in the pan, spoon meat in a bowl and sprinkle sesame seeds to coat each slice thoroughly. Set aside.

At this point, the rice vermicelli should be cold and pretty compact. Lightly oil a cookie cutter and cut the noodle slab as you would do for a traditional dough.

Decorate each piece with fresh mint and holy basil, finish off with shrimp and beef. Serve with sweet chili sauce. Bon appétit! :)

Homemade herb salt

2011-05-11T10:54:00.007+02:00

Fresh herbs and salt are some of the ubiquitous ingredients in cooking and there's no reason to refrain yourself from making your own flavored salt, ready to use anytime. Mix rock salt with your favorite spices or herbs - even both, let's be frivolous! - and you'll have your personal perfect blends. They also make pretty giveaways! A small tip: when using fresh herbs, allow the mix to dry a couple of hours in the open air before storing in jars.

Today I made oregano and rosemary salt, because I'm crazy about their flavors! And because I have them right in my garden. ;)

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T19:09:00.004+02:00

Taking and giving

2011-05-07T21:32:00.006+02:00

Tiny offerings from the sea...
timeless sand and reminisces of shellfishes, pretty beyond emptiness.

One of shells Per and I collected on the beach today.

Fish fritters

2011-05-04T14:12:00.006+02:00

When it comes to fish, my family is divided into two groups: girls love it, guys avoid it. So, these fritters were a huge hit for only one part of my little tribe and I guess pointing is unnecessary here. ;)

Ingredients:

- 1 cup all purpose flour

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 cup beer

- 1 whole egg

- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds

- dash of white pepper

- oil for frying

- 200g white flesh fish

Dipping sauce:

- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

- juice of 1 whole lemon

- 1/4 cup fish sauce

- chillies

- 1 tsp sugar

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl beat the egg lightly and add the beer. Pour gradually into to flour mix. Set aside. Cut fish into bit size, season with salt and pepper. Prepare dipping sauce by blending all the ingredients.

Heat oil in a non stick pan. Place a few pieces of fish into the batter and gently spoon them into the hot oil. While fritters are in the pan, sprinkle a bit of sesame seeds onto of each piece. Allow to set before flipping to the other side. Remove and drain on paper towel. Remember, the fritters will have only one side with sesame seeds. Repeat the process until all fish is used.

Serve with lettuce, scallions and dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Smile!

2011-05-03T11:00:00.002+02:00

Taken this morning from my kitchen window! :)

So cute! :) Hares, birds, porcupines, ducks and foxes abound here and the area where we live is not the countryside! The proximity of a park gives them all a great space to create their habitat and proliferate. Actually it's not rare to see a fox running even in downtown Copenhagen, though only at night and one can understand their shyness. ;)

Frederiksbergs loppemarked

2011-04-30T15:33:00.008+02:00

One of the things I love to do is going to a flea market. Sometimes with a precise idea of what I wish to find, often it's about walking through the crowded aisles and being amused by the eclectic items on display. And when the weather is awesome, there's no question that a flea market in the open air is great! Per and I have our favorite flea market, which started its 2011 season just a couple of weeks ago. It's located on Frederiksberg downtown Copenhagen and we are amongst the regulars, season after season. ;)

Time...an obsolete notion in a flea market

We all want something

could it be green rather or even smaller?

being "picky" is acceptable when it comes to collectibles, right?

it's all about the right size and...

walking carefully

a tray for every occasion

never too young to start this addiction

hidden art

are you fashion or style?

gotta have that toy!

pick your number!

By the way, I see mine. ;)

Spicy and sour beef soup

2011-04-28T13:50:00.005+02:00

Amongst the Southeast Asian cuisines, Cambodian food is perhaps one of the less well known and I personally believe that the country's tragic history bears a big responsibility. I won't go into politics here but just briefly say that some Cambodian dishes are also part of my childhood food and I often relate them to "earthly" meals, in the noble sense of the word.

Though I never lived in Cambodia, I'm familiar with its cuisine thanks to my mother, who is part of a generation of Vietnamese born and raised there.

It's truly my pleasure to "introduce" this spicy and sour soup, which has always been one of my favorites. And I'm happy to say that I passed it on to my daughter, Kim. :)

Ingredients:

500g beef, minced finely

2 medium bok choy, chopped

3 fresh lemon grass stalks, minced

6 garlic cloves, minced

6 kaffir lime leaves, minced

1 Tbsp fresh galingale (aka finger roots), minced

1 Tbsp galangal, minced

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 Tbsp tamarind paste or powder

2 hot chilies, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups water

Pulse in a food processor the minced galingale, galangal, kaffir leaves, garlic, lemon grass and turmeric powder until a paste is formed. If necessary, add ½ cup of water to ease the process.

In a pot bring 4 cups of water to a boil, dissolve in it the tamarind. Add the meat and the galangal paste, season with salt and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Add the chopped bok choy and the chilies and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve with steamed rice. Enjoy!