Madklubben in Copenhagen

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When in Copenhagen for the day I had booked a table at Madklubben after recommendations from my dear friend Emma. And we were not disappointed!

The restaurant is situated close to the New Harbour, Nyhavn, which is a great area but the restaurants there are proper tourist traps so avoid them to all cost. Instead walk a few hundred meters to this restaurant. It’s interior is modern and very Scandinavian but yet very cosy. The staff is friendly, and it says on the menu that the waiters are not experts on food and wine but are happy to help.

We shared two Danish charcuterie platters on four as a starter and it was very nice. It had two types of ham and a spicy sausage on there as well as pickled small mushrooms and pickled cherry tomatoes. For mains mum and I chose the plaice with parsley butter and a warm potato salad with pickled cucumbers and mustard dressing, all very fresh and light. Christopher chose the veal with green strawberries, smoked bonemarrow, carrots and pea purée. The meat was a huge piece and it was very tender. Dad also chose meat, the house steak with red wine sauce and potato salad. It was also a huge piece of steak and both the boys were very happy! 🙂

We were too full to have dessert straight after the meal so we went for a walk in Nyhavn and had an ice cream instead.

Madklubben is not very expensive, so I really recommend a visit if you are going to Copenhagen!

Turkey schnitzel with mozzarella and bacon

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Last night we had the first homecooked meal by me for a while. While in Sweden we happily let my mother cook for us or went out for food. But I do enjoy to cook even on weekdays, especially when the result turns out this good. A different take on the classic chicken cordon bleu.  

Turkey schnitzel with mozzarella and bacon, 2 portions

4 turkey escalopes

2 slices smoked streaky bacon

4 slices buffalo mozzarella

2 eggs

breadcrumbs

butter

salt and pepper

Fry the bacon slightly crispy. On two of the escalopes, place two slices of mozzarella, put a slice of bacon each on top and put the remaining escalopes on top of that, so the cheese and bacon is sealed in the middle.

Beat the eggs in a bowl. Place the breadcrumbs in another bowl. First dip the escalopes in the beaten eggs, then in the crumbs so they are properly coated all around. Next melt some butter in a skillet and fry the escalopes until they are crispy on the outside and cooked all the way through. Tastes great together with a creamy potato mash.

 

Swedish pizza!

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Something I have been longing for is Swedish pizza. Instead of chip shops we have pizzerias in every village in Sweden, where you can get pizzas, kebabs or the nice combination of both; kebab pizza.

I have really missed these greasy non-Italian style pizzas. They are the perfect way to cure a hangover and you usually have a choice of 50 or so pizzas.

These ones we picked up in Beddinge close to our summer house. Yum!

To the left my choice of ham, cheese, tomatoes, beef, garlic, onions and bearnaise sauce. To the right Christopher’s pizza with spicy sausage, salami, pickled green chillis, bacon and more.

Watermelon salad

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This fresh salad goes with everything! For the barbecue, buffet or as I served it last – at a Swedish crayfish party!

The recipe is from Nigella’s Forever Summer, but I haven’t looked in the book for a while and therefore have no measurements. But it is a salad so you don’t really need them! Take as much as you like of the ingredients and the result will be great. Enjoy!

Watermelon salad

Seedless watermelon (or regular)

Red onions

Lime, juice from

Feta

Parsley

Black olives

Olive oil

Start by peeling the onion, cut it in half and slice it. Put the slices in a bowl and sqeeze the lime juice over them and leave it for a while. Cut the melon in big chunks, place in a bowl, crumble the feta into the bowl, throw in some olives, the onion and limejuice and chopped parsley. Stir it around and drizzle some olive oil on top. Yum!

Swedish fika in Ystad

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Ystad is a nice town on the south coast in Sweden and only a 40 minute drive away from my parent’s summer house where we were staying on our trip back home. The weather wasn’t amazing on the day we went there, but we still had a good time looking in shops and having fika. Fika is the Swedish word for coffee and whatever you have with it, savoury or sweet. We have a lot of fika in my family! 😉

When in Ystad we went to Hartman’s café and had some Swedish classics, sooo yummy! Below you can see a prawn sandwich, a cinnamon swirl, a Danish with apple and a small cake. Really really good!

Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s

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Before Christopher and I left for holiday in Sweden we had a great lunch at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s. A great start to the holiday! 🙂

It was the first time at Claridge’s and it is just lovely in there. Very old fashioned but in a nice way. In the ladies’ room there were three proper makeup tables by the door, I so want one at home. 🙂

But back to the food. We received a amuse bouche at first; a cold pea soup with pecorino and chopped shallots. I don’t really like cold soups, but this was the exception the the rule. It was divine! Silky smooth and perfect combination of flavours. As a starter we both chose the thai tiger prawn ravioli with velouté, and it was absolutely amazing. Every mouthful was so lovely in it flavours I had to make myself eat slowly so it would last longer. For maincourse, we chose differently. Christopher had the wild boar with smoked potato mash which looked amazing. When I saw his plate I was slightly disappointed with my choice of trout with radish cubes, broad beans, girolles and velouté, but my dish was so good I soon forgot all about Christopher’s wild boar. The fish was cooked to perfection, but tasted quite similar to trout I cook at home, but the trimmings were fantastic. We absolutely loved the first two courses!

Next came the dessert and both of us chose the raspberry clafoutis with raspberry ripple icecream. It was tasty and nice, but didn’t really play in the same league as the two first courses. The truffles we received after the meal were excellent though!

All in all we had a fantastic eating experience! The ambiance was more laid back than we’d expected, the staff very professional but friendly and chatty and made the meal a so much nicer experience.

I want to go again!! And visit all Gordon’s other restaurants… 😉

Quick bolognese

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I like to cook from scratch and take pride in it, but sometimes there just isn’t enough time. When I get hungry I get really grumpy, so it’s best to get food on the table quickly. In situations like this, this is how I do it. Even though it is cheating, it tastes much nicer than a tomato sauce from a jar.

Quick (but tasty) bolognese, 4 portions

500 grams minced beef

1/2 packet smoked streaky bacon

1 can sliced mushrooms (or fresh button mushrooms)

1 can plum tomatoes (400 g)

3 tbsp creme fraiche

beef stock

1-2 tbsp Reggae Reggae sauce

a splash of Tabasco

1 tbsp chili sauce (or ketchup)

1 tbsp italian herb seasoning

1 clove of garlic, pressed

salt and pepper

Start by frying the mushrooms golden in butter, then pour over to a bowl. In the same skillet fry the bacon crispy, remove to the same bowl as the mushrooms. Fry the mince in the same pan, when done add the mushrooms and bacon, pour in the tomatoes and creme fraiche and season to taste with garlic, stock, salt and pepper and spices. Let it all cook for a few minutes. Serve with spaghetti and grated parmesan. Yum!

Terroirs

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One of my favourite places in London is Terroirs winebar, just off the Strand behind Coutts bank.

This is a french place on two floors, and you can either stop by for a glass of nice wine, or have some cheese and bread, a light bite to eat, lunch or a three course dinner. So you always feel welcome here.

The staff is very passionate about wines, and if you are into your wines the winelist is nice reading, and the bar staff is more than happy to chat to you. The food is simple, french and delicious!

It is quite a popular place so it is best to book in advance, but if it’s just two of you, you might get lucky and be seated by the bar. We, Christopher and I, actually enjoy sitting at the bar the the most, because it’s nice to chat with the staff and try a few things to eat in no particular order.

Holiday

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Today is one of the best days ever! I am only working a half day so that Christopher and I can have a nice lunch at Gordon Ramsay at Claridges before we fly to Sweden to spend a whole nine days there. I am sooo excited!

I am looking forward to lazy days on the beach, seeing my friends and family, eating lots of crayfish and showing Christopher around, it is his first trip to Sweden.

See you later!

Guacamole

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This is my own version, which I looove. I have to have it with fajitas, tacos or Dorito’s. It might not be an authentic recipe, but it is so good that I don’t really care about that. 🙂

Guacamole, 1-2 portions

1 ripe avocado

2 tbsp creme fraiche or soured cream

1 lime

Worchestershire sauce

Tabasco

salt

white pepper

Cut the avocado in half, scoop out the flesh and mush it up with a fork in a bowl. Then add the creme fraiche and mix it in, squeeze the lime juice in, a few drops of tabasco, slightly more Worchestershire sauce, salt and pepper. That’s it – done.