Apricot Jam

Apricot Jam

The month of May is apricot season in California. I have so many apricots on my tree that it's impossible to eat them all. My dog is doing all he can to eat all the apricots on the ground, he loves the endless supply,  crazy dog.

I made this great jam trying to savor the delicate taste of apricots. And I think this is the way to go. I need to make more, and the next batch is going in the freezer, to extend the shelf life. I like that I only need 4 ingredients, and the clean delicate taste of apricots is to die for.

Ingredients:

• 900 g fresh whole apricots, washed pitted and cut in half (use just-ripe, unblemished fruit)
• 120 ml water
• 340 g sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Boil the apricots in water until soft, 6-8 minutes. Puree in a blender (be careful with hot fluids in a blender, the lid might pop off) or an immersion blender, and blend until smooth. Bring fruit puree to a boil, add the sugar and lemon juice and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the fruit reaches the desired thickness, about 7-8 minutes. 

Scald the jars and lids with boiling water. Be careful not to touch the inside. Use tongs to handle jars and lids. Fill jars while still hot. I rinse the scalded jars and lids in atamon (Sodium benzoate) a food preservative, for better self life.

Remove fruit from heat and skim off any foam that may have formed. Pour the hot jam into hot, scalded jars and seal with scalded lids. See National Center for Home Food Preservation for additional information on safe food preservation.

Serve apricot jam with your favorite bread or on ice cream.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Abrikosmarmelade

Ingredienser:

• 900 g friske abrikoser, vaskede, udstenede og delt i halve (Anvend kun netop modne og ikke stødte frugter)
• 120 ml vand
• 340 g sukker
• 1 spsk friskpresset citronsaft

Fremgangsmåde:

Kog abrikoserne sammen med vandet indtil abrikoserne er møre, ca. 6-8 minutter.  Blend abrikoserne med en stavblender, eller i en rigtig blender indtil du har en homogen masse. Pas på med at blende varme væsker i en blender, da låget kan hoppe af.  Kog pureen op og tilsæt sukker og citronsaft. Kog marmeladen til den får den ønskede konsistens, ca. 7-8 minutter.

Skold glas og låg, og skyld dem med atamon. Fyld glassene mens de og marmeladen stadig er meget varme. 

Fjerne evt. skum der er dannet på marmeladen, inden den hældes på glas. Luk glassene tæt, og lad dem køle helt af.

Server abrikosmarmeladen på dit favorit brød  eller som sauce på is.

Velbekomme!

Cinnamon Bread - Kanelbrød

Cinnamon Bread - Kanelbrød

Cinnamon bread, is a classic for many teenagers in Denmark. Teens, would buy half a bread, and eat it for lunch. The sweet soft bread is really yummy, but to be honest, it's not food, it's a cake. 

I should have opted for a slightly larger pan, but the result was absolutely scrumptious. 

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

Dough:

• ¾ cup (1½ dl) whole milk

• 60 g butter, salted

• 50 g live yeast, or 4 teaspoons dry yeast

• ¼ teaspoon vanilla paste

• 50 g sugar

• 1 pinch salt

• 375 g all-purpose flour

• 2 eggs + 1 for egg wash

Remounce:

• 100 g brown sugar

• 100 g sugar

• 100 g butter

• 1 tablespoon syrup

• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Frosting:

• confectionary sugar

• water

Directions:

Heat the milk until warm and melt the butter in it. Pour the mixture into a bowl. Make sure the milk is only finger warm before adding the yeast.

Add yeast, sugar, salt and vanilla paste and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add all the flour, and finally the eggs. The dough is very wet, but keep stirring, it will form a dough.

 Let the dough rise until it's doubled in size, for about 1 hour. 

Mix the butter, sugars, syrup and cinnamon for the remounce.

Pour the dough out onto a flour dusted workspace, and fold the dough 4 times, to deflate it. Roll it out so it’s as long as your loaf pan and about four times as wide.

Spread the remounce evenly on the dough, leaving a strip along the short side free. Roll up the dough, like you would cinnamon rolls, ending with the part that is free of the remounce. Half way in fold up the sides to keep the remounce inside the bread, while baking.

Put the bread in a parchment lined loaf pan. The parchment paper, makes it easier to lift out of the baked loaf.

Cut small slits in the sides of the loaf, this makes the loaf look braided. Let the loaf rise for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven for 400℉ (200℃).

Brush the loaf with egg wash, and bake the loaf for 15 minutes, then cover the loaf with aluminum foil, and bake for another 30-45 minutes.

Mix confectionary sugar with a little water to form a thick paste. Let loaf cool completely before frosting. 

Enjoy!

This post has been submitted to the Yeast Spotting Site.  

The Danish version:

Kanelbrød

Ingredienser:

Dej:

• 1½ dl sødmælk

• 60 g smør, saltet

• 50 g gær, eller 4 tsk tørgær

• ¼ tsk vanilla pasta, eller korn fra ½ vanillestang

• 50 g sukker

• 1 knsp salt

• 375 g hvedemel

• 2 æg + 1 æg til at pensle med

Remounce:

• 100 g burn farin

• 100 g sukker

• 100 g smør

• 1 spsk sirup

• 2 spsk kanel

Glasur:

• flormelis

• vand

Fremgangsmåde:

Varm mælken op og smelt smørret i den varme mælk. Hæld smør/mælk i en røreskål. Vær sikker på at mælken kun er fingervarm før du tilsætter gæren. 

Tilsæt gæren, salt, sukker og vanillen og rør indtil gæren er opløst. Tilsæt melen og æggene. Dejen vil være våd og usammenhængende, men bliv ved med at røre  indtil det er en sammenhængende dej.

Lad dejen hæve til den er doblet i størrelse, det tager ca. 1 time. 

Bland alle ingredienserne til remouncen og sæt den til side.

Kom dejen ud på et meldrysset bord, fold dejen 4 gang for at slå dejen ned. Rul dejen ud, så den er lidt længere end brødformen, og 4 gang så bred.

Spred remouncen ud over dejen, på nær et lille stykke i den ene ende af den korte side. Rul dejen, som du gør når du laver kanelsnegle. Halvvejs fold siderne ind, så remouncen bliver inden i brødet ved bagningen.

Kom brødet i et form foret med bagepapir. Dette gør det lettere at få brødet ud, når det er bagt.

Klip små hakker i brødet, så det ligner at det er flettet. Lad brødet hæve i ca 30 minutter. 

Forvarm oven til 200℃.

Pensl brødet med sammenpisket æg, og bag det i 15 minter. Herefter lægger du et stykke staniol hen over toppen, så brødet ikke bliver for mørkt. Bag brødet videre i ca 30-45 minutter.

Bland glasuren til en tyk pasta, og kom lidt på toppen af det kolde brød.

Velbekomme!

Breakfast Sourdough Rolls

Breakfast Sourdough Rolls

I have a love of bread, for the most part I prefer more rustic bread like sourdough bread. But baking my favorite bread takes time. So I had to try to make some easy sourdough rolls, and here is what I came up with. A rustic crisp roll with flaxseeds, whole wheat, oats and sunflower seeds.  

Makes 8-9 rolls.

Ingredients:

• 5 g live yeast (½ teaspoon dry yeast)
• 80 g (¾ dl) mature sourdough*
• 4 dl (1⅔ cup) cold water
• 50 g rolled oats
• 2 teaspoon (15 g) sea salt
• 150 g whole wheat flour
• 345 g all-purpose flour
• 40 g flaxseeds 
• 40 g sunflower seeds 

Sprinkle:

• rolled oats or rolled spelt
• rice flour

Directions:

In a large bowl, pour in the water, yeast and sourdough, and mix it well. Mix in the oats, whole wheat flour, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds and salt. Add the all-purpose flour a little at a time, until you have a firm but slightly sticky dough. You might not need all the flour.

I always knead my doughs in my stand mixer, and I knead the dough for about 8-10 minutes until the dough is a bit shiny and elastic. 

Put the dough in another bowl, wiped with some olive oil. Seal the container with plastic wrap (or my favorite Press'n Seal), and leave to rest for an hour on the kitchen counter. Put the dough in the refrigerator for 12-20 hours.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit for at least 1 hour. 

Preheat you oven and Pizza stone to 500℉ (260℃). 

Pour some rice flour and rolled spelt on the kitchen counter and gently scrape the dough out onto it. Cut the dough in 8-9 pieces and put them on a plate sprinkled with some cornflour, so the rolls don't stick.

Place the rolls on the pizza stone and let them bake for 15-20 minutes.

Let rolls cool before serving.

Enjoy!

* If you don't have a sourdough, use 15 g live yeast or 1½ teaspoon dry yeast

The Danish version

Surdejsrundstykker 

Surdejsrundstykker

Ingredienser:

• 5 g gær
• 80 g (¾ dl) surdej**
• 4 dl koldt vand
• 50 g havregryn
• 2 tsk (15 g) havsalt
• 150 g fuldkornshvedemel
• 345 g hvedemel
• 40 g hørfrø
• 40 g solsikkekerner

Drys:

• havregryn eller speltflager
• rismel

Fremgangsmåde:

Rør gær, vand og surdej sammen i en skål. Tilsæt fuldkornsmel, havregryn, hørfrø, solsikkekerner og salt og rør dejen sammen i en røremaskine. Tilsæt hvedemel lidt ad gangen, men kun nok til du har en fast med stadig let-klisteret dej. Det er ikke sikkert du skal bruge alt melet.

Ælt dejen i røremaskinen i ca 8-10 minutter ved medium hastighed indtil du har en blank elastisk dej.

Når dejen er æltet godt, kommes den i en skål smurt med lidt olivenolie. Dæk skålen til med plastikfilm, og lad dejen hvile på køkkenbordet i ca 1 time. Kom dejen i køleskabet i 12-20 timer.

Tag dejen ud af køleskabet og lad den stå ved stuetemperatur i mindst 1 time.

Forvarm ovn og bagesten til 260℃.

Vend dejen ud på et bord drysset med rismel og speltflager. Skær dejen i 8-9 stykker, og sæt dem på en tallerken drysset med majsmel, så de ikke sætter sig fast. Overfør bollerne til bagestenen, og bag dem i 15-20 minutter.

Velbekomme!

Hvis du ikke har en surdej så kan du erstatte det med 15 g gær eller 1½ tsk tørgær.

This post has been submitted to YeastSpotting

Pigs in a Blanket - Pølsehorn

Pigs in a Blanket - Pølsehorn

Pigs in a blanket aka pølsehorn is a favorite among kids and adults all over the world.  They are perfect for kids birthday parties or as an easy snack or lunch. You cant eat them cold, warm or hot with your choice of condiments. 

Ingredients:

10 German style Wieners 

Dough:

• 50 g live yeast (or 4 teaspoons dry yeast)
• 250 g water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 40 g butter (salted)
• 1 egg
• 425 g all-purpose flour
• 100 g spelt flour
• 1 egg for egg-wash 

Directions:

In a bowl combine warm water, milk, yeast and sugar. If you use dry yeast let the mixture stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. 

In the stand mixer bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add butter and mix it with a flat beater until the flour looks like crumbs. (Well the dough hook works too.) Stir in yeast mixture and egg until a dough forms. Knead the dough for 5-8 minutes on medium, (8-10 minutes if kneaded by hand), until smooth and elastic. 

Let the dough rise covered for 1 - 2 hours until doubled in bulk.

Cut the wieners in half. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pour the dough onto a lightly floured workspace, fold the dough over 3-4 times and using dough scraper, divide the dough into 18-20 small balls. Gently roll each ball into a 11-inch/30 cm  rope, and wrap the dough around the half wiener. Squeeze the ends onto the rest of the dough, so it won't unroll when rising.

Cover the pigs loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let to rise in a warm place for one hour.

Preheat oven to 400℉/200℃ with rack in center. Beat an egg and brush some on top of pigs. Bake until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Transfer to a rack to cool before serving.

Serve the pigs in a blanket with your favorite condiment. 

Enjoy!

This post has been submitted to YeastSpotting

The Danish version:

Ingredienser:

• 50 g gær (eller 4 tsk tørgær)
• 250 g vand, lunkent
• 1 tsk salt
• 2 spsk sukker 
• 3 spsk mælk
• 40 g saltet smør
• 1 æg
• 425 g hvedemel
• 100 g speltmel
• 1 æg, til pensling

Fremgangsmåde:

Bland det lunkne vand med mælk, gær og sukker. Hvis du bruger tørgær, så lad blandingen stå indtil det begynder at skumme.

I en røremaskine bland melene, salt og smør, indtil smørret er blandet ordentligt med melet, så det ligner krummer. Kom gærblandingen og ægget i. Rør indtil det er blevet til en dej. Ælt dejen i 5-8 minutter. (Ælt 8-10 minutter, hvis du gør det i hånden). Du skal ende op med en jævn og elastisk dej.

Lad dejen hæve tildækket i skålen i 1-2 timer, eller til den er doblet i størrelse.

Halvér pølserne., og kom bagepapir på et par bageplader.

Hæld dejen ud på et bord drysset med mel. Fold dejen 3-4 gange og del dejlen i 18-20 lige store stykker/boller. Rul bollerne ud til ca. 30 cm lange pølser, og sno dejen rundt om pølserne. Pres enderne ind i dejen, så snoningen ikke ruller op, når pølsehornene hæver.

Dæk pølsehornene med et rent viskestykke, og lad dem hæve i omkring 1 time.

Opvarm ovnen til 200℃. Pensel pølsehornene med det sammenpiskede æg, og bag dem i ca 15 minutter indtil de er gyldne og gennembagte.

Køl pølsehornene lidt af inden de serveres.

Server pølsehorn med sennep og ketchup.

Velbekomme!

Dutch Baby with Lemon and Blueberries

Dutch Baby with Lemon and Blueberries

A Dutch baby is also called a German pancake or Dutch puff. It’s a mix between a pancake, popover and  a crepe. The traditional Dutch baby is baked in a cast iron skillet. The Dutch baby puffs up, but deflate as soon as it is taken out of the oven. This dish is not labor intensive, you can easily make this when you have people over for sunday brunch. The Dutch baby hangs out in the oven, and compared to pancakes you don’t have to flip it. The cast iron skillet makes the dish very forgiving too, because it keeps the Dutch baby warm for quite some time. 

I like that the Dutch baby is not overly sweet, but if you have a sweet tooth you can always pour some maple syrup over it.

Makes 1 large or 4 small

Ingrediets:

• 4 large eggs

• 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk

• 1 cup (95 g) all-purpose flour

• ¼ cup (50 g) sugar

• 1 lemon, the zest of (grated)

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon vanilla paste

• 125 g blueberries, save some for topping

• 1-2 tablespoons butter

• confectionary sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (205℃). Heat the cast iron skillet over high heat.

Blend eggs, milk, flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt in a blender. 

Add butter to the hot skillet, and pour in the batter, when the butter is melted, and scatter the blueberries on top, (save some for topping).

Put the Dutch baby in the oven, and bake until it's puffed and cooked through for about 20-25 minutes. 

Serve the Dutch baby with blueberries and sprinkled with confectionary sugar.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Tysk pandekage

Ingredienser:

• 4 store æg

• 240 ml sødmælk

• 95 g hvedemel

• 50 g sukker

• 1 citron, revet skal fra

• ¼ tsk salt

• ½ tsk vanilla paste eller kornene fra ½ vanillestang

• 125 g blåbær, gem lidt til pynt

• 1-2 spsk smør

• flormelis, til pynt

Directions:

Varm ovenen op til  205℃, og varm støbejernspanden op på komfuret på højeste blus.

Blend æg, mælk, mel, sukker, citronskal og salt i en blender.

Kom smørret på panden, og kom dejen i når smørret er smeltet. Fordel blåbærrene over dejen, og sæt panden i ovnen. Bag den tyske pandekage indtil den er gennembagt og er hævet op, det tager ca. 20-25 minutter.

Server pandekagen med resten af bærrene og et drys flormelis. Du kan også servere pandekagen med ahornsirup.

Velbekomme!