Kärleksmums

Some while ago, Salmi made "something sweet for the week-end". I liked it very much and I decided to try it as well. I wasn't disappointed!
In the magazine she found the recipe, the cake was called "MUMS med lyxtopp", but after my Swedish boyfriend saw it, he said: "But this is kärleksmums!" Translated as "Yummy love bites"
Here you can find the original recipe posted by Salmi on her blog.

I used:
- for the dough:
225 gr butter
3 eggs
4dl granulated sugar
6dl all purpose flower
1/2 dl cocoa
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
2dl milk
- for the topping:
100gr melted butter
5dl powder sugar
1/2 dl cocoa
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
2 1/2 tbsp strong coffee

For the dough, I mixed together the flower, cocoa, vanilla sugar and the baking powder.



I melted the butter in a saucepan and let it cool off. I beaten the eggs with the granulated sugar, until they became white and fluffy.



Over the mix of dry ingredients I added, alternatively, the melted butter, the eggs and the milk.



Pour the mixture into a pre-buttered pan.



Set the oven on 200 Celsius degrees and bake it for around 20-25 minutes. Feel free to use the toothpick test! Let it cool off.



With the topping it went extremely easy: just mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.





Pour the topping over the dough and cut it into small pieces.





It can be ornated with any kind of small bonbons, coconut flakes, small flakes of white chocolate.



It is a very easy to make delicious cake, and you can find it all around Sweden in different cake-shops!

Scallops with butter sauce on a bed of spinach

I am a huge fan of "Hell's Kitchen". I think I have seen all the seasons so far. And if they have one thing in common, that's the scallops recipe. I have never tasted scallops before, but I've seen them in the stores, so that is why I decided to buy and cook some!

I used:
- 250gr scallops
- 2 garlic cloves
- baby spinach leaves
- 80gr salted butter
- parsley
- juice from half a lemon



I defrosted the scallops and dried them off with a piece of cloth to absorb the water. I melted the butter in a pan with veeery little oil. I added the scallops and fried them on medium fire, 2-3 minutes on each side.



Add the garlic cut in small flakes, the chopped parsley and the lemon juice, and let them stay there for another 1-2 minutes, but not more.



Take out the scallops from the pan and add the baby spinach leaves. Cook them for 2-3 minutes or until they become soft.



On a plate I put the spinach, added the scallops on top and poured the sauce.



They are extremely tender, with a sweet and sour taste. They're worth a try!

Blueberry Crumble

I wasn't a huge fan of crumble tarts until I came to Sweden, because in Romania we don't usually do the tarts this way. But I tasted it here and I fell in love with it! I've been given the recipe, and I was absolutely stunned by how little time it takes to make it :)
The original recipe comes from England and for the filling we can use almost any type of fruits: apples, peaches, plums, blackberries, blueberries etc.

I used:
-for the crumble:
2-3 tsp vanilla sugar
3 tbs white sugar
2 tbs brown sugar
150gr butter
75gr almonds
100g oatmeal flakes
350gr flower
-for the filling:
2 tbs flower
2 tbs brown sugar
250-300 gr blueberries



To make the crumble, put in a large bowl and mix together the brown sugar, flower, white sugar, vanilla sugar, oatmeal flakes and almonds.



Add the butter, room temperature and cut in small cubes. Mix it all together and don't worry if chunks of butter still remain, they will melt in the oven.





In another bowl I put the blueberries with the brown sugar and the flower and mixed them.



Put the blueberries in a tart form.



Sprinkle the crumble on top.



Put it in the oven, 200 Celsius degrees for around 25-30 minutes.



Serve with vanilla icecream or vanilla cream mousse. It's wonderfully delicious!

Smörgåstårtor - Cheesecake with Salmon

Smörgåstårta means in Swedish basically "sandwich cake" and it is a very popular dish in both Sweden and Finland. As Wikipedia very nicely explains, the smörgåstårta is normally made up of several layers of white bread with creamy fillings in between. The fillings and toppings vary, but egg and mayonnaise are often the base, typically accompanied by any combination of liver paté, olives, prawns, ham, caviar and smoked salmon.



For my first smörgåstårta I chose to do a simple one, made out of one layer only.

I used:
- for the bread layer: 300gr rye bread crumbles and 75gr butter
- for the filling: - 400gr Philadelphia cheese
- 200gr creme fraiche
- 250gr smoked salmon
- 2 medium onions
- chopped dill
- for the upper layer: - 150g red caviar
- lemon slices and dill



I didn't have ready made bread crumbles, so I chopped the margins of normal bread and "worked" it in the kitchen robot :)





I melted the butter and added it to the bread crumbles. Then I put a layer of bread into the cake form and pressed it with the fingers so that it forms the bottom of the cheesecake.



Remove the skin from the salmon and cut it in small little cubes. Cut also the onions and chopp the dill.



I mixed the Philadelphia cheese with the creme fraiche and then added to the mixture the salmon, dill and onions. Check for salt and pepper if needed.



I pourred the whole composition over the bread layer.



On top I added a thin layer of red caviar.



It needs to be put in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours before serving. I recommend though to leave it one full day, and it it the next. The difference in taste is significant!

Pea and Pesto Soup

I don't think there is a soup out there that requires less ingredients and less time than this one. It is a Nigella Express recipe again, that I initially saw on TV. It's that episode when she talks to the peas saying: "my babies, prepare to meet your maker!" :)

I used:

- 600g frozen peas
- 50g pesto
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 2 scallions
- 0.7l water



I brought the water to boil. When it starts boiling, add the peas, scallions, lime juice and salt and let everything bubble for 7 minutes.



Pour everything in the blender, including the water, and add the pesto. Mix all together and it's done!



It is very creamy, sweet-sour and incredibly filling!