Sweet • Sour • Savory

Food blog on scandinavian style food done right.

Christmas

Ebelskiver with Pear and Blue Cheese

Brunch, Christmas, Holiday, SnacksTove Balle-PedersenComment
Ebelskiver with Pear and Blue Cheese

Ebelskiver with Pear and Blue Cheese

Today is the first day in Advent, meaning the first of four Sundays before Christmas. In my house we start the christmas decorating on December 1st, or the 1st of Advent, which ever comes first. I might sneak in some christmas things earlier, but who is to judge me ;) On the 4 Sundays before christmas we gather with frinds and family to eat ebelskiver/æbleskiver and drink mulled wine/gløgg. This year I wanted to change it a bit with some savory ebelskiver filled with pear and blue cheese. And they are really good as a hors d’Oeuvre or snack with a glass of good red wine.

Makes about 15 ebelskiver.

Ingredients:

Ebleskiver:

  • 125 g all-purpose flour
  • 65 g butter (salted and melted)
  • 190 ml milk (1,6 cups)
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

Filling:

  • 1 pear
  • blue cheese
  • 5 pecans

Directions:

Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Whisk whites with a mixer until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Mix milk with flour and baking powder till there's no lumps. Add the melted butter, egg yolks and salt. Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes. Gently fold in the egg whites, do not over mix the batter, but you don't want spots of egg whites in the batter. Heat the ebelskive pan. Fill the holes about ¾. As soon as the batter starts to bubble around the edge, turn* the ebelskiver halfway. Place a pea-sized piece of cheese and a few dices of pear + a sprinkle of chopped pecans into the batter, so it disappears. Add a little bit more batter to the ebelskiver. Turn the ebelskiver all the way, so you end up with a perfect ball. Continue cooking for a few minutes, turning the ball to keep it from burning. * I use a knitting needle to turn the ebelskiver, but you can also use a fork. Serve the ebelskiver hot too warm with a drizzle of honey and a nice glass of wine.

Enjoy!

Nordisk Jul - Nordic Christmas

Christmas, Dinner, Holiday, Meats, sous vide, GameTove Balle-Pedersen2 Comments
Elgfilet, karameliserede rodfrugter og appelsinsalat med rosenkål, granatæble og mandler.

Elgfilet, karameliserede rodfrugter og appelsinsalat med rosenkål, granatæble og mandler.

For mig har den Nordiske Jul og specielt den Danske Jul og dens trationer en helt særlig betydning. Det er selvfølgelig fordi jeg nu er udenlandsdansker.

Da jeg boede i Danmark var det lettere at lade sig rive med af nye trends og tendenser, for dybest set var de danske traditioner og højtider jo fastforankrede, det er en del af det at være dansker i Danmark. Som udenlandsdansker er det meget op til dig selv. Man er på mange måder rodløs. Man hører ikke til nogen steder. Mange af de ting vi som danskere tager for givet, er nu de ting vi glæder os mest over.

Rent madmæssigt, nu dette er en madblog, så er det nu himmelsk at få en rugbrødsmad med leverpostej eller markrel i tomat, hvor det tidligere var umådeligt uinteressant.

Her i huset holder vi dansk jul den 24. om aftenen. Vi har et rigtigt grantræ pyntet med bl.a. Dannebro og stjerne på toppen. Vi spiser and og/eller flæskesteg, med rødkål, brunede kartofler og flødesovs. Og selvfølgelig får vi risalamande med kirsebærsauce til dessert, og ja der er en mandelgave. Der er ingen der skal lave om på min gamle jul! Men der er ting, der mangler. Her er ingen sne, og kulden er det så som så med her i Californien. (Jeg ved godt, at jeg bare kan køre ind til Tahoe og så har jeg kulden og sneen, på et godt år).

Hvordan vil en Nordisk Jul se ud her i Californien? Nordisk, må være gode, nordiske, rustikke råvarer med elementer fra den mere traditionelle julemiddag.

Jeg har valgt at lave elgfilet med stjerneanis "stegt" sous-vide, med karameliserede bagte rodfrugter og en frisk appelsin/limesalat med rosenkål, granatæble og mandler. Billedet er taget uden saucen, som var en indkogt portvin monteret med lidt smør og tilsat lidt friske blåbær.

Denne middagskombination var et stort hit herhjemme. Kødet var perfekt rosa og smagte "vildt" med en diskret note af stjerneanis. De karameliserede rodfrugter, havde stadig lidt bid, og smagte fantastisk. Salaten brød sødmen og gav god tekstur til middagen. Alt i alt var det et kongemåltid.

Til 3 personer

Ingredienser:

Elg:

  • ca 20 cm stykke elgfilet (3-400g)
  • 1 stjerneanis, knækket i mindre stykker
  • 1 klat smør
  • salt, efter smag.

Rodfrugter:

  • 3 gulerødder
  • 4 pastinakker
  • 3 jordskokker
  • 1 lille knoldselleri
  • 3 små rødbeder
  • salt
  • lidt olie, til bagningen
  • sukker og smør til bruningen

Salat:

  • 3 appelsiner
  • 1 lime
  • ca 250 g rosenkål, kun yderbladene
  • ¼ granatæble
  • 1 lille håndfuld hele mandler

Sauce:

  • ca ½ flaske portvin
  • 1 tsk smør
  • 1 lille håndfuld blåbær

Fremgangsmåde:

Kødet:

Elgfileten renses for sener og saltes jævnt over det hele. Den knækkede stjerneanis fordeles også på fileten. Kom kødet i en vacuumpose, og læg en lille klat smør på toppen af kødet. Vacuumpak kødet.

Tilbered kødet ved 61℃ i 1 time og 40 minutter. Når tiden er gået tag kødet op af vandbadet, og tag den ud af posten. Dup kødet tørt med lidt køkkenrulle. Brun fileten på en glohed pande med lidt olivenolie og smør, så du får en god stegeskorpe.

Skær kødet tyndt, og server straks.

Rodfrugterne:

Forvarm ovenen til 200℃.

Skræl rodfrugterne og skær den i mundrette stykker. Rødbederne holdes for sig selv, og steges også for sig selv, så det hele ikke bliver rødt.

Kom rodfrugterne i ovnfaste fade, og vend dem i lidt olie og kom salt på. Bag rodfrugterne i ca 30 minutter, indtil de er møre, men stadig har lidt bid. Tag rodfrugterne ud og lad dem køle lidt ned.

Når du er klar til serveringen, smeltes sukker på en stor pande. Sukkeret skal dække bunden med en jævnt lag. Når sukkeret er smeltet og det er gyldent tilsættes ca. en teske smør. Rør rundt i sukkermassen til det lige bruser af. Kom de kølede rodfrugter på panden. Rør rundt i det hele, til alle rodfrugterne er dækket af et karamel lag. Server staks.

Saucen:

Kog portvinen ind til en sirup. Dette skal gøres ved ikke for høj varme. Tag siruppen af varmen og pisk smørret ned i saucen, dette vil tykne saucen lidt. Kom blåbær ned i den varme sauce og lad den varme igennem . Server saucen.

Saucen passer perfekt til al slags rødt kød.

Salat:

Vask rosenkålen, og gem de pæne yderblade, det er dem der skal bruges til salaten. Gem resten af rosenkålen og lav evt en rosenkålsmos en anden dag. Hak rosenkålsbladene groft.

Skræl appelsinerne og limen og skær dem i tyndeskiver. Hak mandlerne groft. Befri granatæblekernerne og undgå at få de hvide lameller med. Youtube er fuld af forskellige metoder, men jeg skærer bund og top af. Så skærer jeg kun skallen fra top til bund de steder, hvor jeg kan se der er et ophold i kernerne. Jeg trækker så både ud med kerner og piller dem fra skallen. Det sviner knap så meget som når man skærer kernerne over. Saml salaten på tallerknerne eller på et fad.

English version:

Elk with caramelized root vegetables and citrus salad

Ingredients:

Elk:

  • 8 inch (20 cm) piece elk loin (3-400g)
  • 1 star anise, broken into smaller pieces
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • salt, to taste

Root vegetables:

  • 3 large carrots
  • 4 parsnips
  • 3 sun chokes (Israeli artichokes)
  • 1 small root celery
  • 3 small beets
  • salt
  • a splash of oil for the baking
  • sugar and butter for the caramelizing

Salad:

  • 3 oranges
  • 1 lime
  • ca 250 g brussels sprouts, only the vibrant green outer leaves
  • ¼ pomegranate
  • 1 handful almonds

Sauce

  • ca ½ bottle port wine
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 1 handful blueberries

Directions:

Elk:

Trim loin of excess fat and/or membranes. Season the loin and place in a large plastic bag with star anise and butter. Vacuum-seal. Cook the meat in a sous-vide water bath preheated to 142°F (61°C) for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Remove bag from the water and remove the loin from the bag. Pad it dry. Sear the meat on all sides in a very hot pan with a little oil and butter. Slice the meat thinly and serve immediately.

Root vegetables:

Preheat the oven for 400℉ (200℃). Peel the root vegetables and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Keep the beets separate even during baking, to prevent all the vegetables from turning red. Dress the vegetables in oil and season with salt. Bake the vegetables in ovenproof dishes for about 30 minutes until tender, but not soft. Cool the vegetables. Just before you are ready to serve, heat a large skillet over high heat, pour in the sugar and melt it. When the sugar has turned the color of light amber, add the butter and stir with a wooden spoon. Carefully pour the vegetables into the hot caramel. Lower the heat and make sure the vegetables get covered in the caramel and get heated through. Serve immediately, otherwise the vegetables looses the shine.

The sauce:

Reduce the port to a syrup over low to medium heat. Remove from heat when the port can cover the back of a spoon. Stir in a teaspoon of salted butter, this will thicken the sauce a bit. Add the blueberries so they just get heated. The sauce is perfect with any kind of red meat.

Salad:

Rinse the brussels sprouts, save the outer leaves, these will be used in the salad. Save the rest og the brussels sprouts for anther day, maybe making this brussels sprouts pure. Chop up the brussels sprouts leaves roughly . Peel the oranges and the lime, and slice them up finely. Chop up the almonds. Place the brussels sprouts on a plate , place the oranges and limes on top. Sprinkle almonds and pomegranate on top.

Scalloped Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Christmas, Dinner, Holiday, Sides, Vegetables, ThanksgivingTove Balle-Pedersen4 Comments
Scalloped Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Scalloped Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and maybe its time to change up some of the sides. I really loved the scalloped hasselback potatoes I've posted previously, and thought that I might work with sweet potatoes too. The smoked gouda and the sweet potatoes and with the caramelized crunch works perfect.

I have a feeling that these sweet potatoes could very addictive. I might have to put a waring label on this post. 

Serves 4-6 people.

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds sweet potatoes

  • 6 fl oz (5 dl) heavy whipping cream

  • smoked gouda

  • 2 sprigs thyme leaves, leaves only

  • salt

  • 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar

Direction:

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Grate the cheese, and mix it with cream, thyme and some salt.

Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly on a mandolin. Toss the potato slices in the cream/cheese mixture, making sure to cover each slice. 

Purple and orange sweet potatoes

Purple and orange sweet potatoes

Stack the potato slices and lay them in ovenproof dish with their edges aligned vertically. Continue to fill the dish with the potatoes until the dish is filled. Pour excess cream/cheese mixture evenly over potatoes.

Cover dish with tin foil, and bake the potatoes for about 35 minutes until  the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife

Take off the foil and sprinkle the brown sugar on top, and continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes until the sugar has caramelized.

When the potatoes is done, take the dish out of the oven and let the potatoes rest for a few minutes, before serving.

Enjoy!

Sous-Vide Duck Breast

Christmas, Dinner, Meats, Poultry, sous videTove Balle-Pedersen1 Comment
Sous-Vide Duck Breast with Citrus Salad with Liquorice-vinaigrette 

Sous-Vide Duck Breast with Citrus Salad with Liquorice-vinaigrette 

I really like the meat from a duck, especially the breasts. If you cook it to long it will dry out, but served medium-rare to medium is the most tender juicy piece of meat you can get. Since I got my Anova sous-vide cooker I have been longing to cook the duck breast sous-vide. Today was the day.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Duck Breasts
  • Salt

Directions:

Wash you hands very thoroughly, when handling the duck. You don't want to cross-contaminate other foods or the duck. So keep your work station clean and tidy all the time. 

Refrigerate duck breasts on paper towel-lined plate overnight. This will allow some of the juices to evaporate, and you get a firmer breast in the end.

Have the vacuum bags pre-sealed in one end (doh!). Fold the rim out, so you don't get any grease or water on the place you need to seal the bags. Have the salt and pepper you want to use in small bowls, so you don't get any "duck" in the salt you're not using. 

Take the duck breasts out and score the skin in a harlequin pattern with a sharp knife. Season them with salt and pepper. Place them in the vacuum bags, vacuum and seal them. (I seal them twice just to be on the safe side.)

Place them in 135℉ (57℃) water bath for at least 45 minutes and up to 3 hours. I stopped after 2 hours, no need to go the limit with this delicate meat. Remove duck from bags and dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Place breasts skin side-down in heavy-bottomed non-stick or cast iron skillet and set over high heat until sizzling, about 2 minutes, then reduce heat to medium and cook  until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Make sure that you get good contact between skillet and the skin. You won't need any oil, the fat from the duck will render and give you plenty of fat for the searing. Flip  the breasts and cook the other side until slightly seared.

Slice the breasts thinly and serve with your favorite sides. One of my favorites is caramelized potatoespicked red cabbage or Citrus Salad with Liquorice-vinaigrette.

Enjoy!

 

 

Citrus Salad with Liquorice Vinaigrette

Christmas, Dinner, Salad, Sides, Appetizer, LiquoriceTove Balle-PedersenComment
Citrus Salad with Liquorice Vinaigrette

Citrus Salad with Liquorice Vinaigrette

I decided to make a new dish for the christmas dinner. I know that the Danes are really set the their ways, especially when it comes to their christmas dinner. But I love trying new things, so I hope my husband's family will love this citrus salad inspired from "Lakrids i Maden".

When I read that the salad called for a liquorice vinaigrette, my first thought was "how would the salty liquorice syrup taste with the dark espresso balsamic from The Olive bar?" I can only say "faaaantastic" - and on a slice of orange it tastes even better.

Here is my take on the citrus salad.

Ingredients:

Dressing:

  • 1 tablespoon salty liquorice syrup
  • 2 tablespoons dark espresso balsamic

Salad:

 

Directions:

Whisk the the liquorice syrup with the balsamic, set aside.

Peel oranges, lemons and grapefruits and slice them thinly. Arrange the slices in a platter and sprinkle with olive oil and salt.

Drizzle the dressing un top, and sprinkle with onion and parsley.