Scandelights

Gougères

Published on February 17, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

This year I introduced a new snack with the New Year’s Eve champagne – these lovely cheese puffs.

They’re made using a regular choux pastry with the addition of grated mature cheese. I made mine two days in advance and heated them up in the oven just before serving to make them crispy again. So either follow my lead or serve them straight away as they do lose the crispiness quite quickly.

The recipe is courtesy of Simon Hopkinsons and it was easy to work with. I made a few adjustments; mainly piping mine out instead of spooning the mixture onto the tray. If piping do use a large nozzle to avoid the grated cheese getting stuck (alternatively grate the cheese very finely). I also made mine smaller so the recipe probably yielded 50 smaller ones (as compared to Simon’s 30 large ones).

Gougères, makes 50

250 ml water

80g butter

1tsp sea salt

100g plain flour, sifted

4 eggs

150 g grated Gruyère

1/3 nutmeg, grated

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Boil together the water, butter and salt in a roomy pan. Remove from the heat and tip in the flour all in one go.

Whisk together until fully blended and the mixture almost coming away from the sides of the pan in a ball. Leave the mixture for 3-4 minutes to cool just a little, then add the first egg and whisk it in thoroughly.

Add the remaining three eggs one by one, repeating the process (you may not need the fourth egg if the mixture is pipe-able). Tip in the cheese, nutmeg and pepper and, once again, whisk to blend; the cheese may not fully become smooth, but this is just fine.

Line a flat baking tray with baking parchment. Pipe the mixture onto the baking tray about an inch apart.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they are golden and verging on light brown, well puffed and light to the touch when lifted from the tray; undercooked, they will deflate on cooling. Lift the gougères onto a cooling rack, then repeat with the remaining mixture

London’s best burgers – a selection

Published on February 14, 2015February 12, 2015 by Hanna2 Comments

The fast food trend is here to stay it seems as more and more burger joints and restaurants offering American food establish themselves in London. I love a good burger and having sampled a few I thought I’d share with you my favourites.

There seems to be two types of burgers, one with a coarser ground beef that I like to call British or chunky, and one with thinner more finely ground patties that for me feels more American. I like both types but if I have to choose I prefer the thinner ones that usually comes two in a bun. They hold together better in my opinion and feels juicier (as long as they’re cooked right).

You find my favourites in each category below:

Thin patties;

Soho Diner – My absolute favourite. Nice bread, fresh condiments, perfect patties and perfectly melted cheese.
Sophie’s Steakhouse – Almost as nice as the ones at Soho Diner.The fries aren’t great but the burger is very good!
Meat Liquor – This used to be favourite before I discovered Soho Diner. They’re still a good contestant.
Honest Burger – Good beef and buns and wonderful rosemary fries.
Five Guys – Really good for being a chain. A bit messy though.

Coarser patties:

Tom’s Kitchen – Without a doubt the best coarser burger. Great seasoning, perfecty cooked. Nice chunky chips and plus points for making their own ketchup!
Bar Boulud – Also very good, but a bit crumbly.
Opera Tavern – The mini burgers with pork and foie gras are phenomenal!
Joe Allen – They only serve burgers for lunch, but they’re good. Just like their skin-on chips.
Byron – Another chain, with fresh burgers. I also recommend the courgette frites.

London weekend

Published on February 13, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

The trip to Stockholm last weekend was so much fun. Emma and I stayed with Carina in her lovely flat and we got up to lots of fun things. Bubbly and pinxtos in the middle of the day, amazing dinner at Matbaren, a few drinks at Riche and on the Sunday we had the best brunch at Berns (reviews to come). We also talked a lot and danced to 80s tunes in Carina’s flat. Good times!

This weekend I’m staying in London. Tonight will be a chilled out affair and I can’t wait for a lie-in. I won’t celebrate Valentine’s day but going to party and then for a nice dinner with my friend Caroline. It will probably be us and lots of couples but that’s fine.

Happy weekend!

Swiss roll with strawberry jam

Published on February 12, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

Even though I bake a bit, although mainly for the office, this was the first time ever I made a Swiss roll. It has always been my mother’s department, I swear she could make a perfect one in her sleep (which is why I’m using her tried and tested recipe).

But after watching the participants in The Great British Bake Off making swiss rolls I cockily thought ‘how hard can it be’. Maybe it helped that I have watched by mother bake it countless times, but it wasn’t difficult. I need to work on the jam distribution but other than that it turned out well.

Swiss roll, serves 10-12

4 eggs

190 g caster sugar

1 1/2 tbsp warm water

115 g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

extra caster sugar

200 ml strawberry jam

Beat eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric whisk. Add the water. Mix flour and baking powder in a separate bowl and incorporate into the egg mixture. Mix well with a wooden fork.

Preheat the oven to 225C. Cover an oven-sized shallow pan with baking parchment and spread out the batter evenly in the pan. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 7 minutes or until golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out dry.

Take a new sheet of baking parchment, as big as the cake, and scatter with sugar. Remove the cake from the oven and let the steam evaporate for a few minutes, then turn the cake onto the sugared paper. Remove the pan and then the first baking parchment, carefully. Spread the jam onto the cake evenly, but leave a few centimetres each side bare. Roll the cake into a roll from the longer side, using the paper. Once rolled up, cover in parchment paper and leave to cool completely. Cut into slices once cool, remove the ends and serve.

Dinner at Social Eating House, Soho

Published on February 11, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

Jason Atherton has been busy opening restaurants the last few years with the additions of City Social, Little Social and Social Eating House to his earlier established Pollen Street Social.

Out of the new editions I have only been to Little Social, but a few weeks ago I went to Social Eating House in Soho for dinner with a friend from home I haven’t seen in ages. It was so much fun and since we’re both foodies we thoroughly enjoyed the food as well!

Both starters were amazing! My smoked Angus steak tartare (above) was to die for. Lovely flavours, amazing meat and loved the toppings that added different textures. Oh and the egg cream was delicious too!

Mattias basically had a cheese fondue on a plate with warm Vacherin Mont d’Or, croutons, ham, chicory and boiled new potatoes. Utterly delicious!

The main courses were also really nice. This slowcooked venison with date jam, kale, brazil nuts and goat’s cheese was delicious but the lamb was even better. V

The lamb loin from Kent with neck confit, miso caramel, aubergine and mint yoghurt was pure perfection! Especially the confit was to die for and the whole combination of flavours was spot on!

We were too full for a proper pudding (the portions here were certainly substantial) but we couldn’t resist some sorbets and icecreams. Mattias had the coconut (which tasted a bit like Malibu) and mixed berry, which was really nice. The mango sorbet I had was really good and the yoghurt icecream was nice too.

I’m a big fan of chef Atherton and his restaurants. Both I’ve been too have a very high standard of both food, wine and service. The ambiance is nice and relaxed too which is a plus. It’s just very well done. All of it.

Social Eating House, 58 Poland Street, Soho, London W1F 7NR

Seafood toasts

Published on February 10, 2015 by Hanna2 Comments

During the Christmas break we had plenty of Toast Skagen at home in Sweden as it is so easy to get hold of good cold water prawns. I love this toast and for one dinner party we made a cured salmon toast as well and served both (although smaller than usual) as a starter. So yummy!

Toast Skagen, serves 4

4 slices white bread

butter for frying

4 lettuce leaved (such as little gem)

750g cold water prawns, preferably unpeeled

1 batch homemade mayo (without the chipotle paste)

1 tbsp chopped dill

salt, white pepper

lemon, dill and lumpfish roe to serve

Cut out a round of each bread slice using a glass or a cutter. Fry the bread golden brown in butter on both sides. Leave to cool.

Peel the prawns. Make the mayonnaise. Chop the dill and mix it together. Season. Place a lettuce leaf on each bread round, top with the prawn mixture and decorate with a sliced lemon, roe and dill.

Salmon toast, serves 4

4 slices white bread

butter for frying

4 lettuce leaves (such as little gem)

4 larger slices homemade cured salmon (gravadlax)

100 g Philadelphia

1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp chopped chives

1 small pinch cayenne pepper

salt, white pepper

dill to decorate

Cut out a round of each bread slice using a glass or a cutter. Fry the bread golden brown in butter on both sides. Leave to cool.

Mix the cream cheese with chives, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper. Spread the mixture onto the bread rounds. Add the lettuce leaves and roll the salmon slice into a rose and place on top of the lettuce. Decorate with dill and serve.

Truffled mushroom crostini

Published on February 7, 2015February 5, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

Twice in December I made these truffled mushroom crostinis for my friends. Above with chantarelles and chestnut mushrooms and below with only chestnut mushrooms as I was feeding lots of people and fresh chantarelles aren’t exactly cheap. What’s great about the recipe is that it can feed anyone. It’s vegan and works for people sensitive to dairy, and if you make glutenfree crostinis this works for coeliacs as well.

When using the chantarelle mushrooms I added a bit of cream for added creaminess, so feel free to do that if you like, but plenty of oil (or use butter) is enough moisture for me.

Truffled mushroom crostini (vegan), makes quite a few

1 large baguette

mild olive oil

400 g mixed mushrooms

oil for frying

1 garlic clove, pressed

2 tbsp porcini mushroom and truffle paste (I used this one)

salt, black pepper

chopped parsley for serving

Slice the baguette, place the slices on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in 180C oven until golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Leave to cool.

Slice the mushrooms. Fry until golden in oil on medium heat (preferably in batches). Add the garlic and fry for another minute or so. Add the truffle paste, salt and pepper. Divide between the crostini and topped with chopped parsley.

London life and a weekend in Stockholm

Published on February 6, 2015February 6, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

How is it February already?! Wasn’t it just the beginning of January?! I wish someone had prepared me for the increasing speed of time as you get older. I miss feeling like a summer is endless and that you might even get bored. No chance of that when life happens in turbo speed…

One the plus side it means spring is almost here, yay! (But on the bad side, it will be over pretty quickly…)

Last weekend consisted mainly of going out so this week has been quite calm. My flatmate and I have watched the first season of Broadchurch (so good!) and on Tuesday I meet up with Laura for wine and dinner at Carluccio’s.

This upcoming weekend I’m trading London for Stockholm and I am so excited to hang out with two of my best friends for a whole weekend! We’re going to eat well, go for brunch, hang out and catch up properly. Only thing I’m not so excited about is the snow and ice but I have my curling boots so should be fine.

Bolognese sauce with red wine and bone marrow

Published on February 5, 2015 by Hanna5 Comments

It is not as often as I would like, that I have time to stand by the stove and look after a casserole (thank god for the oven and slow-cookers), but one Sunday I found the time and enjoyed a few hours in the kitchen. Although made with mince this bolognese was done properly; starting with a soffritto, adding the best tinned tomatoes and tomato purée and eventually red wine and cooking slowly on low heat. In the meantime I prepared some tagliatelle and baked marrow bones to add bone marrow to the casserole towards the end.

The idea to have bone marrow in a bolognese sauce is entirely Massimo Bottura’s and I’ve been thinking about trying it since I heard him speak at Taste of London in June.

I loved the addition of bone marrow but I love it in all types of dishes. This is still a subtle way of serving it, almost sneaking it in, but the depth and umami it adds make wonders for the stew. But, if you don’t like the sound of bone marrow just omit it, the bolognese sauce is still delicious!

Bolognese sauce with red wine and bone marrow, serves 3-4

500 g pork mince

ca 3 tbsp sofritto on equal parts onion, carrot and celery

400 g Cirio chopped tomatoes

200 ml water

1 tbsp Cirio tomato purée

1/2 garlic clove, presser

200-300 ml red wine

salt, black pepper

optional: rosemary and thyme

1 marrow bone

Mix equal parts onions, celery and carrot in a food processor. Use 3 tbsp about it and freeze (or keep in the fridge for other stews) the rest.

Fry the mince in a knob of butter in a frying pan. Add a knob of butter to a casserole dish and fry the soffritto on medium heat for a few minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and water, tomato purée and garlic. Leave to reduce a little. Add the fried mince and red wine and leave to simmer for about 1 hour. Season to taste and add the herbs if needed. Preheat the oven to 200C and place the marrow bone on a baking tray and roast in the office until cooked through (i.e. not red/pink in the middle but see-through and a little brown at the edges). Scoop out the marrow and add to the casserole. Season to taste one last time then serve (with tagliatelle and plenty of grated parmesan).

Dinner at Koya, Soho

Published on February 4, 2015February 4, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

Koya, who recently opened another branch, Koya Bar, just down the streat from its original restaurant on Frith Street, has been around for quite a while but I (finally!) did my first visit a few weeks back. It was a cold cold January evening and me and some friends thought a warming bowl of noodles would make a perfect supper.

We started with a few small plates specials from the board and I must say they varied a bit. The fried tofu (above) was alright I thought, but not being a tofu fan my comments may not do it justice. My friends seemed to enjoy it a lot more!

The sword fish came in breaded and fried chunks complete with bones and things. Not my favourite but perfectly OK.

But I really enjoyed the grilled oysters!

For our mains most of us had noodles, but Jenny chose a domburi (rice bowl) with beef and vegetables that looked really good!

I had a wonderful noodle soup with pork, vegetables and miso. The broth was had great flavour and the udon noodles a nice chewiness to them, the pork itself was probably the least exciting with the dish. It was just what I needed; a soothing and warm bowl of noodle soup!

Laura also had a noodle soup, but one of the specials with miso and fried salsify (I think), not in the picture. Unfortunately the photo of Amy’s noodle soup with vegetable tempura came out grainy, but I think you can imagine what it looked like. It was also really nice.

We were very satisfied with our meal (and wine) but it’s not a place where you can linger. As soon as you’ve finished someone wants your table; it’s first come first serve – no bookings.

Koya, 49 Frith Street, London W1D 4SG