girolle toast – Scandelights

Recipe: Girolle toast 2.0

Published on August 22, 2018 by Hanna2 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE mushrooms, and especially girolles! They’re coming into season at the same time as my beloved crayfish, so to start off the little crayfish party we had in Sweden (a must when you have a London visitor in August!), we had these absolutely delicious little girolle toasts with cognac and cream. (I’ve made similar ones before but this version is even better, I promise!)

They went down a treat and I got praise like “I could eat these EVERY day!”, and I must agree that they were divine. The combination of mustard and cognac with the smooth cream is just delicious and the grated cheese to finish adds an extra layer of flavour.

You simply must try them, either as little canapés (in which case I would cut each bread slice into four instead of two) or like this; as a little starter with a glass of pink champagne.

With the crayfish we had some more girolles, because why not?!, on top of the Västerbotten cheese quiche. If you’re planning a crayfish party you simply must try it!

Kantarelltoast 2.0, serves 4 as a starter

5 slices regular white bread, crusts removed and the slices cut on the diagonal into triangels

2 tbsp butter + a splash of oil for frying the bread

150 g girolle mushrooms, rinsed

1 large shallots, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

4 tbsp butter + a splash of oil for frying onions, garlic and mushrooms

2 tbsp cognac

100 ml double cream

1-2 tsp Dijon mustard

salt and pepper

chopped parsley

To garnish:

finely grated Västerbotten cheese (parmesan would work too)

Fry the bread in butter and a little oil on medium-low heat until golden brown on both sides. Leave to drain on kitchen towel.

Fry the onions and garlic in some of the butter and oil ton medium heat until golden. Remove from the pan and fry the mushrooms with more butter and oil on medium-high heat. When the mushrooms are cooked, turn the temperature down to medium and add the garlic and onions to the pan. Season. Add the cognac and let some of it evaporate before adding the cream. Add the mustard and taste until you’re happy with the flavour. Adjust the seasoning and add a little more cognac if needed. Stir with a whisk while the sauce thickens. It should be thick but still a touch runny when it’s done (and full of flavour). Add the parsley and spoon the mushroom mixture onto the fried bread slices and top with grated cheese.

Seafood feast!

Published on August 26, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

No, this is not what we eat every day in Sweden but I so wish it was! My first evening at the summer house (a Saturday) my parents and I had a proper seafood feast to celebrate being together again and my birthday the week before.

We love girolles almost as much as we love seafood and as they’re in season we started off with a proper girolle toast (fry the bread in butter, fry the girolles in more butter with garlic, add parsley) and bubbly and then got serious about the seafood. We had langoustines with garlic butter, fresh Swedish crayfish (such a treat!), crab claws and smoked prawns. Smoked prawns may sound weird but they are oh so delicious!

It was such a wonderful meal with amazing seafood, great company and the accompaniment of bread, cheese and home made mayonnaise.

Mayonnaise

1 egg yolk, at room temperature

1/2 – 1 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

ca 200 ml neutral oil (I used rapeseed oil)

1 lemon, juice only

salt, white pepper

Mix the egg yolk with mustard and vinegar. Beat the egg mixture while adding the oil drop by drop. When the mixture has thickened you can add the oil in a thin spurt. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Seafood feast, Swedish caviar and girolle toast

Published on September 7, 2014September 5, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

In my family, we don’t need much of an excuse to have an extravagant dinner, but celebrating my belated birthday with my parents we went all out on the stuff we love – seafood.

Girolles are usually in abundance in August, although the first little ‘shrooms can be found in the woods as early as June. In Sweden we worship girolles as their season coincide with the crayfish parties. The first ones I eat every late summer has to be served like this; fried in butter with garlic and parsley, served on bread also fried in butter (or at least toasted). So delicious!

Then we went outside to the barbecue to grill some oysters. I love oysters regardless of how they are prepared but my parents prefer them warm.

Simply place the opened shells on live coal until the juices start to bubble. Remove with a thick glove as they heat up quickly. Add lemon juice and tabasco and eat.

After that exercise we had löjrom (Swedish caviar; vendace roe from Kalix) served in the classic manner with butter-fried toast, creme fraiche and chopped red onions.

After that we got started on the seafood. We had smoked cold-water prawns, Swedish crayfish, langoustines and crab claws. All washed down with Taittinger Brut Réserve. Needless to say we did not need any pudding after all that…

Girolles on toast, meat scewers and new potato salad with pears and blue cheese

Published on July 11, 2013 by Hanna1 Comment

My aunt Pavla picked the first girolles of the season the same week I came home to visit, so my sweet parents saved them for me. Girolles are in my opinion a pure delicacy, and especially witht the first ones I think a simple approach is the best. So we the same toast we usually make. Fry some nice bread in butter. Then fry the girolles in butter and garlic. Add seasoning and chopped parsley and top the bread with the ‘shrooms. Simple and absolutely delicious!

Mother also made some wonderful meat scewers with chicken, pork tenderloin and bacon in a tasty marinade with soy and ginger.

And with the barbecued scewers we had this lovely salad a friend of my mother’s found in a magazine this spring. It has the slightly strange combination of lettuce, tomatoes, new potatoes, grilled pears, crumbled blue cheese and walnuts and it really works. So yummy!

Our pudding was simple as can be; just vanilla icecream with freshly picked strawberries and wild strawberries from the garden. What a treat! I just love the luxury of having so much produce in the garden (and woods). I loved growing up here, snacking on all sorts of berries, plums and pears as the summer went on.

Meat scewers with soy and ginger marinade, serves 4

From the April edition 2013 of Lantliv Magazine.

about 600 g meat (we had a mixture of chicken pieces, pork tenderloin in pieces and bacon, on scewers).

50 ml soy sauce

2 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/2 lime, zest and juice

salt och pepper

Mix all the ingredients until the honey has dissolved. Brush the marinade on to the meat and let it sit for an hour in room temperature before barbecuing.

Salad with new potatoes, pears and blue cheese, serves 4

Adapted from the April edition 2013 of Lantliv Magazine.

50 ml dijon mustard

50 ml honey

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

100 ml olive oil

salt, black pepper

300 g boiled new potatoes

10 cherry tomatoes (or 10 wedges or regular sized tomatoes)

100 g mixed lettuce leaves

60 g blue cheese, crumbled

100 ml walnuts

1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

2 pears

Beat together mustard, honey and vinegar, add the oil drop by drop while whisking. Season.

Cube the potatoes and cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Plate the lettuce, potatoes and tomatoes, scatter with blue cheese, walnuts and red onions.

Remove the seeds from the pears and cut into wedges. Grill on medium heat for a minute on each side (using a frying pan works too). Add the pears to the salad and drizzle with dressing.