Sweet • Sour • Savory

Food blog on scandinavian style food done right.

Cake,Pork

Strawberry Tart with Chocolate Crust

Cake, DessertsTove Balle-PedersenComment
Strawberry Tart with Chocolate Crust

Strawberry Tart with Chocolate Crust

Is anything better than strawberries with chocolate? It would be strawberries with cream and a sprinkle of sugar. (This is the way you eat fresh strawberries at the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament in London) 

This is my take on strawberries with chocolate and strawberries with cream. The perfect concoction, the dessert of the summer. 

Ingredients:

Crust:

  • 40 g almonds

  • 45 g cocoa powder, unsweetened

  • 110 g all-purpose flour

  • 75 g sugar

  • 1 pinch salt

  • ¾ stick (85 g) butter, cold and salted

  • ½ teaspoon vanilla paste

  • 1 egg

Custard:

  • 3 egg yolks

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

  • 250 ml milk

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste

  • heavy whipping cream, whipped

Topping:

  • strawberries

  • 1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

Crust:

Chop the almonds in the food processor until it’s a coarse flour. Add, cocoa, sugar, flour and salt. Add diced cold butter, and blend until fully combined. Add vanilla paste and egg, and blend until just combined. Don't knead the dough, it will make the crust shrink when baked.

Form a disc or flat square of the dough and wrap it in plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Spray a 14-inch rectangular removable-bottom tart pan with nonstick spray.

Flour your work surface generously, place the cold dough on top and flour the dough. Roll it out into a 7-by-16-inch rectangle, so it fits the tart pan.

Transfer the dough to the pie pan, cut of the overhanging dough for the crust to fit perfect in the pan. 

If the dough sticks, use at bench scraper or a spatula to get it off your work surface. If the dough get to soft, put it into the freezer for a few minutes. 

Prick dough all over with a fork. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃)

Line crust with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake the crust until edges are set, about 20 minutes. Remove parchment paper and weights, and bake the crust for another 10 minutes. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Custard:

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale in color. Whisk in the cornstarch and vanilla paste.

Heat the milk to a slow boil, set aside. 

While whisking vigorously drizzle the warm milk into the egg yolk mixture, just a tiny bit at a time at first. Once you’ve added about ¼ of the milk, you can add the rest in a thin steady stream, whisking constantly.

Pour the mixture back in the saucepan and reheat it over medium heat. Whisk constantly until it thickens. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl.  Sprinkle with sugar or press some plastic wrap against the custard so it won't form a pudding skin. Chill the custard completely in the refrigerator.

When the custard is cold, whip the heavy whipping cream. Fold the whipped cream in the custard a little at a time till you get the desired taste and texture. 

Assembly of the tart:

Spoon custard into cooled crust and spread into an even layer. Arrange strawberries over filling in a decorative pattern. Place honey in a small bowl and heat in the microwave until melted, about 10 seconds. Use a pastry brush to brush glaze over strawberries. Chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Enjoy!

 

The Danish version:

Jordbærtærte med Chokoladebund

Ingredienser:

Bund:

  • 40 g mandler

  • 45 g kakaopulver, usødet

  • 110 g hvedemel

  • 75 g sukker

  • 1 knsp salt

  • 85 g smør, koldt og saltet, i små tern

  • ½ tsk vanille pasta eller kornene fra ½ vanillestang

  • 1 æg

Creme:

  • 3 æggeblommer

  • 2 spsk sukker

  • 1 spsk maizena

  • 2,5 dl mælk

  • 1 tsk vanille pasta eller kornene fra 1 vanillestang

  • piskefløde, pisket

Topping:

  • jordbær

  • 1 spsk honning

Fremgangsmåde:

Bund:

Hak mandlerne til manelmel i foodprocessoren. Tilsæt kakao, sukker, mel og salt. Kom smørret i, og blend indtil det er en ensartet blanding. Tilsæt vanillie og æg, og blend indtil det kun lige har samle sig. Hvis du ælter dejen for meget, vil den krympe, når den bages

Form dejen til en flad firkant og pak den ind i plastikfilm, og lad den hvile i køleskabet i minimum en time. 

Smør en rektangulær tærtebund. 

Rul dejen ud på et meldækket bord så den er lidt større end tærteformen. Løft dejen forsigtigt over i formen, og skær evt overskydende dej af, så dejen passer perfekt i formen.

Prik i dejen med en gaffel, og sæt dejen i fryseren i ca 30 minutter.

Opvarm ovnen til 190℃.

Kom et stykke bagepapir ovenpå dejen og hæld Keramiske blindbagningskugler, eller tørrede bønner, ovenpå, så du kan bage bunden blindt. Bag bunden i 20 minutter, fjern så bagepapir og fyld. Bag bunden i yderligere 10 minutter. Lad bunden køle helt af, inden den fyldes. Du kan evt, pensle bunden indvendigt med lidt smeltet chokolade. 

Creme:

Æggeblommerne røres hvide sammen med sukkeret. Rør mizen og vanillien i æggeblandingen.  Mælken koges op og hældes i lidt ad ganged ned i æggemassen, mens der piskes.  Når al mælken er kommet i, hældes det hele tillage i gryden og koges op under konstant omrøring. Cremen tykner i denne proces. Dæk cremen med et stykke film, så den ikke trækker skind.  Der må ikke røres i cremen mens den afkøles.  Når kagecremen er helt afkølet, blandes den med flødeskum, så cremen får en passende konsistens og smag.

Assembly of the tart:

Fordel kagecremen i tærtebunden og læg jordbær ovenpå. Pensel jordbærrene med lidt opvarmet honning, for at give dem mere glans. Server straks, eller opbevar tærten på køl, indtil den skal serveres. 

Velbekomme!

Chocolate Espresso Cake

CakeTove Balle-PedersenComment
Chocolate Espresso Cake

Chocolate Espresso Cake

My husband is a chocoholic, and I wanted to please him with a great cake after a hard day at work. This cake is not overly chocolaty, it has a good balanced taste with the addition of espresso coffee.

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 225 g all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 30 g cocoa powder, unsweetened

  • 1 pinch salt

  • 175 g brown sugar

  • 75 g sugar

  • 250 g butter

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste

  • 4 eggs

  • 150 g (1½ dl) whole milk

  • ½ cup (1 dl) cold espresso

  • butter and sugar for the pan

Frosting:

  • 325 g confectionary sugar

  • ¼-½ cup cold espresso

Topping:

  • a few coffee beans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 355℉ (180℃).

Butter the pan and sprinkle sugar into the pan, so it get all over the inside of the pan. pour out the excess sugar.

Sift flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt together, in a bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars until very light and fluffy, mix in the vanilla paste. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix just until fully incorporated. Fold in alternately dry ingredients and milk. Finally fold the espresso in. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake it in the oven for about 45 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan. When cooled, mix the frosting, and frost the cake. Decorate the cake with coffee beans and serve it with a good cup of coffee.

Enjoy!

Source: Claus Meyer.

 

The Danish version:

 Chokolade/Espressokage

Ingredienser:

Kage:

  • 225 g hvedemel 

  • 1 tsk bagepulver 

  • 30 g kakaopulver, uden sukker

  • 1 knsp salt

  • 175 g brun farin

  • 75 g sukker

  • 250 g smør

  • 1 tsk vanille pasta, eller kornene fra ½ vanillestang

  • 4 æg

  • 1½ dl sødmælk 

  • 1 dl kold espressokaffe

  • smør og sukker til formen

Glasur:

  • 325 g flormelis

  • ½-1 dl kold espressokaffe

Topping:

  • lidt kaffebønner

Fremgangsmåde:

Opvarm ovnen til 180℃.

Smør formen med smør og drys den med sukker.  Hæld det overskydende sukker ud.

Sigt mel, bagepulver, kakao of salt i ned i en skål.

Rør smør og sukker sammen til det er let og skummende. Tilsæt æggene et ad gangen og derefter vanillien. Rør lidt af melet i og herefter mælken.  Bland resten af melet forsigtigt i dejen. Til sidst fold den kolde espresso i.

Hæld dejen i den smurte form, og bag kagen i ca. 45 minutter indtil en kødnål/strikkepind, der stikkes ned i kagen, kommer ud uden dej på.

Lad kagen køle af i formen. Når kagen er kold, blandes glasuren. Kom glasuren på toppen af kagen. Drys lidt kaffebønner på toppen.

Server kagen med en god kop kaffe.

Velbekomme!

 


Sports Cake - Sportskage

Cake, DessertsTove Balle-Pedersen2 Comments
Sports Cake - Sportskage

Sports Cake - Sportskage

Sports cake, it's a contradicting name. There is nothing sporty about this cake, there's a lot of whipped cream, and you need to go to the gym after eating a piece of this. 

The sports cake is a classic cake made by the Danish "Conditori La Glace." La Glace first made this cake for the premiere of the political play "Sports Men" in november 1891. And this is why it's called Sports cake. 

The cake is a kind of layer cake, with a thin macaroon bottom with a filling of whipped cream mixed with crushed praline (hazelnut and hard caramel) and topped of with whipped cream and caramelized cream puffs. Even though it’s just whipped cream on whipped cream, it's really yummy and not overly sweet. So if you ever find you self in Copenhagen, Denmark, you have to visit La Glace, It's a little slice of old-school Denmark at its best.

It might be a huge feat to take on La Glace, but I'm making it for one of my Danish friends birthday, and when we both live in California, I can't just order a cake for her. 

The recipe is kinda secret, but La Glace publish it  in a pamphlet, when the cake turned 100 years in 1991. And a popular Danish food program showed their version on TV a few years ago. 

Here is my version inspired by "Spise med Price."

Makes 1 cake.

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 250 g marzipan (almond paste)
  • 370 g sugar
  • 3 egg whites

Praline:

  • 100 g hazelnuts
  • 300 g sugar

Cream puffs:

  • 100 g butter, salted
  • 200 ml water
  • 125 g all-purpose flour
  • a pinch salt
  • 1 pinch baking powder
  • 3 large eggs

Caramel for dipping the cream puffs:

  • sugar

Filling & frosting:

  • 1½ liters heavy whipping cream (use an organic with only cream in it like Clover)

Directions:

Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃)

Mix marzipan, sugar and egg whites, and spread the dough onto a 9 inch circle on a parchment  paper or in a 9 inch springform pan, well greased. Bake it for about 30 minutes.

Praline:

Roast the hazelnuts on a dry skillet, until golden brown and most of the skin loosens. Rub the skin of the nuts between some kitchen towels.

Melt the sugar in a large skillet, and add the hazelnuts, when it's golden brown. Stir until the nuts are covered in caramel. Pour the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet to cool.

Cream puffs:

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Put water and butter in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. In a bowl sift flour, baking powder and salt. When the butter is all melted add all the flour at once, and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon. Lower the heat and keep stirring until a dough is formed and it pulls away from the sides of the pan and is slightly shiny. 

Keep beating the dough with the wooden spoon until slightly cooled, about 2 minutes.  

Beat all the eggs in a bowl. Add a little of the beaten eggs, incorporating it thoroughly before adding more. Add the egg in small amounts until you have a thick paste but not runny at all.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Fill a large pastry bag fitted with an open tip, with the cream puff dough. Pipe quarter-size circular mounds about 2 inches apart, onto the parchment paper. To get the best tops on the cream puffs stop pressing on the pastry bag before you lift it, make a small circular move with your wrist as you lift the tip of the puff. If you have small tips on the puffs anyway, dab the tops of each puff with a fingertip dipped in water to smoothen the tops. 

Caramelized puffs.

Caramelized puffs.

Bake the puffs for 15-18 minutes, until they are puffed up and golden brown.

DO NOT open the oven while baking cream puffs, it will cause them to deflate.

Let the puffs cool on a wire rack.

When cooled, melt sugar in a small saucepan, till you have a light brown caramel. Dip the puffs in the melted sugar, and let them dry on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Be careful, the sugar is very very hot.

Filling:

The dome made, started piping.

The dome made, started piping.

Chop up the praline, you can use a food processor, but you don't want it to turn into a flour. You need some crunchy parts in the filling.

Whip 1 liter whipping cream, until it can hold a peak. Mix in the praline.

Whip the rest of the cream, a little softer than the other cream, this is used for piping.

Put the cake on a cake stand, and put the praline filled cream onto it like a dome.  

Pipe the regular whipped cream to cover the cake part, using a small open tip. Place the cream puffs on the dome. Pipe small petals round the puffs, so the hole dome is covered. 

 

NOTE: You can make the cake and praline in advance, maybe the day before.

 

 

Cinnamon Bread - Kanelbrød

Bread, Breakfast, Brunch, CakeTove Balle-Pedersen9 Comments
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!

Pigs in a Blanket - Pølsehorn

Bread, Brunch, Dinner, Meats, PorkTove Balle-PedersenComment
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!