Scandelights

Copenhagen: drinks at Rødder og Vin

Published on October 31, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

Back in August when the days were longer and the nights were balmy I had a whole day in Copenhagen with my friends Maria and Daniel, as per our age old tradition. It’s so nice to have a day with these two in one of my favourite cities (and “almost” capital growing up) just chatting and exploring new things.

We concentrate on good food and drinks, but we always visit some shops and try to see a new area of this ever evolving city.

In the early evening when our legs were tired from all the walking and we needed a drink we went to the bar and wine shop Rødder og Vin for a much needed little break. The reason we stopped here was because we knew (thanks to Daniel’s research) that they sell cider from Fruktstereo here. Both Daniel and I grew up with one of the guys behind the cider brand so we want to support and try their products when we can, and in Copenhagen that’s quite easy.

We took our ice cold bottle of Cider Maybe outside to a wobbly bench underneath some scaffolding and toasted to our friends. It was such a lovely start to the evening sitting there with a nice cold (and dry – this is NOT Kopparberg, rather the polar opposite to it!) cider enjoying the hustle and bustle of Copenhagen.

When we had finished our drinks we got up and walked some more, to our dinner destination. So stay tuned for more Copenhagen tips!

Rødder og Vin, Ravnsborggade 10, 2200 København, Denmark

Rainy days, a facial and lots of yummy food!

Published on October 30, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

The second week of October was rather rainy, but I still had a (mostly) nice week with lots of nice food!

On Monday I was craving toast with cheese and jam (a very Swedish thing!) so that’s what I had for breakfast.

Apart from that I mainly had leftovers. Carrot cake left overs (yum!) and roast chicken and roast potatoes leftovers. Love not having to cook on a Monday. Getting up early(ier) and a full day of work is enough.

On Tuesday I had my favourite mozzarella, tomatoes and avocado salad for lunch.

And after an afternoon of work errands I treated myself to a poké bowl and watched a film I missed at the cinema; On the Basis of Sex about Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The next day I whipped up a quick pasta with mozzarella for lunch…

…and in the evening we had Franco Manca pizzas in front of The Handmaid’s Tale.

Thursday I made tortilla pizza for lunch, did more errands and had drinks and nibbles with friends in the evening.

Friday I worked from The New Forest the whole day, and it was so rainy I got completely soaked walking a mere 500 meters with and umbrella. Crazy! But after a quick change of clothes I was happy again and had bruschetta bar with burrata, tomatoes, pesto and Hamon Iberico for dinner. The best!

On Saturday I braved the rain again after a nice long lie-in, and had a facial in Liberty.

Back home I made buffalo chicken wings for dinner and just took it easy.

On Sunday I had breakfast in bed and read for most of the day.

It was still raining so I made sure to stay indoors. I watched the last ever episode of Elementary (sob) and tried to watch The Pursuit if Happyness but had to give up halfway through and instead watched Footloose. It was definitely better but not as good as I had expected it to be. Isn’t it funny how some films were considered good when they were made and don’t really work years later?!

London: Trinity years later

Published on October 29, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

Most of you long time readers will remember that I used to eat at a restaurant local to me in Clapham when I lived around there; Trinity, A LOT several years ago. I loved that restaurant so much. I had the best ever risotto there and their bread is to die for. I’ve taken most friends there, my parents and have many happy food memories from this lovely place.

But as I moved a way from the area I got other good local restaurants to try out and I didn’t make it back. Then it was closed for refurbishment for a long time and a while ago now it opened up its doors again, with an additional more informal restaurant upstairs, and they got a Michelin star for the downstairs restaurant.

So pretty much everything has changed, but I was still very curious to go back and try the new Trinity (still with head chef and founder Adam Byatt at the helm) and see how it compared to the restaurant I forever keep in my memories.

What I noticed first was how the space has changed. The address is the same and the building looks the same from outside but the layout inside is very different with an open kitchen and a more austere decor. It’s more modern and a little less cosy. But I definitely like the open kitchen!

The dining experience has changed too; from a semi upscale neighbourhood restaurant to more of a fine dining experience. But it’s still not stuffy, which I like, and the waiters are all lovely and relaxed while keeping it professional.

We got two amuse bouche to start and they were both delicious! The little tartlets with pea and parmesan were utterly delicious and the little cigars with olives were nice too!

The menu has changed too, from three courses to an optional four, but we asked if we could do three each (as I know how full you get here!) and stagger them as we were sharing everything. It was no problem at all, so we shared a first course, two second courses, two third courses and one pudding! That was the perfect amount for us (I was sooo full!) especially with all the added things like amuse bouches and petit fours. I could only take tiny bites of the last sweets which felt like a waste!

But back to the savoury dishes. The tuna tartare with apple and almonds was really lovely. The fish was just perfectly cooked and the mellow flavours accompanied it really well.

Next we had pasta with langoustines and petit pit which was really nice, but it tasted completely different to how I had pictured it in my head. More earthy than light. But still nice.

The warm Norfolk asparagus with smoked beurre blanc (we went here before the summer so it was totally seasonal!) however was the star of the show. Please put this back on the menu next year and I’ll be there! LOVED it! We both did.

For the third course we had one of the specials which was the glazed lamb sweet breads with more petit poi and lardon. Really nice!

But this was the winner! Wild sea trout with cucumber and white burgundy. Such delicate lovely flavours. Love!

And for pudding we had another cracker; their salted caramel tart with salted caramel ice cream, because there is no such thing as too much salted caramel. And wow, it was AMAZING! Just perfect in every way.

We also had a nice bottle of British wine which I think it’s worth telling you about. I love getting introduced to interesting wines in restaurant and this was was quite different but so lovely (and at a good price too!).

Then the petit fours came pouring in and I had to take a little breather. We were so slow but also greedy and wanted to eat it all. Lovely little almond cakes.

As well as macarons and truffles. So generous and although I’m sometimes too full to fully appreciate them I love these little extra touches. You feel so well looked after and it elevates the dinner a lot!

So the verdict? I like both old and new Trinity. I’m sure I will be nostalgic about old Trinity for quite a while, but I like this new version too. And I can’t wait to try the upstairs bit which might be similar to the old vibe as it’s supposed to me more casual. Only one way to find out! Race you there!

Trinity, 4 The Polygon, Clapham, London SW4 0JG

Recipe: Crema Catalana

Published on October 25, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

If you love a creme brûlée but don’t always have the patience to make it, then this is for you. This Spanish cousin of the creme brûlée is much easier to make as it doesn’t need the water bath oven time, but it still offers that caramelised lovely sugar on top of the vanilla crème.

Crema Catalana, serves 6

100 ml (80 g) caster sugar

300 ml cream

1 tbsp corn flour

5 egg yolks

250 ml milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 pinch of sugar per bowl for serving

Whisk ety yolks, corn flour and sugar until fluffy in a bowl. Bring milk, cream and vanilla almost to the boil. Remove from heat and pour little by little into the egg yolk mixture while whisking. Pour the milk mixture back into the pan and let it thicken on low heat while stirring. Pour into bowls when it has thickened and leave to cool. Refrigerate until serving.

Scatter the bowls with a little sugar and blow torch until golden (or in lieu of a blow torch use the grill on the oven to caramelise the sugar). Serve with berries.

Recipe: pork fillet en croûte (v. 3) with mushroom crème

Published on October 24, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

This mushroom crème is EVERYTHING! I have used it in the past with meat both at a New Year’s Eve party and for more casual suppers and now I’ve incorporated it into a new recipe.

It works SO well with the pork and puff pastry, and adds that lovely earthiness that mushrooms have to the dish, along with plenty of flavour and a bit of creaminess. Just love this so much. You can obviously use it in a Beef Wellington as well but there is just something about pork and mushrooms that work so well!

Pork fillet en croûte with mushroom crème, serves 2-4 (four as part of a three course meal, two as a stand alone dish)

1 large pork fillet (500g+)

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp neutral oil

salt, black pepper

1 roll all butter puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

Mushroom crème:

125 g chestnut mushrooms

1 handful dried ceps (porcini) in pieces

1 shallots, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, pressed

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp Cognac

50 ml double cream

salt, white pepper

Brown the pork fillet on all sides in the butter and oil and medium heat. Season well. Leave to cool completely.

Soak the ceps for a few minutes then squeeze out the excess liquid. Chop all the mushrooms roughly. Heat up a knob of butter in a frying pan/ on medium heat and add shallots, garlic and mushrooms. Fry slowly adding more butter if needed. Once the mushrooms have browned, add the mustard and Cognac and let the liquid evaporate. Add the cream and let the mixture thicken. Blend to a smooth paste using a stick blender. Adjust the seasoning. Leave to cool completely.

Take the puff pastry from the fridge and roll it out. Spread out the mushroom crème but leave the edge without filling. Place the pork fillet on top of the puff pastry and roll into a parcel. Pinch together the edges to seal. Place on a parchment paper lined baking tray and decorate the top of the pastry with a small knife. Make two holes (chimneys) to let the steam out. Brush with beaten egg. Bake in a 200C oven until the pastry is golden brown and the meat almost cooked through, approx 12-15 minutes (or until the temperature of the meat is 62C). Rest for 5 minutes, then cut into thick slices and serve.

Book club, theatre and a cosy weekend!

Published on October 23, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

The first week of October was rather nice, despite all the rain. But we had a few nice days as well.

Monday consisted of work and a night in as usual. I made pasta with creme fraîche, fried chorizo and parmesan for dinner and started watching Instinct season 2. Love that series. Very crime light without being boring.

Tuesday was book club night and although it poured down with rain on the way to my friend’s place it was lovely to see the girls and eat and chat and drink wine. Love our gang!

On the Wednesday I finished a really good book; Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. So wonderful and sad. Love her books!

Thursday was a fun night out! First dinner at (the original) The Ivy before we went to see Come From Away, a lovely musical based on the true story of all the aeroplanes being redirected from the New York air space to a small island in Newfoundland in Canada during 9/11. So touching and heartfelt and unlike any other musical I’ve ever seen. Highly recommend! Afterwards we had a quick drink in a fun bar before calling it a. night.

Friday night was fairly quiet. We had a last minute change of plan so for dinner I emptied the fridge and made really yummy, but the simplest version ever, nachos. Later on at my boyfriend’s place we watched an episode of The Handmaid’s Tale before bed. So rock ‘n roll!

The next morning we had a lovely long lie in followed by eggs for breakfast. We just had a chilled day that didn’t involve much more than a trip to the supermarket and a nice dinner in the evening. I made this lovely pasta dish (with burrata!) and churros for pudding. So yummy!

Sunday also started with a lie-in and eggs. Then I quickly made a carrot cake before we went to see the The Downton Abbey film.

For dinner we had roast chicken with roast potatoes, broccoli cheese, parsnips and gravy. And we watched some more of The Handmaid’s Tale. Such a lovely cosy weekend. I would have liked a nice walk but it was raining the whole weekend so it was nicer to hibernate indoors.

Recipe: puff pastry Quiche Lorraine

Published on October 21, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

Quiche Lorraine is undoubtedly my favourite quiche (closely followed by Västerbotten cheese quiche with crayfish) and until now my trusted recipe has served me well. The pastry is easy to make and it never gives a soggy bottom and the filling is delicious. But do you know what would make it EVEN better? Puff pastry! Golden, flaky buttery puff… Yes, please! Said and done.

I made this (in Sweden quite unorthodox) quiche for my friends in the summer and children and adults alike really liked it – and had seconds. Always a good sign!

Quiche Lorraine with puff pastry, serves 4

1 roll butter puff pastry

Filling:

1/2 onion, finely chopped

300 g smoked and cured streaky bacon (fried in pieces, then drained on kitchen towel)

butter and oil for frying

150 ml grated cheese (I used Monterey Jack)

1/2 bunch parsley, chopped

1 bunch chives, chopped

300 ml cream

3 eggs + 1/2 left over from the crust making

white pepper (no salt needed)

Cover a quiche dish with puff pastry. Use a fork to make holes in pastry and pre-bake in 180C oven for 10 mins.

Fry the onion soft on medium heat. Place in a mixing bowl. Fry the bacon crisp in the same pan, remove to the mixing bowl and leave to cool slightly. Add the cheese, eggs, cream, herbs and pepper. Fill the quiche and bake for 35 mins in 180C (or until set and golden in colour). Enjoy it hot or cold or in between, ideally with a nice salad.

Nights in, cosy weekend and finally nailed a recipe!

Published on October 17, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

September’s last week gave us nice weather, at least a few of the days.

I stayed in on Monday evening, finished the book The Glass Ocean by one of my favourite authors and two others (it’s fiction but based around the true story of the RMS Lusitania that was sunk by German submarines during WWI) and had a chicken burger with cheese and grilled peppers for dinner. Proper comfort food!

On Tuesday I had a caprese salad with burrata for lunch while it poured down with rain outside. But towards the evening it was nice again so I decided to do some errands.

Wednesday was nice and sunny, and fairly warm for September. I worked as usual in the day and in the evening I finally nailed the recipe for my lasagne. It was so so good, and we both loved it (as you know I don’t cook elaborate or time consuming things just for me anymore).

The next day I had lots of work errands during the day, but stayed in in the evening, lighting candles and eating crisps. Yum!

On the Friday I went down to The New Forest for work and when I came back tired in the evening I had the ultimate indulgent supper for one; baked camembert! Which I ate while watching Saturday Night Fever. Love that there are so many old films available on Netflix!

Saturday I had a nice long lie-in, tidied my wardrobe, did errands (they never end do they?!), bought lots of fun makeup, had a very late lunch out on my own and then a late sushi dinner with two friends. So lovely! Especially since we’re practically neighbours and could walk to and from the restaurant together.

Sunday I took it super easy. Read in bed, had lasagne leftovers for dinner and watched another (old) film; The Terminal with Tom Hanks. Really good!

Norfolk: pizza at The Jolly Sailors

Published on October 16, 2019October 16, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

August in Norfolk is peak season, and the heat wave probably added to that. We’re talking car queues on every road leading to the beach, full car parks, looong ice cream queues, and packed beaches. So you can imagine that if you want a last minute reservation to a restaurant you have to be verrrry lucky.

That’s why I really like places like The Jolly Sailors, where you don’t need to book (unless you’re a large group), can just show up on a whim, order a pizza and find yourself a table underneath vines and fairy lights.

It’s rustic, semi-cosy, but also welcome to all. There’s an eclectic mix of guests and a large playground for the kiddos out back. And they make good pizzas (and offer takeaway too).

We had a very impromptu date night here on our last night, and as much as I love fancy restaurants and elaborate menus, sometimes a pizza in a beer garden with someone special is just the ticket.

The Jolly Sailors, Main Road, Brancaster Staithe PE31 8BJ

Recipe: daim ice cream cake

Published on October 12, 2019October 12, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

In my family we all love the daim bar. I grew up eating them for fika instead of a cookie sometimes (but only half a daim bar each!) and my favourite ice cream is still the daim ice cream. Either as scoops or the daim cone we have in Sweden.

So I don’t know why it took me so long to try this daim ice cream cake recipe, as it basically has my name written all over it!

I made it for pudding in the summer for some friends of mine and we all loved it, although I thought it was borderline too sweet. (Who have I become?!) So when I made it for the second time, only a few days later, for dinner with my parents, I changed the proportions a bit. The cake base is really lovely but also very sweet so by adding more ice cream on top the base appeared less dominant and sweet. So this is not the original recipe, but my adaptation of it, and isn’t that the beauty of sharing recipes really?! That we can all change them after our own preferences.

And yes, of course it was a hit with my daim bar loving parents as well!

Daim ice cream cake, serves 6-8

Translated from and adapted after Söta Saker’s recipe.

Base:

100 g butter, softened

100 ml golden caster sugar

100 ml oats

2 tbsp cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

2 daim bars

Filling:

150 ml double cream

75 ml caramel sauce

3 daim bars

Dekoration:

daim sprinkles

caramel sauce

Mix butter, sugar, oats, cocoa and vanilla to a sticky batter. Chop the daim bars coarsely and mix into the batter. Press the batter onto a baking parchment covered cake tin.

Whip the cream and add the caramel sauce bit by bit, while whipping until soft peaks. Chop the daim bars and add to the cream mixture. Pour the cream mixture into the tin. Cover with cling and put in the freezer for at least 4 hours or over night. Remove from the freezer a few minutes before serving and decorate with caramel sauce and daim sprinkles.