Two weeks ago I announced a giveaway on the blog in collaboration with Inntravel. The competition ended at midnight and it is now time to announce the winner!
As you can see here, a random winner was picked by random.org and it is…. *drum whirl* LYLA! You are the proud winner of a fabulous My Sweden kit and a guide book to West Sweden! Congratulations!! You will be contacted by email shortly.
Thank you all for taking part!
This is a delayed review since my Sweden visit in August when I visited the newish restaurant Brasserie Kungliga Posten in Malmö with a bunch of friends.
The restaurant is situated in what used to the an old post office but is now a swish brasserie instead. The interior is cosy with sofas as well as chairs to break up the large space, which works well.
When we visited in the height of summer, albeit on a Wednesday evening, the restaurant was fairly quiet, which actually surprised me as Swedes tent to eat out more when they have time off. The menu was very summery and simpler than the regular menu. The salmon tartar (above) was perfect summer food with cool and fresh flavours.
Also the mozzarella with tomato salad and toast was nice and fresh.
And the charkuterie board nice with pickled small onions, cornichons and four types of charkuterie.
The menu offered some smaller and some larger plate, without being divided into starters and mains, so some in the group had two starters or shared a starter and had a maincourse and the hungry ones had a starter and main, which worked really well.
Also the maincourses were nice; the cod (above) was perfectly cooked, the pork with Asian flavours really nice and the flank steak with bearnaise sauce and fries also really good.
But I wasn’t bawled over. Probably because I didn’t expect a summer menu. Everything our group sampled was cooked very well and the flavours were there, so we had a great evening, but as a foodie it was too close to what I cook myself at home.
So I look forward to visiting again and trying the regular menu and see what the kitchen can do. The summer menu definitely showed potential!
The staff was friendly and helpful and the wine list very suitable for the type of restaurant it is!
Brasserie Kungliga Posten, Posthusplatsen 4, 211 20 Malmö
Last week I baked for the office again after a little break over the summer. I made chewy meringues, Zuleika cake (recipe to follow) and these wonderful oat and raisin cookies. The recipe is courtesy of my mother who got it from a baker, so no wonder they’re good!
They are wonderfully crisp and the whole batch disappeared in a few hours, which certainly is proof that they are delicious.
Crispy oat and raisin cookies, makes about 40
200 g caster sugar
130 g plain flour
130 g oats
100 g raisins
220 g salted butter, softened
1 2/3 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Mix butter and sugar in a bowl. Mix flour, oats and bicarb separately and add to the butter mixture. Add the raisins and combine. Roll teaspoon sized balls and place with plenty of space in between on a lined baking tray. Bake until golden (approx 12 mins) at 175C. Leave to cool completely. Keep in an airtight container.
This review is actually since May (!) when my dear friends Maria, Daniel and their toddler Otto were in town. It was a lovely Saturday that we spent shopping along the Kings Road, which must have been torture for little Otto so we took him to a playground nearby where he could run around, go on the swings and play with other kids. The playground was absolutely packed with kids, from toddlers to young teens, and the volume high so after an hour or so us grown-ups were exhausted and were extremely happy to go for dinner.
I had booked us a table at Tom’s Kitchen, which I had been wanting to try for a while, because it is a very child-friendly restaurant. And sure thing, as soon as we were seated at the table Otto got a drawing book and crayons, it was also very accessible to the nappy change and place to leave the pram.
We intermediately liked the rustic interior with chunky wooden tables, open kitchen and black and white photos on the wall. The menu is similarly rustic with burgers, charkuterie boards and fish cakes to choose from.
We all had a burger each, with cheese. Daniel and I had the truffle chips (yum!) and Maria the regular chunky chips which were great too. Maria and I shared a caraff of red Rioja and Daniel had a pale ale to drink.
And the burger? It was ginormous and absolutely delicious! For me there are two types of burgers taking over London; the more American patty which is finely ground and thinner and the chunkier ground large patty British burger. This one belongs to the latter category and is the best chunky burger I’ve had. The seasoning was spot on and really enhanced the meat flavour. The bread, chips and condiments were also perfect, and I like it when a restaurant serves homemade ketchup.
The service was great too, although one waitress was a bit too friendly. Once the food was on the table we just wanted to dive right in, not chit-chat, but she was just trying to be nice so nothing to remark on really.
Tom’s Kitchen, 27 Cale Street, Chelsea, London SW3 3QP
I made this lovely tart when rhubarbs were actually in season; in the beginning of the summer. If you happen to have some rhubarb in your freezer I think it would come to good use making this recipe, otherwise use a different compote or save this until next spring when they’re in season again.
Since I made the lemon tart after Raymond Blanc’s fantastic recipe it is my go-to sweet pastry recipe, it just works every time, and it is what I used here. The recipe for the custard is from the Swedish food blog Matgeek, a very keen and talented baker and cook.
Rhubarb and crème patissiere tart, serves 8
Start by flavouring the milk and cream with vanilla the night before. Then start with the pastry and make the rhubarb compote and custard when the dough is resting or baking in the oven.
Leave it all to cool completely and assemble just before serving to keep the pastry case as crisp as possible.
For the sweet pastry:
Adapted from Raymond Blanc’s recipe.
120 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced
75 icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
3 egg yolks
250 g plain flour
2 tbsp water
In a large bowl, with a spatula or wooden spoon, mix the soft butter and icing sugar to a cream; then beat in 2 of the egg yolks. Add the flour and, with your fingertips, rub the butter mixture and flour together to achieve a crumbly texture. Add the water and press the mixture together to form a ball. With the palms of your hands, knead the pastry on a lightly floured work surface until it is blended (maximum 30 seconds – do not overwork the pastry or it will be hard and lose its crumbly texture). Flatten the pastry slightly with the palm of your hand, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes (this helps the dough lose its elasticity).
On a lightly floured work surface, evenly roll out the pastry into a circle 3 mm thick. Roll the pastry over the rolling pin and unroll it over a 24 cm loose-bottomed tart tin. With one hand lift the pastry and with the other gently tuck it into the bottom edge of the tin so that it fits tightly. Be careful not to stretch it. Cut off excess pastry by rolling the pin over the top edge of the tin. Take a small ball of pastry and gently press it all around the base of the tart to ensure a snug fit. Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes (this helps prevent shrinkage during cooking). Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 160°C.
Line the pastry case with aluminium foil and fill with dried beans, pushing them against the side. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and lift out both foil and beans. Return the tart tin to the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes. Brush the inside of the pastry with the remaining egg yolk and return to the oven for 1 minute (this creates a seal on the pastry and prevents it becoming soggy when filled).
Crème patissiere:
Adapted from Johan Hedberg’s recipe:
200 g milk (3%)
50 g double cream
1 vanilla pod
60 g caster sugar
3 egg yolks
20 g plain flour
Add milk and cream to a saucepan. Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out all the seeds, add both seeds and the pod to the milk mixture. Heat up on medium heat until it starts to boil. Pour into a mug, cover with cling and place in fridge over night, to get as much flavour out of the vanilla pod as possible. If in a rush an hour will do.
Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat it up but don’t let it get too hot (or boil). Beat the yolks in a bowl, add sugar and flour and beat until smooth.
Pour the liquid into the egg yolks through a sieve. Keep beating until you have a smooth mixture.
Pour the mixture into a saucepan and heat up on medium heat. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon.
Once the first bubbles have reached the surface and the cream has thickened significantly, lower the heat, stir for a few more minutes and it’s done.
Rhubarb compote
320 g rhubarb, cut into pieces
200 g caster sugar
1/2 lemon, zest and juice
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and cook until you have a nice thick compote. Season to taste with lemon juice.
Pinxtos are extremely popular in The Basque Region and in the Old Town of San Sebastian there are plenty of pinxtos bars to choose from, each with their own specialities.
Our first night in San Seb, after the Mugaritz lunch, Caroline and I were still very full around 10pm but we decided to ignore those signals and have a few pinxtos just because we wanted to. We started slowly with one each and a glass of wine. Carolien had the one with mini eels and I had the one with crab, mayonnase and smoked salmon.
After a little breather we had another one each. I couldn’t resist the jamon and Caroline had the grilled squid with ink. Two pinxtos each was definitley enough and I’m so glad we did as I loved the atmosphere in the Old Town bars. The place we went to this evening is called Ganbara, and one I was desperate to try because a famous Swedish TV chef went here with the owners of Arzak when he was visiting San Sebastian.
The second evening we did a proper pinxtos bar crawl, starting at Baztan. Caroline had the sausage wrapped in bacon and the morcilla (black pudding) with pickled peppers.
I had a yummy mini burger (great idea!) and cheesy courgette with ham.
Apparently you just throw your serviette on the floor after your meal, but I struggled to do that. It makes sense in a way; the bars are packed and the staff have enough to do collecting dirty plates and glasses that collecting napkins isn’t a priority and it is easy to just sweep the floor after service. But still…
Next we went to Casa Vergara where we had the local slightly sparkling wine Txacoli which we really enjoyed together with some pinxtos; mini eels in smoked salmon, anchovies and green pepper and a marinated mussel.
At Casa Alcalde next door to Casa Vergara, we had one last pinxto with morcilla, fried quail’s egg and baked cherry tomato. Yum!
We had a look at plenty more pinxtos bars and some places seemed better than others (the ones we went for). Some had piles of deep-fried whatever and didn’t appeal that much to us.
Our last day we went back to Ganbara and had lunch in the restaurant. We started with a plate of wonderful jamon and the local equivalent to padron peppers, these were less spicy, but tasted very similar otherwise.
For the maincourse Caroline had the trio of cod which was rather interesting but not amazing. The one with the brown sauce was less tasty but the other two were quite nice.
I had local gambas, big juicy prawns, that were fried and served with olive oil and lemon. Super simple and delicious!
We went back to Ganbara one more time before leaving for the airport. It was early evening and because they had just stopped serving lunch it was quite bare with pinxtos on the bar counter but we could order from the menu. The pig’s trotters with mash, above, was sadly not amazing. I love pig’s trotters but these were too fatty for my liking.
The croquetas with mushrooms and jamon were delicious though and so was the fried foie gras.
We finished off the meal with octopus and squid. I had the cold marinated octopus that I love, so soft and delicious and Caroline had the grilled squid with ink one last time. Despite a few let downs (the pig’s trotters and the cod) we loved Ganbara! All the other food we had here (and it was quite a lot) was great, the staff super friendly and the all the pinxtos super fresh!
Ganbara, San Jeronimo Kalea, 19, 20003 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, Spain
Baztan, Calle Puerto, 8, 20003 Donostia – San Sebastián, Spain
Casa Vergara, Kale Nagusia-Calle Mayor Kalea, 21, 20003 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, Spain
Casa Alcalde, Mayor Kalea, 19, 20003 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, Spain
When people ask me if I miss Sweden my answer is always no. I mean, I love Sweden and my family and friends there but they aren’t that far away and with the invention of Skype and Viber they don’t feel further away than if I lived in a different city back in Sweden.
Of course I can miss my family and friends once in a while but they are only a phone call away, so what I end up missing the most are things like triple glazing windows, mixing taps and less bureaucracy. And food of course.
Pearl sugar, mjukost, PICK ‘N MIX, cheese doodles, crispbread, crayfish…. The list is long. So when Inntravel contacted me for a possible collaboration about what I miss from Sweden to promote their trips to Sweden, it was too good to turn down.
I received a My Sweden Kit last week, consisting of typical Swedish food products that one miss when living away from home. It contained crispbread, a spice blend, O’Boy (chocolate drink mix which brings back childhood memories), sauce packets, mjukost, a soft flavoured cheese (sounds weird I know but it’s nice), chocolate balls (YUM!), pick ‘n mix (hurrah), chocolate pudding mix (you just add milk, another childhood favourite), dip mix, Anna’s ginger bread (again yum) and lots of chocolate (score).
Some of these items are definitely things I miss, like the pick ‘n mix (Britain is just not a contender in this field), chocolate, crispbread, cheese and chocolate balls. Other items like the sauce packets and spice blend I’ve never actually used and as a food blogger and decent cook I’ve never had the need for them, but I realise that lots of other people like these short cuts. The two sauces are real classics in Sweden; cream sauce which we serve with meatballs, boiled potatoes and lingonberry jam and bearnaise sauce that we even eat on pizzas.
Inntravel also want to treat one of you, my dear readers, to the same My Sweden Kit of goodies I received as well as a Guide Book to West Sweden. So if you are a Swede (or Scandinavian) away from home or someone who would simply like to try some Swedish food, this is your chance.
Simply click on THIS LINK to enter the competition! You have until midnight on Wednesday 1st October GMT to participate. A winner will be announced the following day. Good luck!
NB: This is a post in collaboration with Inntravel.
Our second day in San Sebastian we had a normal lunch (compared to the four hour feast the day before) at Rekondo.
It is a very cosy restaurant, especially the outside area where we were seated this glorious day.
It is also known for its large wine celler and huge wine list (as you can see it was a proper book!). We settled for a bottle of white Rioja which worked really well with our meal.
The amuse bouche was a cod croquetas each, lovely creamy on the inside and crisp on the outside. The cod flavour was quite subtle which I liked.
To try and balance the gigantic meal the day before both Caroline and I were drawn to the seafood, in hope that it would be fresh and light. It was indeed fresh but maybe not as light as we’d hoped – but delicious! Carolines prawn carpaccio was a little eccentric flavour wise with fruit, pomegranate seeds and guacemole but it was absolutely delicious. And quite large.
My lobster cocktail with scallops was also amazing. And huge! The lobster was perfectly cooked and great in flavour but was actually overshadowed by the big juicy raw scallops. They were the best scallops I’ve ever had. The pine nuts, olive powder and grassy olvie oil were the perfect accompaniments.
For the maincourse Caroline had a local speciality; kokotxas, fish cheeks served in a parsley sauce. It was a mild dish and the cheeks were very tender and almost silky in texture. Very good.
I had another local speciality, baked crab, which was amazing and incredibly rich.
We chose to share a cheese plate instead of having a sweet pudding and that was perfect to finish off the meal. The cheeses were very good, especially the Brie de Meaux, the Roquefort and a local creamy cheese made from ewe’s milk. The comté and Pecorino were quite good but the Morbier was quite dull.
We decided to slowly walk back down to town to help digest the food but also enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
I really liked this place and of course the food. The service was not perfect but I’ll still come back. Especially for those delicious scallops. And the wine list. You find Caroline’s write-up from the lunch here.
Rekondo, Igeldo Pasealekua, 57, 20008, San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain
The world’s sixth and eight best restaurants right now, are both located in San Sebastian in the north-east of Spain. On my visit to the region on the bank holiday in August my friend Caroline (as keen on nice restaurants as I am), we had a fabulous lunch at one of them; Mugaritz. We would have loved to go to Arzak too, but we’ll save that for next time.
We more or less went straight from Bilbao airport, via the hotel, to the restaurant and as soon as we were seated at our table we were shown into the kitchen (amazing) where we also got to eat our first course.
It was a marshmallow made with pig’s blood. The very charismatic chef told us that pig’s blood has the similar properties to egg whites and can also thicken and be used for meringues and marshmallows. This marshmallow was flavoured with onions, pine nuts and black pepper and it was really good. And interesting.
One we got back to our table we had wine and water and also got a warm wet towel to have at hand as the first couple section of dishes should be eaten using only our hands.
The blue cheese round with anchovies (left) was actually a bit tame in flavour, I would have preferred a stronger flavour from both the cheese and the anchovies. The mussel with parmesan which was also lightly smoked was spot on though; so delicious.
Next up we had tendons. Not sure if it was from pork or beef, we realised quickly that the amount of information given about each course depended on the waiter. Some were confident in explaining it to us in detail in English were as some only sad a word or two. This was more interesting than tasty, fun texture though, much softer than I expected.
After that we were put to work. All the guests (about 40 per sitting) received a pestle and mortar at the same time and got to work their arm muscles turning the corn into a paste.
We were then given a square of jelly with herbs and flours that melted in the warm mortar and turned the rough paste into a smoother one. We then had a delicious dip to either eat with a spoon or dip the bread in.
It was fun to participate in something and the smell was amazing, just like the finished dip. It had several dimensions with different textures and lots of subtle flavours all coming together.
Next up was duck neck, cleverly illustrated by the special plate. It was crisp, a little sticky and very tasty.
We then had Chinese chives tempura with what I guess was a chickpea puré. Also very nice.
The eighth course was a soft soft dumpling topped with crispy Iberico pig skin and a chutney. I loved the difference in texture and the flavours were great.
Having finished a third of the menu we got a palate cleanser consisting of fresh chickpeas in their shells with sea salt and olive oil. Very fresh and light!
Next palate cleanser was very far from a sorbet, instead we had mud and dirt. The mud was made from pine nuts though and we got to dip this moss looking plant called deff in it. I especially liked the plant, which was very fresh and subtly fragrant on its own.
After the mud course we got proper cutlery and the first maincourse; tomato in a gelatinous broth. It was incredible! The tomato was quite firm but soft at the same time and the broth was very intense in flavour.
The ox cheeks with powdered sauerkraut were also very good The powder was interesting, while it tasted like sauerkraut the texture made the flavour dissolve quickly.
In the middle of the main courses we got to play a game with plastic knuckles. The winner received a little plate of caviar and I am very grateful Caroline wanted to share her winnings with me.
Airy bread with cream quite similar to clotted cream, but a bit sweeter, perfectly balanced the salty caviar. This was absolutely divine and one of my favourite courses. Bröd med grädde inte helt olik clotted cream i smak och konsistens, men dock sötare, gav perfekt balans till den salta kaviaren. En av mina favoriträtter helt klart. Helt makalöst gott!
Poached aubergine with white miso was more interesting than tasty, The texture of the aubergine was phenomenal; form but soft, but the miso was a bit too sweet and the herb on top very pungent and sharp and actually not very nice. Does anyone know what the herb is called?
The hake with milk pearls melted in the mouth and was fantastic. Very subtle in flavour (I actually couldn’t taste the white asparagus) and the fish was cooked to absolute perfection. A joy to eat.
This dish doesn’t look very appetizing but it was a fun take on surf and turf. Underneath the crisp chicken skin was a catalan cream with lobster. Like a savoury creme brulée – love it.
The next course was just amazing! It was definitely the best steak tartar I’ve ever tasted. The meat was incredibly soft and tender, the caviar was a fun (and delicious) contrast and the pickled mini onions added the perfect amount of acidity. Perfection!
The maincourse was eucalyptus smoked lamb loin with its wool. The wool was soft and the meat perfectly cooked but with quite a strong smokey flavour, so it worked well as the last course.
The first pudding was stracciatella with sheets of dark chocolate. Not my favourite, I liked the chocolate but not the cream.
The lemon sorbet in edible lemon skin was a pure delight. Fresh lemon flavour and amazing texture. Loved it!
We read cronuts on the menu and got very excited but instead of the croissant dnut hybrid we got cronut shaped airy biscuits. I think they may have been made with rice starch, and flavoured with chocolate and caramel. Nice and different but not incredible.
The least sweet desert was a grilled green fig injected with marine preserve made with sea urchin. Such a fun and different combination and very very tasty.
The last pudding was a warm and crisp little cigar filled with custard. We also got to grate sugar on them using the rocks in the table decoration (which was pure sugar). Both fun and delicious!
After are long lunch we went outside and got even more treats with our coffee. A whole tower of petit fours. We didn’t exactly need them but we still managed to eat them, we’re such troopers.
The tower had seven compartments that each represented one of the seven cardinal sins. As you can see above, I forgot to take a picture of one of them, but the ones I remembered were chocolate coins covered with chocolate dirt, candied ginger dipped in cocoa, chocolate covered corn kernels, white chocolate with rose cream and dark chocolate with caramel.
I was incredibly happy (and extremely full) after this meal. It was such an experience! Some dishes were absolutely delicious and others more interesting in texture or techniques used but I loved the whole experience. I also like the relaxed atmosphere and the fun elements of making our own dip and playing the knuckle game. The service was good but not flawless, which I would have expected. Sometimes dishes were stacking up on the table and if one of us went to the restroom (which is needed during a four hour lunch) they had already put out the next course before we got back to the table.
With that said, it was still incredible. It was so fun to see the kitchen and experience this type of cooking, and Caroline and I had a blast! And I still dream of some of the dishes.
Mugaritz, Aldura Aldea, 20, 20100 Errenteria, Gipuzkoa, Spain
In Britain Eton Mess is a real classic and I thought it would be fun to introduce it to some of my Swedish friends. Strawberry season was over in August though so I used raspberries from my parents’ garden and passion fruit to flavour my mess. Homemade chewy meringues further added the va-va-voom. This went down such a treat among my Swedish friends that I was surprised. I thought the amount of whipped cream would put them off!
Raspberry and passionfruit mess, serves 4-5
300 ml whipping or double cream
4-5 meringues
2 passionfruits
100 ml raspberries
melissa or apple mint (regular mint will of course do too) to decorate
Whip the cream. Break up the meringues and add them to the cream. Add the passionfruit pulp and the raspberries, mix carefully. Divide between four bowls. Decorate with melissa or mint and serve.
Scandelights