Giveaway!

Some of you might know that I sometimes create tiny jewelry from fimo (a sort of polymer) clay. I haven't done much since before Titus was born, but I recently got going again, which means I have some new ones to share with you. And I do mean share, because I'd love to give away two sets of earrings - each featuring Swedish "lussekatter" or Lucia Buns.

And if you win, you have to promise to wear them on Lucia Day, which is December 13th! I wish I could send you actual Lucia Buns as well, but since they dry out extremely fast they don't travel very well. Sorry! (But I do have a recipe, of course.)

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, and don't forget to leave your e-mail or some way to contact you. The giveaway is open until Sunday, Nov 29.



This also means I have some mini cupcakes (and some more lucia buns, and one pair of Princess Cake earrings) for sale. They can be made into earrings, or as pendants with lobster clasps. Check out the Flickr Set - anything that says "available" is still for sale. (Basically, start at the bottom - that's where the new stuff is.) E-mail me for prices. All hardware is sterling silver.

Cookbook Watch: A little bit of this, a little bit of that...

Portugal has a pretty bad food rap, at least here in Sweden. My friends went there on vacation and came back and really ranted about the bad food. With this in mind, I was wary when I received David Leite's book "The New Portuguese Table". I have to say, I've really changed my mind now - this food is anything but boring and repetitive, and it looks very fresh and flavorful. Leite has a Portuguese heritage, and many of the recipes were favorites as he grew up and have a very comfortable, homey feel. Others are modern and exciting, and something I really want to try is the milk-based "mayonnaise" which seems very intriguing. The book as a whole is really nice if you want to learn more about a new cuisine - the recipes are well-written, the photos are beautiful, and it makes me want to get in the kitchen. (Or really, on a plane, but I'll have to settle for the kitchen.)



Mitt Nära Kök ("My Close Kitchen" - not available in English) is written by Henrik Norström who runs one of Stockholm's fanciest resturants, Lux. (Where I'd love to go, by the way - Per has been there several times and loved it, but I haven't had the chance yet. It's the sort of place you'd pick if someone else is paying, to put it mildly - not in my maternity leave price range, that's for sure.) I was really excited to get this book, as it's something akin to getting a book by Heston Blumenthal, or even Ferran Adría. (Well, maybe with slightly more traditional techniques.) However, it's about as approachable, too. The recipes are short, and they sound SO simple. However, I look at the photos (which are beautiful!!) and just go "huh?". They look WAY more complicated than what I can accomplish at home, and that really turns me off, in a way. So, this is a book that I love to look at and leaf through, but for actually cooking, I'll choose something else.



Klara Desser has written a lot of books about eating according to the GI - Glycemic Index - method, and her new book, Klaras hälsomat ("Klara's Health food" - not available in English) has the same approach but is even more basic. It doesn't specifically talk about GI, but lists five steps to a healthier way of life - eating more lentils and veggies, eating less sugar and quick carbs, choosing healthy fats, saving indulgences for the weekends and getting more exercise. Makes sense, no? As a health book, this is really nice for those who need inspiration to make a change. As a cookbook, it's not bad - the recipes follow the rules above, and many of them sound very tasty. Or how about roast veal with root vegetables and apple chutney? Or chicken in tomato sauce with almonds and capers? Sounds good to me.



And finally, a much awaited book by the cake-guru Rose Levy Berenbaum. I have, and adore, her Cake Bible, and this new book is just as good. Rose's Heavenly Cakes has tons of cakes, helpful hints, and detailed recipes for success. She doesn't leave anything to chance - this is not for those of you who won't follow recipes, because these recipes are meant to be followed. And if you do, deliciousness will follow! I like this book slightly more than the old Cake Bible because of one particular feature: photos. This has full color photos of everything, which is also something I desire in a cookbook. So far, I've tried some Vanilla Bean cupcakes and those were most definitely amazing - all about those some other time...

Apple Cornmeal Muffins

I made this version of my blueberry cornmeal muffins for a brunch - they turned out just as delicious. They're not overly sweet, so perfect for brunch!

Apple Cornmeal Muffins
(printable recipe)
makes 15

250 ml all-purpose flour
250 ml cornmeal
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
110 g butter, melted
1 egg
3-4 tbsp honey
75 g sugar
180 ml milk
2-3 apples, peeled and finely diced



Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the egg with the butter, honey, sugar and milk. Add this to the dry ingredients, and stir as little as possible to just combine the ingredients.

Fold in the apples. Divide into normal-sized muffin cups, and bake at 200°C for 15-18 minutes. They should look golden, and feel springy to the touch. If you insert a toothpick into the middle of one, it should come out mostly clean. Cool on a rack, and enjoy!

Recept på engelska:
Äppelmuffins med majsgryn

And the apron winner is...

Kimberly Pye! (of Kimberblog)

Congratulations - I used random.org to draw the winner, but I wish I could send something to all of you guys!

And a huge thank you to PhaseThree, for this fun opportunity!

Apple Walnut Sourdough

For some reasons, I find bread the hardest to blog about, in the sense that I usually put it off for a very, very, very long time. Maybe because the recipes are so involved? Because lets face it, most bread *does* take a little bit of time and some extra love and handling. Not much skill though - I'm a firm believer that anyone can produce great bread, especially with just a little bit of practise. And a good machine to knead it - unless you have some good arm muscles.

Anyway. I bake a lot of bread, and I have *so* many recipes to share with you. This one is from a Swedish bread blog that is very popular, and he's even written a wonderful book that I talked about a while ago. I've modified it a bit, but go to the blog for his original. (In Swedish, though.)

It's an all sourdough recipe, so you have to have a strong, lively starter.

Apple Walnut Sourdough
(printable recipe)
2 loaves

The night before: 

100 g rye sourdough starter
300 g tepid water
180 g rye flour, fine (rather than coarse)

500 g peeled apples
50 g brown sugar

200 g crushed wheat or like me, a mixture of crushed rye, wheat, barley and oats
300 g boiling water

In one bowl, combine the sourdough starter with water and flour. Cover with plastic and leave at room temperature.

In your food processor, mix apples and sugar. Place in the fridge overnight.

Mix the crushed seeds with boiling water. Cover with plastic and leave at room temperature.

Next morning:
500 g bread flour (preferably a strong, high-protein one)
150 g rye flour, fine rather than coarse
250 g walnuts
20 g salt

Mix everything - the sourdough, the apple mix, the seeds from last night, and both flours, walnuts and salt. Work in a machine for about 10 minutes (twice that time if you're doing it by hand.) It will be quite sticky, because of the rye. Cover with plastic and leave to rise until it's doubled in size. (Mine rose for 3-4 hours.)

Grease two bread tins with butter and divide the dough. Sprinkle some additional rye flour on top if you want to. Cover with a tea towel or with plastic wrap, and leave to rise for 1-2 hours - the dough should rise to the edge of the tin.

Preheat the oven to 250°C. When it's hot, place the bread tins in the oven and lower the temperature to 200°C. Bake for about an hour - check with a thermometer, they should have a core temperature of 98°C.

Recipe in Swedish:
Surdegsbröd med äpple och valnöt

Bread

More or less every weekend, one of us goes to Gateau bakery to buy
bread. It's definitely an indulgence for us, and a delightful one. We
buy bread for our breakfast, and sometimes a pastry. Then we come back
home, make coffee and always some soft-boiled eggs, too. That's our
weekend breakfast routine - what's yours?

Spicy Pork Wraps

Spicy Pork Wraps
(printable recipe)

1 pork tenderloin
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika (the spicy, smokey kind - Pimentón de la Vera)
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt, black pepper

Mix all the spices. Dice the pork and place in a plastic bag with all the spices - shake it to make sure it's well distributed. Leave the bag in the fridge for at least two hours.

Fry the pork in some oil until cooked through. Serve with tortillas, tomatoes, onions, fresh coriander, grated cheese and some avocado mashed with garlic. Yum, yum, yum!

Recipe in Swedish:
Kryddiga fläskfiléwraps