Five-Spice Chicken Legs

Here's one of the dishes I made for our 13-course dinner. I got most of the recipe from the Steamy Kitchen cookbook by blogger Jaden (who was recently named hottest woman in the food industry!), and as everything else I've cooked from that book, it was very successful.

For maximum flavor, choose a good quality chicken. It's worth paying a little extra in this case.

Five-Spice Chicken Legs

1 kg chicken legs
1 tbsp oil for frying (I prefer peanut oil)
1 red chili, finely chopped
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp scallions, finely sliced

marinade:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp five spice
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp chinese soy sauce

Mix all ingredients for the marinade and pour over the chicken legs. Place in the fridge over night. (I use a large ziploc bag.)

When you're ready to cook, place the chicken - without the marinade - in a roasting tin and bake at 200°C for about 15-20 minutes. Check to make sure the chicken is cooked through. If so, remove from the oven.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, until it's really hot. When it is, fry the chili, ginger, garlic and scallions for about 30 seconds - you just want them to start releasing their aromas, but they burn easily.

Add the chicken legs to the pan and toss to coat the chicken legs in the aromatics. Serve right away - as they are, or on a bed of pan-fried spinach with garlic and chili, if you'd like.

Recept på engelska:
Five-Spice Chicken Legs

Caramelized Cornflakes & Marshmallow Cookies

I always find Sundays a good day for baking cookies. These ones are originally from Momofuku Milk Bar - I found the recipe at Momofuku for 2, and knew I *had* to make it. Yes, the caramelized cornflakes do take some effort (not a lot though!). Yes, you can use regular cornflakes. No, it won't be the same. Yes, the caramelized cornflakes are completely addictive. You do want to make them, trust me.

You can make these cookies and stick them in the freezer, but I prefer them just from the oven and warm so what I do is freeze the cookie dough. I scoop out cookies, place them on a cutting board and freeze. When they're hard, I put them in a ziploc bag. When I want cookies, I just bake them like normal - adding a minute to the oven time, perhaps. (This trick works with most cookies by the way.)

Caramelized Cornflakes & Marshmallow Cookies
makes 54 cookies

375 g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
220 g unsalted butter
125 g granulated sugar
125 g brown sugar
85 g golden syrup (original uses corn syrup)
1 large egg
130 g dark chocolate, chopped (or mini chocolate chips)
60 g mini marshmallows
350 ml caramelized cornflakes, see below

Caramelized cornflakes:
350 ml cornflakes (about 60 g)
6 tbsp powdered milk
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
100 g unsalted butter

Heat the oven to 150°C.

Melt the butter. Crush the cornflakes lightly in a bowl, and mix with the butter. Add the powdered milk, the sugar and salt, and mix well so that the cornflakes are completely covered.

Pour the cornflakes onto a lined baking sheet, and bake for about 15 minutes. Make sure they don't burn - but they should become golden brown.

Let cool before using.

For the cookies:
Preheat the oven to 175°C. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Beat the butter with both sugars and the syrup in a stand mixer. Add the egg and keep mixing until really well blended.

Add the flour mixture and stir until smooth. Add the chocolate, marshmallows and finally the caramelized cornflakes.

Scoop out fairly small cookies (with a cookie scoop, or just shape balls) and place on lined baking sheets. Leave lots of room between them to allow for spreading.

Bake at 10-12 minutes, until they're lightly golden.

Recipe in Swedish:
Karamelliserade Cornflakes & Marshmallows Cookies

Leftovers for lunch

Some chorizo, leftover potatoes, stray spring onions, eggs and some crumbled goat's cheese. Together, a great lunch!

Congratulations Tommy!

Congratulations are definitely in order to Tommy Myllymäki, who just won silver for Sweden in Bocuse d'Or! Scandinavia as a whole were extremely successful: Denmark won the gold, and Norway the bronze!



Photos by gastronomi sverige.

Wednesday Bookmarks, January 26

I want to tell you about one of my favorite Swedish food bloggers, Helena Ljunggren. She's a wonderful writer and her photos are amazing. Definitely well worth a visit even if you don't speak Swedish. She posted about a sticky chocolate cake - like a brownie - with an extravagant topping with caramel, marshmallows and chocolate!

I can collect five million recipes for cookies. Or so I think. I keep bookmarking. Last week, my eye was caught at Surly Kitchen, and a great recipe for White Chocolate Macadamia cookies. Must make - as soon as I have some room in the freezer.

I'm not sure what sponge candy is - is it like the inside of a Violet Crumble, that awesome Aussie candy bar? Something similar, right? Anyway, here's a recipe, at Christine's Cuisine. It looks really easy and like something I would like.

Chinese food is one of my favorites, and although we often eat take-out, I like to cook it at home as well. This recipe by Kitchen Simplicity for a healthier take (aka non-deep-fried) on General Tso's Chicken looks great.

Weelicious is definitely one of my new favorite blogs. She blogs about kid-friendly food, and while Titus is way more likely to eat, say, expensive Italian salami or a Taleggio Risotto (his absolutely favorite by the way), than something typically "kid-friendly" like pizza or pasta, I still enjoy the inspiration. Titus has not exactly discovered the joy of dipping yet (he's a very un-messy kid, and as soon as he gets something - yogurt, rice, sauce - on his fingers, he'll hold it out for us to clean up.) but when he does I think he'll love this Ranch Dip. In the meantime... more for me.

He does love maple syrup, as do I and his father. So when I have the time, I plan to make a batch of these Maple Bacon Cheddar Muffins with cornmeal from Hot Polka Dot, and have in the freezer when snack-time comes around.

That's it for today! Have fun checking out the other blogs!

Some leftover Christmas candy...

So simple, and so delicious. It's swirled Peppermint bark, basically. I melted several kinds of chocolate - dark, with a few drops of peppermint, white, and milk chocolate with candy canes in it. I dolloped them on a teflon baking sheet, and swirled with a knife until it looked pretty. I then added crushed candy canes (or actually, Swedish "Peppermint Pigs") all over the top. Into the fridge, then break into pieces. Keep cool.

Pan fried cod with brussel sprouts & prosciutto

This awesome fish dish comes from Swedish blogger & photographer Oskarp Mask! His photo of the dish is gorgeous, so go visit even if you can't read Swedish.

This can be cooked with any fish, but I used a nice thick cut of cod fillet (from the back of the fish). Cod might not be the earth-friendliest choice, so feel free to substitute as you see fit.

Brussel sprouts might not be everyone's favorite, but we adore them. They're a bit fiddly to clean, but just cut off the stem and remove any leaves that are dirty or bruised.

Pan fried cod with brussel sprouts & prosciutto
Serves 3

3 portions of white fish fillet - fresh, or thawed.
all-purpose flour
500 g brussel sprouts, cleaned
1 small red onion thinly sliced
2 thin slices prosciutto, in strips
olive oil
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
salt, pepper

Boil the sprouts in salted water until they're soft - 6-7 minutes. (Or longer, depending on size. Mine were tiny.) Drain and transfer to a big bowl with cold water, to stop the cooking.

Season the fish with salt and pepper, and coat with the flour. Heat some olive oil and fry the fish on medium heat. I let mine cook for about 5 minutes per side, but they were on the thick side.

In another pan, fry the red onion with a little bit of olive oil for a minute or two. Add the prosciutto, and after another minute, the brussel sprouts. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the sherry vinegar. When it's all warm, serve alongside the fish.

Recipe in Swedish:
Torskrygg med brysselkål

Mini Pavlovas

I don't often re-post recipes, but I'll make an exception. Partly because this recipe is smaller - half - than the one I posted about a few years ago, and partly because it's so good. And I like the new photo, too.

These will keep well for a few days at room temperature, or you can freeze them. Be prepared: they are *very* fragile, and a few usually break, so make sure you have a few more than you need.

Serve them with lightly whipped cream, and fruit. I used mango and kiwi, in small dice, tossed with some passion fruit. Delicious!

Mini Pavlovas
from Nigella Lawson

makes about 10

4 egg whites
pinch of salt
250 g sugar
2 tsp corn flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp white wine vinegar

Preheat the oven to 180°C, and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Beat the eggwhites with a tiny pinch of salt until they're firm but not stiff. Add the sugar, a little at a time, and beat until you have a wonderful glossy, fluffy meringue. Sprinkle over corn flour, vanilla and vinegar, and gently fold in.

Form little rounds of the batter, about 10 cm across, on the parchment paper. Use the back of a spoon to make them slightly bowl-shaped. (in order to hold more filling, of course.)

Put them in the oven, and lower the heat to 150°C. Bake for 30 minutes, turn off the heat, and bake for 30 minutes more. (At least - an hour or two won't hurt at this stage.) Remove gently from the paper and leave to cool on a rack.

Recipe in Swedish:
Mini-pavlovas

Mint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Admittedly, cookie baking is not so high on my get-in-shape-after-the-holidays list at the moment. Maybe not on yours, either. Still, it's Friday. And although I made these before christmas (and gave away a bunch), I still have a few stashed in the freezer. They're really good - chewy and crispy, and chocolatey, and I personally love the hint of mint but if you don't, just skip it.

I found the recipe (and adapted it a little) at Baker's Royale. These cookies don't have a lot of fat, but a LOT of sugar.

Want more cookies? Check out Sweet as Sugar Cookies Saturday Round-up!

Mint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Makes about 40

250 g all-purpose flour
1,5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
240 g dark chocolate
500 g granulated sugar
4 tbsp oil
20 g butter, melted
2 tbsp white baking syrup (or corn syrup)
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp mint extract (NOT the same as pure peppermint oil, which is stronger)
1 tsp vanilla extract

To decorate:
100 ml powdered sugar
100 ml granulated sugar

Mix the flour with baking powder and salt.

Chop the chocolate and melt it - over a waterbath, or in the microwave.

In a stand mixer, mix sugar, oil, butter and syrup. Add the eggs, the egg yolk, mint and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate, and finally the flour mixture.

Let the dough chill for at least two hours.

Roll walnut-sized balls. Roll them in the granulated sugar, and then in the powdered sugar. Place on lined baking sheets - leaving lots of room to spread - and bake at 160°C for about 10 minutes. Let them cool slightly on the baking sheet before attempting to move them.

Recipe in Swedish:
Mintchokladkakor

Cookbook watch: educational books

Ratio by Michael Ruhlman. Well, I'm late to the party, you've already read about this book on all the other food blogs, and possibly in magazines as well, It's worth all the buzz, because it's a pretty smart book. And this book will definitely make you a smarter cook, too. It will help you free yourself of recipes (though, why would you want to, if you like me have 200+ cookbooks), and help you develop your own style of cooking and baking. It'll make you successful in dough-making, especially, whether it's pie, biscuits or bread you're making. It's not a flashy book, but it's a helpful one.



Similar in it's non-flashiness, is Ideas in Food by Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot. It, also, has a lot of information and a lot of science: how food actually works. It'll tell you what the ingredients do, on a molecular level as well as on a gastronomic. And it has tons of recipes. It's a great resource and a good read, but I do miss inspiring photos.



Mat, vin, öl, sprit ("Food, wine, beer, spirits") by Michel Jamais and Mathias Emilsson is all about the pairing of food and drinks. Not just wine, but as the title implies, also beer and hard spirits that you might not automatically think would go so well with food. It has some complicated and impressive dishes, as well as simpler ones. I'd like to try the Sainte-Maure goat's cheese, on a crisp made from sourdough bread and topped with a sauvignon blanc-reduction. Sounds pretty yummy, no? I find this book very educational and informative, as well as inspirational. And you don't have to appriciate alcohol to enjoy the book - I'll probably just cook the food and not bother about the actual pairings, as I'm a very occasional drinker.

Wednesday bookmarks, January 19

Yes, this is how boring my office window view is at the moment. At least it's sunny!

I've gone through all starred posts in my Google Reader and transferred them to bookmarks, so I have a LOT of new bookmarks. Too many to tell you about - but you can find all of them, as usual, here.

So, what's caught my eye this past week? Well, let's start with a few things that would make any weekend breakfast special! Orangette is a perpetual favorite, and her recipe for fresh ginger muffins is certainly no exception. Those muffins are originally by Marion Cunningham, who's not known to me but apparently the author of something called The Breakfast Book. And she's known for her raised waffles, who the Amateur Gourmet recently wrote about. For something less sweet, I can imagine making these Mini Breakfast Strata by Modern Comfort Food to have stashed in the freezer - perfect for a quick breakfast or snacktime. And if you don't really like eggs in the morning, how about chocolate granola? That's from La Tartine Gourmande, always a gorgeous blog.

One of the first food blogs I read was Chocolate & Zucchini. It remains a favorite, and she's written so lovingly about Vanilla Oat Milk Tapioca pudding, I can't wait to try it despite not usually loving that sort of texture. (I'll probably use regular milk, though.) Baking Bites is another one of my favorite blogs, and I have probably 30 recipes from her bookmarked already. That didn't stop me from bookmarking her lovely Lighter Authentic New York Cheesecake, that actually looks somewhat healthy! And for our last bookmark today, check out these intriguingly named Om Nom Bombs! They're full of peanut butter, crispy brown rice cereal, coconut, almonds, cherries... Delicious.

Tonkatsu

To go with the dipping sauces I posted about yesterday, tonkatsu is great! It couldn't be simpler - it's just a fancy (Japanese) name for breaded and fried pork. You hardly need a recipe. Start by cutting pork tenderloin into cubes. Next, get out three bowls. In the first one, mix some all-purpose flour with salt and black pepper. In the next one, a lightly beaten egg. In the last one, put some Japanese panko breadcrumbs.

Then get to work. Dip the cubes first in the flour, next in the egg, finally in the breadcrumbs. Take your time, and make sure they're well coated with all three, on every side.

When you're done, fry on high heat in a neutral cooking oil. And serve. And listen to all the "Mmmms".

Two simple dipping sauces

We served these two dipping sauces as part of our 13-course dinner a few weeks ago, along with edamame beans and tonkatsu (which is so good I'll do a separate post on it). You could use it for absolutely anything though! Fish, chicken, beef, veggies... your imagination is the limit here. The chili mayo in particular was a big hit. The wasabi one is really more interesting, but perhaps not as widely appealing.

Chili Mayonnaise

3 tbsp mayo
1 tsp sriracha
1/2 tsp chipotle chili sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
pinch of salt

Wasabi Dipping Sauce

3 tbsp mayo
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp wasabi paste
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar

Same method for both: just stir all of the ingredients together, and taste. Adjust if you'd like. The flavors will intensify though, so let the sauces chill for at least an hour before serving.

Recipe in Swedish:
Enkla Dippsåser

My Gingerbread house

I don't know why I haven't posted, as I'm very proud of my little Gingerbread cottage! I made it early in December (using this recipe for dough) and it was actually my first ever. I found it very easy - I used a fine Microplane grater to make the edges straight, and used hot sugar to glue. Simple! Or so I thought, laughing about how everyone complained.



And then it was time for the chimney. Look closely - do you see a chimney in the photo? No, you don't. Because it's not there. And that's because I ended up dropping the chimney pieces in the hot sugar, right after I dropped some hot sugar on my little finger. Quite a bad burn, actually.

So, there you go. I might use something else to glue it together next year - in fact, I think I'll use... glue. After all, it's just meant to be decorative.

Apple Granola Crunch

I like dessert. This is no surprise to any long-time reader of my blog, nor to anyone who's ever met me. I like the sweet stuff, for sure. However, I do recognize that dessert isn't for every day, and if I can find something fairly healthy that still hits the spot - all the better.

This little concoction is definitely noe of those. It's fast and simple to make, and provided you use a decent muesli to start with, it's pretty healthy as well.

Muesli is basically un-baked granola - so when it bakes, it becomes the granola in the recipe name. You can use granola from the beginning, but since that's usually sweetened, you might want to use a bit less sugar in the dish.

Oh - and this is definitely best served with vanilla ice cream or custard. If you're feeling particularly healthy, try it with a dollop of thick greek-style yogurt instead.

Apple Granola Crunch
Serves 2, generously

2 large apples
3 tbsp home made spice sugar
150 ml muesli or granola
40 g unsalted butter

Cut the apples into thin wedges and place in an oven-proof dish. Sprinkle with sugar and muesli. Cut the butter into very thin slices and place on top.

Bake at 175°C for 20 minutes, or until the apples are softened.

Recipe in Swedish:
Knaprig äppelpaj med müsli

Lunch!

Delicious lunch today - fresh, mushroom-filled tortellini, with asparagus, tomatoes, red onions and smoked ham, tossed with leftover Chimichurri sauce. So much flavor!

Mumma

I have to show you this very special little... well, what is it? A cake? A cookie? I'm not sure. It's called a "mumma", and it's a specialty at bakery shop Grillska Huset in Stockholm Old Town. It's buttery and almondy, very dense, and rolled in cardamom sugar. Extremely rich, which explains the small size, but it's one of the yummiest baked goods I've come across.

I have no idea how to make it, the recipe seems well-guarded. It's somewhat like the inside of a mazarin, so perhaps I can try to replicate it... Or I'll just have to enjoy it when I'm in the neighborhood. Either way, make sure you get one if you're in Old Town!

Wednesday Bookmarks, January 12, 2011

Outside my house, this afternoon.

Time for another round-up of my latest bookmarks from my Delicious account! I'm trying to stay somewhat healthy after the holidays - who doesn't - but I'm not so sure these bookmarks reflect that... Oh well.

One blog I've discovered recently is The Bitten Word. It's both (very) well-written, funny and with beautiful photos. They recently posted some of their favorite recipes from last year, and I bookmarked three of them: Chicken Chili, Spring Shells & Cheese and Indoor Pulled Pork.

A perpetual favorite is Swedish food blogger Annika at Smaskens. (You non-Swedish readers will have to look at the photos instead) She posted about a lovely crawfish topping for toasted bread, that's definitely on my to-try list for my next dinner party.

And as a dessert for said dinner party.. or perhaps for a children's party later this year, I have to make this Banana Split Ice Cream Cake!

Back to thinking healthy. Perhaps peanut sauce isn't *that* healthy, but everything in moderation. I know I'll love David Lebovitz's recipe for cold noodles in peanut sauce, but I'll have to enjoy it on my own since cold noodles is a no-no for my husband. He might on the other hand enjoy this barley-mushroom "risotto", or "orzotto" really, from Weelicious who is one of my favorite mommy-bloggers.

Cauliflower Curry with Coconut Milk

This dish is quite unassuming. It's simple, both in ingredients, and in execution. It's warm, comforting and subtly rich, and I LOVE it. It's very comforting - I love one-bowl dishes, and I especially love that the rice is cooked in the curry, rather than on the side.

I came across a recipe at Closet Cooking, but decided to omit the chili to make a gentler dish. I used a bit more coconut milk as well, and added some other spices. It turned out to be a real winner for me, even though the rest of the family was less enthusiastic. No problems - that meant more leftovers for me - and the leftovers were very, very good indeed!

As I was cooking, it occurred to me that this is actually a vegan dish. Not by intention, but perhaps a happy coincidence.

Cauliflower Curry with Coconut Milk

1 yellow onion, diced
1 small head of cauliflower, divided into florets
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
250 ml basmati rice
250 ml water
400 ml coconut milk (one can)
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin
pinch of cinnamon
salt
oil for frying
to serve: toasted almonds, fresh coriander

Fry the onion in a little oil until slightly softened, and transfer to a medium saucepan. Fry the cauliflower in some oil until browned - five minutes or so - and add that too to the saucepan. Fry ginger and garlic in oil very briefly - 30 seconds perhaps - and then add to the saucepan. Now add the rice, water, coconut milk and all the spices. Bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and lower the heat. Let the pot simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is soft and the cauliflower is cooked through.

Serve in bowls, with toasted almonds and fresh coriander.

Recipe in Swedish:
Blomkålscurry med kokosmjölk

Try Swedish food in the UK!

One of my readers kindly sent me this link, to alert me that Waitrose - a UK food chain - are letting customers try out a lot of Swedish food this winter!

Scandinavian food is now poised to make a splash in Britain, according to an independent trends report called Food Watching commissioned by Waitrose.

The simplicity of light Nordic cuisine together with its use of pared-down, high quality ingredients are its main attractions, the report says.

The trials will run until the end of February, so get thee to a Waitrose, if you're anywhere near one! I think you'll all love the Västerbotten Cheese - it's like Swedish parmesan, and it's certainly a staple in my kitchen. (Plus, Titus loves snacking on it - and so do I.)

So I tried to make nutless macarons...

Again, I tried making french macarons using coconut, rather than almond meal. And again, I totally failed. My first attempt was quite tasty, but ugly - I had used regular coocnut, which I'd toasted and ground. This time, I used coconut flour that I lugged home from New York and I somehow expected that to work perfectly. It sure didn't.

First, it absorbed a LOT more liquid. I used five egg whites rather than three, and it was still nowhere near pipe-able. I ended up rolling small balls which I flattened, to make approximate macaron shapes, as you can see in the photo. In fact, I'm not completely sure if the photo is taken before or after baking, and that should tell you quite a lot. Nothing, nothing at all, happened during baking.

In the end, they were ok. Somewhat tasty. But completely dense. Definitely nothing at all like macarons, that's for sure.

13 courses, 2011

We had our annual dinner last night - where we, and our friends Lena and Dagmar and their husbands, get together to cook a 13-course meal. As usual, it was absolutely fab! To give us a bit of a challenge, we decided to have an around-the-world theme. We agreed on 13 countries (or in some case, regions) and randomly assigned them. Every couple then fixed four courses each - an appetizer, a main course and a dessert, and one more. I made five dishes, to make it an (un)even 13.





First out: Japan. I served tonkatsu (breaded and fried pork) and edamame beans with chili-garlic mayo and a wasabi-soy dip, and a sparkling sake that was surprisingly tasty. (Chikurin Hou Hou Shu)



Sweden. Lena made a sort of cheesecake from Swedish Västerbotten Cheese, on rye bread. It was quite spicy and very delicious.



Cuba. Dagmar served sauteed shrimp with a three-citrus mojo. Very zesty, spicy and yummy.



China. My turn! I adapted a recipe from Steamy Kitchen to make Five Spice Chicken legs, served on some sauteed spinach.



Titus got his own chicken leg - he liked holding it, but he didn't actually eat any.



Colombia. Quite a challenge as none of us knew the first thing about Colombian food! Lena made Papas Rellenas Colombianas, which was essentially meat-filled potato dumplings, deep fried.



Iran. Dagmar served Ash-e Anar, a traditional soup/stew with pomegranates, rice, and lamb meatballs.



Argentina - I had no trouble on this one, but knew right away I wanted to make flank steak with chimichurri. It was the first time I cooked with flank steak, but most definitely not the last!



USA. If anyone was still hungry at this point, Lena's Macaroni & Cheese with bacon and chicken wings took care of that.



Italy. I wanted a cheese dish, and opted for the simplicity of an aged Pecorino cheese with truffle honey.



For our first proper dessert, Dagmar had made Indian ice cream, Kulfi, with a mango sauce. Isn't it just gorgeous?



Lena made Danishes. From Denmark, obviously. She swore never to make puff pastry again.



I had Australia/New Zealand and again, easy. I had to make pavlova. It's both easy and delicious - meringue nests filled with whipped cream and fruit, in our case mango, kiwi and passion fruit.



And for our big finale, Dagmar made a classic French Croquembouche, filled with cream and a homemade lemon-lime curd.

Want to read about the previous years?
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010

Per's simple birthday cake

My husband has a very un-sophisticated taste when it comes to cakes. He likes them simple, and rather child-like. So, this is what he got for his birthday, which was right before christmas.

As easy as possible, really. Store bought meringue layers, topped with mashed bananas, whipped cream and a chopped up Daim-bar (similar to Heath or Skor, almond toffee with milk chocolate). Absolutely delicious, too.

Mushroom Fish Gratin

I know, this looks awfully grey-brown and dreary! Don't let the photo fool you, though! This dish is packed with flavor - it has both fresh and dried mushrooms which are filled with umami flavor, and they give a real boost to the fish. You can use any white, firm-fleshed fish. I prefer cod, but I like to make sure it comes from a sustainable source.

For the dried mushrooms, use what you've got. I had some black chanterelles my friend had picked and dried for me in the fall, and those are extremely good and flavorful. Porcini also works very well.

Mushroom Fish Gratin
serves 3-4

400 g cod fillet (fresh or frozen, then thawed)
300 g button mushrooms, in small dice
2 tbsp dried black chanterelles or porcini
2 tbsp boiling water
200 ml cream (I use full-fat, 35-40% fat)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt, pepper

Pound the dried mushrooms into a fine powder in a pestle and mortar. Pour over the boiling water, and leave to steep for ten minutes.

Fry the button mushrooms in the olive oil until they've released most of their liquid and started to brown. Add the now softened dried mushrooms and the steeping liquid. Add the cream. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the fish in an oven-proof dish. Pour over the mushroom-cream mixture. Bake in the oven at 200°C for 10 minutes. Check to make sure the fish is cooked through.

Serve with rice - brown rice if you have it - and a salad.

Recipe in Swedish:
Fiskgratäng med svampsås

Wednesday Bookmarks, January 5 2011

Ok - first bookmark round-up of the year! It's been a while so I've got lots of new bookmarks - man, I'll never ever be able to catch up, will I? You can check out all of them here, but I'll post the highlights today.

I'm by the way quite nervous about the news that Delicious might be shut down - or maybe not. I sure hope not, but I'm investigating other possible bookmarking services, such as Diigo and Evernote. What's your favorite?

First out, a little appetizer that I actually tasted on a press event. It's a ginger-y shrimp cocktail with grapefruit - a super combination! Recipe is in Swedish, but I'll try to make this and blog about it soon. Other fairly light meals, which I'm really craving now, include a delectable Thai Chicken Salad from Pinch of Yum, and a recipe for Broccoli Crunch from one of my favorite recipe writers, 101 Cookbooks.

However, Sweden is still super cold, so I don't want to leave out the warming foods just yet. Fettucini with Corn Pesto sounds excellent to me right now, as does Corn Chowder with some spicy chilis.

Meatballs with peppers and pineapples sounds... weird, doesn't it? But intriguing! And I trust The Pioneer Woman to make great food, so I'll give this a whirl! Something else that sounds strange but probably isn't: Salt-baked Beef. (recipe in Swedish) Definitely on my to-try list!

Cookbook Watch: various

Dylan's Candy Bar
This iconic candy shop is one we sadly missed on our New York trip. However, the book is quite wonderful - filled with candy! It's not a cookbook per se, but there's a lot of inspiration in it - for parties, for crafts, for candy-eating in general... I love the bright, gorgeous photos - it's very upbeat and perky, and you can't not feel good after leafing through this. And, also, obviously, it makes you crave candy in the worst way, so if you have any New Year's resolutions in that general area, skip this. If you don't mind giving in... get it. It's lovely.



Kung i Köket ("King in the kitchen") is a cool cookbook made by the men of the Swedish cooking team. They've competed in the World Cup, as well as Culinary Olympics, and they've done so very well. This book is geared towards the home cook who wants to impress - lots of stuff that looks hard and chef-y, but is actually not difficult to make. And, as a bonus, the book has a lot of photos of the chefs, model-style. And some are very, VERY cute!



Bulle, Burgare, Biff - en kokbok om färs ("Ball, burger, patty - a cookbook about mince") by Tobias Holmberg was a surprise to me. I didn't expect to like it much - after all, how much can you say about minced meat? Enough for a whole cookbook on the subject? Hardly. Well, turned out I was wrong. There's a lot to say. Or at least a lot to cook. This book goes straight to the point - just recipes (and pretty pictures) and not a whole lot of chatter. The chapters are obvious but helpful - beef, pork, lamb, fish, chicken, veal, game and vegetarian. And while all the recipes have the same starting point - mince - Tobias really takes them in different directions. Sure, there are some burgers, but also veal mince wrapped in prosciutto and served with a sage risotto. And empanadas with lamb mince. And a classic Swedish cabbage pudding. And chicken meatballs in coconut broth, flavored with galangal and fresh coriander. Yeah, you get the point. There's a lot of really good food in this cookbook. And that's what truly matters to me, in the end. Keeper!




Fina Feta Fiskar is written by Klara Desser, whose usual focus is food with a low glycemic index. (I've reviewed a few of her books before.) Her books are always very well written, and with beautiful photos taken by her husband Hans. This one focuses on fish - the title means "Fine Fat Fish", and has a lot of recipes for fat fishes like salmon, mackerel and herring. Not my usual preference to tell you the truth - I like salmon, but am no big fan of the other two. Nonetheless, this book is quite inspiring, since it has so many ideas and recipes. The two I'll try first are for salmon though - one thai-inspired soupy stew with red curry and coconut milk, and one for pan-fried salmon with a sauce from green peas, coconut milk, mint and ginger. Sounds good!

Sweet Potato Fries

Ah, it's Monday again, after all the holidays. Does it feel good, or does it feel like... Monday? Me, I'm not so sure.

We made these fries a few weeks ago, as part of a snack-y dinner. They were really good, particularly with the edamame dip I posted about earlier. Titus loved them too. You can totally adapt the seasoning of course - I'm a cumin fan, but I'm sure paprika or garlic would be great as well.

Sweet Potato Fries

3 medium sweet potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Peel the potatoes and cut into wide fry-like sticks. Put them in a plastic bag - add the olive oil and seasonings, and mix well.

Pour into a baking pan, and make sure you only have one layer. Bake at 200°C for 20-25 minutes. Give the fries a good shake after half that time.

Recipe in Swedish:
Sötpotatis Frites

Simple Walnut Bread

Here's another simple bread from the book "Enklare Bröd". (I did a simple white bread before.)

You don't need any machinery to make this, but it takes some time. If you can't be at home for the whole time, you can stick the dough in the fridge for a few hours inbetween two of the foldings.

Simple Walnut Bread
One loaf

25 g fresh yeast
3,5 dl water, tepid
330 g high-protein bread flour
60 g rye flour
2-3 tsp salt
1 tbsp honey
150 g walnuts

Start by mixing water and yeast. Add both flours, honey and salt, and stir into a dough. Finally add the walnuts, and mix in lightly. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Fold the dough: Wet your hand, and grab one side of the dough. Fold it towards the middle. Do the same all around the dough, 3-4 times. You'll feel the tension in the dough. Leave to rest for 30 minutes, and repeat twice - in total, fold the dough three times. Keep the dough covered with a towel, to prevent the surface doesn't dry out.

After the third folding, leave the dough to rise for one hour. After that, move it to a well-floured surface. Stretch the dough a little, so it forms an oval. Grab the top third and fold it towards the middle, and press down. Do the same with the bottom third of the dough. You'll now have a loaf-shape with a seam on top. Turn the dough seam-side down, still on your floured surface, and cover with a towel. Leave to rise for one hour.

Preheat your oven to 250°C, and if you have a baking stone or something similar, make sure you heat that, too. (A baking sheet works!)

Place the well-risen loaf on a baking paper (parchment, or teflon), seam-side up. Score the bread if you'd like, before swooshing it into the hot oven. (I used a cutting board to help transfer it - the parchment paper makes it easy.) Bake for a total of 35 minutes, but you can open the oven door to let out some steam every 10 minutes. I lowered the heat to about 200-225°C, since I don't like a too-hard crust, but for crustier bread, keep the heat high.

Also bear in mind that I have a convection oven, and yours might work differently. Always keep an eye on your bread. You can use a thermometer to check when you think the bread is finished - it should keep an inner temperature of at least 96°C.

Recipe in Swedish:
Enkelt Valnötsbröd