Saturday, January 30, 2010

Ischoklad - Ice chocolate



This is a Christmas candy that has originated from Germany, but it's very popular in Sweden as well. Because it only has two ingredients and is incredibly simple to make,
kids love to participate in the process.
The ice part of the name relates to the feeling that the chocolate melts very easy in the mouth and a cool feeling is present as the heat energy is absorbed.

I used, for 40-50 pieces:

- 200gr chocolate
- 75gr coconut butter
- aluminium forms



Arange the aluminium forms onto a plate.



Melt the chocolate and the butter on a bain-marie.



Pour carefully into the forms.



Let them set in the fridge for 2-3 hours.



They just melt in your mouth!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Knäck



This is another traditional sweet Swedish recipe.

For 40-50 pieces I used:
- 2dl sugar
- 2dl double cream
- 2dl golden syrup
- 50gr butter
- 50gr wallnuts
- 50gr almond flakes
- paper cups



Arrange the pepar forms onto a plate.



Crush the nuts and almonds.



Combine the sugar, cream and light syrup in a heavy saucepan and stir constantly.



Boil on low-medium heat until the caramel reaches 120 degrees Celsius.





When it's done, take the pot away from the stove, add the butter and stir until it melts.



Add the crushed nuts and almonds.



Pour into the paper cups and let it cool off in the fridge.



They are delicious!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Weinernougat



This one is a traditional swedish Christmas candy, very simple to make.
For 40-50 pieces I used:

125gr dark chocolate
250gr nougat
100gr almond flakes



Break the chocolate and the nougat into pieces and melt it on a bain-marie.



Add the almond flakes. If you want a more nutty taste, you can roast the almonds.



I pourred the whole mixture onto a trail with bakingpaper. It would help if you had a 20x20 pan. I hadn't :(



You need to let it rest for at least 3 hours before cutting and serving.



That's all folks!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Christmas Sweets - Julgodis



In Sweden, before Christmas, they usually use to make the so called Christamas sweets, ie julgodis. They can be bought of course from shops, which in this time of year offer a wide variety, but it is not the same as when they are homemade. Especially because it's a very pleasant and enjoyable activity in which children can take part too.

There are all sorts of julgodis but me, I decided this year to make four sweets: knäck (caramel with nuts), ischoklad (ice chocolate ), vaniljkola (caramels with vanilla) and weinernougat (chocolate and nougat almonds)!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Janssons frestelse (Jansson's Temptation)



Jansson's Temptation. This is how the Swedish people call this dish, which is representative for Swedish cuisine. It is extremely popular and it's being cooked as traditional food for the Christmas dinner.
This year I decided to make as well. There are a few ways to make this dish. I will present the alternative suitable for my taste. Another recipe can be found on Elena's blog (Swedish).
More info you can find here.

I used:
- potatoes
- 3dl double cream
- 3 dl milk
- 2 anchovies cans
- 2 large onions
- butter (around 150gr)
- bread crumbles
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp sugar



Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut them in "sticks" shape like for making french fries, but even thinner.



Peel and cut the onion.



Cut the anchovies in small pieces. Don't toss the juice from the cans, we'll use that too.





Melt 50gr of butter in a pan and saute the onions a little bit.



Add the double cream and the milk and let it boil. When it starts to boil, add the potatoes, the anchovies filé's and the sugar. Let it simmer for around 5 minutes or until the potatoes become softer.



Add the anchovies-can juice, salt (carefully, the anchovies are salty) and pepper.



Pour all the mixture in a prebuttered baking pan, sprinkle the bread crumbs and add small pieces of butter on top.





Put it into the oven for 45 minutes at 175 Celsius degrees.





For those who love salty taste it will be a "temptation", exactly like the name. It's creamy, extra creamy I would say, if you make it following this method.



Enjoy!

Monday, January 4, 2010

Strawberries with cream and meringue



It's a very delicate and fluffy desert. If you don't find the inspiration to cook some fancy desert for your guests, this one is the perfect choice. Easy to make and very fast. And I can truly say that it never fails, everyone likes it! And everyone will be pleasant surprised to find the little pieces of meringue.

I used:
- strawberries
- whipped cream
- meringues



Whip the cream.



Cut the strawberries, if too big, in smaller pieces and add them to the mixture. I would recommend fresh strawberries, they are the best. I had frozen ones, and it is not the same taste.
Put the whipped and strawberries cream in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.



I crushed the meringues into small bites and add them to the mixture, then poured everything into martini glasses.. It is best to do this just before serving. This way you preserve the crunchiness of the meringues.



You can ornate with fresh strawberries. And remember, it never fails!