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!

Pickled Sliced Cucumbers

Ok, so its not the season for pickling things whatsoever but as soon as the sun pokes  out, I want to plant and pickle so here goes...
I like the sliced pickled cucumbers because they are easier to use in sandwiches, salads, on meats etc. This is inspired by a recipe I found in a Danish cookbook by Trine Hahnemann (Det Skandinaviske Køkken).

Ingredients:
2-3 english cucumbers cut into thin-ish slices
1 bundle of Dill separated off the stalk into approx. 1" pieces

4 cups white vinegar
2 cups sugar
2.5 teaspoons salt
juice of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon whole pepper corns

Instructions:
Put the vinegar, sugar and salt in a pot and bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, add the lemon juice and cool down.

put the sliced cucumbers, dill and pepper corns in a large scolded (this can be done in  the dish washer) pickle jar - just squeeze it all in there.

Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumbers and seal the jar. Next day there will be room for more cucumbers and you can add more if you wish. 

Let the pickles rest for 24 hours before eating. Store the pickles in a dark cabinet until you open the jar - thereafter they need to be stored in the fridge and should be used within 2 months.

Light Pasta Salad

I love this Pasta salad because of its lightness and great taste. It is inspired by a recipe by Elise Bauer on  Simply Recipes that I found years ago: 


You Need: 
16 oz torchiette pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 cups cherry tomatoes - chopped
3/4 cups chopped olives 
2 handfulls pine cone seeds 
1/2 cup basil pesto 
1 cup peas
1/4 cup basil leaves chopped
salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions  
cook the pasta al dente (approx 10-11 minutes) in salted water and strain. 
Mix in a tablespoon of olive oil to prevent the pasta getting sticky and let it cool down.
Gently mix everything else in  and then it is ready to serve.

Enjoy! 

Guinness Ice Cream with Chocolate covered Pretzels

I have just made this ice cream in readiness for St Patrick's day tomorrow and it is AWESOME! Even for a non-beer drinker like myself - and so I felt like I had to share!
I got this recipe from Food & Wine and it is by pastry chef Cory Barrett.

You Need: 

2 cups of Guinness (16 oz)
2 cups of heavy cream 
1 3/4 cups of whole milk
15 large egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar

Chocolate covered pretzels for serving

Instructions
In a large saucepan, combine the Guinness, heavy cream and whole milk and bring to a simmer over moderately high heat. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar. Gradually add the hot Guinness cream to the yolks, whisking constantly until well blended. 

Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until it coats the back of the spoon, about 6 minutes; do not let it boil. Pour the custard into a medium bowl set in a large bowl filled with ice water. Let it stand until the custard is cold, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions (this may have to be done in two batches). Pack the ice cream into an airtight container and freeze until firm, about  4 hours. 

Spoon the ice cream into bowls and top with some chocolate covered pretzels and serve

Make ahead: The ice cream can be frozen for up to 1 week 

enjoy!

SAVORY TURKEY CRÉPES

I made these for my family on European Pancake Day. They were a total hit with all ages and a nice healthier and more nutritious alternative to the normal crepes with sugar, jam or ice-cream. The crepe recipe can be used for sweet as well.

Crèpes (approx. 12)

You need: 
1.5 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs
1.5 cup milk
butter or oil for frying

Mix everything together. Melt a little butter on a large frying pan. spread a thin layer of batter on  the pan. Pan fry at medium heat for a few minutes, then turn over (note: the first one has a tendency to go wrong - dunno why). Repeat until all batter is gone 

Meat filling: 

You need: 
1lbs ground turkey
1/2 red onion
1 tablespoon oil
1 medium carrot (grated)
2 celery sticks (chopped)
1 cup strained tomatoes or chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon oregano 
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 leaf of green cabbage finely chopped (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Grated parmesan cheese to taste

Heat up the oil in a medium size pan and brown the onions and meat. Add everything else and let it simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat.

Put the filling on the crèpes (as shown in picture), roll and place in a lightly greased oven dish. Sprinkle a little grated parmesan cheese on top and place in the oven for 15 minutes at 390 degrees

Enjoy 

Turkey Burgers

These are a great, healthy and tasty alternative to your normal burger. I always use nice whole wheat burger buns to carry through on the healthy theme...

4 burgers
You Need:
1 lbs ground turkey thigh meat
1 small zucchini, grated
1 handfull grated cheddar cheese
1 red onion finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: 
Mix everything together - by hand or food processor
make into 4 paddies and either BBQ or pan fry - approx. 8 minutes on each side at medium heat. 
Once you are a couple of minutes into the second side, put your desired cheese (if any) on top and let it melt while side two is cooking.
Serve with your favorite burger garnish (in my case mayo on the bun, lettuce, red onion, tomato, avocado and ketchup)

enjoy!

Rye Pigs in a Blanket

I made these for my 5 year old's birthday. The kids loved them because they are perfect for little hands on the go and parents loved that the bread was part rye. I used a good nitrite free organic beef hotdogs cut in half.

You Need:





4 tablespoon butter
2 cups milk
2 oz. yeast
5 oz. greek yogurt
1 lbs 7 oz all purpose flour
5 oz. rye flour
2 teasp salt

12 beef hotdogs

Instructions:
Heat the oven 400 degrees.
Melt the butter in a pot and add the milk. The mixture should be finger warm. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the yeast.
Add the other ingredients (minus a little of the all purpose flour to use for kneading). Mix the dough well, cover the bowl with a tea towel and let it rise for an hour somewhere nice and warm.

put the dough on flour-drizzled work top and knead thoroughly. Cut the dough into 3 portions.

Roll one portion into a circle like a pizza (approx 16" diameter). Smear ketchup on the 2.5" outer edge (see pic).
with a pizza cutter cut circle into 8-10 pieces (depending on the size of your sausages).

Put half a sausage on each piece and roll (start from the wide end).

Set the pigs in blankets on a baking tray with baking paper and let them rise for another 1/2 hr
Repeat with the other 2 portions of dough

Bake in the middle of the oven 20-25 minutes 

Enjoy

Chocolate Soufflé for two

I made this for the Hubbie and I on Valentine's Day - my first ever soufflè. It was simple and so so delicious. The recipe is from the San Francisco Chronicle - Emily Luchetti

You need:
2 1/2 oz bittersweet 70% cacao chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 large room temperature eggs,separated
2 tablespoons sugar
Large pinch of salt
Whipped cream for serving (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and sugar the insides of two 1/2 -cup ramekins; set aside

Bring a small pot with about 4 cups of water to a simmer. Place the chocolate and butter in a small bowl. Place a over the pot of simmering water - the bowl should not touch the water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth; set aside, but leave the water simmering.

Place the egg whites in another small bowl with the sugar. Whisk lightly just until the sugar dissolves. Place the bowl on top of the pot of simmering water and whisk lightly until the whites are very warm and almost hot. This will only take a minute or two. You need to whisk continually so the whites don't scramble, although you are not trying to get then to increase in volume.
When the whites are very warm, set the bowl aside and turn off the heat. Put the bowl of chocolate back over the pot of hot water to keep warm.

Use a hand mixer or old-fashioned rotary beater to whip the warmed egg whites until thick. They should be satiny and glossy, not wet or limp.

Remove the chocolate from the stove and stir in the egg yolks one at a time until blended. Stir in the salt.

Using a rubber spatula, place half the egg whites on top of the chocolate. Gently fold the two together until the mixture is streaked brown and white.

Place the remaining beaten whites in a medium-size bowl (so there is more room for folding). Scrape the chocolate mixture on top of the whites, then fold in just until you no longer see white streaks in the batter.

Gently divide the batter between to two prepared ramekins. Run your finger around the inside edge of each ramekin so the batter does not touch the surrounding rim. (This will help the soufflés rise).

Place the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake for 14-16 minutes until a skewer inserted horizontally through the top of the soufflé comes out wet, but not raw. When in doubt undercook because the soufflés will continue to cook out of the oven. It is better for them to be too creamy than too dry.
Use a large flat metal spatula a towel and a pair of tongs to place the ramekins on plates. Serve immediately with whipped cream, if desired.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

HUMMUS

This is a very simple recipe for a beautifully plain hummus. I personally like my hummus to taste like hummus, not garlic or sun-dried tomatoes and this is exactly that

You Need:

1 can garbanzo beans
2 heaping tablespoons Tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4-1/3 cup olive oil
salt to taste

Instructions: put everything in the food processor and blend! Consume!!

Cauliflower Tikka Masala

This is a meat free take on the popular Chicken Tikka Masala dish - great flavors!

Marinade: 

You need: 

1/2 head of cauliflower cut into medium size pieces
3 tablespoons low fat yogurt
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped and crushed 
1 teasp. chili powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teasp. garam masala
1 teasp. paprika powder
1 teasp. salt
1/4 teasp saffron

Boil the cauliflower at medium heat for 8-10 minutes and cool down  for a little bit.
In the meantime, mix everything else together in a bowl.
add cauliflower to the marinade and mix until all covered
leave in the fridge for 2-3 hrs

Sauce:

You need:

1 tablesp. oil
1 tablesp. ghee
3 cloves
3 cardamom seeds
1 inch piece cinnamon stick
1 onion finely chopped
1 teasp. Ginger & garlic finely chopped and made into a paste
Marinaded cauliflower from before
1 leek chopped
2 tomatoes finely chopped
1 teasp. cumin powder
1 teasp. coriander powder
salt to taste
2-3 cups (or more if desired) chicken or vegetable stock
2 medium size carrots chopped
1 cup presoaked Mung beans (if you cant find Mung beans use Garbanzo beans)
1-2 green Serrano chili peppers 
fresh chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Put oil and ghee in a large pot at high heat. Add cloves, cardamom & cinnamon stick and follow with onion and ginger & garlic paste. (Note that Cloves can burst when added to the hot ghee so keep your distance)
Add marinaded cauliflower and turn down heat to medium and sauté for a few minutes. 
Add Leeks and tomatoes and cook for another 3-5 minutes
Add cumin coriander salt and stir
Add carrots, beans, chili pepper and stock and let simmer for medium heat 15 minutes

Serve with brown rice and garnish with coriander 

Note: use the fresh chili peppers to taste. I have young children and so only use between 1/2 - 1 pepper (all depending on size), make sure I completely de-seed it and chop it up
The amount of stock completely depends on your preference. If you like a  runny sauce feel free to add more and if you like it really thick add less

Spinach Frikadeller

Its Detox Time! 
Every January we go into detox mode and this year is no exception. We have one month with no meat, no dairy (apart from eggs), no white food and no sugar. This is a great way to give your insides a rest from the overindulging of the holidays and shed those extra holiday Lbs.

Frikadeller is a danish meatball and spinach frikadeller is the vegetarian option for these. Having just returned from a trip to Denmark, I am all about spreading the danish recipes to the United States. This is recipe is interpreted from the Danish vegetarian food blog "Vegetaropskrifter"

You Need: 
1 lbs chopped frozen spinach - thawed
4-5 slices of wholewheat bread, crust cut off
1 egg
1 spoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 pods garlic finely chopped
3 spoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying

Let the spinach drain in a sift and squeeze out the liquid.
Put the bread in the food processor and blend until crumbs.
mix the other ingredients in, put in a bowl and leave in the fridge for about 15-30 minutes

Heat an oiled pan to medium heat. The frikadeller should be about a  spoonful. 
Fry them on the pan a few minutes on each side until cooked through.

serving ideas: 
Brown ride and red lentils
Steamed brocoli
Avocado & tomatoes

enjoy!