Fat Tuesday In Sweden...Shrove Tuesday.. CHERRY-Almond Cobbler

Fat Tuesday 21.02.2012

It is that time of year again in Sweden. The impeccable delicacy called Semlor. A cardamon spiced bread bun filled with almond paste and topped with heaps and heaps of glorious whipped cream. Complete with a little top hat and topped off with a good sprinkling of icing sugar. The Swede's sure know how to please a former fat girl...Fettisdagen as it is know here is an excuse to get all fattened up before the season of Lent.
I know it as Shrove Tuesday also known as pancake day. It is a the day preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. I wanted to try something a little different this year, and make a tribute to the flavors of Swedish Semlor by using David Lebovitz's fab recipe for Cherry-Almond Cobbler. Cream, almond paste, flour and just down right goodness. I hope you approve.
I am not to certain why Sweden makes such a big deal about religious holidays. Much of the Swedish  population are secular and have little association to any form of religion or the beliefs in higher powers. I have learned to accept their roll in historical days, but it is quite bizarre to witness.

The Goat is my biggest critic. The Goat as a few of my regulars know. Is my veg head goatee sporting husband and Semlor lover of the highest degree . He has rated this recipe the best thing he has EVER put in his mouth and quite frankly I would have to agree.

Cherry-Almond Cobbler  Ready for desserts David Lebovitz Ten Speed Press

Makes 6-8 servings

Frozen turned out fantastic. still crunchy and sweet

Filling:
6 cups(21/4 pounds/ 1 kg) sweet cherries  fresh or frozen but pits removed
2 tablespoons(30 grams) sugar
Juice of ½ lemon

Almond paste

Topping:
1 cup (140 grams) all- purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
7 ounces (200 grams) almond paste, crumbled
1/3 cup (65 grams) sugar
½ cup ( 4 ounces/115 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
½ teaspoon of vanilla or ALMOND EXTRACT
½ cup (125 ml) whole milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or 175 degrees C.

Mixing the sugar and the almond paste together to form little bits

To make the filling, in a shallow 2 quart, 2 liter baking dish, toss the pitted cherries with the two tablespoons 30 grams of sugar and the lemon juice.

To make the topping, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder; and salt.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the almond paste and the 1/3 cup (65 grams)

sugar on medium speed until the almond paste is broken up into fine pieces.

The finished smooth batter

Beat in the butter, then the egg and vanilla or almond extract. Add half the flour mixture, followed by the milk, then the remaining flour mixture, mixing just until combined.

Spoon over and ready for the oven

Spoon the batter evenly over the cherries in the baking dish. Bake until the topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the topping comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Thank you Almond paste for being so darn amazing...

Serving:
Serve cobbler warm or at room temperature with whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream, and a small sprinkling of icing sugar to give it a little extra pizzazz. Store left overs in the refrigerator and re-heat to serve again. This is the best cobbler I have ever had in my mouth!!

Variations: Try MANGO AND BLACKBERRY make filling with 5 pounds (2.5 kg) mangoes peeled, pitted, and cubed, 2½ cups (12 ounces/340 grams) blackberries, 2 tablespoons (30 grams ) packed light brown sugar,½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and the juice of one lemon. To make MIXED BERRY substitute  6 cups ( about 1 3/4 pounds/795 grams) mixed berries for the cherries. For APRICOT AND CHERRY. substitute 1 pound (450 grams) apricots, pitted and cut into eights, for the half of the cherries. The sky is the limit!

Have a day of indulging on Tuesday no matter where you are. See you again soon on It's all about the food.

Ostkaka.. What?? Cheese cake.. Yes, that's right.. Just like someone's grandma

Simply delicious and well worth the try

Everyone technically has a grandparent. Some of us are blessed with a grandparent who spoils them rotten with love and affection, and a plate of cookies here and there. I am sure if I had grown up here in Sweden. My farmer living grandparents would of had this on their kitchen table a few times. Swedish Ostkaka is a comfort food. It's soft creamy texture with a nibble of ground almonds. You sure can feel the love in this dish.
The locals serve this lukewarm with a dollop of heavy cream jam, frozen berries, fresh fruit,syrup or with your favorite poached fruit.
It is as easy as 1-2-3. and this would be a great recipe for someone needing an extra hug today. Please feel free to mix up your choices of soft cheese. If you have availability to quark use that as well. I couldn't get my hands on any at my local store, so I opted for Philadelphia cream cheese and marscapone. All very related in the soft cheese family.

Ingredients:
500 grams of quark or any other fresh soft cheese such as Philadelphia,marscapone
50 grams of almond meal or 50 grams of grated sweet almonds
*NOTE: If you choose to leave the skins on you will have a much more intense almond flavor. Here is a link to how to remove the skins.http://moroccanfood.about.com/od/tipsandtechniques/ss/peel_fry_almond_2.htm
3-4 eggs
50 grams all purpose flour
300 ml full fat milk
100 grams sugar 

soft cheese at it's finest

Directions:

1. Heat your oven to 175 degrees C or 340 degrees F

ground almonds. 

2.Mash up your soft cream cheese in a bowl and set aside.

Adding the mashed soft cheese with the egg mixture

3.Grate your almonds or using already prepared almond meal measure out and set aside.

Well mixed and curd like ready to pour and bake

A long pan is perfect for this.

Pour into prepared pan and set in oven to bake

4. In your stand mixer or hand held Add your eggs and sugar and  milk.Mix until all is incorporated and you get an creamy lumpy mix(see above photo.). Add in your flour, ground almonds.Add your soft cheese and blend until you get soft curd like mixture.

Cooled and ready to serve. So good!

Swedish style. Nothing wrong with a little comfort

5. Butter a oven loaf pan that can hold at least 1½ liters or divide into two loaf pans. Pour into your prepared pan/pans and set in the oven and let bake for around one hour. it should be slightly golden brown and a little giggly, but firm to the touch.


It will fall slightly after you remove it from the oven to cool. Let sit to set until warm and serve. Be creative and add whatever toppings you and your guests will enjoy. I could eat this for evening meal. Many Swedes have this in their mid day FIKA which is like a coffee break with some sort of baked goods and good conversation. Please give this a try. I was patiently surprised by how darn delicious this is. Simple yet so delicious on my palate.

* I want to thank my dear friend Doris in Austria, for kindly pointing out I missed a few details. Thank you for being my saving Grace. I hope it is all ok now. Nicole

INTRODUCING::: Dill and cheese bacon potato Cornbread

sweet, savory, chewy,moist and delicious

I am a lover of all things bread. I just can not help myself. It is my favorite " go to" food at anytime of the day. The weather just opened up over Sweden and dumped our first real snow fall of the season. Lilla A is waiting ever so patiently to get out to the sledding hill with his best buddy his pappa. I am going to stay indoors and whip us up a pot of soup and add a little lover to the mix with my dill potato, bacon and cheese corn bread. 


This recipe is ever so veritable. With or without the bacon or the potato. Mix it up and make it as you desire. I add the bacon to give me a full meal and if I am serving with a large buffet meal. I keep it pretty simple and minus the potato and bacon. It is a good little lover, and it never disappoints! 


ingredients:


3-5 medium 350 grams cooked Cherie potatoes(waxy potatoes works best here)
125 grams corn flour
140 grams 6-8 slices- bacon chopped and fried to a slight crisp
60 grams sugar
400 grams white flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 medium shallots minced
225 grams unsalted butter/salted can be used, but don't add the 1 teaspoon as marked above
440ml full fat milk
400 grams of any hard cheese good melting like cheddar.
35 grams or about 3/4 cup of chopped fresh or frozen dill
3 large eggs lightly beaten


Directions:

organically grown and local produce is always the best 

boiled, cooled, peeled and sliced

• Measure out your flours
• set white flour in the fridge and let cool at least one hour as you prepare the rest of the ingredients (helps to keep the bread fluffy and not so dense)
• Scrub your potatoes and leaving the skin on boil in well salted water until cooked. Strain and let cool until you can handle them. Peel  all 3 and slice 2 into slices, and grate one potato and set aside
• Combine the chilled white flour, corn flour, sugar, baking powder, salt in a large bowel and set aside

Using a non-stick frying pan. Fry up your bacon and when it it is cooked to a slight crisp, but not burned. Remove and drain on a couple pieces of paper towels. When cooled. Chop into bite size pieces and set aside. *Reserve 1-2 tablespoons of the bacon fat and add your minced shallots and fry over a low heat until well caramelized, but not burned. Add a little butter to the pan if need be to help fry the shallots.Take off the heat and add to a small bowl to cool.

Adding the cooled butter to the milk/shallots, egg mixture

best to shred potatoes when completely cooled. 

It is important to let the mixture rest for the complete 20 minutes

Ready for the oven

• Add your chopped bacon to the "dry ingredients" and set aside
• melt your butter and add your cooled caramelized shallots  grated potato and add the milk
• lightly beat your 3 eggs and add to the milk,shallot,grated potato and butter mixture
• In a separate large bowel add half your grated cheese, dill and using a wooden spoon add your wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.Blend until just incorporated. Be careful to not over mix and let the mixture sit undisturbed for 20 minutes
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/360 degrees F

Grease a long deep rectangular baking pan and add the mixture to the prepared pan.
Add the sliced potato slices in a unison manner to the top of the mixture and cover with the rest of the cheese bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. 

Light, savory, comforting and oh so me....

Lovely, and so good.

Cool and cut into large squares and serve slightly warm or at room temperature. use as any side dish and store any leftovers in the refrigerator. It is lovely sliced and toasted and served for breakfast for the next day.

The Junk.... That makes burgers go oooooooooooooo....Homemade Ketchup, b.b.q. sauce and the almighty burger sauce.

The spidazzzzzz......

Well this month marks my 1st Blog Birthday. Yeah to me!! It has been so much fun, and a lot of joyous work. I feel at times like I am neglecting It's all about the food. Please know that in my heart if I could I would  love to make my blog  a full time job.BUT... I am the major bread winner on this adventure,and so I will have to keep It's all about the food updated  as frequently  as possible for my loyal followers.

I have to give a shout out to all my visitors.WORLDWIDE!!Without you, I would not have a voice in the world of food blogging, and I thank you all for taking the time to read my blog and taking the time to pass the word around..

Let's talk condiments. Mustard, salad dressing, mayo, chili sauce, hot sauce, hoisin sauce. I can go on for my love of "extras" it seems to  never end... I love the things that make my food go..." Oh, now were talking." Ketchup, burger sauce and b.b.q sauce are the quintessential three amigo's of a good burger.
Of course most grocery chains have heeps of products to choose from, but have you ever made your own? A nice little treat to give your food an extra zing, and I promise your mouth is going to thank you.

Adapted From Liselotte Forslin's new cookbook Junk Food  available only in Swedish http://www.adlibris.com/se/product.aspxisbn=918586143X

Sweet Home Ketchup


2 cans of  whole tomatoes ( 400 grams each)
2 00 grams/ apple cider vinegar¨
2 bay leafs
1 pinch of ground cinnamon(or more to taste) 
2 whole cloves
100 grams/ raw sugar(unrefined sugar) use brown if you must
100 grams tomato paste
2 tablespoons potato starch/corn starch
salt, water


Directions:

apple cider vinegar, tomato paste,potato flour,died bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and raw sugar

1. Open the tined tomatoes and strain the juice from the tomatoes into a bowl. set the juice aside for another use. In a medium heavy bottomed saucepan. Add your apple cider vinegar, bay leafs, cinnamon and cloves, raw sugar and bring to a slow boil. 

slow cooking(I used two cans of crushed tomatoes instead of whole. I used what I had

you can use corn starch if you wish

2. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree and 1 teaspoon of salt. Let the vinegar and tomato mixture come to a simmer with out a lid for at least 45 minutes. Stirring  occasionally to prevent the mixture from burning on the bottom of the pot. After 45 minutes remove the bay leafs and the cloves.

soooooo beautiful!!

3. Using a hand held mixer or a Cuisinart. Puree into a fine sauce. (NOTE: I strained mine and took out all the left over seeds and skins and bits.) Add back to pan(if straining) and turn down heat to low, and add the cold water and potato starch mixture to your tomato mixture and stir until well blended. If it becomes to thick, thin out with some water. Until you get the consistency you desire. Taste, taste, taste is all I can say. I added a few more pinches of both cinnamon and ground cloves as well as some sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper. MMMMM... good!




Holy Smoke of B.B.Q. sauce Swedish Style


gives 200 grams
300 grams ketchup
3 tablespoons dark brown muscovado sugar or brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of spoked paprika powder
2 grated fresh garlic cloves
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1-2 teaspoons hickory liquid smoke for my Swedish readers: http://www.kryddlandet.se/search.aspx?searchterms=liquid+smoke

what I like to add in my burgers. A quick mince in the Cuisinart a few tablespoons of the Smokey B.B.Q. sauce= mmmm 

Directions:
In a small saucepan add all the ingredients and let come to a simmer. Let cook uncovered for 5 minutes, adjust taste if needed. Let cool. Store in the refrigerator. Add a few tablespoons to your favorite hamburger meat mixture and grill. Fantastic spice and taste.


Dressing Chili style
gives 300 grams

if you have these at your availably PLEASE use them!!

Blend 2 tablespoons of Hellman's mayo(if available)* with 200 grams cream fraiche/sour cream, 3 tablespoons of your favorite chili sauce. 1 tablespoon of relish and 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard  and salt to taste. Mix all together and let sit in the fridge for at least one hour before serving. Soooo yummy!!

If you can not find "fresh lovely tomatoes this time of year.. These will do as well.

Happy burger making and if you are ever so fortunate to live in the sun, please go out and grill some burgers tonight. I hope you give these a try. So nice on any type of burger, from full beef, pork, veal, turkey, salmon, ostrich, and veggie. The three amigo's of burger bliss will not disappoint. 

Sollenbronx Bread Scandinavian bread with nuts,seeds and dried fruit

happy holidays....

Homemade bread is the best gift to yourself. It gives you the pleasure of  comfort.  I am so sorry for getting this post out so late, but I am here now and I will not bore you with all my details of cut fingers, work..etc... I want to introduce my readers to some of Sweden's more unusual recipes and I think this one sure has the place of deliciously interesting and fun to make.I adapted this recipe using dried prunes instead of figs/dates and Greek yogurt instead of Swedish traditional Fil milk(sour milk/yogurt).

I found this recipe in my favorite magazine ELLE MAT & VIN Sept-Okt NR 5 2011 ISSUE. Baking with the stars. This is a favorite of Doreen Månsson a t.v. personality on the national t.v. channel SVT.

SOLLENBRONX BREAD

oatmeal 

ground in the mixer to a fine powder

Flaxseed and sunflower seeds 

sifting the flours

dried fruits and nuts at their finest!

Flour Mixture:

700 grams white flour

400 grams oatmeal flour I used organic regular oatmeal ground in a mix master until powder.

200 grams rye flour

1 teaspoon salt

100 grams unsalted sunflower seeds

100 grams flaxseed's

100 grams hazelnuts

100 grams walnuts

100 grams dried apricots

100 grams dried dates or figs( I used dried prunes )

1 liter of Greek Yogurt

Sour  milk blending:

1 liter/ 1000 grams/ of Greek Yogurt

200 grams dark syrup ( I wouldn't use maple as it is too sweet)

1½ teaspoons of baking soda

Adding syrup to yogurt and baking soda

after wet is added to dry and mixed into a stiff dough

Directions:

Mix the sifted flours,dried fruit, seeds,salt and nuts, into a large bowl, and mix the Greek yogurt into a smaller bowl add the syrup and baking soda. Add the yogurt/syrup mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until you get a thick and well combined dough.

I added a sliced pear on top and dusted with flour and a bit of salt

Prepare two loaf pans with a thin layer of butter and press in the dough. Lightly cover the tops of the loafs with a fine dusting of flour and a little salt and a slice pear if you wish. Bake in the lowest level rack position in your oven for 1½ hours at 175 degrees c or 350 degrees F.You can cover the tops of the loafs with a little tin foil if the tops are beginning to get a little dark.

I just love this bread I hope you do to.

After the bread has baked in the oven for 90 minutes. remove the loafs from the pans and carefully wrap the loafs in clean dish towels while very hot( be careful to not burn yourself). Let sit covered in the towel for at LEAST 5 hours.

Happy holidays wherever you are and thank you for making my blog a success. I love each and everyone of you readers. All the best to you and yours in 2012. 

Love,

Nicole  

 

Pork shank with turnip,carrot,potato mash (Fläsklägg med Rotmos)

Dinner for 4 for under ten dollars

Pure food. So simple.So nice

You will all be happy to know that today my new Fuji camera arrives, and hopefully my pictures will be 100% better, and you will want to dive in and start cooking. Fläsklägg in Swedish is translated to pork shank in English. It's the cut between the elbow and the knee of a big juicy piggy. This particular piece of meat needs a little bit of TLC with a long slow cooking process over medium heat and so the meat falls from the bone when you tug at it with a fork.
This meal is by far one of my favorite meals in all categories. The crackling and the sweet lovely chunks of rose colored meat. The added smoothness of the slightly spicy creamy root vegetable mash.This meal is really a hot tub of goodness, that is both easy on the wallet, and easy to prepare. Next time your at the nearest butcher or meat counter ask for some pork shanks and give this a go. Really....magical.

How to Swedish style Pork shanks and root veggie mash:

• 1 kg rinsed pork shank
• 1 carrot
• 1 yellow onion
• 6 whole all spice peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf

It's a beautiful thing.....

For the mash:

• 1 turnip ( ca 400g)
• 3 carrots (ca 400g)
• stock from the pork shank
• 8-10 (ca 800g) good mashing potatoes

salt and white pepper and butter to taste

Just this easy

Add the now rinsed and clean pork shank to a large pot of cold water.Let it cook up on an medium heat until it comes to a slight boil.Peal and chop your onion and carrot and add it to the pot. Also add in your peppercorns and your bay leaf. Turn down the heat to low and and place a lid on top.Let simmer for about 1½- 2 hours or until the meat is ready to fall off the bone. 

When the meat is about ready. Remove it gently from your stock, and discard your cooked vegetables from the stock. Let your pork rest while you prepare your mash.

Root Vegetables. Equals goodness.

Fläsklägg med rotmos.... Comfort food Swedish style

Peal and chop your turnip, carrot and potatoes into roughly the same size pieces to ensure evenly cooking. Add the turnips and carrots  to a large pot and add almost all the stock to the vegetables. Add a little more salt and pepper here if you need too.Cook for around 30  minutes. Add the chopped potatoes and cook for around 15 minutes or until soft. Strain your stock into a large bowl and set aside. Mash your root vegetables with a potato masher and add in a little stock as needed. Add your butter and salt and white pepper to taste. It is just fine to leave in some lumps here.Mash until it is fluffy and seasoned to your taste. Add extra stock if  it seems to dry. 

I like to turn the oven up to 200C -400F and lay my pork leg under the grill to make a nice crackling with the skin. Around 20 minutes, but watch it so it does not burn. Remove from the oven and serve with your favorite French mustard and traditionally Swedes eat this with a big glass of milk. Either way it's a lovely dinner and I hope you give it a try. I hope you will not be disappointed.  

    

For the love of Falafel

Scrumptious 

It is a little late this post. Excuse my absence, but it has been really busy around here lately.Two deaths, one funereal, three colds, and a house full of guests preoccupying my time.At times like these I want scrumptious food something that makes my soul cozy and relaxed. I thought falafel would be just the ticket to give me inner peace.
I am an avid lover of anything middle eastern, and nothing screams middle eastern than a good falafel. I scoured the web looking for a great recipe, and Dedemed Mediterranean Cooking recipes www.dedemed.com did it for me. Easy to follow, and she hosts how to video's and a list of all her own homemade spices and home cooked recipes for any level of cook.

pre-soaked garbanzo beans, and fava white beans

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried garbanzo beans
• 1½ cups dried fava beans
• 1 cup cilantro (coriander leaves)
• ½ cup flat leaf parsley
• 1 large yellow onion 
• 8 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp dried coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 3-4 tbsp. dried bread crumbs (or more to help bind)
• 1 tsp baking soda added before frying
• ½ tsp baking powder added before frying
• Vegetable oil for frying ( I used peanut oil) in a 2-3 inch deep frying pan

Directions:

Blitzed beans in mix master until they look like this

Soak the dried garbanzo and fava beans overnight. Garbanzo beans are also commonly called chickpeas. Use bowls that are large enough to accommodate the swelling beans and cover with enough cool water to allow all the beans enough room to soften. If you notice over the day or before you go to bed that the water level is not sufficient add more water to cover.(If living in Sweden, I used Stora Vita bönor from RISENTA in the health food section of your local grocery store.)

all the herbs,onion and garlic mixed -smells wonderful

fried until golden

yummy, wrapped in Liba bread or pita

After the beans have soaked overnight. In your mix master, add the drained beans and chop and blend the beans in a food processor until the beans are the consistency of a well chopped mix. (See photo above).Put in a large bowl and set aside. Without cleaning your food processing bowl, add your onion, garlic,fresh coriander, and fresh parsley and blend the same way as you did the beans.Add to the mixed beans and set aside. Meanwhile,add your breadcrumbs and all your dried herbs, the cumin,dried coriander,salt, black pepper cayenne pepper if using and mix well.
Taste to see if you would like to add more salt or pepper. Add your baking powder and your baking soda, and let it sit for at least 15 minutes to let it set. Meanwhile turn on your stove to medium-low heat, watch it carefully. Add your oil about 1-2 inches and let it heat up. Take a little pre- made falafel ball or pattie and do a tester. If it starts to fall apart in the oil, then you need to add a little more bread crumbs( about 2 tbsp or some flour to help bind.( This is caused by the amount of moister in the beans.) Re test a ball or pattie, and when they are holding together better; you can continue to add your falafel balls to the oil and continually turn them until they are nice and golden.Transfer to a plate with a couple of pieces of paper towel to help them drain.

Serve warm with your favorite sauce, pita bread, pickled root vegetables, or sliced fresh tomatoes, onions, cucumber and enjoy.