Jerusalem artichoke soup

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This is my absolute favourite soup! I have fond memories of it as well. I started working as a waitress part-time at a small hotel in the countryside in the south of Sweden when I was at University in Lund. The hotel was a small manor house, really old and therefore very cold. In the winter it was freezing in the kitchen because it had so many outer walls. The chefs were really nice though, sometimes they made us the yummiest hot chocolate made of chocolate and cream, or Jerusalem artichoke soup with chopped schallots, which we ate gathered by the stove to get our body temperatures up. It wasn’t this cold in the restaurant, so the guests were fine actually.

This recipe is to serve the soup as a starter, but it’s great as a light supper as well, just make a little bit more, serve it with bread and maybe throw in some crispy bacon or some prawns in the soup, and maybe a dollop of creme fraiche. Enjoy!

Jerusalem artichoke soup, 2 portions

5 or so Jerusalem artichokes

100-150 ml cream

vegetable stock

chopped schallots

Peel the artichokes and cut them into equally sized pieces. Cover just, with water in a pan, sprinkle in some salt, bring to a boil and cook until very tender. Pour out some of the remaining water, and puree the rest with a stick blender. If this is too thick you can always add some of the water again, but it is difficult to make the soup thicker once it is liquidized. Pour in the cream, some stock, salt and white pepper and adjust the thickness with some of the remaining water if necessary. Bring to a boil again. Serve in bowls with some chopped schallots.

Smoked paprika chicken stroganoff

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When my friend Gaby stayed with us a couple of days ago I made this Gordon Ramsay recipe, and she described it as grown-up comfort food. Definitely a term Nigella would agree with. 😉 This is autumnal, comforting and has a little punch to it.

Even though this is Gordon’s creation I had to change it a little, hope he doesn’t mind. 🙂

Smoked paprika chicken stroganoff, 4 portions

450 g chicken breast, cut into strips

2 tsp smoked paprika

olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, pressed

1 pepper, sliced

button mushrooms, quartered

150 ml chicken stock

splash white wine

50 ml creme fraiche or sour cream

parsley, chopped

a dash soy

a dash chilli sauce

Heat up a pan with olive oil, sprinkle the smoked paprika on the chicken and fry it until 3/4 cooked, put aside. In the same pan, add some fresh olive oil and fry the onion and garlic tender on low heat, next add the pepper and mushrooms and fry for about four minutes until tender. Pour in the wine and chicken stock and the creme fraiche. Bring to boil and season with salt, pepper, more paprika, chilli sauce, soy and stock. Put the chicken back in and cook for a few minutes. Throw in the parsley and stir. Serve with rice and a nice salad.

Quaglino’s

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Yesterday Christopher and I went to Quaglino’s near Green Park as D&D London together with the Evening Standard has a summer offer on at all their restaurants. It is the same company that owns Skylon, which I have mentioned before. We had cinema tickets for the Swedish film The girl who played with fire and thought it would be nice to have dinner beforehand. The offer started at £10 for two courses, a real bargain.

Neither of us had been to the restaurant before, and it was very modern in its design, but still had a genial ambiance. On the ground floor there was a the cloak rooms, a quite small bar, a piano with a playing pianist and some function rooms and downstairs was the restaurant. It was all one big open-plan room with plenty of tables. Most had white tablecloths and black chairs, but some tables were red with sofas and no tablecloths. A nice pop of colour was the big tassels on every chair in different bright colours. They were all placed on the seat when we walked in. The waiters also had a pop of colour to them as they all wore ties in different bright colours. The staff by the cloak room all wore black dresses and the same chunky necklace. Someone clearly had a specific idea about the design and attention to detail when they opened the restaurant.

There was a special menu for this offer, consisting of five or so options for every course and was quite varied. A good menu actually. Christopher chose asparagus with egg mimosa dressing as a starter while I chose the salmon ceviche with tequila dressing. The asparagus was very nice and Christopher was pleased with his choice. My salmon was nice, but it didn’t taste at all of tequila, not even a hint. Instead it tasted of mustard which was nice too. For main course Christopher chose fish and chips with tartar sauce and I chose feather blade of beef with scallion mash. The fish was nice and a good version of the classic pub dish. My beef was very tender and tasty, it had cooked for 3 hours on low temperature in the oven. I wasn’t too impressed with the scallion mash though, I didn’t see nor taste any scallions in it, and it was quite starchy in its texture. But it was generous portions of comfort food, so felt more like a very well homecooked meal than a restaurant meal, but that is probably because we choose to go to quite high-end establishments most of the time. The food was very good and the service was excellent, but I wouldn’t say this restaurant is great for a romantic meal, it’s more where you go with a group of friends or take your girl friends too for cocktails and food.

I have to mention the film as well, which was excellent! Even better than the first film I think, and I can’t wait for the next one to reach the cinemas here. I highly recommend the film, but be prepared for some (at least to non-Swedish people, or maybe just the English?) chocking scenes. And Curzon’s have great cinemas, they’re a bit run down but definitely have their charm.

Liverpool

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This past weekend I went to Liverpool to visit my dear friend Karin. It was my first time up north and it was a bit what I expected (the dialect, the skimpy skirts, all the Beatles paraphernalia) and some unexpected (nice old buildings, interesting maritime museum, good bars), but the best thing was of course to spend three days with Karin, to meet her friends and hang out.

Pictures from top left:

1. The Anglican cathedral

2. Lemon sole at the Italian Club Fish

3. Strawberry daiquiris at a bar

4. The art installation Another Place on the beach in Crosby

5. A famous pub, the Philharmonic

6. Paul McCartney statue outside the Cavern pub

Dumle chocolate mousse with nut brittle

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This is a lovely chocolate mousse made on the Finnish sweet called Dumle, so next time you see it at an airport make sure you grab a bag. Or if you live in London, pay a visit to Scandinavian Kitchen. They might have some at Ikea as well.

This was the grande finale for the crayfish dinner. Yum!

Dumle chocolate mousse with nut brittle, 4-6 portions

1 bag dumle sweets

300 ml whipping cream

4 tbsp granulated sugar

2 tbsp butter

a large handful of mixed nuts (I had almonds and hazelnuts)

The day before: Cut the sweets into smaller pieces and put in a bowl. Heat up the cream in a pan, when it starts to boil pour it over the sweets and stir until they’ve melted completely. Let the mixture cool and then place in the fridge overnight.

Put the sugar and butter in a frying pan, and let it melt on medium heat. When it’s melted put the nuts in the pan and stir until the mixture is starting to brown. Remove from heat and pour it onto a sheet of parchment paper. Let it cool and solidify, chop roughly with a knife and place it in a bowl or tupperware over night.

Same day: Whip the cream mixture with an electric whisk until wanted thickness, but be aware that it can split if whisking too long. Place in portion bowls and prinkle the nut brittle on top. Enjoy!

Matjes cheesecake

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This is a savoury cheesecake with Matjes herring, perfect for Midsummer or crayfish parties. It is easy to make and needs to be made the day before, or at least a few hours before serving, so it sets properly.

Matjes cheesecake

Base:

6-8 slices dark rye bread

75 g butter

Filling:

1 tin matjes herring

400 ml creme fraiche

100 ml mayonnaise

1 tub Philadelphia

a bit of horseradish

50 ml chopped dill

2 tbsp red caviar

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

2 tsp gelatine powder

2 tbsp water

There are two ways to make the base. Either mix softened butter with the bread in a food processor, or mix the bread with a stick blender, melt the butter, add it to the crumbs and mix it together. Then press it out into a springform.

Chop the herring and mix together with creme fraiche, cream cheese, mayo, horseradish, onion dill and caviar. Season with salt and white pepper. Next mix the gelatine with the water in a bowl and let it swell for a few minutes, then place the bowl in boiling water and stir the gelatine around until it has all melted and completely dissolved into the water. Remove from the boiling water and let it cool down. Then add it to the mixture and make sure it is mixed in completely, then pour the mixture into the springform, make sure to level it with a spatula. Put clingfilm on it and place in the fridge until the next day.

Just before serving it decorate it with lemon slices and dill or something more elaborate. Perfect for a buffet.

Västerbotten cheese quiche

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A cheese quiche made with the Swedish Västerbotten cheese is a given with crayfish. This recipe is from a Swedish blog called Kryddburken and it was nice, but next time I think I will stick to my own quiche dough recipe so will add it to the recipe.

 

Västerbotten cheese quiche, 6 portions

My quiche dough recipe:

120 g softened butter

300 ml plain flour

1 eggyolk

Filling:

250 g grated Västerbotten cheese (or a sharp cheddar will do)

2 egg yolks

2 eggs

200 ml cream

salt

Mix the ingredients together for the dough and press it out in a quiche dish. Use a fork to pierce the dough all over. Pre-bake the dough for 10 mins at 175 C.

Mix the grated cheese with the cream, eggs and yolks, pour into the quiche shell and bake for another 20 mins.

If you serve it lukewarm or cold decorate it with caviar, lemon, chopped red onions and creme fraiche. Enjoy!

Sunshine

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I’m in Liverpool visiting my Swedish friend Karin and even though it is cold and windy here, it was sunny all day yesterday so we made sure to sit outside for lunch and soak up the sunshine.

Ribs, chicken wings, calamari and prawn toast.

Crayfish party

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The autumn has come to London. The city is rainy and grey and everyone has the post-holiday blues.

I am however happy! Because tonight we’re having a few friends over for a Swedish crayfish party. I love crayfish, and am so pleased I get to introduce this tradition to my English friends.

Yesterday I made the obligatory Västerbotten cheese quiche, and aioli to dip the tails in. I also made a savoury cheesecake and chocolate mousse for dessert and the table is set with little red crayfish knives, silly hats and matching napkins. And of course the snaps is being chilled. Can’t wait!

Skål (cheers) and have a nice long weekend!

Pickled cucumber

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In Sweden we call pickled cucumber pressgurka and it is very easy to make. I love it with paté on a sandwich, but it is great with meatballs, boiled potatoes and creamy gravy as well.

Pickled cucumber – pressgurka

1/2 cucumber

1 tsp salt

75 ml granulated sugar

acetic acid solution (in Swedish ättika, mix 1 part acetic acid with 6-7 parts water)

1 tbsp water

chopped parsley

Thinly slice the cucumber. This is easily done with a cheese slicer or potato peeler. Put the cucumber in a jar and pour in the salt and sugar, next add the acetic acid solution and water. Stir and make sure the salt and sugar dissolves. Throw in the parsley and stir again. Put on the lid and leave in fridge until the next day. Use within a week.