May 2014 – Scandelights

Dulce de leche ice cream (with a little salt)

Published on May 29, 2014 by Hanna3 Comments

Since I was a little girl growing up in Sweden I have had a love affair with ice cream. Growing up my favourite scoop flavour was daim and daddy and I would see who could finish their ice cream first, every time. To be honest we sometimes compete now as well.

You may think Sweden is too cold for ice cream, but to that I say a) the summers are really nice and warm and b) it is never too cold for ice cream.

I still entertain this love affair although I am a bit pickier as an adult. I don’t like artificial pear ice cream for example or ice cream with lots of strange ingredients. When it is so easy to make delicious ice cream at home, I don’t understand the need for stabilizers and odd ingredients. I want natural proper ice cream made with full fat cream and milk.

This recipe certainly is of that variety and the dulce de leche flavour definitely comes through (shame if it didn’t since I used a whole can) and I’ve added a little salt to cut through the sweetness, which I think makes this work – dulce de leche is very sweet!

I like ice cream on its own but you can of course make a sundae with whipped cream, chocolate chip cookie and dark chocolate sauce or maybe serve with alongside a dark chocolate fondant, the possibilities are endless.

Dulche de leche ice cream (with a little salt), makes about 1 litre

4 egg yolks

2 tbsp caster sugar

400 ml double cream

200 ml whole milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 pinch (about 1/2 tsp) Maldon sea salt

400 g (1 can) dulce de leche

Beat yolks and sugar until fluffy. Meanwhile heat up the milk and cream in a saucepan until almost boiling. Incorporate the cream into the egg mixture little by little while continuously stirring. Add vanilla and dulce de leche and combine. Pour into a large bowl, place over a pan of boiling water (like a bain marie) and whisk slowly over while the mixture thickens. Leave to cool. Place in the fridge over night to thicken further. Place a plastic container in the freezer and pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and let it stir it for approximately 40 minutes. Pour into the plastic container and freeze for two hours before serving.

Lunch at Le Poule au Pot, Pimlico

Published on May 28, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

The first bank holiday weekend in May was sunny and lovely (so not the case this past one!) so Gaby and I had lunch outside in Pimlico. Le Poule au Pot is a charming French bistro with a rather dark and messy, yet very charming, interior whilst the outdoor seating is cosy with wooden tables and plants. The food is classic French bistro food and one can chose between the a’la carte menu or a set two or three course menu. We had the set menu, two courses each, and got plenty of food. Gaby had the salmon terrine with toasted bread to start and it was nice and fresh! I love the crockery too, so pretty. My chicken liver mousse with cornichons and toast was really nice and smooth and the portion quite large. For our maincourses we both had the steak frites with bearnaise sauce and it was really nice! My meat was slightly overcooked but very tender and the fries nice and crispy. The bearnaise sauce was a little on the runny side but great in flavour.

This is one of those classic places I like to seek refuge at once in a while, I guess to contrast modern restaurant and gourmet food. Less is more here, it’s classic French fare, cooked well and without fuss. But that combined with either the cosy interior inside or the nice tables outside it is enough.

Le Poule au Pot, 231 Ebury Street, London SW1W 8UT

Peanut butter brownies

Published on May 22, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

When I last baked for the office these brownies went down really well. I found the recipe in my latest cookbook purchase; Skinny Weeks and Weekend Feasts by Gizzi Erskine. The combination of dark chocolate brownie cake and crispy, sweet and peanutty layer on top works really well!

Don’t worry if the brownie mixture looks almost split when pouring it in the tin; as it cooks it comes together. The cake is really yummy, although not amazing looking on its own.

Peanut butter brownies, 24 st

Adapted from Gissi Erskine’s recipe. I made the full batch of the brownie but halved the peanut butter layer as I didn’t have a lot of icing sugar around. It worked well ratio wise too, but the more peanut butter the better, right?!

250 g unsalted butter

150 g dark chocolate, chopped

200 g caster sugar

100 g cocoa

70 g plain flour

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp vanilla extract

4 eggs, beaten

Peanut butter layer:

340 g chunky peanut butter

250 g unsalted butter

200 g light muscovado sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

150 g icing sugar

150 g cornflakes

Topping:

200 g milk or plain chocolate

30 g butter

Preheat the oven to 180°C. To make the peanut butter layer; put the peanut butter, butter, muscovado, salt and vanilla in a pan and heat until completely melted and just beginning to bubble. Stir constantly – make sure it doesn’t burn.

Remove from the heat and add the icing sugar a little at a time, stirring, until completely combined. Stir in the cornflakes, then pop in a blender and pulse until the mix starts to break up but still has crispy shards of cornflake running through. Set aside.

To make the brownies; melt the butter and dark chocolate chunks together in a bowl over a bain marie. Put the sugar, cocoa, flour, salt and vanilla in a separate bowl and mix until well combined.

Stir in the eggs, then add the melted chocolate and mix together with 4 or 5 swift swoops. Pour into a 30 cm x 20 cm greased and lined baking tin and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until it cracks across the top but the brownies should still be slightly gooey in the middle.

When the cake is cool enough to touch, spread over the peanut butter layer neatly. Leave to cool.

For the chocolate topping, melt the chocolate and butter together in a bain marie as before. Pour over the cooled peanut butter layer, smooth out and pop it in the fridge to set. Cut into squares and dust with icing sugar before serving.

Dinner at The House of Ho, Soho

Published on May 20, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

About a month ago my friend Malin and I had a farewell dinner at The House of Ho, a fairly newly opened Vietnamese restaurant in London, as Malin was moving away. Not far, but I still miss her.

The restaurant is lively and along the back wall there is a long bar and small tables are scattered around the cosy area. My first thought was that it’s a great place to go on a date, as it was buzzing and fun but still a bit intimate.

The menu consisting of both small dishes and proper main courses was interesting and we decided to share a few dishes to get to try as many things as possible.

The salmon tartar, above, with onions, seaweed and flavoured salt was nice, but I prefer already mixed tartars to these where you mix yourself on the plate.

The smoky aubergine with spring onion vinaigrette and fried onions that Malin’s colleague recommended to us was absolutely lovely and probably my favourite for the evening.

The pomolo and crab salad with noodles, mint and prawn crackers was nice but not amazing. The monk fish with lemongrass and caramel sauce (no picture) was lovely though.

I found the food to be a bit hit or miss, although everything was well cooked some dishes lacked a bit of oomph. It’s stiff competition having a restaurant in London and The House of Ho definitely has potential but needs to figure out what they’re good at and stick to that.

House of Ho, 57-59 Old Compton St, Soho, London W1D 6HP

Mussels with sherry, saffron and cream

Published on May 19, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

I brought a bottle (of very cheap) fino sherry with me home from Mallorca, for cooking and I knew exactly what I wanted to use it for; mussels. I adore moules marinière but thought it would work well with more pungent sherry instead of wine too and for some reason I felt that saffron would work well together with the sherry.

Turns out I was right, and I really enjoyed this take on the classic moules marinière. When eating moules as often as I do, one needs variation.

As always when cooking mussels, do rinse them well and de-beard them before cooking. Also discard of any mussels that won’t close when tapping their shell before cooking. But no need to discard mussels that don’t open after cooking, they are still OK to eat.

Mussels with sherry, saffron and cream, serves 2 (small portions)

500 g mussels

a knob of salted butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

75 ml fino sherry

1/2 -1 tsp ground saffron

200 ml double cream

chopped parsley

a small pinch of salt and ground white pepper

To serve:

nice bread to soak up the sauce with

Rinse the mussels a few times in a colander to remove sand. De-beard the mussels and rinse again. Discard of any mussels that won’t close their shell when tapping on it. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions and fry on medium heat for a minute or two without browning. Add the sherry and let the alcohol evaporate. Add cream and saffron and stir. Add some ground white pepper and the mussels. Cook under a lid for a few minutes until the mussels have opened. Stir and taste the sauce, add a little salt if needed. Serve immediately with some nice bread.

Frittata with asparagus, spinach and cheddar, topped with creme fraiche and lumpfish caviar

Published on May 15, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

This frittata bursting of spring greens and new potatoes is a new favourite of mine. I added some sharp grated cheddar to reduce the sulphur-y taste fried eggs, which I’m not a fan of, but you can omit the cheese if you prefer although it does make the frittata a little creamier. Topping the frittata with crème fraiche and lumpfish caviar is very Scandinavian but it works really well and makes the dish feel a little lush.

Frittata, serves 4 as a starter/light bite, serves 2 as a main course

200 g cooked new potatoes, sliced

6 asparagus stems, cut into 2-3 cm large pieces

100 g spinach

a knob of butter for frying

3 eggs

a splash of milk or cream if desired

50 ml grated sharp cheddar

salt & pepper

To serve:

crème fraiche

lumpfish caviar

Pre-heat the oven to 180-200C. Bring water to the boil in a saucepan and cook the asparagus fir 2 minutes. Drain. Beat the eggs in a bowl (and add a plash of milk or cream if desired), season. Heat up some butter in a oven-proof frying pan (no plastic handle) and wilt the spinach. Drain the excess water and add a little more butter. Add the potato slices and asparagus pieces and fry for a minute on high heat. Add the beaten eggs and lower the heat to medium. Let the eggs set at the bottom, scatter with grated cheddar and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the just set.

Leave to cool for a few minutes, cut into pieces and serve with crème fraiche and caviar.

Santa Catalina and dinner at Puro Chef, Palma de Mallorca

Published on May 14, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

Our last evening in Palma I wanted to check out the Santa Catalina neighbourhood, just west of the town centre. Around five years ago this area was a bit run down and it started transforming itself into a trendy neighbourhood with lots of restaurant and bars. The vibe is similar to London’s Soho (bar the sex shops) or New York’s NoLIta but smaller. I really liked this cosy part of town and it felt much less touristy than central Palma.

We walked around looking for a nice restaurant and maybe a bar to have a drink before dinner. The choice of both restaurants and bars was wide with both Indian, Japanese, Lebanese and of course Spanish.

Outside this cool painted bar people were drinking on the pavement, just like in London.

We found a cosy café/bar/casual restaurant where we had a glass of wine and were offered homemade poppadums and mango chutney before heading a few doors down the street to Puro Chef for dinner.

Walking past earlier that evening the German article in the window, about the gourmet chef, caught my eye and after looking at the menu I was convinced we’d experience some great cooking here.

The nice looking menu was divided into different sections; one with gourmet pinchos, one with tapas to share, another with main courses (quite a few with Italian influences) and of course another with puddings. We were seduced by the pinchos and started there and they were so lovely we didn’t really branch out into maincourses or tapas (bar one).

The amouse bouchen was fried Globe artichoke with foie gras which we loved. Just a hint of foie gras and crispy on the outside.

The potato with prawn and tartar sauce was amazing and beautifully plated.

Perfectly cooked scallop with potato and bell pepper purée with root crisps was another hit – so delicious!

The only tapas dish we tried was the prawns (surprise) that were dipped in batter and deep-fried until crisp. The shells were so soft we ate it to not miss out on the crispy goodness. These were lovely too, but not as good as the pinchos!

The pig’s trotters with fried quail’s egg and pickled pepper were full of umami and utterly delicious!

These croquetas with morcilla and peppadew peppers served with pear jam were magnificent. The croquetas were of the perfect consistency; a soft and gooey on the encased in a crisp coating. And the sweetness of the pear worked well with the heat from the peppers.

Fried cod with mayonnaise and herb oil was also very good.

But these crispy pork rolls were to die for. Crispy, porky little rolls with some shredded vegetables and bathed in the most delicious sauce we had to order quite a few of these!

We really enjoyed our evening here! The interior is modern and laid back, the waitresses sweet and very helpful and the chefs eager to impress. Not only were they good at creating interesting flavour combinations, they also had the techniques down, everything was cooked to perfection.

I expected good food in Palma and I am glad I got to have so much of it. And I utterly adore the modern tapas (which we see a lot of in London too); small plates created with classic ingredients but with some kind of added twist. Both Tapa Negra and Tast serve similar dishes in Palma and these three (Puro Chef included) restaurants really stood out as my favourites.

Back in London since two weeks I still dream of the amazing pinchos, WHERE can I find some here?!

Puro Chef, c/ Sant Magí 66, Palma De Mallorca, Spain

Lemon squares

Published on May 13, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

This recipe is courtesy of Katarina, and most Swedish food bloggers I know have already tried the recipe, it’s that popular! And I understand why. It is easy to make, and quick. The contrasting flavours and textures work really well; top and bottom is like an oat’s crumble and in between you find the smooth lemon filling which is sweet but the acidity from the lemon cuts through it nicely.

A winner when I last baked for the office!

Lemon squares, makes about 20

Adapted from Katarina’s recipe.

Crumble:

120 g softened butter

150 ml brown sugar

250 ml rolled oats

200 ml plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Filling:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

75 ml lemon juice

2-3 tsp grated lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 175C. Mix butter and brown sugar until well combined. Stir in flour, rolled oats, baking powder and salt and mix into a crumbly texture. Press little more than half of the crumb mixture into the bottom of a lined 20 x 20 cm baking tray.

Mix together condensed milk, lemon juice and zest. Spread onto the crumble and sprinkle the other half of the crumb mixture on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool and cut into squares. Store in the fridge.

Dinner at Taberna de la Boveda, Palma de Mallorca

Published on May 12, 2014May 12, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

One of Palma’s most well-known restaurants is without a doubt La Boveda; it was mentioned in almost every article or travel guide I read on Palma. Only a street away is their sister restaurant, Taberna de la Boveda, who has an identical menu.

My guess is that the first restaurant was so popular it made sense to open a second one. We ate at the Taberna and sat on their lovely patio with most of the other guests. It wasn’t a warm evening but the patio was so cosy everyone still wanted to sit there. And of course, we started our meal with a bottle of cava.

I can’t make my mind up about this restaurant. Some things I really like and others I really don’t. But I must mention our fabulous waiter. He was so on the ball, always smiling, always making sure we had a nice time and everything we wanted, while still being very efficient and diligent. I can honestly say we didn’t have such good service at any other time during our week in Palma. The Spanish mentality is just very different from the Swedish and in a way it was nice to just switch off and go with the slow service and more waiting time even if it was a little irritating at the same time.

This evening my parents were a little tired of tapas, so we only had two tapas to start and then a main course each. Daddy had the chorizo cooked in wine which completely lacked seasoning and oomph and he was rather disappointed.

The sweet juicy melon and delicious salty Iberico ham that mummy and I shared was far better. Super simple of course but good produce.

For our maincourses daddy and I chose meat. His was a slightly overcooked beef fillet. It was more medium-well than the medium desired but still very tasty. And the green peppercorn sauce was outstanding.

Mother had fried gambas with garlic and a side of chips. The prawns were delicious and sweet and the chips unfortunately a bit soggy.

I had the sirloin, also over-cooked; it was medium-well when I had ordered it rare, but the blue cheese sauce was delicious. Again, the chips could have been crispier but I liked the addition of padron peppers.

For pudding we shared a crème caramel and this cake with an unknown name. It was not made at the restaurant but still nice. It had an almond base, sweet lemon mousse and soft meringue on top.

All the food, bar the chorizo, was very tasty and the service great, yet I’m not all that thrilled about this place. If that was because it felt a bit touristy (no local guests at all), or because the cooking was a bit hit and miss I don’t know. Maybe it was partly our fault for not sticking to tapas, but then again that chorizo was a tapas dish. And in my mind every pub and restaurant worth its name should be able to make proper chips/fries.

Regardless, we still had a nice evening here but there are other restaurants in Palma I would rather go back to than Taberna de la Boveda.

Taberna de la Boveda, Paseo Sagrera, 3, La Lonja, Palma

Dinner at Tast, Palma de Mallorca

Published on May 8, 2014 by Hanna1 Comment

We ate at a few really nice restaurants in Palma, and Tast was one of our favourites! My friend Anna recommended it and it was also mentioned in a few articles I read on restaurants in Palma when I researched the trip. I had high expectations and was not disappointed one bit.

Well, the waiter was a bit stern to begin with, but he warmed up to us, and to be fair he was super busy running the bar area all by himself.

The bar area with its high tables and stools is open all day while the restaurant with normal tables further back opens at 7.30pm. We really enjoyed sitting in the busy bar area looking at what other people were eating and to some extent watching the world go by outside when not concentrating on our food.

All the cold pinchos are kept by the bar and you just help yourself to the ones you want and pay per plate at the end of the meal. A great concept as you can start immediately if you’re starving like I often am.

The menu was a mixture of warm pinchos, different types of scewers and tapas to share.

We mixed all kinds of food and ate and ate as it was so delicious! The cold pinchos were great to start and we really liked the ones with roast beef and creamy crab salad and smoked salmon (above).

Pinchos with pimiento, smoked white fish, fried quail’s egg and tapenade.Delicious!

As you can see we had rosé and Iberico loin; less fatty and drier than the ham but also delicious!

One favourite among the warm pinchos was these with crab gratin and mini eels (what looks like grated cabbage is indeed tiny eels). So good!

The pig’s trotters with quail’s eggs were delicious too but lacked a little bit of oomph.

Fried camembert with cherry sauce also went down a treat and the people at the table next to us liked to look of it so much they came over to ask which dish it was.

I love croquetas and these classic ones with jamon were to die for!

Naturally we also ordered some fried prawns with garlic and parsley. They were nice and daddy adored them but I found the other things we ate more exciting. We had a lot more food than what’s pictured and enjoyed every bite. The patatas bravas here were a little updated with only one spicy sauce but absolutely delicious!

We ate and drank until we were almost too full to move and had a lovely evening. Tast is relaxed and inviting and the food amazing! I could easily eat here once a week without getting bored and that is a good review indeed.

Tast, C/ Unión, 2, 07001 Palma de Mallorca, Spain