Scandelights

Dinner at Sophie’s Steakhouse, Chelsea

Published on June 4, 2014June 4, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

The Saturday evening when Emma was visiting we were quite tired after a full town of walking, shopping and eating but after having had some champagne at home we had the energy to go out for dinner. We wanted something low key and near home and opted for Sophie’s Steakhouse on the Fulham Road.

There is another Sophie’s in Covent Garden and although working around there I haven’t been there either.

As you can’t book a table we were put on the list for one and then hung out in the bar drinking strawberry daiquiris.

Once seated at the table water and this wooden board with salami arrived, perfect for two starving girls. We finished it pretty quickly and then got a second one – they must go through A LOT of salami here!

The menu is of course centred around meat and mainly steak but we tried their burgers that were amazing. Sadly the fried weren’t as good. They were crisp and nice texture-wise just not great in taste.

But the burgers were just delicious, so we were happy anyway! After our late dinner we realised we wanted to go dancing and just walked down the street to Maggie’s.

Such a great evening!

Sophie’s Steakhouse, 311-313 Fulham Road, London SW10 9QH

Halloumi salad with new potatoes, watercress, tomatoes and lime vinaigrette

Published on June 3, 2014June 3, 2014 by Hanna1 Comment

I can really crave certain foods, like sushi for example. Or a blue sirloin with bearnaise sauce. And most recently; fried halloumi. There is something utterly satisfying with the chewy, salty Cypriot cheese.

Last time I craved halloumi I also wanted a salad and potatoes and it resulted in this great salad based on this delicious Delia recipe for a starter with halloumi. I really loved this salad and although I was (very) happy to eat it on its own it would also work really well with say barbecued chicken skewers.

Halloumi salas with new potatoes, watercress, tomatoes and lime vinaigrette, serves 2

250 g new potatoes, cooked and cut in half

1 bag watercress

1 halloumi

a handful cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 red onion, sliced and marinated in lime juice

Vinaigrette:

1 lime, zest and juice

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 tbsp chopped coriander

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and black pepper

Mix the vinaigrette. Slice the halloumi and dry each piece with kitchen roll. Fry on high heat in a little oil until golden brown on both sides.

Distribute water cress, new potatoes and cherry tomatoes on two plates. Remove the onion from the lime juice and divide between the plates. Drizzle with vinaigrette and place the fried halloumi on top.

Lunch at Jackson + Rye, Soho

Published on June 2, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

When my bestie Emma came to visit a few weekends ago we walked around Covent Garden and Carnaby street on the Saturday and when we were hungry I thought it would be a good idea to check out Jackson + Rye that I had heard so much about.

We liked the place immediately! The vibe is very New York; casual but nice. The all day menu offers American food but is very varied containing sandwiches and salads as well as egg dishes and proper main courses.

Emma has a bagel with cream cheese, rocket and smoked salmon which was fresh and nice.

I had the shrimp roll in brioche bun with mushy avocado and spicy sauce. Really nice and substantial but still lighter than a regular burger. We had some rosé to drink and managed to avoid the rain (it had stopped when we stepped out again) so we were very happy here!

Jackson + Rye, 56 Wardour Street, London W1D 4JG

Dulce de leche ice cream (with a little salt)

Published on May 29, 2014 by Hanna3 Comments

Since I was a little girl growing up in Sweden I have had a love affair with ice cream. Growing up my favourite scoop flavour was daim and daddy and I would see who could finish their ice cream first, every time. To be honest we sometimes compete now as well.

You may think Sweden is too cold for ice cream, but to that I say a) the summers are really nice and warm and b) it is never too cold for ice cream.

I still entertain this love affair although I am a bit pickier as an adult. I don’t like artificial pear ice cream for example or ice cream with lots of strange ingredients. When it is so easy to make delicious ice cream at home, I don’t understand the need for stabilizers and odd ingredients. I want natural proper ice cream made with full fat cream and milk.

This recipe certainly is of that variety and the dulce de leche flavour definitely comes through (shame if it didn’t since I used a whole can) and I’ve added a little salt to cut through the sweetness, which I think makes this work – dulce de leche is very sweet!

I like ice cream on its own but you can of course make a sundae with whipped cream, chocolate chip cookie and dark chocolate sauce or maybe serve with alongside a dark chocolate fondant, the possibilities are endless.

Dulche de leche ice cream (with a little salt), makes about 1 litre

4 egg yolks

2 tbsp caster sugar

400 ml double cream

200 ml whole milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 pinch (about 1/2 tsp) Maldon sea salt

400 g (1 can) dulce de leche

Beat yolks and sugar until fluffy. Meanwhile heat up the milk and cream in a saucepan until almost boiling. Incorporate the cream into the egg mixture little by little while continuously stirring. Add vanilla and dulce de leche and combine. Pour into a large bowl, place over a pan of boiling water (like a bain marie) and whisk slowly over while the mixture thickens. Leave to cool. Place in the fridge over night to thicken further. Place a plastic container in the freezer and pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and let it stir it for approximately 40 minutes. Pour into the plastic container and freeze for two hours before serving.

Lunch at Le Poule au Pot, Pimlico

Published on May 28, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

The first bank holiday weekend in May was sunny and lovely (so not the case this past one!) so Gaby and I had lunch outside in Pimlico. Le Poule au Pot is a charming French bistro with a rather dark and messy, yet very charming, interior whilst the outdoor seating is cosy with wooden tables and plants. The food is classic French bistro food and one can chose between the a’la carte menu or a set two or three course menu. We had the set menu, two courses each, and got plenty of food. Gaby had the salmon terrine with toasted bread to start and it was nice and fresh! I love the crockery too, so pretty. My chicken liver mousse with cornichons and toast was really nice and smooth and the portion quite large. For our maincourses we both had the steak frites with bearnaise sauce and it was really nice! My meat was slightly overcooked but very tender and the fries nice and crispy. The bearnaise sauce was a little on the runny side but great in flavour.

This is one of those classic places I like to seek refuge at once in a while, I guess to contrast modern restaurant and gourmet food. Less is more here, it’s classic French fare, cooked well and without fuss. But that combined with either the cosy interior inside or the nice tables outside it is enough.

Le Poule au Pot, 231 Ebury Street, London SW1W 8UT

Peanut butter brownies

Published on May 22, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

When I last baked for the office these brownies went down really well. I found the recipe in my latest cookbook purchase; Skinny Weeks and Weekend Feasts by Gizzi Erskine. The combination of dark chocolate brownie cake and crispy, sweet and peanutty layer on top works really well!

Don’t worry if the brownie mixture looks almost split when pouring it in the tin; as it cooks it comes together. The cake is really yummy, although not amazing looking on its own.

Peanut butter brownies, 24 st

Adapted from Gissi Erskine’s recipe. I made the full batch of the brownie but halved the peanut butter layer as I didn’t have a lot of icing sugar around. It worked well ratio wise too, but the more peanut butter the better, right?!

250 g unsalted butter

150 g dark chocolate, chopped

200 g caster sugar

100 g cocoa

70 g plain flour

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp vanilla extract

4 eggs, beaten

Peanut butter layer:

340 g chunky peanut butter

250 g unsalted butter

200 g light muscovado sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

150 g icing sugar

150 g cornflakes

Topping:

200 g milk or plain chocolate

30 g butter

Preheat the oven to 180°C. To make the peanut butter layer; put the peanut butter, butter, muscovado, salt and vanilla in a pan and heat until completely melted and just beginning to bubble. Stir constantly – make sure it doesn’t burn.

Remove from the heat and add the icing sugar a little at a time, stirring, until completely combined. Stir in the cornflakes, then pop in a blender and pulse until the mix starts to break up but still has crispy shards of cornflake running through. Set aside.

To make the brownies; melt the butter and dark chocolate chunks together in a bowl over a bain marie. Put the sugar, cocoa, flour, salt and vanilla in a separate bowl and mix until well combined.

Stir in the eggs, then add the melted chocolate and mix together with 4 or 5 swift swoops. Pour into a 30 cm x 20 cm greased and lined baking tin and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until it cracks across the top but the brownies should still be slightly gooey in the middle.

When the cake is cool enough to touch, spread over the peanut butter layer neatly. Leave to cool.

For the chocolate topping, melt the chocolate and butter together in a bain marie as before. Pour over the cooled peanut butter layer, smooth out and pop it in the fridge to set. Cut into squares and dust with icing sugar before serving.

Dinner at The House of Ho, Soho

Published on May 20, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

About a month ago my friend Malin and I had a farewell dinner at The House of Ho, a fairly newly opened Vietnamese restaurant in London, as Malin was moving away. Not far, but I still miss her.

The restaurant is lively and along the back wall there is a long bar and small tables are scattered around the cosy area. My first thought was that it’s a great place to go on a date, as it was buzzing and fun but still a bit intimate.

The menu consisting of both small dishes and proper main courses was interesting and we decided to share a few dishes to get to try as many things as possible.

The salmon tartar, above, with onions, seaweed and flavoured salt was nice, but I prefer already mixed tartars to these where you mix yourself on the plate.

The smoky aubergine with spring onion vinaigrette and fried onions that Malin’s colleague recommended to us was absolutely lovely and probably my favourite for the evening.

The pomolo and crab salad with noodles, mint and prawn crackers was nice but not amazing. The monk fish with lemongrass and caramel sauce (no picture) was lovely though.

I found the food to be a bit hit or miss, although everything was well cooked some dishes lacked a bit of oomph. It’s stiff competition having a restaurant in London and The House of Ho definitely has potential but needs to figure out what they’re good at and stick to that.

House of Ho, 57-59 Old Compton St, Soho, London W1D 6HP

Mussels with sherry, saffron and cream

Published on May 19, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

I brought a bottle (of very cheap) fino sherry with me home from Mallorca, for cooking and I knew exactly what I wanted to use it for; mussels. I adore moules marinière but thought it would work well with more pungent sherry instead of wine too and for some reason I felt that saffron would work well together with the sherry.

Turns out I was right, and I really enjoyed this take on the classic moules marinière. When eating moules as often as I do, one needs variation.

As always when cooking mussels, do rinse them well and de-beard them before cooking. Also discard of any mussels that won’t close when tapping their shell before cooking. But no need to discard mussels that don’t open after cooking, they are still OK to eat.

Mussels with sherry, saffron and cream, serves 2 (small portions)

500 g mussels

a knob of salted butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

75 ml fino sherry

1/2 -1 tsp ground saffron

200 ml double cream

chopped parsley

a small pinch of salt and ground white pepper

To serve:

nice bread to soak up the sauce with

Rinse the mussels a few times in a colander to remove sand. De-beard the mussels and rinse again. Discard of any mussels that won’t close their shell when tapping on it. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions and fry on medium heat for a minute or two without browning. Add the sherry and let the alcohol evaporate. Add cream and saffron and stir. Add some ground white pepper and the mussels. Cook under a lid for a few minutes until the mussels have opened. Stir and taste the sauce, add a little salt if needed. Serve immediately with some nice bread.

Frittata with asparagus, spinach and cheddar, topped with creme fraiche and lumpfish caviar

Published on May 15, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

This frittata bursting of spring greens and new potatoes is a new favourite of mine. I added some sharp grated cheddar to reduce the sulphur-y taste fried eggs, which I’m not a fan of, but you can omit the cheese if you prefer although it does make the frittata a little creamier. Topping the frittata with crème fraiche and lumpfish caviar is very Scandinavian but it works really well and makes the dish feel a little lush.

Frittata, serves 4 as a starter/light bite, serves 2 as a main course

200 g cooked new potatoes, sliced

6 asparagus stems, cut into 2-3 cm large pieces

100 g spinach

a knob of butter for frying

3 eggs

a splash of milk or cream if desired

50 ml grated sharp cheddar

salt & pepper

To serve:

crème fraiche

lumpfish caviar

Pre-heat the oven to 180-200C. Bring water to the boil in a saucepan and cook the asparagus fir 2 minutes. Drain. Beat the eggs in a bowl (and add a plash of milk or cream if desired), season. Heat up some butter in a oven-proof frying pan (no plastic handle) and wilt the spinach. Drain the excess water and add a little more butter. Add the potato slices and asparagus pieces and fry for a minute on high heat. Add the beaten eggs and lower the heat to medium. Let the eggs set at the bottom, scatter with grated cheddar and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the just set.

Leave to cool for a few minutes, cut into pieces and serve with crème fraiche and caviar.

Santa Catalina and dinner at Puro Chef, Palma de Mallorca

Published on May 14, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

Our last evening in Palma I wanted to check out the Santa Catalina neighbourhood, just west of the town centre. Around five years ago this area was a bit run down and it started transforming itself into a trendy neighbourhood with lots of restaurant and bars. The vibe is similar to London’s Soho (bar the sex shops) or New York’s NoLIta but smaller. I really liked this cosy part of town and it felt much less touristy than central Palma.

We walked around looking for a nice restaurant and maybe a bar to have a drink before dinner. The choice of both restaurants and bars was wide with both Indian, Japanese, Lebanese and of course Spanish.

Outside this cool painted bar people were drinking on the pavement, just like in London.

We found a cosy café/bar/casual restaurant where we had a glass of wine and were offered homemade poppadums and mango chutney before heading a few doors down the street to Puro Chef for dinner.

Walking past earlier that evening the German article in the window, about the gourmet chef, caught my eye and after looking at the menu I was convinced we’d experience some great cooking here.

The nice looking menu was divided into different sections; one with gourmet pinchos, one with tapas to share, another with main courses (quite a few with Italian influences) and of course another with puddings. We were seduced by the pinchos and started there and they were so lovely we didn’t really branch out into maincourses or tapas (bar one).

The amouse bouchen was fried Globe artichoke with foie gras which we loved. Just a hint of foie gras and crispy on the outside.

The potato with prawn and tartar sauce was amazing and beautifully plated.

Perfectly cooked scallop with potato and bell pepper purée with root crisps was another hit – so delicious!

The only tapas dish we tried was the prawns (surprise) that were dipped in batter and deep-fried until crisp. The shells were so soft we ate it to not miss out on the crispy goodness. These were lovely too, but not as good as the pinchos!

The pig’s trotters with fried quail’s egg and pickled pepper were full of umami and utterly delicious!

These croquetas with morcilla and peppadew peppers served with pear jam were magnificent. The croquetas were of the perfect consistency; a soft and gooey on the encased in a crisp coating. And the sweetness of the pear worked well with the heat from the peppers.

Fried cod with mayonnaise and herb oil was also very good.

But these crispy pork rolls were to die for. Crispy, porky little rolls with some shredded vegetables and bathed in the most delicious sauce we had to order quite a few of these!

We really enjoyed our evening here! The interior is modern and laid back, the waitresses sweet and very helpful and the chefs eager to impress. Not only were they good at creating interesting flavour combinations, they also had the techniques down, everything was cooked to perfection.

I expected good food in Palma and I am glad I got to have so much of it. And I utterly adore the modern tapas (which we see a lot of in London too); small plates created with classic ingredients but with some kind of added twist. Both Tapa Negra and Tast serve similar dishes in Palma and these three (Puro Chef included) restaurants really stood out as my favourites.

Back in London since two weeks I still dream of the amazing pinchos, WHERE can I find some here?!

Puro Chef, c/ Sant Magí 66, Palma De Mallorca, Spain