Milk chocolate pannacotta with salt

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

IMG_2026

The combination of sweet and salty has been a favourite of mine since I was a child and had milk chocolate and salty popcorn together. Recently this combination is everywhere, and especially salted caramel is a bit trendy, and has been for a while.

These babies, mini pannacotta with milk chocolate and salt, are just heaven and I made these in plastic shot glasses for work last week. It is a small sample portion, perfect for a buffet or when having lots of goodies at once.

You can make pannacotta i several ways, but I prefer to make it with gelatin. And preferably the gelatin leaves, although the powder is fine too. It is good to know that 1 leaf gelatin is the equivalent to 1/2 tsp gelatin powder.

For a vegetarian option, use agar agar (or veggie set) and follow the instructions on the packet.

Milk chocolate pannacotta, about 40 mini ones in plastic shot glasses

1050 ml cream

4.5 tbsp caster sugar

4 gelatin leaves 

210 g milk chocolate 

vanilla salt or regular sea salt to decorate

Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water. Chop the chocolate and place in a mixing bowl. Heat upp the cream and sugar in a nonstick saucepan while stirring. Bring it to the boil and then remove from heat. Squeeze the water out of the gelatin leaves and add them to the cream. Stir to dissolve. Pour the cream over the chocolate, stir until the chocolate has melted and it is all combined. Leave to cool for 10 minutes or so, then divide into the cups. Leave to cool completely then let it set in fridge over night. Sprinkle on the salt just before serving.

 

Sweet potato and lemongrass soup

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

With the big freeze hitting London, all I want to eat it food that warms you through. This soup is definitely warming, filling and of course – tasty.

The slight ‘exotic’ combination of sweet potato and lemongrass really works and it is a nice alternative for a mid-week meal.

The vegetable puré itself is velvety and thick enough without the addition of dairy product, however I think a dollop of creme fraiche while serving adds another flavour, and it cuts through the lemongrass nicely.

(To make this vegan, use vegetable stock and omit the creme fraiche.)

Sweet potato and lemongrass soup, serves 2

2 sweet potatoes

1 lemongrass

1 tbsp olive oil

400 ml chicken or vegetable stock

salt, black pepper

To serve: a dollop of creme fraiche and a drizzle of olive oil

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into even-sized pieces. Cut the lemongrass in half lengthways and then across so you have four pieces. Heat up the oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the lemongrass and sweet potato and stir for a few minutes to enhance the flavours. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Then cook with the lid halfway on for about 15 minuter or until the vegetables are soft. Remove the two thickest pieces of lemongrass then puré the everything into a thick soup consistency. Add more stock or hot water until it has the thickness you want. Bring to the boil again and season. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and a drizzle of a flavoursome oil. 

Muscovado pannacotta with whisky

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

Last Thursday I found myself in the supermarket buying ingredients for a dessert to bring to my friends for supper the following in day. I wanted to make a nice almond cake with custard, but I just didn’t have the energy. Instead I settled for the one pudding I can probably make blindfolded and asleep – pannacotta.

To make it more interesting I opted for light muscovado sugar instead of caster and a little hint of whisky. Served with fresh raspberries this was a winner with the girls.

I like when you get rewarded for being lazy…

Muscovado pannacotta with whisky, serves 3

300 ml cream (single or double is up to you)

2,5 tbsp light muscovado sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cap whisky

1 gelatine leaf

Soak the gelatine leaf in water. Add cream, sugar and vanilla to a saucepan and heat up while stirring. Bring to the boul, then remove from heat. Add the whisky. Squeeze the excess liquid out of the gelatine and let it dissolve in the hot cream. Leave to cool a little for about 15 minutes, then pour into cups/glasses. Leave to cool completely, then let it set in the fridge, preferably over night or for a minimum of four hours. Serve with fresh raspberries. 

Open lasagne with thyme fried mushrooms and truffle ricotta

Published on by Hanna3 Comments

While plucking up the courage to befriend my new shiny pasta machine, I have created a few pasta dishes of late.

This is by far the best, and utterly delicious. It is quite simple with only a few ingredients marrying together – but it really makes the dish come together and it is so so good.

I am actually so pleased with this recipe that I have considered eating it for breakfast, if we only had a proper stove at work…

When using only a few ingredients, they have to be of the best quality. Good dried lasagne sheets, fresh tasty mushrooms, fresh thyme and good quality ricotta. And try and get hold of a good truffle oil. It should be pungent, if it tastes more of oil than truffles, you might as well not bother with it.

Open lasagne with thyme fried mushrooms and truffle ricotta, serves 2

4 lasagne sheets

250 g fresh chestnut mushrooms or portabellini

1 handful dried mushrooms, like porcini or girolles, or a mixture

plenty of butter and mild olive oil for frying

1 garlic clove

3 sprigs of thyme (and more to decorate)

125 g ricotta

a few drops of truffle oil

2 tbsp finely grated parmesan

salt and pepper

Bring water to the boil in a pan large enough for the lasagne sheets. Add salt and a little oil to the water (for the lasagne sheets not to stick to each other).

Soak the dried mushrooms in warm water for a few minutes. Brush and slice the fresh mushrooms and fry in two batches in plenty of butter and oil on medium-high heat. Squeeze the water out of the dried mushrooms and fry them as well. When all the mushrooms are fried, transfer them back to the frying pan and add garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Cook the lasagne sheets until soft, about 8-10 minutes. While it is cooking, mix the ricotta with the grated parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper and truffle oil. You want a fairly strong truffle flavour; how much depends on the concentration of the oil.

När pastaplattorna är klara, ta upp dem med en tång ur vattnet. Lägg två plattor lite omlott på varje tallrik, långsida mot långsida. I den ena änden, klicka ut ricotta och toppa med svamp. Ta den tomma delen av pastaplattorna och vänd över som ett lock. Bred ricotta på toppen och toppa med svamp, riven parmesan och repad timjan.

Denmark: Helsingor and the Karen Blixen museum

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

Even though I am Swedish and love my country, Denmark is like a second home to me. Because I’m from the south of Sweden, I even fly to Denmark when I go home, and the train from Copenhagen takes only 12 minutes to Sweden. It is that close.

Because of the close distance I also grew up with the Danish television channels, and we always went on family holidays or day trips to all over Denmark when I was little.

I still really like Denmark, it has a different vibe than Sweden. A little bit more relaxed and less controlled. A little more bohemian if you like.

When I went home to visit my parents last weekend, we went to Sweden for a day. Our first stop was the little town of Helsingor, only 20 minutes away from Swedish Helsingborg by ferry. Again, so close.

We have been here several times before, and it is a cute little town with picturesque houses, littles cafés and shops.

As usual we popped into this amazing cheese shop that also sells wine, charcuterie, biscuits and jams. They are also happy for you to taste the cheese before you buy it.

There is a certain smell in Danish cheese shops, as their own domestic cheeses are rather smelly. They are lovely though, and my dad’s favourite, so we parted with quite a large block of Sorte Sara, and a few other cheeses.

By the harbour there is a square with a large flower stall and my mother always buys something here.

We also popped into an old café, to avoid the tourist traps, and had a lovely open sandwich with a tonne of prawns and mayonnaise, followed by some cake.

When we left Helsingor we drove south along the sea front towards Copenhagen, where you see some impressive houses, lots of swans bopping in the sea and little cute harbours for sail boats.

A while after the half way point to Copenhagen you pass Rungsted, and it is in that village you find the Karen Blixen museum.

Blixen was a famous author and artist who lived parts of her life on a farm in Africa. She is most famous for the books about her time there that was made into the Oscar winning film Out of Africa with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.

 

Rungstedlund is her home that after her death was made into the museum it is today. To the left there is an exhibition about her and straight on is her home preserved as it was when she lived there.

Kanelbullar – Swedish cinnamon buns

Published on by Hanna4 Comments

As all children, I thought I had the best parents when I grew up. And I still do. They were always there for me, while still raising me to be independent. ‘I can do it myself’ was a very common sentence from me around the age of 2 and 3.

My childhood memories are all very loving, and most are actually about food. The smell of meatballs sizzling in butter, the comforting feeling when eating creamed spinach and the smell of cinnamon buns fresh from the oven.

Cinnamon buns, you see, is a Swedish institution. My mother will always have some in the freezer, along with other cakes in case of unannounced guests popping by. 

This past weekend when I was in Sweden, I baked cinnamon buns with my mother, something we always used to do together when I was a child.

And I can assure you, nothing in the whole world tastes better than warm cinnamons fresh from the oven.

My mothers recipe is a fairly standard one, but it contains more butter tahn other recipes, for a richer dough, and it has the addition of an egg to make the dough more elastic.

This recipe is actually half a batch, but it is still enough for around 40 buns or 25 buns and a sweet loaf. The loaf has the same filling as the buns but with raisins added to it for a more Christmassy feeling. Other fillings are usually marzipan for Christmas and we sometimes substitute the cinnamon for vanilla sugar.

Cinnamon buns, makes about 40

50 g fresh yeast

150 g melted butter

500 ml milk

2 tsp ground cardamom

125 ml caster sugar

1 egg

1,4-1,7 l plain flour

Filling: 

About 300 g softened butter

about 300 ml caster sugar

ground cardamom

ground cinnamon

For brushing:

1 egg

pearl sugar

Break up the yeast into the bowl for a machine with a dough hook. Mix the melted butter with the milk and heat until finger warm. Add a splash of the milk mixture to the yeast along with the sugar. Mix until the yeast has dissolved. Add the rest of the milk and butter mixture, cardamom and the egg. Start working the mixture with the dough hooks while adding the flour bit by bit until you have a fairly wet dough. Work the dough for 10 minutes. It should be sticky but come off the sides of the bowl. Cover the dough and let it rise for 20 minutes.  

Empty the dough onto a floured work surface. Divide into three equal sized pieces. Roll out the dough pieces one at the time until you have a rectangular dough about 3 mm thick. Spread about 100 g softened butter onto the dough rectangle in a smooth layer. Cover the butter with an even layer of caster sugar. Add a small dusting of ground cardamom. Add an even layer of ground cinnamon. Roll the dough from the widest side into a roll. Push the ends into the middle a little for an even roll. Cut into 12-15 pieces, about 3 cm wide. Place flat side down in baking cases on a baking sheet. Cover and let them double in size. Brush with a beaten egg and sprinkle with the pearl sugar. 

Bake in a preheated oven of 225C/200C fan at the top of the oven for 6-10 minutes. Make sure they don’t burn. 

An unusual Christmas Market in the south of Sweden

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

On Saturday I went to a very different kind of Christmas market. A man known from the Swedish version of the Antiques Roadshow, opened up his private home in Landskrona, in thesouth of Sweden to the public.

The market took place in his actual house (including the kitchen and living rooms), the courtyard, cellar and different outhouses. Yes, it was a rather large house. It was very cosy with Christmassy decorations everywhere, glögg (Swedish mulled wine) served in the courtyard, a café in the cellar as well as lots of vendors and some antiques.

We bought some lovely sourdough bread, herring and dilly prawn mayonnaise with us home and stopped for a hot chocolate/glögg pause to keep the cold at bay. Our last stop was the actual house, and I was utterly jealous when I entered his amazing large kitchen where they were making lussekatter (traditional saffron buns).

The tiles above the stove were amazing too!

Sticky sweet chilli ribs with garlic dip and potato wedges

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

 

After having spent the morning stressing to the airport and sitting on a plane for a few hours and then braving the shops in Malmö’s newest (and much hyped) shopping centre, there was only one type of supper I wanted – a comforting one.

So we had some sticky succulent ribs, crisp potato wedges and a homemade garlic dip. Yum!

My method for making ribs is really easy, I only cook them in the oven. Some people prefer to boil the meat first, so please feel free to to that. I find, however that if you just leave them enough time in the oven you can skip that step and save yourself some washing up.

Spare ribs with sweet chilli marinade, serves 4

1,5-2 kg spare ribs

100 ml sweet chilli sauce

100 ml mild olive oil

4 garlic cloves, pressed

3 tsp sambal oelek

a few splashes Worchester sauce

salt, black pepper

Mix the ingredients for the marinade and season to taste. Place the ribs, meat side up, on an oiled baking tray. Brush on top with the marinade. Place in a 200C oven for 30 minutes. Turn over the ribs and brush on top with the marinade. Add some salt and pepper and cook for another 30 minutes. Then remove from oven and turn around once more, adding another layer of the marinade. Cook for another 5-20 minutes for a nice finish. Cut up and serve. 

Garlic dip, serves 4

300-400 ml Greek yoghurt 

2 large garlic cloves, pressed

4 tbsp mild olive oil

2-3 tsp dried herbs

salt, black pepper

Mix. Leave for about 15 minutes to develop the flavours, before serving. 

 

To Scania!

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

 

I am now on my way to my county, Skåne (or Scania) in Sweden for a long weekend to see my parents. This is the view from our house, and this flat land is a characteristic for the area where I am from in the south of Sweden (it is only 15 minutes away from the most southern point and the Baltic sea).

It will be so nice to spend some quality time with my parents; we’re going to Denmark for the day and to a Christmas market one day, but I will also make sure to cook a lot in my parents’ spacious kitchen and go for walks in the woods and just breath country air.

So long!

Chocolate cake with fudge icing

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

When I make the monthly cakes for work, I make sure to make a chocolate cake each time as you can never get tired of chocolate.

This very popular cake courtesy of Fiona Cairns is made with dark muscovado sugar giving it a depth in flavour and it almost has an ‘earhty’ taste to it. The fudge icing is more toffee like in flavour, and the two works very well together.

I followed the instructions below, but my icing as already thick, so whipping it made it into a frosting, which I spread in between the two cakes – lovely too. Which ever method you choose for the icing, it will taste the same, i.e. delicious.

Chocolate cake with fudge icing, serves 8

After Fiona Cairns’s recipe.

175g unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the tin

100g chocolate (50-60% cocoa), finely chopped

200g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

100g ground almonds

275g dark muscovado sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs, lightly beaten

150ml buttermilk

Icing:

90g chocolate (50-60% cocoa), broken into pieces

40g unsalted butter, softened and diced

1 tbsp golden syrup

2 tbsp dark muscovado sugar

150ml double cream

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Butter 2 x 20cm round sandwich tins, and line the bases with baking parchment.

Place the chocolate in a bowl and pour over 120ml just-boiled water. Stir until melted, then set aside to cool.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, then stir in the ground almonds. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or in a bowl with an electric hand whisk), cream together the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract to the eggs. With the whisk running, very slowly add the egg mixture to the butter and sugar, adding 1 tbsp of the flour during the process to prevent curdling, then add the melted chocolate and the buttermilk.

Fold in the remaining flour very gently and divide the mixture between the tins. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Leave for a minute or two in the tins before turning out on to a wire rack. Remove the papers and leave until absolutely cold.

To make the icing, melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl suspended over gently simmering water. Make sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Remove the bowl from the heat, then stir in the syrup and sugar and, lastly, gradually pour in the cream until all is well blended and smooth. Allow to cool completely, then whisk until it thickens. Spread half on the base of one cake. Sandwich the two cakes together, then spread the remaining icing on top.