scandelights – Page 36

A very foodie week…

Published on February 13, 2018February 13, 2018 by HannaLeave a comment

This week I’ve eaten very well. On Tuesday I had takeaway pizza with parma ham and rocket and the next day nibbles and wine with colleagues at the old favourite Terroirs.

On Thursday I had a nice catch up with a friend in Soho at this lovely Mexican place I will do a write up on later. And on Friday I got treated to a lunch out (a very rare occurrence) at lovely Dishoom.

Saturday I had lunch at a lovely fish restaurant with my friend Helen while her fiancé (the head chef) cooked for us (the scallops on the picture amongst other things)! So delicious! In the evening I saw a very moving and thoroughly amazing play in Dalston. It was only one performance, but it was so good I hope it gets put on again and then you all have to go and see it.

Sunday was nice and quiet and spent in a nice pub with Sunday roast, a glass of wine and the rugby. Now it’s a new week and I have friends coming to visit from Sweden – yay!

Recipe: Shakshuka with yoghurt and feta

Published on February 6, 2018February 6, 2018 by Hanna1 Comment

At the brunch in December I introduced my friends to shakshuka, which they all loved. It’s such a great brunch dish if there is several of you as you can make the tomato sauce ahead and then cooked the eggs in the oven. If I make a smaller portion for lunch or dinner I cook it in a frying pan on the hob and cover the pan with a lid, as it’s quicker than heating up the oven.

My version of shakshuka has the usual base of peppers, onions and tomatoes as well as tinned tomatoes to make it saucy. After baking the eggs in the oven I add the toppings; Greek yoghurt, crumbled feta and chilli flakes. If I made this just for myself I would have added some Tabasco as well, but here I left it on the side so everyone could help themselves if they wanted more of a kick.

Bacon isn’t really necessary with this egg dish, but it works so well at brunch (and with the mushroom omelette) I thought it was a nice addition.

Scandelight’s shakshuka, serves 4-6

1 shallots, chopped

1 small garlic clove, chopped

2 bell peppers (of any colour), chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 large tin (400 g) tinned chopped tomatoes

30 ml water

salt, black pepper

a pinch of sugar

6 medium eggs

200 ml full-fat Greek yoghurt

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 lemon

chilli flakes

1/2 packet feta

Pour a little oil in a large frying pan or saucepan. Fry the garlic and onions until golden (not brown). Remove from the pan. Fry the peppers until soft and add the fresh tomatoes. Add the garlic and onions and stir on medium heat until nice and soft. Add the tinned tomatoes and water and stir occasionally. Season to taste with plenty of salt, black pepper and sugar if needed. Let the mixture thicken.

If using a frying pan, make six “holes” in the mixture and crack an egg in each. Cover with a lid and cook until the whites are set.

If using an oven, transfer the tomato mixture to an oven-proof dish and pre-heat the oven to 180C. Make “holes” in the tomato mixture and crack an egg in each hole. Bake until the whites are set.

In the meantime, mix yoghurt with salt, pepper, lemon juice to taste and olive oil.

When the eggs are cooked, remove from the hob or oven and add dollops of yoghurt to the pan/dish. Sprinkle with crumbled feta and chilli flakes. Serve with some nice bread.

Trying something new…

Published on February 5, 2018February 6, 2018 by HannaLeave a comment

At the moment I’m feeling a little bit overwhelmed by life in general. My weekends are booking up so fasssst I feel I’ve lost control over my diary and that this year will be over before I know it! So, to maybe gain some control over at least the blog, I want to take some time to update it on a more regular basis and to do that in an easier way, I will mix recipes and restaurant reviews with posts about my every day life.

I love cooking as much as before, but when life is hectic I don’t always allow myself to take the time to cook something exciting for dinner, instead I fall back on some of my tried and tested recipes that I know are quick and satisfying. So boring, I know, but right now that works for me.

The days when I have time to cook for friends or experiment in the kitchen I cherish it, but I don’t want to feel like I have to cook just to fill this blog (well there is a back log of recipes coming your way so don’t fear!), instead I need something that’s easy to write about every week.

It will be a mixture of what I do (and eat!), want to cook if I have the time etc. A little bit more personal but also (a lot) more regular.

This week for example, I had a yuzu mojito (yum!), chicken bao and ramen at Shoryu, and although lovely, and such a nice catch-up with my friend Laura, I still prefer Bone Daddies for ramen. So it’s pretty exciting news that they’ve opened a branch near Victoria!

It’s in fact next door to Rail House Café where I had an impromptu brunch (eggs benedict, chips and prosecco) on Saturday. This new development by Victoria is so convenient for me, I often meet up with friends there. It’s usually busy, but not so busy that you always have to book in advance, which is great for those impromptu get-togethers.

See you next week!

PS. For more behind the scenes, check out my Instagram.

Recipe: chocolate cake with white chocolate truffle

Published on January 31, 2018 by HannaLeave a comment

The last couple of years I’ve had a standing brunch around Christmas time for some of my Swedish friends and their families. As their brood is getting bigger brunch seemed like the ideal concept; there is something for everyone and you don’t have to sit down to eat at the same time.

Sadly, this brunch in December will probably have to be the last one as there’s now too many of us and apart from cooking for a large amount of people there is quite a lot of furniture carrying required to make it happen. But we’ll see, maybe I can work out a way to make it easier… Any ideas welcome!

The concept has been more or less the same every year; people arrive at midday, and I provide both savoury (always eggs, bacon, different types of bread with toppings such as cheeses, jams, paté, ham etc. – we love our open-faced sandwiches in Sweden as you know) and sweet (usually two types of cake) dishes, and we eat and chat and eat and chat and play with the children.

This year I substituted the usual brunch eggs with my take on shakshuka (recipe to follow) and mum made an large omelette with creamed mushrooms on top as well.

Although people always love the savoury element I seem to have gathered a group of friends with very sweet teeth so I always try my best to come up with something super yummy on the sweet side.

This year I was quite pleased with my efforts of serving madeleines (best recipe ever!) straight from the oven and just lightly dusted with icing sugar. And although people liked them, this chocolate cake was the star of the show: chocolate cake with pieces of white chocolate dispersed like little surprises, covered with a white chocolate truffle and colourful smarties (although you can of course decorate it however you like). The texture is quite dense and chewy (in a good way – just don’t expect a fluffy cake) and rather filling, so one cake could probably feed 10-12 people, but as my friends love sweets I thought it safer to count 8-10 people per cake.

It’s (sadly) not my own concoction at all, but I know I can always trust fabulous Annika and her reliable recipes.

Chocolate cake with white chocolate truffle, serves 8-10

Translated from and adapted after Annika’s recipe.

The cake itself (without the truffle) freezes well and can be made ahead of time. Defrost slowly and add the truffle and decorations a few hours before serving so it has time to set.

2 eggs

240 g golden caster sugar

2 tbsp vanilla sugar or 4 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

100 g melted butter

4 tbsp cocoa

90 g plain flour

100 g white chocolate, broken into 1 cm large pieces

Truffle:

150 g white chocolate

50 ml double cream

Pre-heat the oven to 175 C. Line the bottom of a springform with parchment paper. Grease the paper and the edges of the tin.

Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt until pale and fluffy. Stir in the melted butter. Sieve cocoa and flour and fold into the batter. Pour the butter into the tin and press down the chocolate pieces.

Bake in a low oven for 35 minutes. Leave to cool and cover the tin and let it set overnight.

Truffle:

Heat up the cream in a saucepan. Break the chocolate into pieces and add to the warm cream. Mix slowly until smooth. Leave to set, then spread it onto the cake. Keep in the fridge until just before serving. Decorate with smarties or other sweets, sprinkles, chopped nuts etc. Serve with lightly whipped cream.

Recipe: The easiest Pavlova!

Published on December 12, 2017December 12, 2017 by HannaLeave a comment

December is pretty stressful for all of us, so when I can simplify things I try to do just that. I write my Christmas cards in advance, do most my Christmas gift shopping online etc.

The same applied when I after a party weekend away for my dear colleague wanted to bake some cakes for her actual birthday in the office. In my head I wanted to do this lovely chocolate Pavlova, but when I came home tired after a great party and having had to deal with snow (!) in London, I lowered the bar somewhat.

And I’m so glad I did. Sometimes less really is more and all my colleagues loved this cake. I topped it with Maltesters but throw on whatever chocolate, fruit or berries you like.

Pavlova, serves 8

4 egg whites

220 g caster sugar

Topping:

450 ml whipping cream

1 bag of Maltesers

cocoa for dusting

Pre-heat the oven to 150C.

Beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the sugar a little at the time while beating. Once added beat until stiff peaks form and you have a glossy firm meringue (you should be able to hold the bowl upside down wihout the meringue moving).

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Using a spatula, pour the meringue out onto the parchment paper and shape it into an even circle.

Bake for 60 minutes. Then turn off the oven and leave the oven door ajar until the oven has cooled down. Leave to cool completely.

Turn the cake upside down onto a cake plate and remove the parchment paper. Lightly whip the cream and spread on top of the meringue. Top with Maltesers and dust with cocoa. Serve immediately.

Recipe: weeknight fish tacos

Published on November 24, 2017November 24, 2017 by HannaLeave a comment

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As much as I sometimes like to make an elaborate all-from-scratch meal on weeknights I am often tired and temped to reach for my phone and Deliveroo. But, most of the time I manage to resist because I can come up with a quick and lovely meal that takes only minutes to cook but gives as much satisfaction as a takeaway.

These fish tacos definitely belongs in that category, and although you can bread your own fish it’s not that much better than the good ones you find at M&S or Waitrose, so I take the easy way and buy it. And since I love these tacos so much, I always buy more breaded lemon sole goujons than I need so I can put some in the freezer for the next time the laziness (or craving) hits.

So, when the fish is cooking in the oven, all you have to do is cut some vegetables (out of the suggestions below I find avocado, lettuce and spring onions most pertinent – although my supermarket was out of spring onions when I took the photos – the rest are nice if you have them to hand already but no need to pop to the supermarket to get them) and mix the spicy mayo, which literally takes minutes, and once the fish is cooked, you just assemble and tuck in.

Plus it’s ready before your takeaway would even arrive, which is quite important for us hangry people.

ft3

Weeknight fish tacos, serves 2

4 soft corn or flour tortillas

6-8 store-bought lemon sole goujons

1 little gem

1 avocado

a handful of cherry tomatoes

1/4 cucumber

1/2 lime

spring onions

coriander

100 ml Hellmann’s mayo

2-3 tsp Gochujang paste (or if you prefer a smokier flavour; chipotle paste)

Pre-heat the oven to 180-200C. Line an ovenproof dish with parchment paper and place the fish on it. Place in the hot oven for approx 15 minutes until cooked through and crisp.

Mix mayonnaise and Gochujang paste together in a bowl and set aside.

Cut the vegetables into chunks. Slice the spring onions and chop the coriander. When the fish is ready, take it out of the oven and tear the goujons into chunks. Heat up the tortilla breads in the oven for 30 seconds and start the assembly. I prefer to start with some spicy mayo spread onto the tortilla, then fish, more mayo, vegetables and last the spring onions and coriander. Finish with a squeeze of lime and some salt and dig in.

PS. Since I have a sensitive stomach I’ve only listed the vegetables I use myself, but Rosie’s fish tacos with cabbage looks just as scrummy!

Recipe: cheese toastie with Maroilles

Published on November 22, 2017November 22, 2017 by HannaLeave a comment

I don’t know if it was because I’d just seen Nigella make a brie, parma ham and fig toastie on her latest TV show or just the fact that I am perpetually in the mood for a cheese toastie, but as it happens two weekends ago, I knew just how I would use the Maroilles cheese a French colleague had given me the same week. In return he got a nice piece of Swedish Herrgård cheese, matured for 18 months. But back to the Maroilles.

When talking to French people, food as a conversation topic is never far away. And that’s how I found out that this Maroilles cheese, from the area of Picardy, is both delicious and probably the smelliest cheese in the world. To me that’s more intriguing than off-putting and I was super excited when I tried it. Similar to Reblochon, it’s a washed rind cheese with a lot of flavour, but it’s much creamier, and dare I say, delicious.

This cheese toastie is utterly simple to make, but very rewarding when you bite into the crisp bread with melted cheese oozing out on the sides.

Maroilles cheese toastie, per toastie

2 slices Poilâne bread

salted butter

2 thick slices of Maroilles cheese

Butter the two Poilane slices on one side. Place the cheese on one of the buttered surfaces and spread them it out so it covers the whole bread slice. Place the other slice of bread on top, buttered side down (i.e. touching the cheese). Press the sandwich together.

Now, melt a generous knob of butter in a frying pan on medium-high heat (3-4 out of 6) and place the sandwich in the pan. You don’t want the butter to burn so if unsure lower the heat. You want the sandwich to be golden on both sides and the cheese to melt inside so it takes a few minutes on each side.

Fry until golden brown on one side, pressing down with a spatula. Turn the sandwich and fry the other side. Once crisp and golden and the cheese has started to ooze out on the sides remove from pan and place on kitchen roll to remove excess butter. Pat the top of the sandwich with kitchen roll too, then cut into half and serve. Yu-um.

PS. This is what I love the most about food; it brings people together. My colleague thought the Herrgård was a nice addition to his cheese board, with otherwise only French cheeses I presume, and I got to try a cheese I had never heard of until he boasted about the best produce from his region in France. Merci!

Gotland: Sylvis döttrar café on Fårö

Published on November 8, 2017 by HannaLeave a comment

A real ‘must’ when visiting Fårö, the little island just north of Gotland, is a fika (coffee and cake) at Sylvis döttrar, a bakery and café on the island. My friends mentioned it like an institution; it must have been around for years, so we made sure to visit in the afternoon.

The place was very popular with a long queue of tourists waiting to buy their baked goods, but we were not all that impressed.

Both mother and I are keen bakers and we all found the cakes a little basic. And some slightly dry. I got a sense that the café was past its prime, living on its reputation from years ago.

A real shame, when so many people come here for fika all summer long.

Sylvis döttrar, Fårö Bukleks 1526, 624 67 Fårö, Sweden

Gotland: north, east and Fårö

Published on October 17, 2017October 17, 2017 by HannaLeave a comment

Our first full day on Gotland we wanted to discover as much as possible and decided to head north and east (the next day we went south and west) and our first stop was the Lummelunda Cave, one of Scandinavia’s biggest caves.

It’s pretty touristy, but well worth a visit as it’s both pretty cool to see, but it’s also interesting to hear how the cave was discovered. I remember visiting when I was four years old, and although it was probably more amazing experiencing the cave as a child it was still nice to come back as an adult and experience it in a different way.

After the cave experience we took the car ferry to Fårö where the nature is absolutely amazing. The island is barren and stony, but also eerie and pretty. And there’s sheep (and sheep huts) almost everywhere (Fårö translates as Sheep Island).

We found the most amazing café here, just by following a sign I thought looked promising, that I would recommend everyone to visit, but we also stopped for fika at the famous and more traditional Sylvis Döttrar bakery. Reviews to follow.

After that we drove back to Gotland and headed east to Furillen, a former limestone quarry that’s extremely beautiful. The restaurant was closed unfortunately, but it was worth stopping here for the nature alone.

We covered quite a lot of the island just driving around (and stopping when we saw a good photo opportunity).

Although Gotland is small there are things to see and do (and eat!) just about everywhere, so it’s good to be selective. The Gotland Guide from the ferry over is great to use and we kept one in the car the whole time.

Recipe: creamy apple and dill sauce for fish

Published on October 11, 2017 by Hanna1 Comment

The type of cooking I love the most is when you have a few simple ingredients that you add the together, and the result is so much more than the some of its parts. It’s like magic, really!

This excites me to no end and I love sharing those recipes with you readers.

The recipe below may sound simple, and it so is – if it didn’t involve a knife anyone could do it blindfolded – but the reward is grand. It’s the perfect recipe to remember for those light summer lunches in the summer when you’d rather sip rosé with your friends than cook (see evidence below).

Creamy apple and dill sauce for fish, serves 4

150 ml creme fraiche

2 tbsp Hellman’s mayonnise

3 apples, cut into small cubes

plenty of chopped dill

salt and ground white pepper

Mix creme fraiche and mayonnaise, then add the apple cubes and dill. Stir together and season to taste. Serve with fish.