Scandelights

Amazing eclairs

Published on October 8, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

It is thanks to a French colleague of mine I discovered the lovely bakery that is Maitre Choux. Based in Kensington it is a very niche bakery concentrating on choux pastry and they do it very well. My colleague sometimes buy a large bag of lovely chouquettes to share with us in the office for breakfast and they are certainly the best chouquettes I’ve ever had, so when my parents were in town I got us a selection of their amazing (looking and tasting) eclairs.

The flavours are (from top to bottom): salted caramel, raspberry, dark chocolate, salted caramel (again), passionfruit and yuzu, pistachio.

We loved them all but salted caramel was (hardly surprising) my favourite, but I also really enjoyed the passionfruit and yuzu and the raspberry eclairs. I just can’t get over how delicious they are and how pretty they look. They’re in a league of their own.

Maitre Choux, 15 Harrington Road, London SW7 3ES (5 min from South Kensington tube)

Baked cod loin with new potatoes and brown butter hollandaise

Published on October 7, 2015 by Hanna1 Comment

With my parents in town for a few days we had some dinners out planned but also wanted a more chilled out dinner at mine, and this is what I cooked. We decided together in Whole Foods that cod loin was a good way to go and it most certainly was, with new potatoes, carrots and samphire. And generous helpings of the most amazing brown butter hollandaise sauce ever.

Cod loin with new potatoes and brown butter hollandaise, serve 3

450 g cod loin

500 g new potatoes

2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into batons

100 g samphire

butter

salt and black pepper

Boil the potatoes in one pan and the carrots in another. Place the cod (cut into portions) in an oven tray and season. Bake in 100C oven until the inner temp is 43C. Leave to rest under tin foil. Cook the samphire in a little water with a knob of butter added for a few minutes until a little soft. Drain. Keep the vegetables warm while making the sauce.

Brown butter hollandaise, serves 4

4 egg yolks

100 g cold butter, cut into cubes

100 g browned butter

1 lemon, juice only

salt, pepper

chives, chopped

Gently heat the egg yolks in a non-stick pan while whisking. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice and stir until the yolks starts to thicken. Add the butter cubes a few at the time, stirring as they melt. Repeat until all the butter cubes have melted. Add the brown butter little by little while the sauce thickens. Season to taste and add more lemon juice if needed. Continue stirring with the whisk until pouring the sauce into a cold serving bowl. Add the chives and serve.

Crisps with browned butter and Comté cheese

Published on October 6, 2015 by Hanna2 Comments

To make the commute on the tube a bit more tolerable I’ve started listening to podcasts to and from work. I mainly listen to Swedish food podcasts, and one favourite is Klas Lindberg & Klas Lindberg. It’s two guys with the same name, one well-renowned chef and one journalist with an interest in food and they are just so lovely and inspiring to listen too.

One of the recipes I was dying to try after I listened to it, was these crisps with browned butter and Comté. It just seemed so simple and delicious and it certainly was. Ask my parents, who I made it for when they were visiting. Together with a bottle of champagne (Philipponnat Grand Blanc NV) it was such a lovely start to our meal. Can’t wait to make this for more dinner parties (or just for me when watching a good film)!

Crisps with browned butter and Comté, serves 4

Adapted from and translated after Klas Lindberg & Klas Lindberg’s recipe

1 bag slightly salted nice crisps (I used Tyrrell’s)

30 g matured Comté, finely grated

50 g butter, browned

1/2 lemon, juice only

Place the crisps in an oven-proof tray and put in a 100C oven for a few minutes (they heat up quickly). Meanwhile brown the butter and put aside. Finely grate the Comté.

Remove the crisps from the oven and put on a serving tray or plate. Drizzle with 3-4 tbsp browned butter and add the grated cheese. Squeeze over some lemon juice and serve.

Ricotta, peach and prosciutto crostini

Published on October 2, 2015October 5, 2015 by Hanna2 Comments

I know, I know, I could soon rename this blog The Crostini Blog, but I just love to start a dinner party with a crunchy little sandwich. Crostinis are so versatile, delicious and you can top them with just about anything. In August I made these with ricotta, prosciutto, peach and basil and they were just delicious. Remember to make these often when ripe peaches are in abundance!

Crostini with ricotta, prosciutto and peach, serves 4

8-12 baguette slices

olive oil

ricotta

1-2 ripe peaches

4-6 prosciutto slices, cut in half

basil leaves

olive oil

black pepper

Place the baguette slices (slightly stale bread works well here) on a parchment covered baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in 180-200C for 10 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool completely.

To serve: Remove the pips from the peaches and cut into wedges. Spread ricotta on the crostinis and top with ham and a peach wedge. Add a basil leaf, black pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

Crayfish!

Published on September 25, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

As I’m hosting a crayfish party tonight I thought I’d share these pictures from my last crayfish dinner in Sweden. I managed to eat crayfish twice in the two and a bit weeks I was at home, and lots of other lovely seafood too, but I am just as excited about tonight’s festivities with my London friends.

But back to the crayfish party in Sweden. It was just a family affair so we started with rösti, Kalix roe (bleak roe from Kalix), creme fraiche and chopped red onions. This is such a Swedish classic it’s almost a cliché but I absolutely love it (as do most Swedes!).

We had two types of crayfish, both fresh, Swedish and Turkish. They were both nice but the Swedish ones were the nicest.

We also had a typical Västerbotten cheese quiche (here with fried girolles on top) which is a must with the crayfish, bread, cheese and of course snaps.

Crayfish party or not – have a nice weekend!

Fake Shack sauce

Published on September 24, 2015 by Hanna2 Comments

I cooked (and ate!) a lot of nice food when I was back home in Sweden in August. But my family and I have a tendency to get a bit overboard sometimes. So one day we decided to not make an elaborate three course meal. Instead we had these yummy homemade burgers with a homemade version of the Shake Shack sauce. So good!

I first saw the Fake Shack sauce recipe on Smitten Kitchen’s wonderful blog and knew I just had to make it. And it hit the spot just as I thought it would. My parents liked it too and from now on this is definitely my go-to burger sauce.

Fake Shack sauce, serves 4

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s recipe.

60 ml mayonnaise (homemade or Hellman’s)

1 1/2 tsp juice from a pickle jar

1 1/2 tsp ketchup

1 tsp yellow mustard

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

Mix the ingredients, taste and adjust the flavour until you’re happy with the balance. Serve with burgers.

New potato salad with girolles and bacon

Published on September 22, 2015 by Hanna1 Comment

This wonderful potato salad is an old favourite. I saw a Swedish chef make it on TV many years ago and then made it myself a few times in Sweden and loved it. But moving to London girolles were no longer a staple mushroom in the supermarket so I forgot all about this dish until this summer when I cooked it for my parents. Luckily it was just as nice as I remembered it!

New potato salad with girolles and bacon, serves 4

Adapted from Gert Klötzke’s recipe.

10-12 baby new potatoes, cooked

1 packet rocket

1 litre girolles, cleaned

4 slices smoked bacon (at least)

1 chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, chopped

50 g thinly sliced cheddar

butter for frying

salt, pepper

50 ml mustard vinaigrette (mix 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 3 tbsp olive oil)

Dice the potatoes and add to a large bowl. Fry the bacon until crisp, dice and mix with the potato. Fry the onion and garlic in butter until softened, add the mushrooms and fry until golden. Season. Add the mushroom to the bowl and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Mix well and lastly add the rocket and cheese. Mix again and serve.

Creamy spinach dip

Published on September 16, 2015 by Hanna1 Comment

This creamy and amazingly delicious (I dare you to step away from the dip before it’s finished!) is so incredibly easy to make you have your pre-dinner party snack sorted in minutes. But obviously it’s just as nice in front of a film or a football game on the television.

I first encountered this lovely dip at Laura and Tim’s house warming when my friend Amy and I did our best to finish the dip between the two of us. It’s just SO good!

Creamy spinach dip, serves 4-6 as a snack (or maybe just 2)

Adapted from The Food Network’s recipe.

2 tbsp butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

225 g full-fat cream cheese

280 g frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

grated nutmeg

salt and white pepper

Melt the butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Add the onions and soften without browning, for approx 5-8 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir to melt and combine. Add the spinach and reduce any water. Season to taste with grated nutmeg, salt and white pepper. Serve warm with salted tortilla chips.

Cakes at Konditori Antoinette, Copenhagen, Denmark

Published on September 10, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

Growing up in the south of Sweden we made many trips to Denmark and Copenhagen. Before the famous bridge we took small ferries but the bridge certainly made it even easier to visit.

The café where Maria, Daniel and I had cakes during our last visit, has been a long standing place for me to visit when visiting Copenhagen. My mother’s friends first introduced it to me as their breakfast place, a tradition Maria and I made our own as well. But since then it’s changed shape a few times.

This visit we found out it’s a proper patisserie with award-winning cakes which we thoroughly enjoyed while resting our legs out in the shade. You see, the absolute best thing about this place is the location. You just take a turn off Strøget through a small street and voilà you have a nice little oasis without tourists.

We were definitely impressed by the cakes (left with white chocolate, almonds and raspberries, top with chocolate and passion fruit and bottom a tarte with chocolate, creme patissiere and strawberries) but less so by the plastic menus.

After the cakes we walked around the city some more and looked in a few shops before going for dinner (review to come). It was one of those perfect days when you have no plans but end up finding new great places (and old favourites).

Konditori Antoinette, Østergade 24, 1100 København, Denmark

Burrata with slow roasted tomatoes

Published on September 9, 2015 by Hanna1 Comment

I love burrata, the creamier cousin of mozzarella, a lot but I struggle to find it in Sweden. I’m sure they have it in some of Malmö’s better cheese shops but I thought it easier to bring a fresh one with me from my local Whole Foods.

We had it as a starter one evening soon after arrived to Sweden, together with slow roasted tomatoes, a nice olive oil, grilled bread and a bowl of buttery nocellara olives.

It almost felt like we were by the Mediterranean; being sat outside, next to a fig tree, sipping rosé and eating the creamy burrata with slow roasted tomatoes. Such a lovely evening.

Slow roasted tomatoes, serves 3 as a starter

150-200 g small tomatoes, halved

1 clove of garlic, sliced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

some chopped basil

a splash of olive oil

salt, black pepper

fresh basil to garnish

Pre-heat the oven to 125C. Place tomatoes, onion, garlic, and basil in an oven-proof tray. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and stir so the oil coats everything evenly. Place in the oven and leave for 2-3 hours. Remove the (now brown) basil from the tray. Plate the rest, garnish with fresh basil leaves and a good splash or olive oil.