Some great copycat recipes

It's been a while since I posted one of these! Here are three brilliant recipes I've found on other food blogs lately.

Buttermilk biscuits is a real favorite - I made it for Fourth of July with fried chicken, and they were absolutely delicious. I especially liked them with the Canadian maple butter Jeff and Brad brought us when they visited in June! This recipe is from Nook & Pantry.



Roasted tomato salsa, from 101 Cookbooks. This was also for the Fourth of July, actually. And very tasty indeed! I used regular dried chillies and chipotle sauce to flavor it, rather than chipotles in adobo or guajillo peppers.



Peanut Noodle Salad from Cloudberry Quark. Oh wow. This was just a fabulous, fabulous dinner. I really liked it - definitely one to try again. And again. I served it with some sliced beef on top, and it was just delicious. I used dried chillies rather than fresh, and red onions rather than scallions. Feel free to substitute as you see fit!

Thai Beef Salad

I crave salads now that it's summer - and this one is a real winner. It's not really thai, but it sure has a thai vibe. And most of all, it's really flavorful and easy to adapt to your liking, as well as very quick to cook.

Serve it with rice, or not - depends on how hungry you are!

I don't really specify what cut of meat to use - seems that those terms are particularly hard to translate since butchers around the world do things differently. But you want something tender since you're only flash-frying it.

Thai Beef Salad
Serves 2

300 g tender beef, cut into strips
1/2 zucchini, cut into strips
100 g mango, diced
10-15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch fresh coriander (say, a large handful.)
small handful fresh mint
3 tbsp neutral oil
3 tbsp Japanese light soy sauce
2 limes, juiced
3 tbsp water
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
pinch of brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 chilli, finely chopped, or crushed dried chilli. I use a mixture of Piri-Piri and sea salt.

Combine tomatoes, mango, red onions, mint and coriander in a bowl. In another bowl, mix oil, soy sauce, lime juice, water, sesame oil, sugar, garlic and chilli.

Heat some oil in a large pan or a wok. Fry the zucchini strips for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned. Put aside. Add more oil, and fry the meat for a few minutes or until browned. Pour over the dressing and let it boil for 30 seconds.

Arrange everything on a plate and serve.

Recipe in Swedish:
Thailändsk biffsallad med mango

Waiter, there's something in my... Smoky Rocket Sauce

This is an entry for Spittoon Extra's event "Waiter, there's something in my...", the currant theme is of course sauces and this fits the bill perfectly. See, in the summer I almost always go for cold sauces. I have no inclination of standing at the stove more than I need to, so it's much more often a cold sauce, and something coooked on the barbecue.

Rocket, or arugula, is one of my favorite types of greens. It's rather strong and has a mustardy tone, and it's great for a simple salad. It's also great for making a cold sauce, as we discovered the other night. We had to improvise and had "nothing" in the fridge. However, I managed to scrape this together, and boy, am I glad I did! It's super tasty and easy to make - and I've made it twice since, already.

Smoky Rocket Sauce

50 g rocket (arugula)
150 ml thick yogurt (greek or turkish, around 10% fat)
2-3 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2-1 tbsp chipotle sauce or paste (chipotle is a smoked chili pepper)
cayenne pepper

Chop the rocket coarsely. Mix yogurt and mayo, and flavor with chipotle and cayenne, and a dollop of honey if it's too sour. You can add a little salt, too. Mix in the rocket, and serve.

You can prepare it several hours in advance - it keeps well in the fridge. Add some garlic for more of a bite, if you'd like.

Recipe in Swedish:
Rökig ruccolasås

Weekend Cat Blogging - sleepy kittens

We visited our dear friends Helmy and Bernt this week. They are the breeders of two of our cats - Ywette and Kelly. They have kittens right now - eight of them, in fact! I just had to share some of the photos I took - there's nothing more adorable than sleepy kittens...



And no, I can't tell them apart. They're all Shaded Silver British Shorthairs, though. And one is still for sale, a gorgeous little cutie called Samurai Sam - he spent the night in our bed, and awww, it was hard to resist his charms. But we're not getting another male, I don't think Hamlet would approve...



Check out S*Esteticas homepage for much more pictures.



Weekend Cat Blogging this week is hosted by A Byootaful Life - check it out for many more gorgeous kitties!

Irish Coffee Ice Cream Cake

I know I've been posting a lot about frozen desserts lately - but well, it's the season for it! Here's yet another one, a delicious dessert that's really easy to prepare in advance. In fact, it's an ice cream cake that doesn't require an ice cream maker - always a plus! Since the ice cream contains alcohol, it won't freeze rock solid so you don't need to pull it out of the freezer long before cutting and serving. It will be just right as it is.

The recipe originally comes from a lovely little book called "Slutet Gott" (translates to something like "good in the end") that's from Sweden's largest food magazine Allt om Mat.

Use irish whiskey if you have it - I used Bushmills, Jameson would be another good choice. If it'd be good in an actual Irish Coffee, it'll be good here!

This is an entry for Yum Sugars Ice Cream Challenge - can't wait for the round-up, I bet there'll be tons of great ice creams!

Irish Coffee Ice Cream Cake
Serves 10

cake:
250 g almond paste
2 egg whites
2 tbsp cocoa powder

ice cream:
400 ml heavy/double cream (35-40% fat)
2 tbsp instant coffee
100 ml (0.4 cups) powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp whiskey

Grate the almond paste and mix with cocoa and egg whites until smooth. Spread into a greased springform pan (line the bottom first with parchment paper if you're at all nervous about getting the cake out) and bake at 175°C for 12-15 minutes. Remove the cake from the tin and let it cool completely on a rack. Wash the pan.

When the cake is cooled, put it back in the now-clean pan. Beat the cream with powdered sugar and instant coffee until it's really thick. Stir in egg yolks and whiskey. Pour this on top of the cake, cover with plastic foil and freeze over night or for at least four hours.

Serve with a little bit of cocoa powder on top, or with chocolate covered coffee beans.

Recipe in Swedish:
Irish Coffee glasstårta

Nectarine Sorbet

Phew, today is another really, really warm day. We've been on the road, going back from a short trip to Per's parents and our friends in Linköping. (Who by the way had no less than 8 lovely kittens, I'll show you some pictures for Weekend Cat Blogging.) I came home with rhubarb, red currants and gooseberries - what a bounty! Happily cooking up a gooseberry meringue pie for later! And we finally, finally managed to find a new bookshelf for my cookbooks. I have had the hardest time finding something that will both look good, and fit all my books, but now, success! There's plenty of room in it, and it really does look very good. Happy!

Sorbet is one of my favorite ways to cool off. This great recipe is from David Lebovitz' book "The Perfect Scoop" which you should really pick up if you haven't yet done so. It really is outstanding - what a great book!

Nectarine Sorbet

6-7 very ripe nectarines
160 ml water
140 g sugar
1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Cut the nectarines into dice, don't bother peeling them. Add the water and bring toa boil. Cover and let cook for ten minutes. Add the sugar, stir until it's dissolved, and then leave to cool completely.

Mix in a blender or with a handheld blender, and add the lemon. Chill very well, preferrably over night, and then freeze in an ice-cream machine for about 15-20 minutes.

Recipe in Swedish:
Nektarinsorbet

Foodie Gifts from Australia

I can't believe I haven't blogged about this! A kind reader sent me a new-to-me and very awesome sort of mac & cheese (which many of you already know is my guilty pleasure): Macaroni & Cheese Deluxe. The macaroni is regular enough, but the sauce is ready mixed rather than being just a powder. Ah. Convenience food made even more convenient! And it's really creamy and tasty. So, a big thank you - you know you who are, kind reader!

And as a bonus - I also got dorrigo pepper and lemon myrtle, two native Australian spices. I have yet to figure out what to use them for - but I'll have great fun playing with them, that's for sure.

Red Curry Sausage

Swedish Falu Sausage is probably not something many of you have easy access too, but just in case you do find it, you could try this easy recipe with it. Falu Sausage is a name-protected sausage, that's made from smoked beef. It's very smooth, and very mild, and probably the favorite of just about any kid in Sweden. Germany and Poland have similar sausages as well.

I like to just slice it and fry it, and serve with pasta, but it's also nice to make more of a stew with it. This is a spicy version, that's really quite interesting. You could make it with regular hot dogs instead of Falu Sausage, too.

Red Curry Sausage
Serves 2, generously

300 g Falu Sausage or other mild sausage, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp red curry paste
chilli sauce or tabasco
100 ml (0,4 cups) corn (frozen is fine)
200 ml coconut milk
100 ml cream (light cooking cream works fine)

Fry the sausage in a large pan until it's browned. Add garlic, onion and red curry and fry for a few minutes. Add the chilli sauce and the corn. After a few more minutes, add coconut milk and cooking cream, and leave to simmer for a few minutes. Add a little water or milk if it's too thick.

Serve with rice.

Recipe in Swedish:
Falukorv med röd curry

Zucchini Carpaccio

Monday, monday, glorious monday! Still on vacation, thankfully. Here's a nice little summery starter. I like having small, vegetarian starters now that we use the barbecue so much and usually serve lots of meat for the main course. In fact, I like small, vegetarian starters pretty much all the time - it's nice starting the meal with something really light. This is very flavorful too, and additionally, it looks very pretty. Above all, it takes about five minutes to make, so even the most hazzled host can do it. You could even do a much bigger version on a pretty plate, for a buffet.

Zucchini Carpaccio
Serves 4 as a small starter

1/2 zucchini
20 gram västerbottensost or other sharp cheese (a young parmesan would be nice)
1/2 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil
sea salt
1/2 tbsp crema di balsamico

Slice the zucchini very finely on a mandolin, and arrange on four small plates. Drizzle with rapeseed oil and crema di balsamico, and top with a scattering of sea salt and thinly sliced cheese.

Recipe in Swedish:
Zucchinicarpaccio

Drinks with Bols Parfait Amour

Bols Parfait Amour is a very purple sweet liqueur, with hints of vanilla and citrus. Tesse brought a bottle to Dalarna, and we happily proceeded to mix drinks. Here are two - one very pretty and successful, and one.. well, less so.

The first is simple. Let's call it a "Purple Sparkle". Just tip some Parfait Amour into a martini glass or champagne flute, and top up with sparkling wine or champagne. Really tasty! I urge you to try this!



The second one is simple too. We had run out of champagne, but had plenty of vodka, and orange juice. Now, mixing something bright purple with something bright yellow is a not so stellar idea, and the drink, predictably, looks like dishwater. I'm happy to say it tastes pretty good though - so if you're not particular about looks, give it a try! Not sure what it should be called though. "Purple Juice"? "Dirty Screwdriver"? Anyway. Roughly equal (small) parts of Parfait Amour and vodka, topped with plenty of orange juice.

Cheers!

Raspberry Limoncello Semifreddo

We had guests last night - Linda and Anders from Gothenburg, who are the proud owners of beautiful little Honey from Kelly's last litter (she's number three in that post), and two other gorgeous cats. We had a great time, and of course, ate some good food! Linda is a keen cook and I had a lot of fun thinking of what to make for her. For dessert, I settled on this wonderful semifreddo!

The recipe originally comes from BBC Good Food, but I've exchanged homemade vanilla sugar for their suggestion of golden caster sugar. The vanilla brings a certain roundness to the flavors, and I much prefer it.

And not to sound like a broken record, but you really should make your own vanilla sugar. Simply stick a couple of vanilla pods - broken up is better - in a pot of sugar. Shake it around a bit. Fill up with sugar as you use it. That's all there is to it.

As for limoncello, it's a gorgeous Italian lemon liqueur. As it happens, it's easy to make your own!

You can make this dessert well in advance, just remember to bring it out of the freezer about half an hour before you want to eat it or it will be frozen solid and impossible to cut. The sauce can be frozen as well if you want to have it at hand, but it takes just a few minutes to whip up. And if you have lots of fresh raspberries, they'd be lovely to use for this. If not, frozen are certainly fine - that's what I used.

This post is actually on topic for the raspberry event at Garten-Koch! Check it out here.

Raspberry Limoncello Semifreddo
Serves 10-12

Semifreddo:
200 g raspberries, fresh or frozen and thawed
80 g homemade vanilla sugar (divided) or golden caster sugar
300 ml heavy cream (35-40% fat)
400 ml full fat crème fraîche
4 tbsp limoncello

Sauce:
250 g raspberries, fresh or frozen and thawed
1-2 tbsp white syrup (just substitute sugar if you don't have white syrup at hand)
2 tbsp limoncello

You need a dish or mold that holds about a litre, 4 cups. A silicone mold means you won't have any problems getting the semifreddo out, so that's my recommendation. If you use a regular tin or dish, line it with parchment paper.

For the semifreddo, start by mashing the berries with 40 g of the sugar in a bowl. Beat the cream with the rest of the sugar and the limoncello until it holds soft peaks. In another bowl, beat the crème fraîche until it thickens. Gently fold it into the cream mixture. Finally, carefully swirl in the raspberries, but don't overmix it.

Pour into your prepared dish and freeze, over night is preferrable but I think you can get away with 6 hours if you're in a hurry.

Sauce: Mix the raspberries with white syrup or sugar, and limoncello. Blend with an immersion blender or a regular blender until the sauce is smooth. Pass through a sieve if you want to get rid of the seeds. Serve with the semifreddo.

Recipe in Swedish:
Hallon- och Limoncello Semifreddo

Unnecessary Wishlist, part 2

A few days ago, I posted part one of my very long unnecessary wishlist. I could keep going for a while - this is even more stuff I'd get from Williams-Sonoma if I had the space, money and opportunity. (In reality, I don't have either.) So, without further ado, here we go.



I have many knives, but actually no Santoku knife. This one from the Wüsthof Ikon series is really attractive, with a blackwood handle.



When I was in Brussels, I had a waffle off one of the street vendors. Yum! They sometimes sell Belgian Waffles here in Sweden too, at festivals and markets, but I'd love to be able to make my own. So, this VillaWare Belgian Waffle Maker looks great!



You've heard about barbecuing a chicken on a beercan? Well, this neat little Vertical Chicken Roaster will do just that, but without the can. You put liquid in the middle (be it beer, wine, juice, coke, water...) and it will make sure that the chicken remains moist. Very cool.



Getting good vanilla is always something of a quest for me. I have a few bottles of Vanilla Extract, carefully hoarded (and yes, I make my own too - but I can never get it as strong.) but I'd love to try Nielsen-Massey's Vanilla Bean Paste, too.



You've read the instructions - grill the meat until it reaches a temperature of... well, it can be really hard to measure sometimes, and especially if you're doing it outdoors. This handy Thermomether Fork comes to the rescue!



Have you watched Top Chef? I know I have, and I'm often impressed by their nice-looking presentations. (Even if the judges are less so!) With this set of Garnishing Squeeze Bottles, you could easily make your own squiggles and smears. Good for those of us that are artistically challenged, I'd say. Me, for sure!



A basting brush comes in real handy when you're outside, barbecuing. This Angled Silicon Barbecue Mop is a nice one, with a really long handle, that will allow you to keep your fingers cool, and your meat glazed, instead of the other way around...



I love guacamole and chips, and what better way to serve them? This Nito Dip Tray is really pretty!



Now, this is indispensable. Ever tried to take cupcakes on a picnic? Well, it can be really messy. But with the handy cupcake carrier Cup-A-Cake - no more!



Chefs love them, and I agree - Microplane graters are the best! I have a ribbon grater, but I'd love to have more of them - the coarse, the fine, the zester...



I can't be the only one having problems cutting a mango, since this Oxo Mango Pitter exists! I've resorted to buying frozen, ready-diced mango just to avoid the hassle, but with this handy gadget, maybe I'd give fresh ones another chance.



And finally, for my very meager cookie cutter collection, a beautiful kitty cookie cutter.



And guess what, that's it! Although, hmm, those pie weights are looking interesting...

All photos are from Williams-Sonoma.

Wheat Berry Salad

Here's one of my very favorite lunches - something I'd often make when I was at university. It's very portable, and as it doesn't need to be heated, it's just perfect for hot summer days. I mostly make it for myself, so this recipe is one, pretty big portion. Feel free to scale it as you see fit.

And it can be varied in so many ways. My only real constants are wheat berries, red onion, apple and crème fraîche, but I often switch around the proteins.

Wheat Berry Salad
serves 1 - if you're hungry

75 ml (about 5 tbsp) wheat berries
1 very small red onion
handful diced strong cheese (I suggest Västerbotten, Comté or Gruyère)
1 Granny Smith apple, finely diced
2-3 slices of serrano ham or parma ham, in thin strips
1 handful alfalfa sprouts
5-6 cherry tomatoes, halved
50-100 ml crème fraîche, depending on how wet you like your salad
salt
cayenne pepper
cumin
dried coriander

Boil the berries according to the packet instructions. Dice the onion, apple and cheese, halve the tomatoes and cut the ham into thin strips. Mix everything together, and season with salt, cayenne pepper, cumin and coriander. Enjoy!

Recipe in Swedish:
Matvetesallad

Unnecessary Wishlist, part 1

My friend Lena brought me back a Williams-Sonoma catalog from her trip to the US. Very nice to leaf through, but as I don't have a) a store anywhere remotely close, nor do they ship internationally b) unlimited kitchen space or c) tons of money, I won't be buying anything.

However, it was fun to make up a wishlist of stuff I'd perhaps get IF I had the space, money and chance. An unnecessary wishlist of fun gadgets, none of which I really need. Let's begin!



This is a baguette baking pan, for making nice, French bread. And wow, I really want one of these! (In fact, I'm trying to find one around here - this I can find place for!)



Williams-Sonoma calls this a Banneton Basket. I want one for letting my bread loaves prove, getting that lovely round basket shape. In fact, I want two.



My pancakes are never perfectly round. But with this handy batter dispenser, they would be!



This is just adorable, the Backyard Bugs Cakelet Pan. I want to make cute cakes too!



This Capri Linen tablecloth is really nice - I'd love to have this for my outdoor table. And matching chair pads too!



Here's a real gadget - the Corn Zipper. Can't be good for much, except for.. zipping corn. Which I bet it's great at.



Herb Snips! Yes, you *could* use your regular kitchen shears, but... this looks handier. And it has a stripper for removing the leaves from tough stems, like thyme and rosemary.



Aren't these the cutest? They're ice cream sandwich molds, and I could go ooh and aah over them all day. Not that I've ever made ice cream sandwiches, mind you...



This I really want, an Icing Spatula. I use a silicon paddle thing for icing, but as this is so long, I bet it's much easier to get a smooth surface.



A Kyocera Julienne Mandolin would sure come in handy sometimes! I have a straight mandolin just like this one, and I really like that it's so small and convenient to store. (As opposed to my old, huge mandolin!) It's also really sharp, and it has a ceramic blade.



Kitchen-Aid accessories are great - I wish I had more! This handy Fruit & Vegetable Strainer would make puréeing a breeze!



Although I think I'd get the Pasta Rollers first - if only they weren't so darn expensive. And come to think of it, my old hand-cranked pasta machine does work just fine... sigh.

Part two to come in a few days! (Yes, there's more!)

All photos from Williams-Sonoma.

Carrot Sunflower Bread

Yes, I *hate* posting without photos so I've been holding this post back for a while, but I'm sorry, I'm going to have to do it anyway. I just plain forgot to photograph these goodies, but they're too good not to have a write-up, so, well, here we go anyway.

They make perfect portion-sized little squares, that are really convenient to have at hand in the freezer.

Carrot Sunflower Bread

500 ml (2 cups) tepid water
50 g fresh yeast
50 ml dark syrup (molasses will work well)
2 tbsp sunflower oil or other neutral oil
100 ml (0,4 cups) sunflower seeds
1 large carrot, grated
1 tsp salt
300 ml (1,2 cups) coarse rye flour
300 ml (1,2 cups) fine rye flour
200 ml (0,8 cups) rye-wheat flour (rågsikt in Swedish, a mix between wheat and fine rye flour basically)
500 ml (2 cups) wheat flour
pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Crumble the yeast in a big bowl and pour the tepid water over it. Stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add syrup, oil, salt, sunflower seeds, grated carrot, cinnamon if you like, and all of the rye flour. Add the rest of the flour gradually and work into a firm dough. Leave to prove for at least 40 minutes. Press into a large, greased roasting pan and score into 24 squares. Prove again for 30 minutes. Bake at 225°C for 20-25 minutes.

Recipe in Swedish:
Morotsbröd med solrosfrön

Crispy Eggs

Certainly not one of my prettiest pictures, but it is a real staple at our house. I first learned this dish from Brownie Points, who thought it up for the great event "End of Month Eggs on Toast Extravaganza". And ever since, I make a point of having breadcrumbs in my fridge, seasoned with leftover parmesan, basil and garlic. With that at hand, I can whip up these eggs in about two minutes, which is perfect for when the blood sugar level is at an all-time low.

So. You need:
-leftover bread
-basil
-garlic
-parmesan cheese
-olive oil
-eggs

Blitz the bread with basil, parmesan and garlic in the processor. It should be mostly bread - the other items are seasonings. You can keep this in a tight jar in the fridge, it will keep very well.

When ready to cook, place a tablespoonful or two of crumbs in a bowl. Add a teaspoon of olive oil and mix. Place these oily crumbs in a frying pan and warm to medium heat - when the crumbs start to sizzle, add an egg directly on top of the crumbs. Or two, if you're having this for dinner. Fry as you normally would fry your eggs, and serve right away.

Recipe in Swedish:
Knapriga Ägg

Polenta Cheese Crackers

These beauties were found over at 101 Cookbooks. They're really tasty - great for a snack before dinner. I served them very simply with a Vasterbottens Cheesey Butter - just grate cheese (Vasterbottensost is sort of like a young Parmesan, so you could certainly substitute that, or a Pecorino, or why not a Gruyère?) and mix it with softened butter. Simple, and really delicious.

I made the crackers with spelt flour, and that was very nice. Use regular wholewheat or normal white flour if you wish.

Polenta Cheese Crackers
60-70 crackers

115 g spelt flour
150 g polenta
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
handful - about 125 ml or half a cup - grated parmesan cheese
40 g butter, diced and cold
180 ml (3/4 cup) buttermilk or filmjolk

Heat the oven to about 175°C.

Mix flour, polenta, salt, baking soda, cayenne pepper and Parmesan in a food processor. Add the butter and process again. Andd the buttermilk and blitz briefly until the dough forms a ball. Knead it by hand to make it more uniform, wrap in plastic and let it rest, at room temperature, for half an hour or so. (Or make it in advance and keep in the fridge, but let it come to room temperature before using.)

Divide the dough into quarters, and roll out one piece at a time. It should be rather thin, so be gentle. Use a cookie cutter to make the crackers, and place them on a lined baking sheet. Keep going until all the dough is used up.

Bake the crackers for 8-10 minutes - it might need longer if yours are thick, but mine were definitely done.They burn easily - so watch them. Let them cool completely, then serve or store in airtight jars. The crackers can easily be refreshed by a minute in a warm oven, if you want to make them in advance.

Recipe in Swedish:
Polentakex med ost

Mystery Recipes - Garlic Tomato Chicken

Looks nice, doesn't it? Funny thing is, I can't remember at all what this is. The photo is called "Garlic Tomato Chicken" so I gather that's what it is, but as to what went in it? I have no idea. At all. I'm so sorry. Apparently I made it in April and.. well, I suppose it can't have been that memorable after all.

Avocado Tzatziki

Here's a slightly different summer sauce, perfect for a barbecue or a pic-nic. It's what would happen if a guacamole and a tzatziki had a baby! Well, sort of. You get the general idea.

You need:
-thick yogurt
-garlic
-grated cucumber
-finely diced or mashed up avocado
-fresh coriander
-salt
-pepper
-lemon
-honey

Give it a whirl! No point fussing with exact amounts here, just mix until you're happy.

Recipe in Swedish:
Tzatziki med avocado

Recipe testing can be quite teasing

Two more recipes that I test-made a while ago for Lisa, who's coming out with what promises to be a very exciting cookbook. The first is a pine-nut hoummus, that we really enjoyed, and the second is persian golden rice, which could have been more of a success here. I guess I need more practise!

My favorite Guacamole

I know, I've told you about this before, but being summer and all, I think it doesn't hurt to repeat. It's such a great recipe. And such a great dish. I can easily eat guacamole with almost anything - and any time. My favorite though, is probably just as a dip with nice, salty corn chips.

Anne's Guacamole

2-3 ripe avocados
handful of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
juice of 1 lime or half a lemon
1 large bunch coriander, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mash the avocados. I use a nifty handheld immersion blender. Add the garlic. Mash some more. Add the lime, the salt and the pepper. Add the tomatoes, and decide if you like the texture or if you'd like to thin it out a little bit with some creme fraiche. Finish with the coriander, and that's all there is to it. Enjoy on corn chips.

Please, if you've got a favorite recipe for guacamole - do share! I'd love to hear it!

Recipe in Swedish:
Guacamole

Dad, 70

Dad and Mom

Dad had his 70th birthday on the rather magic day 07 07 07. He had a great big party for all his friends, and I thought I'd share with you some of the food! I didn't make any of it, dad brought in a caterer who's a friend of the family, and who makes really, really great food. (Need a caterer in Stockholm? I'll give you her name.)


Cured salmon - gravlax - with pinenuts, lemon and basil


Watermelon Feta Cheese salad with olives and red onions - super yum.


Caribbean salmon - very spicy and very very tasty! It had ginger, piri-piri and allspice on it and was served with a super lime yogurt sauce.


Salad of mango, pineapple and sweet potatoes - great with the salmon.


Minced lamb stuffed with cheese, sundried tomatoes, olives and herbs


Tiny meatballs


Brie topped with thyme and sundried tomoatoes (and something spicy - chilli?)


Dark chocolate truffle cake with fresh raspberries

Strawberry Vanilla Sorbet with Lime

Sorbets don't photograph very well, but wow, they're so tasty and refreshing! This one was a particular winner for us - we had some leftover strawberries that were a bit too ripe to eat, but they were wonderful like this.

This is an entry for "Hay Hay it's Donna Summer Day!" - an event that I haven't managed to play in before, but as the theme is sorbet; well, perfect then. I'm a little late though - but for many other sorbet recipes, check out Eat, Drink, Live as I'm sure the round-up from this event will be up soon, and it should be great!

Leaving for Dalarna today, so I won't be around to answer any e-mails - but I'll have posts magically appear here, so you won't really notice that I'm gone. Hopefully.

Strawberry Vanilla Sorbet with Lime

400 g fresh strawberries
140 g home made vanilla sugar (just stick some vanilla beans in a jar of sugar and let it stand - it will be wonderful after a few weeks. Just add more sugar as you use it.)
1-2 tsp Rose's Lime Cordial

Slice the berries and mix in a large bowl with the sugar. Let it stand for about an hour until all the sugar is dissolved - stir every now and then.

Mix with a handheld mixer or in a blender, and add the lime. Cool the mixture completely - preferrably overnight - and then churn it in an ice cream machine for about 15-20 minutes.

Recipe in Swedish:
Jordgubbssorbet med vanilj och lime

Weekend Cat Blogging - Glinda

I wasn't sure if I'd participate in Weekend Cat Blogging this weekend, considering all the mid-week cat blogging I did about Edith, but then I decided to join in anyway. After all, we do have four more cats. And while it does feel very empty after Edith, we take great comfort in the four furry darlings that do share our lives. Glinda is our baby - she'll be three this winter, but is very much a kitten at heart. She's recently started to gain some weight, so we hope she won't be quite as mini for much longer.

Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted this week by What Did you Eat? Head over there for the round-up and see more lovely cats!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

I grew up with my grandmother's cinnamon rolls, but I had never heard of cinnamon swirl bread until I spent a year in California. The idea is weird to me - bread, but sweet? Weird or not, it's pretty darn tasty. And it was only recently that I tried it myself. You can make it from any bread dough, but I used Farmgirl's Oatmeal Toasting Bread, and this Spice Sugar.

Instead of shaping loaves directly after the bread has proved, roll it into a thick rectangle. Brush with a bit of melted butter, sprinkle liberally with spiced sugar, and roll it back up into a loaf shape. Place seam-side down into a loaf pan (greased and sprinkled with extra spiced sugar if you'd like) and bake as you normally would.

I keep mine sliced in the freezer, very convenient for a quick sugar-carb fix when the need hits.

Bread from Svinklov

First of all, Per and I would like to say thank you for all your very kind comments about Edith. It really helps us, and we are very thankful for all of you who have commented, e-mailed, called us or just thought of us - thank you.

We're doing ok. Not great, but ok. And I'll keep the blog going as planned - although I'm leaving for our cabin in Dalarna on Sunday, so I'll have some posts magically appear here, but I won't be around to answer e-mails for about a week. And translations to Swedish recipes will have to wait, as well.

Today, I'll share a bread recipe that I found at Zarah Maria's great blog, Food and Thoughts. For those of you who don't know her, she'a a Danish girl with a great food blog, and often very yummy recipes. This one caught my attention, and I've tried it out with great success. I've used 300 g regular white flour and 300 g half extra-strong - but you can use 600 g of regular white, and it'll be fine.

Bread from Svinklov
makes 2 loaves

25 g fresh yeast
300 ml cold water
25 g salt
10 g sugar
2 tbsp olive oil (or melted butter)
400 ml buttermilk (or filmjolk)
300 g regular wheat flour
300 g extra-strong wheat flour (or regular wheat flour)
300 g durum wheat flour
100-150 g wholewheat flour

Crumble the yeast into a bowl, and add the water. Stir unti dissolved, then add salt, sugar and olive oil. Add the buttermilk and gradually, the flour. Knead for a while, preferrably with a Kitchen-Aid, until the dough is very well kneaded and elastic.

Leave to prove for six hours in the fridge, covered in plastic or in a tight-lidded jar, or for two hours at room temperature. Punch down the dough and shape two loaves. Cover with a damp tea towel or plastic, and leave to rise for two hours.

Carefully score the bread with a sharp knife if you'd like, and brush with a bit of water. Bake at 200°C for 25-30 minutes. Leave to cool on a rack.

Recipe in Swedish:
Svinklövbröd

Angel

Sorry. No. Edith didn't make it. Her injuries were just too extensive. We don't know what happened to her - it might have been some sort of tumour - but hopefully we might find out eventually. Regardless, our little kitty isn't coming home.



We miss you.



We love you.



We will never forget you.

Fried Chicken

First of all, thank you for all your comments on Edith, we really appriciate it so much. She's still in the hospital, and things are not looking good. She's being sedated right now, and I'm waiting to hear back from them. To keep myself occupied, I might as well blog.

Fried chicken might seem like a lot of work - especially compared to driving to KFC -but believe me, it's worth it. And besides, it's really easy. You need to prepare some of things in advance, sure, and plan ahead. But that's it. Anyone can do this. Really.

We made this last night for our 4th of July celebration, and it was absolutely delicious! I used a recipe that I found over at Deglazed, and just made a few minor changes. Also, buttermilk isn't really available in Sweden unless you make your own butter, so I use what's usually recommended as a substitute, filmjolk. (Which is sort of like a yogurt, but soured with other types of culture.) It works very, very well.

Adding baking powder to the final flour mixture was actually a mistake - but I think it contributed to the super-crispyness of the chicken, so I won't leave it out next time. Oh, and we opted for thigh fillets rather than cutting up a whole chicken. They're my favorite part anyway.

Fried Chicken
Serves 6

900 g thigh fillets of chicken

Brine:
750 ml (3 cups) buttermilk or filmjolk
4 tbsp coarse salt
2 tbsp sugar
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 tbsp chilli powder
1-2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped

Mix all ingredients for the brine. Add the chicken, and let it rest in the fridge for about 3 hours. Remove the chicken pieces and put them on a rack to drain a bit. Don't wipe off any brine though, but try to shake off any large pieces of garlic that might stick. Let the chicken drain for about two hours.

Batter:
1 egg
250 ml (1 cup) buttermilk or filmjolk
1 tsk baking powder

Flour mixture:
750 ml (3 cups) flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp fresh thyme

Beat the egg and the buttermilk/filmjolk together. Add the baking powder. Mix the flour with baking powder, cayenne pepper, chiilli powder and thyme in a large, shallow bowl. Dip the chicken pieces in the batter and dredge them with the flour mixture.

Finally, fry in a deep fryer at about 175°C, for 6-7 minutes or until your chicken is golden and crispy, and well cooked through.

Recipe in Swedish:
Friterad kyckling

Happy 4th - and send us a thought...

Happy fourth of July to all those out there who celebrate! We actually do - or well, we'll have an "American" dinner with some equally America-minded friends tonight. We'll be serving fried chicken, roasted salsa, macaroni & cheese, buttermilk biscuits and watermelon.

And that's all I'll say about food today, because I have other things on my mind. I know it's not the weekend yet, so think of this as mid-week cat blogging. Edith, our darling kitty, is in the hospital. She got sick on Sunday, and we suspected she had tried to swallow a wasp, as her cheek and tongue were very swollen. She had a high fever too, but luckily our neighbor the vet came over and took care of her.



However, the swelling hasn't gone down, and Edith hasn't been eating or drinking for several days. Our vet couldn't do more for her, so today it was time for the hospital. To make matters worse, Edith has a heart condition (you can read more about that here)and cannot easily be sedated. So, she'll spend the night, getting some nutrients and water through an IV, and hopefully be well enough tomorrow for them to sedate her, find out what's wrong, and fix it.



Cat lovers out there - please send us a thought. She needs all the positive thinking there is to get through this - and I guess we do, too.

Crawfish Cous-Cous with Halloumi

The warm weather is really making me crave fresh food right now - nice cooling things but still hearty enough to satisfy. I love making salads with cous-cous, bulgur wheat or quinoa, as you longtime readers probably already know. Here's one that I made a few days ago, with crawfish tails and halloumi cheese.

Halloumi is a wonderful little cheese from Cyprus that can be fried without melting - it's delicious and has a delightful texture. (I think Nigella Lawson described it as edible styrofoam - she's spot on, but in a good way.) Crawfish is much beloved in Sweden, and you can buy tails in brine in any food store. However, if you're somewhere where they're harder to come by, I'd substitute shrimp.

I used edamame in this recipe, which was just delicious - but feel free to substitute broad beans or even green peas.

Crawfish Cous-Cous with Halloumi
Serves 3

200 ml cous-cous (about 0,8 cups)
250 ml water (1 cup)
olive oil
200 g crawfish tails or shrimp (cooked)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
250 g halloumi cheese
neutral oil for frying
a handful of fresh or frozen edamame (soy) beans, podded
1/2 cucumber, diced
pickled red onion (mix thinly sliced red onion with a pinch of sugar, some salt and white wine vinegar, or follow this recipe) and a tablespoon of vinegar from the onions

Put the cous-cous in a bowl. Bring the water to a boil, add a small splash of olive oil and pour this onto the cous-cous. Cover with plastic foil and leave it for five minutes as you prepare everything else.

Cube the halloumi, and fry in the neutral oil on medium-high heat. As it colors, add the crawfish tails and the minced garlic, and fry for a minute or two.

Combine everything on a large plate or in a pretty bowl, and eat at room temperature, or cold. Leftovers make a great lunch.

Recipe in Swedish:
Cous-cous med kräftstjärtar och halloumi

Of note.

Apparently, I've been named a "blog of note" by the good people at Blogger. Wow. I'm thrilled. And hey - there must be a lot of new visitors out there! Welcome! I hope you like it - and I hope you hang around! I love having you here.

Mustardy Cole Slaw

Here's another recipe from "Brunch - 100 Recipes from Five Points Restaurang", by Marc Meyer. I've made some very minor changes. It really is a very nice book, I'm really happy with it. It's a gift that keeps on giving, because Per has promised to make me brunch from it every single week. So far, we've tried the Monte Christo sandwich, a great frittata with bacon, asparagus and goat's cheese and this super-tasty mustardy cole slaw that we didn't eat for brunch.

We made this cole slaw for Ywette's birthday party - it's a very nice side, and goes well with a lot of things. I have always had a hard time with mustard, but I must admit that I like it more and more. This is really tangy, and flavorful - very different from a standard sloppy mayo cole slaw.

It's changed a bit from the original - but this version was fab.

Mustardy Cole Slaw

1/2 small head of cabbage
1/2 red onion
1 tbsp salt
3 tbsp dijon mustard
3-4 tbsp white wine vinegar
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2-3 tbsp runny honey
dash of tabasco sauce
black pepper

Slice the cabbage and onion as thinly as possible. Toss with salt in a colander and leave for half an hour.

Whish together mustard, vinegar, olive oil, honey, tabasco and pepper, and toss with the drained cabbage and onion. Season to taste with more salt, pepper, tabasco or honey. Keeps well in the fridge, if you want to prepare it in advance.

Recipe in Swedish:
Senapsstark Cole Slaw

Weekend Cat Blogging - Kelly and Edith

It's raining, so please don't make us go outside.

It's actually quite rare to see Kelly and Edith this close. They don't like each other much, and Edith will usually chase Kelly and hiss loudly at her. I have no idea why. But Kelly likes to nap on the couch, and that blanket there - it's Edith's very favorite. It's been stowed away for a few months, but I felt a bit cold the other night and brought it out. And Edith is determined to have it, even if it means laying down next to her least-favorite cat.


For new visitors - Edith is the black smoke one, a British Shorthair, and Kelly is a shaded golden British Longhair.

This week's host for WCB is Pet's Garden.