Marzipan Pear Tart

This recipe is from the Danish food blog Louis & Bearnnaisen and it is awesome!! Perfect for the season - and the marzipan just gives it that extra yum! Remember to use danish marzipan - its not dry and boring like  most people in the US have come to know it as. Whole Foods sells  good danish marzipan from Odense...

You Need: 

2 Ripe Pears 
3 1/2 Oz Marcipan
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 oz soft butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour

Cut room temperature marzipan into small pieces and put in a bowl. Add almond flour and sugar and mix well. 
Add the soft butter and vanilla extract and mix well again. 
Add one egg at a time mixing in between.
in a separate bowl mix flour salt and  baking powder. Sift and add to the batter
Peel the pears and cut into 1/8ths 
Pour cake batter into greased pie pan.
Gently press the pears into the cake batter (see pic)

Bake at 325 degrees f 40 minutes

once cooled drizzle a little powdered sugar on top 

Frikadeller - Danish Meatballs

It basically does not get more Danish than this!! This is a recipe I have ended up with by cloning a few different recipes and mixed with a little logic...

You Need: 



2 slices of whole wheat bread
1/4 cup of milk
1.5 tablespoon butter
1/2 red onion - finely chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground all spice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 lbs ground pork 
1lbs ground lean beef
1 tablespoon butter for frying

Tear bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl with milk and set aside. 
Melt the butter in a sauté pan and add onion.  Sauté until onions are soft and then let cool. 
In a food processor add egg, sea salt, pepper, all spice, nutmeg, bread and onion and mix together. 

Mix together the ground meats in a large bowl and once mixed well add the egg/bread/spice mixture and mix well. 

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan at medium heat
Shape the meatballs with your hand and a spoon and fry at medium heat (3-4 minutes on each side)

I normally serve these with red cabbage, seasonal greens and potatoes 

The meatballs are also great for sandwiches the next day!

Upsidedown Cake with fresh figs and raspberries

I found this recipe on a Danish blog named Loui & Bearnaisen and it just looked too yummy not to try!! 

You Need: 

3.5 Oz Butter
3.5 Oz Cream cheese 
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
2.5 cups fresh raspberries 
4 fresh figs cut in half 
figs cut in half for decoration 

Mix butter, cream cheese and sugar until its white and airy
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well in between 
mix together the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon baking powder salt) and sift them into the batter
Add milk and vanilla extract and mix well

Butter up a spring-pan and drizzle with sugar
put the halved figs in the pan, cut side down
Add the raspberries into the pan 
Add batter  and spread it out over the fruit

Bake for 45 minutes at 380 degrees 

Take out the cake and let is cool completely and then careful turn it upside down on a plate so that the bottom is up.
Garnish with fresh figs and serve with cream or vanilla ice-cream 

enjoy!

Sienna's Bye Bye Brownies

I baked these with my daughter for her last day of pre-school (therefore the name). These brownies are deliciously rich without being too sweet and easy to make - perfect for a day that needs some chocolate goodness..

You Need
Soft Butter for greasing the pan
Flour for dusting the buttered pan
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 oz melted butter 
2 oz olive oil
1 1/4 cup cocoa sifted
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour sifted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 handful small dark chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees f. 
Butter and flour a 9" pan 
Mix the eggs with a mixer until fluffy and light yellow. 
Add both sugars and mix.
Add remaining ingredients and mix.

Pour the batter into the greased and floured pan and bake for 50 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick; a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean (or almost clean - I personally like them a little bit "wet")
Let brownies cool - once mostly cool cut into squares

Portabello Mushroom Burgers

These burgers are just the most delicious, healthy summer eat; they are literally better than a meat burger!! The recipe is inspired by Webers Art of the Grill by Jamie Purviance

You Need: 

4 fresh Portobello mushrooms
2 red bell peppers
2 green zucchinis
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 large ripe tomato
Raw red onion cut into rings
8 oz fresh goats cheese
12-16 fresh basil leaves
8 buns (we use Oetzer One Buns - whole wheat, 100 calories and taste great)
ketchup & mustard

Directions:
Remove stems from mushrooms. Cut the bell peppers into planks. Cut zucchini lengthwise into 1/2" thick slices. Put all of this into a ziplock bag.

In a small bowl mix oil, rosemary, chopped red onion, salt and pepper. pour mixture into the bag of vegetables and seal bag tightly. Marinate at room temp. for 15 minutes.

Prepare Grill for direct cooking over medium heat (350-450 degrees F)

Remove veggies from the bag and grill them over direct heat with the lid closed until tender, turning once. The mushrooms will take 12-14 minutes; bell peppers 10-12 minutes, zucchini 8-10 minutes.
Transfer to a large platter and drizzle wit the balsamic vinegar. season with salt and pepper.

Build your burger with grilled vegetables, a slice of goat cheese, raw onion, sliced tomato and basil leaves and add ketchup and mustard if you so desire. 

Salmon Cakes with Parsley gravy

So I was stuck with a big piece of salmon leftover from a bbq and nothing to do with it and i stumbled open a great recipe from the Barefoot Contessa for salmon cakes. I just made a few minor changes to fit my pallet.  The Parsley Gravy just compliments it beautifully! serve with some baby potatoes or quinoa, broccoli, carrots and avocado as garnish. 

Salmon Cakes:

1/2 lbs cooked salmon (mine had been bbq'd but oven cooked is just as good - season with olive oil,      salt and pepper and cook covered with foil in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes - cool down)

4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 red onion finely chopped 
1.5 cups small diced celery
1/2 cup small diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup small diced yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (I use Siracha)
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Crab boil seasoning
3 slices stale wholewheat bread, crust removed
1/2 cup mayonnaise 
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon pepper 

Place 2 tablespoons  olive oil in a large pan and add onion, celery, red and yellow peppers, parsley, capers, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and sauté over medium-low heat until vegetables are soft - approximately 15-20 minutes. cool to room temperature. 

Break the bread slices in pieces and process the bread in the food processor. you should have about 1 cup of bread crumbs. Place the crumbs on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 5 minutes until lightly browned, tossing occasionally. 

Flake the chilled salmon into a large bowl (beware of any bones). Add the bread crumbs, mayo, mustard and eggs. Add the vegetable mixture and mix well. Cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Shape into approximately 10 cakes.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. In batches fry the salmon cakes for 4-5 minutes on each side until browned. keep them warm in a preheated oven 250 degrees and serve hot. 

Parsley Gravy

3 tablespoon butter
2 1/2 tablespoon flour
1 3/4 cup non fat milk 
1 1/2 - 2 cups finely chopped parsley (I normally do this in the food processor)
dash of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a pot and add the flour under constant stirring. When it is a thick paste add a little milk and stir until the consistency is getting thicker, then add a little more milk. continue like that with all the milk. Add lemon juice and parsley. add salt and pepper.

Let the grave boil a little for a couple of minutes after the parsley has been added so as to kill any potential earth bacteria from the parsley.

Enjoy

BBQ Leg of Lamb

Lamb is such an underestimated meat and BBQ Lamb is just so delicious. I would recommend always serving lamb with a little bit of mint jelly or mint sauce - compliments the meat perfectly. 

You Need: 
1 Leg of lamb - bone in 
3 tablespoons melted butter
salt to taste (enough to rub into whole leg)
2 tablespoons of rosemary

Instructions:
30 minutes- 1 hour before bbqing take the leg out of the fridge so as to reach room temp. 

using a brush, cover the leg with the melted butter
rub with salt and rosemary

Put on the bbq at 400 degrees indirect heat
add more coals when temp. down to 325 degrees and bring back to 400 degrees

Take the meat off the bbq when inside temp reaches 140 degrees (approx 1hr 15 minutes)
Let the meat rest for 20 minutes covered with foil.

enjoy!