scandelights – Page 18

Recipe: chewy chocolate cookies (gf)

Published on October 5, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

These deliciously chewy chocolate biscuits happen to be gluten-free, and that’s why I decided to make them in the first place; for a friend who can’t have gluten, but as I suspected they were so lovely that I will keep making them for myself as well.

Because they don’t contain gluten-free flour they’re not a regular cookie made into a gluten-free version. Instead the technique is completely different using eggs and corn flour to bind a mixture of mainly melted chocolate. Yes, they’re THAT chocolate-y!

Gluten-free chocolate cookies with sea salt, makes 20-25

Translated from and adapted after Brinken Bakar’s recipe.

135 g caster sugar

40 g butter, softened

2 eggs

45 g corn flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

250 g dark chocolate

120 g white chocolate, chopped

sea salt

Pre-heat the oven to 160C fan. Melt the dark chocolate in a Bain Marie and leave to cool slightly. Whip the butter with electric beaters fir approx 2 minutes, then add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the eggs; first one, then whisk and then the other and whisk. Mix corn flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and add to the egg mixture. Add the melted chocolate. If the mixture feels too runny leave it to thicken for while. When the mixture is cool, add the white chocolate. Spoon out the mixture onto baking tray covered with parchment paper. Scatter with sea salt and bake in the oven for 8-9 minutes. Leave to cool. They are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Sweden: prawn sandwiches by the sea

Published on October 4, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

As you might have learnt from this blog, us Swedes LOVE seafood. I ate prawns every single Friday night through my childhood and I still love them. Like a lot.

So every chance I get to eat nice (cold water) prawns I take. Like when I was at home in Sweden in the summer and my parents suggested we try out the local café in Smyge (the most southern point in the country!) because their prawn sandwiches are talked about a lot and meant to be really good!

So on my boyfriend’s last day visiting we had lunch there, in their cosy little garden a stone’s throw from the sea.

They offer prawn sandwiches in three different sizes and we all decided on medium as that looked pretty big to us. And what we received was the perfect specimens of a Swedish prawn sandwich. It had soft white bread that’s still sturdy enough to not go soggy, lettuce, a nice amount of mayonnaise and sliced boiled eggs and a small mountain of Atlantic prawns peeled by hand. And of course lemon, dill and tomato and cucumber slices as decoration.

So nice, and extremely filling! We only had a hot dog each for supper as we were too full to have something resembling a proper dinner. Great place! Highly recommend. Especially when you can sit outside in the garden. Inside is quite rustic, but I can see it being cosy too.

Café Smyge, Smyge strandväg 4F, 231 78 Smygehamn, Sweden

Autumn, nights in and seeing friends

Published on October 3, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

September and it seems like autumn arrived when I wasn’t looking. The week before it was summer and then this. I can’t say that I was prepared for such a sudden change, or that I liked it. But I of course dealt with it.

By slowing down, concentrating on work and staying inside a lot more (since the weather changed drastically to cold, windy and rainy).

The first day back after a lovely summer of leisure (and some work, but broken up by fun plans and weekends away) I concentrated on getting on top of things work wise and to catch up on sleep. So I had Shake Shack for dinner and an early night.

The following day was pretty much the same, but without the burger. And it was so needed to just introvert for a few days and catch up on chores (hello laundry) and getting back on track.

On the Wednesday I had enough energy left after work to whip up some tortilla pizzas (which isn’t exactly hard but that’s all I could muster) and finished reading a brilliant book, which I highly recommend; The Silent Patient. One of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read in a while!

Thursday and more comfort food, I had homemade (and by “made” I mean assembled) chicken escalope burger with cheese and grilled peppers. And I watched a film I missed when it was on at the cinema; Call me by your name. Really sweet film!

Friday I ventured outside to meet a friend for dinner at a pub in Surbiton. It was low key and lovely to catch up so perfect for a Friday.

The following day I had a long lie-in and then did some errands locally and treated myself to a coffee and custard filled croissant at a café nearby.

Back home I went up to the roof terrace to enjoy some sunshine as it was finely nice weather again!

I didn’t feel great on Sunday but after a morning in bed I managed to meet two friends for a late Sunday lunch followed by an ice cream and a stroll in the park. A perfect Sunday activity, and all in all a good first week back.

Hello October!

Published on October 1, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

To welcome October (and autumn) I thought I would look back at some great recipes that I’ve posted through the years here on Scandelights.

As I’m usually behind with my posts (as in I write and publish them a while after they happened) I thought this would be a good way to highlight some more seasonal recipes each month.

Although I’m a summer person I also love this time of year; the beginning of fall (before I get depressed mid-November) when the air is crisp, it feels cosy to stay in and cook and drink red wine (rosé, you’re retired until April!) and binge box sets. I love lighting candles and curling up on the sofa with a soft blanket.

The recipes I have selected definitely reflect this cosy feeling October gives me. We have warming soups, a comforting stew, lots of lovely mushroom recipes (as it’s their peak season right now) and of course APPLES!

And that’s where I’d like to start; with the apples! And this lovely apple cake to be precise. I don’t love the gooey kind much, but this one is different. It’s more cake-y and it has a crunchy top which really makes it stand out!

Staying on sweets, I think the best autumnal pudding is a really good crumble, and this Delia recipe is the best I’ve tried. It warms you from the inside out and is the best way to use up any autumnal fruits. It works with plums, apples, pears or a mixture of them all. Serve with this fluffy raw custard and you’ll really impress your guests!

Moving on to soups, I’ve started with a selection of easy to make soups that are sort of autumnal light, let’s save the heavier ones for November when we really need it! First up is this British classic: carrot and coriander soup. It’s perfect for a weeknight supper with a cheese toastie on the side, or do as us Swedes and have pancakes after.

Next we have a really lovely and filling cream of corn soup with lovely toppings (don’t skip these). Use fresh corn while it’s still in season!

soppa2

Moving on to my favourite category: mushrooms, what’s better than starting with a mushroom soup – a recipe that fits in two camps and probably makes it the most October appropriate of them all! The addition of sherry it what really makes it stand out (in a good way) and also makes it totally dinner party worthy as a starter.

Next we have this open lasagne with mushrooms, thyme and truffle ricotta. It’s just as lovely as it sounds and very easy to make! Definitely qualifies for a dinner party or date night!

As I love love love girolles there are a fair amount of lovely recipes here featuring them already, so I thought I’d highlight two of my favourites. This delicious pizza bianco with butter-fried girolles and Vasterbotten cheese (available at Ocado, or can be substituted for a sharp cheddar or comté)…

…and this girolle cannelloni. So delicious! And albeit a little fiddly it’s quite therapeutic to make and totally worth the labour!

The last mushroom recipe features black trumpet and is a lovely dish with crispy pork belly, Jerusalem artichoke purée and a creamy black trumpets. Such a lovely dish!

Moving on to stews, like with the soups I think it best to save the heavy artillery for next month, but this aubergine and chorizo stew to have with creamy delicious polenta is a good one for October!

Lastly, I’m sharing a tomato recipe. I know, the season is almost over, but only almost. So let’s make the best of the last few locally grown tomatoes we can find and make this pappa al pomodoro with burrata. You can thank me later.

If you have any favourite October recipes you’d like to share, please leave a comment below! ❤️

Summer in Norfolk and a long weekend in Italy

Published on September 28, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

The last week in August was mainly a week of fun for me; not a lot of work. Monday was a bank holiday so we were all off and I had Tuesday and Friday off. Wednesday and Thursday I worked from Norfolk and so had the evenings there at least.

Monday was a gloriously sunny day so we went on a little trip to Holkham Hall with the children. First we spent some time in the lovely (and big) playground and then went for a little walk around the estate, stopping by the lake so we could all go on a little rowing adventure. So in we went, four adults, three children and a small dog all in the same rowing boat. It was such a lovely little outing and the perfect activity on a hot day. While the children and their parents stayed to have lunch my boyfriend’s mother and I drove to the golf club to have lunch with our boy, and also the proud winner of that weekend’s golf competition!

After lunch we went down to the beach for a swim and drying off in the sun, before grabbing an ice cream on the way to the car.

In the evening we toasted the winner with champagne and had a lovely dinner prepared partly by us all. Somebody did the food shopping, another took care of the wine, somebody manned the barbecue and yours truly contributed with a smoked paprika butter for the steak, potato salad, tomato salad and a green salad with avocado.

The next day I had the day off so we made the most of it with a little road trip. Starting with crayfish baguettes in Brancaster Straithe because I had heard so much about them and then a little boat trip in Wells-next-the-Sea.

It was really fun to see a working (and thriving) commercial harbour with boatload after boatload of fresh lobster and crab. Our little boat trip went out to one of the lovely beaches and back out again and it was so much being on the sea for a little while.

After a lovely artisan ice cream we drove back to get ready for a dinner party. It started with rosé and blinis with smoked salmon and sour cream in the garden and then we moved inside for the rest of the evening. Another lovely evening!

Wednesday I locked myself in a room during the day to work, but came out for lunch and of course in the evening. We had fresh crab with mayonnaise and salad for lunch and it was probably the best lunch that week! So yummy!

In the evening we had a little date night, just him and me, and went to The Jolly Sailor for pizzas and then to another pub for a drink afterwards. So nice with a chilled and cosy evening just the two of us.

On Thursday I worked during the day and in the evening we had lasagne for dinner, followed by meringues, berries and cream for pudding. Then it was time to say goodbye to lovely Norfolk and drive back to London as we were going away again early the next morning.

On the Friday morning we flew to Milan, rented a car and drove to Piedmont where our friends were waiting for us.

After some delays we arrived just in time for the wine tasting and basically started our stay by drinking four large glasses of lovely local wines. A good start indeed. After a very speedy shower and change of clothes, the whole group (we were here for a wedding!) had aperitivo outside, followed by a whole buffet of antipasti followed by pasta and pudding at the table. And the wine was flowing! Such a lovely evening toasting the happy couple and listening to Italian live music. Around midnight the day had caught up with us (we had about 4 hrs sleep the previous night plus all the travelling) so after a quick dip in the pool we went to bed and slept and slept.

The next day (our friend’s wedding day!) started with a late breakfast and then we joined the others by the pool. We had lovely salads for lunch (caprese and ham and melon) and then I decided to practice my speech but I ended up tweaking it as well.

Then it was time to get ready for the wedding and join everyone but the happy couple for bubbly and nibbles before we followed the cellist to the spot among the vines where the wedding ceremony would take place. It was such a beautiful wedding! Afterwards we walked back down to the hotel to toast the happy couple before we sat down for dinner.

It was a lovely and long wedding breakfast with great food, nice wines and lots of speeches, singing and games. Afterwards we watched the bride and groom cut the cake and have their first dance. Then the dancing continued until the early hours when most of the guests gathered by the pool for a swim before going to bed.

The next day we had brunch at the hotel and after some more time by the pool we packed up and drove to Acqui Terme for lunch, at a place recommended by the sommelier at the hotel.

Next we stopped at some Roman ruins and made a few stops on the way to the airport.

Such a lovely week! It feels so much longer when you visit different places. And I loved that we got a little bit more of the gorgeous summer weather, both in Norfolk and of course, in Italy (where I definitely would expect it!).

Sweden: escaping the rain – lunch at Strandtugg

Published on September 26, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

I usually bang on about how great Swedish summers are to my London friends, and although that is completely true, we of course have some less glorious days too.

When the sky is dark and the clouds are brooding and you know the thunder and lightning are not far away. But the summer lover that I am, I refused to really believe the weather forecast and still met up with my childhood friend Henrik and his two children on the beach. Mainly because we didn’t really know what else to do!

We managed a half an hour or so of playing in the sea and sand until the raindrops started to fall, in a rapid succession, so we packed our things and sprinted to the nearest place for shelter. Luckily the nearest place was a brand new (new for this year!) restaurant that were just about to start serving lunch. Perfect timing!

So we installed ourselves at a table upstairs and had a lovely lunch as the storm continued outside.

I had the weekly pasta which this particular week was tortellini with smoked salmon in a creamy sauce. It was nice-ish but nothing spectacular and I must admit I was a little disappointed and got a serious case of food envy when I saw Henrik’s Wallenbergare (basically a large meatball made with veal mince) with potato purée and lingonberries.

He confirmed it was really good, and I know what to order next time. As we finished our lunch the storm had passed and the sun came out, so we did get that glorious sunny day after all. So we went for a walk and in search of ice cream!

Apart from being a good place to shelter from thunder storms I could see myself sitting on the deck here drinking rosé and overlooking the beach on a balmy summer’s evening. Let’s make a plan for that next year!

Strandtugg, Östersjövägen 79, 236 36 Höllviken, Sweden

Recipe: whole grilled turbot with olive oil, lemon and butter

Published on September 24, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

I spent almost a whole week in Norfolk with my boyfriend’s family at the end of August. We had gorgeous weather (hello heatwave!) and such a lovely time.

And it must have been the nice weather and the proximity to the sea that inspired one of his sisters to barbecue a whole fish. And not just any fish, but a large (huge!) turbot! It was a nice size for the amount of people to feed but it did look ridiculous on the little coal barbecue we insisted on using.

Despite the poor optics it actually worked really well grilling the big fish and the actual cooking time was only approx 30 minutes. The hardest part was turning it over and making a secure tin foil parcel that size to hold all the butter!

I do hope we can inspire you to try new (and perhaps a little crazy) things! And I think any white fish would work well with this treatment; I mean lemon, olive oil and butter are pretty universal when it comes to fish – just adjust the cooking time.

Whole grilled turbot with olive oil, lemon and butter, serves 8

1 whole turbot, gutted (not sure how much it weighed but as you can see it was big!)

100-200 ml olive oil

salt, pepper

1 lemon, juice only

250 g butter

To serve:

chopped parsley

Rub or brush both sides of the fish with plenty of olive oil so it won’t stick to the barbecue. Season well on both sides. Grill each side for about 5 minutes then remove from the barbecue. Make a large foil packet to hold the fish and add plenty of dollops of butter on each side of the fish. Squeeze plenty of lemon juice on both sides as well and season well (again! – a large fish needs plenty of seasoning). Close the foil package and put it on the barbecue and cover with a lid. Cook for approx 20 minutes (until the fish is flaky and comes off the bone). Scatter with chopped parsley.

Nights in, book club and a few days in Norfolk!

Published on September 18, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

The fourth week in August was a nice mix of evenings in and out, fun with the girls and a some lovely days by the seaside.

Monday was a regular work day and in the evening I had a nice night in. I made a batch of tomato sauce (to stock the freezer with) and used some of it to make tortilla pizzas for supper. It’s so easy to make, and still I sort of forgot about them for a few years. But they’re now back in my rotation and a much nicer alternative to store-bought pizzas that I try to eat less of.

My entertainment that evening consisted of a few episodes of Elementary before going to bed early.

The next day was very similar with work as usual and a night with Elementary.

On the Wednesday night the book club girls came round for some nibbles, drinks and book chat on the roof terrace while it was still summer and we had such a lovely evening!

The following day I went down to the New Forest for work and met up with some friends back in London in the evening.

We didn’t really have a plan but ended up at The Railhouse Café near Victoria where they could squeeze us in.

On the Friday afternoon I found myself on a train once again; this time on my way to Norfolk for a few days by the seaside. On arrival all of us (my boyfriend’s family and I) had a lovely dinner outside in the garden.

The following day we went fruit picking with the children, followed by some time on the playground and of course an ice cream as the weather was lovely. We had such a lovely day and a lovely evening too, with a quick appearance at a drinks party followed by dinner out.

I had some local Norfolk oysters followed by the lobster Thermidor. Love being by the seaside eating seafood!

Sunday the weather was amazing so we all went to the beach. We sunbathed, went swimming, made sand castles and had a picnic. Such a lovely day!

On the way home we stopped by a really cute little private railway, only open to the public a few times a year, and had a little ride on it. So lovely for children and adults alike!

In the evening two of us made dinner and put a whole turbot on the barbecue. It might look ridiculous but it worked out really well! Yum!

Recipe: nutella semifreddo

Published on September 17, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

When I go to Sweden in the summer and for Christmas it’s quite hectic socially as I try to fit in friends and family. And as we all like to socialise around food there’s is also a lot of eating; both at home, at friends’ houses and out at restaurants.

At one lovely lunch this summer my best friend Emma had made this delicious semifreddo for pudding, and as the Nutella (and anything hazelnutty) aficionado that I am, I immediately asked for the recipe. And although this is a frozen dessert, it’s by no means reserved for summer – ice creams, semifreddo and parfait can be enjoyed year round!

Nutella semifreddo, serves 10

2 store-bought meringue bases

4 egg yolks

4 egg whites

2 tbsp caster sugar

500 ml double or whipping cream

400g lukewarm nutella

Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Add the whites and half of the sugar (1 tbsp) to a bowl and beat until stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar (1 tbsp) until pale and fluffy. Finally beat the cream in a third bowl until small peaks.

Place the first meringue base in a springform (ø20-25 cm) and crush the other. Fold the egg yolk and egg white mixtures into the cream and add the crushed meringue. Drizzle in the lukewarm (to make it easier to pour – if too set microwave for a few second until runny) nutella. Pour the cream mixture into the springform, cover with cling and freeze for at least 4-5 hours, but preferably overnight, before serving.

Recipe: barbecue chicken

Published on September 12, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

At times I get the most peculiar cravings. I guess it ties in with my way of eating; regardless of what it is I eat for pleasure, not just fuel. And most of the time my cravings are a combination of things my body needs and my favourite foods. Typical cravings are usually something with avocado, anything with burrata and sometimes proper comfort food. Often cheese of some kind, and sometimes fish.

One beautiful summer’s day in Norfolk my body screamed for barbecued chicken. The sticky, charred kind. Maybe I needed protein but whenever I crave something fairly healthy I always try to give my body what it wants.

As we were in Norfolk and had access to a barbecue it was also much easier to make this happen, than if we’d been in London, so I went all in. I threw together a homemade barbecue sauce and marinated the whole spatchcocked chicken in it for a few hours and then got my darling boyfriend to light the barbecue. The coal one, thank you very much, not the gas barbecue!

And apart from the sugars in the marinade burning too quickly it was a great success. We both thoroughly enjoyed the charred and tender chicken, both that night and the leftovers two days later.

But, this almost too charred chicken was not photogenic, and I was also slightly worried about the carcinogenic properties of all that burnt sugar. And decided to perfect the recipe (and reduce the charring) the next time.

And that next time arose a few weeks later in Sweden when my boyfriend was over and we were having dinner with my parents. My foodie family was just as excited about the chicken as I was and my boyfriend loved it last time, so it worked out really well! The trick is to add the barbecue sauce towards the end so it doesn’t burn too much; just that right amount that makes it taste to good!

Barbecue chicken, serves 4 + leftovers

2 smaller (just over a kilo each) whole fresh chickens

salt and pepper

1 tbsp neutral oil

Barbecue sauce:

150 ml ketchup

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tbsp brown sugar (or any sugar if you prefer but brown works best)

1 tsp smoked paprika powder

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp neutral oil

salt, pepper

Rinse and trim the chickens. (I usually cut away any loose skin and fat, the ends of the wings that is just bone etc.) Then spatchcock the chickens (instructions here) so they cook quicker and more evenly. Season with plenty of salt and pepper all around and brush with oil.

Build up the coal barbecue so that you have the coal and briquettes all on one side of the barbecue, where you have a higher temperature, as opposed to the empty side which still emanates heat but isn’t as hot.

Start off by browning the chickens all around on the direct heat (on top of the coals), for approx 5-10 minutes. Then move them to the indirect heat (empty side) and place them bony side down. Put the lid on and grill for another 15-20 minutes, turning as you go. Brush on a thick layer of barbecue sauce all around the chicken and char the meaty side first (as this is most important to get right) until just enough charring, then turn over and char the other side. The chickens should be ready after another 10 minutes on the grill, but cut through the meat (both the thickest part of the breast and in a joint) to make sure the juices are all clear. Remove from the grill and cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into smaller pieces (our almost fell apart so this was easy) and tuck in!