October 2012 – Page 2

Dinner at Le Cercle, Chelsea

Published on October 15, 2012 by HannaLeave a comment

I quite often get asked whether I have many Swedish friends in London. I have a few, but I know them all from before I moved here. It is far more interesting to get to know people with different nationalities than my own, especially when I can fly home in 2 hrs.

One friend I know from secondary school back in Sweden, but who also lives around London at the moment, is Helena. When we last met up we had supper at a French place in Chelsea, conveniently located just a few minutes from Sloane Sq.

I read about Le Cercle in the Sloane Ranger mag Tatler, and I thought it was a new addition to the restaurant scene. Apparently it is not, however it is the sister restaurant of famous Club Gascon.

We both had the duck mini burger to start and it was very nice. The bread was a brioche and therefore really moise and both the duck meat and the condiments were full of flavour.

Helena had panfried halibut with creamy leek and crab civet as a main course. It tasted just as delicious as it looked.

I (always the carnivore) chose a suckling pig variation with little juicy cutlets, lovely belly with crisp crackling, jus and charred red onions and endive. Really nice!

Helena later had a coffee and we received the perfect size petit fours; marmalade and coffee macaron.

Le Cercle

1 Wilbraham Place

London SW1X 9AE

Yoghurt pannacotta with baked apples

Published on October 11, 2012 by Hanna1 Comment

This is a perfect weekday treat. Why? Because it is easy to make, a joy to eat and (wait for it) healthy. So healthy in fact, that I even had one for breakfast one morning. Need I tell you it was nice then too?!

The pannacotta needs to be prepared in advance and you can prepare the baked apples too if you like. Just refridgerate after baking them, then heat them up until lukewarm before serving and add the rosemary then. I actually made mini pannacottas, and the recipe below made about 7 mini ones, but it serves 4 if normal sized portions.

Yoghurt pannacotta with baked apples, serves 4

300 ml natural yoghurt

100 ml milk

100 ml single cream

50 ml caster sugar, maybe a tad more

1 tsp gelatine powder

2 locally sourced apples

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

Add yoghurt, cream and milk to a saucepan. Add the sugar and gelatine and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and leave to cool for a few minutes. Pour into ramekins. Leave to cool then refridgerate for at least 4 hours for the pannacotta to set.

Wash, core and dice the apples. Place in a buttered ovenproof dish and add the butter in dollops and sprinkle in the sugar. Bake until soft, for about 30 minutes in 180C. Stir occasionally. Leave to cool until room temperature. Add the rosemary and top the pannacottas with the baked apples.

Mackerel tartare

Published on October 10, 2012 by HannaLeave a comment

I like to plan. A lot. Especially meals. And because I plan ahead, it is easy to prepare in advance too, having more time with your guests when you have them over for supper.

Last week when my fish loving friend Jenny came for supper I made us a mackerel tartare as a starter. Since we both like fish I made big portions, but you can easily use the recipe below for four as a starter as well.

Mackerel tartare, serves 2-4

Step 1:

6 medium mackerel fillets, about 250 g

almost 1 tbsp salt

1/2 tbsp caster sugar

a few sprigs dill

Step 2:

2 tsp dijon mustard

juice from 1/2 lemon

olive oil

salt, pepper

Start 1-2 days ahead. Place the fish (skin removed) in a tupperware or dish with sides. Clap the salt and sugar into the fish and put the dill on it. Cover with clingfilm clinging to the fish and add some pressure with your hand. Refrigerate for at least 24 hrs.

Take out the fish and remove the water. Finely chop it and mix with mustard, lemon juice, oil and seasoning in a bowl. Add more dill if needed.

Shape into 2-4 ‘burgers’ and plate. Serve with a cold sauce (creme fraiche, dijon, lemon juice, salt and pepper) and rocket.

Sunday supper at home in Sweden

Published on October 9, 2012 by HannaLeave a comment

A few weekends ago, I went home to my beloved Skåne, to meet food bloggers and see my parents. The Sunday was the 40th (!) wedding anniversary of my parents and we celebrated it quite low-key with good food and wine at home.

To start we had fried scallops in saffron sauce. Mother had found these big and juicy scallops which we fried rapidly on very high heat to caramelize. The sauce is almost a soup and absolutely wonderful. Some raw chopped shallots gives texture and some heat.

As a maincourse we had a really nice fillet steak, cooked in three different ways to accomodate everyone. Served with baked potato rounds, a mushroom sauce with cognac and dijon mustard and steamed vegetables.

In apple season, tarte tatin is wonderful. I have tried quite a few diffrent versions, but the best one I have come across is this recipe courtesy of brilliant Rick Stein. It suggests cognac but this time we used armagnac which worked just as well. (Even better, according to mother).

Cherry cheesecake

Published on October 8, 2012 by HannaLeave a comment

I had a moment (maybe a few even) of panic when I stood in the supermarket with my shopping list and they didn’t have any passionfruits. I even asked a guy unpacking fruit and he confirmed they didn’t have any. I still think it strange, but there in the shop I thought it super annoying and I quickly had to come up with a plan B. Luckily I found a punnet of nice juicy cherries and a jar of cherry jam which saved the day.

Using jam in a cheesecake seems a bit odd, I know, but it really worked. It wasn’t a pungent cherry flavour, more a mellow reminder of cherries, that really worked I thought. And all my co-workers as they were pretty quick to finish the whole thing. Phew!

Cherry cheesecake, serves 8-10

Base:

200 g digestive biscuits

70 g softened butter

Filling 1:

300 g Philadelphia

50 ml light brown muscovado sugar

1 egg

200 g cherry jam (remove the berries/chunks)

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp agar agar

Filling 2:

250 g creme fraiche

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3-4 tbsp agave nectar

Decoration:

200 g fresh cherries

icing sugar

Place biscuits and butter in a food processor and mix. Press the sandy mixture into a springform. Bake the base for 10 minutes in 175C. Leave to cool.

Mix Philadelphia, sugar, egg and jam with an electric whisk. Heat up the milk and agar agar in a saucepan and let it cook for a few minutes until the agar agar has melted. Incorporate into the cheese mixture. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and spread it out evenly. Bake for 15 minutes in 175C.

Mix creme fraiche, vanilla and agave in a bowl. Spread the mixture onto the baked cake, evenly and bake for another 5 minutes.

Place in fridge over night or at least for 3 hours so it can set properly. Decorate with fresh cherries and icing sugar.

Dinner at Le Sacre Coeur, Islington

Published on October 7, 2012October 5, 2012 by HannaLeave a comment

When Laura’s mum and friend came to visit, I got the meet them together with Jess and Chris for supper at Le Sacre Ceour in Islington. It was Jess’s restaurant recommendation, and I have heard quite a lot about this place, so it was nice to finally go there for supper.

I can honestly say, that it looks a big scruffy from the outside, although very cosy with lots of candles. We sat down and shared a few bottles of their Blanc de Blanc and some starters.

Most of us chose mussels to start, and we had the choice of classic Moules Mariniere, another creamy version but with garlic and the tomato-ey Moules Provencale. I chose the classic mariniere and was really impressed with the quality of the mussels. They were really big and juicy and the creamy sauce was really nice too.

A few others had the baby squid in a spicy tomato sauce, so good they mopped up all the sauce with bread to enjoy every drop.

The maincourses were also good and most of them carb-heavy and comforting. Above is beef Wellington with pommes Anna which looked really nice and indulgent.

But the one who’s plate I was the most envious of was Laura’s mother who had lamb racks wrapped in puff pastry (halleluja) with potatoes au gratin and red cabbage.

I had an extremely tender and lovely rabbit casserole with potato mash. Really nice!

Jess and Laura had the dish Jess orders every time she goes here (and I think that’s pretty often); swordfish with a creamy white wine sauce. It looked really good and I would like to try it one day too.

Le Sacre Coeur

18 Theberton Street

London N1 0QX

Tel: 020 7354 2618

Cupcakes with meringue frosting

Published on October 6, 2012October 5, 2012 by HannaLeave a comment

I have to admit that although I am quite a good cook and baker, not everything turns out the way you want it to. I mean, it wasn’t this bad but when I attempted mango cupcakes the other day, they turned out moist and normal, it was just that they didn’t taste of mango. Hardly at all.

Looking back it feel like such a waste of a perfectly ripe and delicous mango and (almost) half a bottle of mango essence. I should have eaten the mango as it was or used it for icecream.

At least the meringue frosting turned out the way I hoped! I just made Italian meringue, using a boiling sugar syrup to stabilize the meringue. It also partly cook the egg whites so children and pregnant women can eat it too.

I simply piped the shiny meringue onto my non-mango cupcakes and then used a blow torch to caramelize the sugar a bit for effect. (And I admit, it is good fun to play with the blow torch!).

Italian meringue

Adapted and translated from Karin’s recipe.

4 egg whites
150 ml caster sugar

Syrup:
150 ml caster sugar
100 ml water

Beat the egg whites and sugar for 10 minutes until foamy. In the mean time add sugar and water to a pan and bring to the boil (118 C for sugar). Once ready pour the syrup into the egg whites and beat with an electric whisk for another 15 minutes. The meringue should be shiny and have stiff peaks.

Scandi Show

Published on October 5, 2012 by HannaLeave a comment

This weekend, the Scandinavia Show takes place at Earl’s Court. I have actually never been, and won’t go this year either, but I am Swedish so I know pretty much about Scandinavia anyway. To me the show seem to be more aimed at people wanting to know more about the Scandinavian countries, who want to go there on holiday and find out more, or just love all the great books and television series streaming out of the region right now.

The food section will be represented by among others Scandinavian Kitchen and Madsen restaurant. Find out more about the Scandinavia Show here.

Chocolate truffle cake

Published on October 4, 2012 by HannaLeave a comment

Before flying off to meet my fellow food bloggers I baked the monthly cakes for the office. And among them was this dense super chocolatey cake. It is flourless and baked in a bain marie which makes it light and dense in texture at the same time. It is a must for all chocoholics and best enjoyed with some lightly whipped cream.

I found the recipe on a Swedish food blog where the blogger writes in English, so do check it out; Anne’s food.

Chocolate Truffle Cake
From the Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum via Anne’s Food.

450 g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
225 g unsalted butter
6 large eggs
40-50 g sugar
butter for the baking tray

Grease and line a round baking tin, around 22 cm in diameter. Wrap the tray with double layers of tin foil as it will be standing in a bain marie.

Preheat the oven to 220°C, and bring 2 litres of water to the boil.

Melt the chocolate and the butter together and stir to blend. Crack the eggs into a bowl that will fit onto a small saucepan, and add the sugar. Pour water into the small saucepan, and place on medium heat and top with the bowl. Beat the eggs with an electric whisk while heating until they are slightly warm to the touch. Remove from heat and beat very vigorously for at least five minutes – the egg mixture should become very pale and fluffy.

Mix the eggs and the chocolate mixture carefully, until you see no more streaks. Pour into the baking tin. Place the tin in a large baking tray and pour the hot water into the sheet so it reaches about half way up the sides of the cake tin.

Bake for five minutes. Cover the tin with tin foil and bake for ten more minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for 45 minutes. Wrap in plastic and place in fridge for at least three hours or overnight, until the cake is very firm.

Take it out of the fridge, and loosen the cake from the pan with the back of a knife. Remove the sides of the tin and invert the cake onto a plate, and gently remove the bottom of the pan and the parchment paper. Invert back onto the plate you want to serve it on.

Cooking at the meetup

Published on October 3, 2012 by Hanna

After touring the countryside looking for good produce we returned to the hotel and the kitchen. We put our aprons and chefs’ hats (oh la la) on and got cooking divided into groups. One team made three different amuse bouche with different shell fish such as crayfish, langoustines and mussels. The all male team cooked the first two courses, one team cooked the fish for the main course, my team made bread and tomato jam to go with cheese and one team took care of the pudding. We also had a vegetarian team creating all their own dishes.

We also got a lovely drink with blueberry vodka and blood oange juice to stay hydrated while cooking, then moved on to beer and wine.