Sweet • Sour • Savory

Food blog on scandinavian style food done right.

Desserts

Profiterole

Desserts, CakeTove Balle-Pedersen3 Comments
Profiterole

Profiterole

Profiterole or ice cream filled cream puffs, are a classic French dessert. And it is so so good. The cold ice cream with the crispy puffs and the warm chocolate is everything you need in a dessert.

Makes a lot of small puffs

Ingredients:

Cream puffs (pâte à choux):

  • 100 g butter, salted

  • 200 ml water

  • 125 g all-purpose flour

  • a pinch salt

  • 1 pinch baking powder

  • 3 large eggs

Chocolate sauce:

  • 160 g dark chocolate

  • 250 g heavy whipping cream

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1 teaspoon espresso

  • 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

  • ½ teaspoon vanilla paste

Filling:

  • vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

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.

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. 

Bake the puffs for 18-20 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.

Chocolate sauce:

Heat the cream in a small sauce pan, add chocolate, cocoa, coffee vanilla and sugar, and stir while heating. You don't want it to come to a boil.

Filling:

Fill each puff with about a teaspoon good vanilla ice cream.

Serve the profiterole with the warm sauce on top.

Enjoy!

Stout Ice Cream

Desserts, Ice CreamTove Balle-PedersenComment
Stout Ice Cream

Stout Ice Cream

Happy Father's Day, in advance for the US, or belated if you are in Denmark.

My dad didn't drink much alcohol, after becoming a family man. I honestly don't think he shied away from alcohol in his younger days, but that's a whole different story. When we had family gatherings my dad would drink one stout mixed with a sweet lemon soda. It actually tasted quite good, the sweetness went great with the bitterness of the dark beer. 

To celebrate Father's Day, and remembering my own dad, I'm making Stout Ice cream. This sweet creamy ice cream has a lot of caramel flavors with a bitter note in the end. It pairs perfectly with fresh summer berries. I know it sounds weird to have beer and ice cream, but it really works.

Makes about a pint - Somehow some of the ice cream always disappear on the way from the machine to the freezer. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 (ml) stout, I used a Guinness Extra Stout
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 125 g sugar, less if you use a sweet stout
  • 400 ml heavy whipping cream
  • 200 ml whole milk

Directions:

Bring the stout to a boil, reduce heat and let it simmer until you have a syrup. Let the syrup cool completely. 

Pour  half of the cream into a metal bowl placed in a larger bowl of ice, set aside. 

Warm milk, and 100 g sugar in a medium saucepan until scalding. Make sure the sugar is dissolved completely.

In another bowl, whisk egg yolks with 25 g sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, while whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan, and heat the mixture over medium heat, until it thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Stir constantly in this process and make sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan, DON'T LET IT COME TO A BOIL. 

Pour the egg/milk mixture into the cold cream through a sift. 

Cool the custard in refrigerator. 

Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze it according to manufacturers instructions. 

Freeze the ice cream in the freezer a couple of hours before serving. Serve the stout ice cream with fresh fruit.

Enjoy!

Tempering Chocolate

Christmas, Desserts, Holiday, Sweets and Candy, techniqueTove Balle-Pedersen1 Comment

Dark chocolate:

Chop the chocolate finely, set just under ⅓ of the chocolate aside, and add the rest into a stainless steel bowl. Set the bowl on to a saucepan with very hot water. Let the chocolate melt while stirring. When the chocolate reaches 118-120℉ (48-49℃), take the bowl off the hot water. While stirring add the remaining chocolate in the warm chocolate. This will cool the chocolate. You need the temperature to cool to 80℉ (27℃). To make this process speed up, place the bowl in a bowl with ice-cold water for a short moment.   When the chocolate reaches 80℉ (27℃) put the bowl over the hot water again, and heat the chocolate to 88℉ (31℃), and now its ready to use for coating. It is Very important that the chocolate stays under 91.3℉ (33℃), if it does not, you need to start all over again.

TIP: If you keep an extra bowl with some warm chocolate, 118-120℉ (48-49℃), you can add small amounts of this, to the tempered chocolate if the temperature is getting to low while you are working with the chocolate.

Milk chocolate:  

You need to do the same steps with milk chocolate, as for the dark chocolate.

Heat to 116-118℉ (47-48℃)

Cool to  80℉ (27℃)

Reheat to 86℉ (30℃)

White chocolate:

You need to do the same steps with white chocolate, as for the dark chocolate. White chocolate is per definition not a real chocolate, 

Heat to 116-118℉ (47-48℃)

Cool to  80℉ (27℃)

Reheat to 84℉ (29℃)

How-to videos:

How to temper chocolate? Here is a video from CHOW, on how to do it. I also like this video, that gives you the science behind tempering chocolate. This warms a food chemists heart. ❤️

Hvordan temperer man chokolade? Her er en video fra Mette Blomsterberg, der viser hvordan hun gør. Blomsterberg køler ikke chokoladen til 27℃, for igen at opvarme chokoladen, til arbejdstemperaturen 31-33℃, som jeg ellers har lært. Men man må tro på at hun ved hvad hun gør. + jeg kan lide at hun har den lune chokolade klar, til at tilsætte lidt, for at holde temperaturen konstant, mens du arbejder med den.

Lime Ice Cream - Farven Metallic

Desserts, Ice CreamTove Balle-PedersenComment
Lime flødeis i metallic klæder.

Lime flødeis i metallic klæder.

Jeg meldte mig under fanerne på madbloggerudfordringen#8, denne gang skulle der laves mad og/eller drikkevarer i en af følgende farver: Grøn, brun, rød, hvid og metallic. 😳 Og ja jeg fik selfølgelig metallic, hvilket er blevet deffineret som glitter, glimmer og funklende. Men hvor meget glitter og glimmer er der i min mad til hverdag og fest? Not much.

Jeg brainstormede og kom frem til at der rent faktisk er funklende fødevarer, der omgiver os til dagligt. 

Marineret sild, der er ofte en skinnende sølv hinde på toppen af filleterne - nem løsning.

Mange fisk har metallisk skind, her tænker jeg især på en røget sild og markrel - en fiske dip/hjemmerøget markrel.

Skaldyr, muslinger har perlemor i skallen - det kunne være sjov at lave noget med abalone, den er lokal og i sæson.

Kager - vandbakkelser dyppet i karamel, ligesom da jeg lavede sportskagen.  Måske lave noget med en spejlblank glace.

Ideerne var mange og temmelig blandede, men så ramte hverdagen og rygsmerter mig. Jeg måtte finde på noget, der ikke krævede timer i køkkenet. Så jeg måtte ty til tilført metallic farve, intet naturligt her. 

Jeg fandt ud af, den farve jeg havde købt så fantastisk ud på en lime. Limen blev nærmest electric.  Så limen blev mit omdrejningspunkt, og da sommeren jo har indfundet sig her i Caliornien, så faldt valget på en is.

Super skøn lime flødeis serveres i metallic klæder.

Giver lidt over ½ liter is

Ingredienser:

  • 240 ml piskefløde
  • 240 ml sødmælk
  • 4 æggeblommer
  • 125 g sukker
  • 1 knivspids salt (sydesalt fra Læsø, selvfølgelig)
  • 3 limes, skal og saft

Ekstra:

Fremgangsmåde:

Hæld fløden i en skål, og sæt skålen oven i en større skål fyldt med is, så fløden holdes iskold. 

Riv den grønne del af de 3 limes ned i en skål, og pres saften ud af dem, ned i en anden skål.

Mix 25 g sukker med den revne limeskal, så limesmagen blander sig med sukkeret. Pisk æggeblommerne med limesukker til massen er let og luftig.

Varm mælk, 100 g sukker og salt i en tykbundet gryde indtil sukkeret er smeltet. Hæld den varme mælk i æggemassen lidt af gangen, mens der piskes, indtil al mælken er iblandet. Hæld det hele tilbage i gryden, og lun det indtil cremen er tyknet lidt. Pas på at ikke varme det for meget, da æggeblommen vil koagulere, dette sker ved 68℃. Kom cremen over i den kolde fløde, og afkøl den. Enten i køleskabet i 3-4 timer eller over isbadet.

Kør cremen i ismasinen ifølge instruktionerne til maskinen, indtil isen er begyndt at dannes. Kom limesaften i og forsæt med at køre iscremen indtil den er tyk og cremet. Frys isen i en fryseberegnet beholder i et par timer inden serveringen.

Servering:

Pensel kræmmerhusene med Wilton Pearl Dust™ så de får et metallic skær.

Kom en kugle is i hvert kræmmerhus og server.

Velbekomme!

 

The English version:

 

Lime Ice Cream

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 125 g sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 3 limes, zest and juice

Extra:

Directions:

Making the custard:

Pour the cream into a metal bowl placed in a larger bowl of ice, set aside. 

Zest and juice the limes, into separate bowls. Mix 25 g of the sugar with the lime zest, making lime sugar.

Warm milk, 100 g sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Make sure the sugar and salt is dissolved completely.

In another bowl, whisk egg yolks with the lime sugar. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, while whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan, and heat the mixture over medium heat, until it thickens. Stir constantly in this process and make sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan. 

Pour the egg/milk mixture into the cold cream. 

Cool the custard in refrigerator. 

Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze it according to manufacturers instructions. When the custard starts to form ice crystals, pour in the lime juice, and keep freezing the ice cream. 

Freeze the ice cream in the freezer a couple of hours before serving.

Serving:

Dust the cones with Wilton Pearl Dust™  to get a metallic glare. Put a scoop of ice cream in the cones and serve immediately.

Enjoy!


Bondepige med Slør - Apple/Rhubarb Dessert

Desserts, CakeTove Balle-PedersenComment
Bondepige med Slør - Apple/Rhubarb Dessert

Bondepige med Slør - Apple/Rhubarb Dessert

This is an old classic Danish dessert, normally made only with applesauce, rye bread crunch and whipped cream. But I wanted to add some spring flavor and freshness to the dessert. So I added some rhubarb sauce. This dessert is a keeper, for sure.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Apple Sauce:

  • 6-8 apples (Pink Lady)

  • 100 g sugar (depending on how sweet you want the Apple Sauce)

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste

  • 50 ml water

Crunch:

And:

Directions:

Apple Sauce:

Peel and core the apples and cut them in small pieces. Cook the apples with sugar, water and vanilla paste, until they are very soft. Cool the Apple sauce in the refrigerator.

Crunch:

Grate the rye bread. Melt the butter in a pan and toast the rye bread in the butter over medium heat, until light crispy. Add the sugars and let it just caramelize and coat the rye bread. Spread the crispy rye bread on a piece of parchment paper, mix in the brown sugar and let the crunch cool completely.

Whipped Cream:

Whisk the cream until little over soft peak, be careful not to over-whisk the cream, because it will become grainy and eventually turn into butter. Do not add any sugar, you want the clean taste of the cream. 

Assembly:

Layer the sauces with the crunch in a serving glasses and top of with the whipped cream.

Enjoy!