Sweet • Sour • Savory

Food blog on scandinavian style food done right.

Holiday

Marengskys - Meringue Tops

Cookies, Desserts, Holiday, Sweets and Candy, CakeTove Balle-PedersenComment
Marengskys - Meringue Tops

Marengskys - Meringue Tops

Meringue tops are called kys or kisses in Danish, and are small sweet tops, perfect with ice cream or at any party. 

These are dressed up for a party, with some rainbow disco dust.

Makes a lot.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300℉ (150℃). Line 2 baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In the bowl for the stand mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks. Add the sugar gradually, a couple tablespoons at a time, while still beating the egg whites. The egg whites/meringue will become thick and glossy. Gently fold in cornstarch, vanilla, lemon juice and food coloring.

Transfer the meringue into a pastry bag with a star tip. Pipe tops onto the prepared baking sheets, You don't need to space them to far apart, they will stay pretty much the same size. Sprinkle the tops with rainbow disco dust.

Bake the meringues for 45 minutes.

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.

Salmon en Croûte - Indbagt Laks

Dinner, Fish & seafood, Holiday, LunchTove Balle-PedersenComment
Salmon en Croûte - Indbagt Laks

Salmon en Croûte - Indbagt Laks

This is one of my favorite dishes to make for an spring or summer buffet. I'll just use more puff pastry and a large piece of salmon fillet.

The creamed spinach is to die for. The sweet, creamy and a bit tangy taste pairs well with any fish or smoked sausage. This recipe makes too much for this dish, but I always serve it as a side for the fish.

Ingredients:

  • 300 g salmon filet, deboned and without skin

  • 1 package puff pastry, defrosted

  • 1 egg for egg wash

Creamed Spinach:

  • 450 g baby spinach (you can use frozen leaf spinach)

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 250 ml heavy whipping cream

  • 1 lime, zest and juice

  • 3 tablespoons sugar

  • salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Defrost the puff pastry in the refrigerator according to instructions on the package. 

Creamed spinach:

Melt the butter in a sauté-pan, steam the spinach in the butter a few minutes until it is wilted down, and you have cooked most of the water from the spinach down. Sprinkle the flour on the spinach, and stir until incorporated. Stir in the cream and cook the spinach until the sauce thickens, about a few minutes. Finally add sugar, lime juice and zest and season with salt, pepper and additional sugar. Cool the creamed spinach to room temperature, before adding it to the puff pastry.

Roll the puff pastry to two 16x8-inch (40x20 cm) rectangle. Place the on a baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Place a dollop of spinach in one end of the pastry, make sure to leave a ½-inch border to seal the pastry. Place the salmon on the spinach, and add more spinach on top. Fold the pastry over the filling, and close the pastry package by pinching it shut. Repeat with the next, and brush the packages with egg wash. Score the top with a sharp knife.

Bake the salmon for 25-30 minutes.

Serve the salmon with a nice salad.

Enjoy! 

 

 

 

 

 

Irish Brownie Dessert

Cake, Desserts, HolidayTove Balle-PedersenComment
Irish Brownie Dessert

Irish Brownie Dessert

There's a little bit of Irish in everyone on St. Patrick's Day.

Try this decadent, rich dessert.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

Irish Brownie:

  • 50 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, unsweetened
  • 125 g chocolate
  • 50 g butter, salted
  • 50 ml Guinness stout
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
  • 1 tablespoon espresso, or another strong coffee
  • 2 eggs
  • 200 g sugar

Bailey's Mousse:

  • 300 ml heavy whipping cream
  • 165 g dark chocolate, I used Valrhona
  • 50 g good milk chocolate, I used Valrhona
  • 85 ml baileys

Topping:

  • Whipped cream
  • 4-6 mini bailey's

Directions:

Irish Brownie:

Preheat the oven to 350 ℉ and line a 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, and spray it with cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine flour and cocoa powder in a bowl.

Melt chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat, stir until smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in beer, coffee and vanilla.

Whisk eggs and sugars, in a large bowl until it’s thick pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the chocolate mixture. Add flour and cocoa and mix until just incorporated. 

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are firm and the center is set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Bailey's Mousse:

Chop the chocolates finely and put it in a bowl, set aside.

Heat the cream to a small simmer, pour it over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for 20 seconds before stirring. Stir until you get a homogenous, shiny mixture. Let the mixture cool for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator.

Stir in the Bailey's and whip it with a hand mixer until light and thick. Be careful not to over mix, this will make it grainy. Place mousse in a piping bag.

Whip some heavy whipping cream until medium soft peaks, this will be the whipped cream for the topping.

Assembly:

Pipe some mousse in a small serving vessel. Place some of the brownie on top, pipe more mousse on top. Finish the dessert up with a scoop of whipping cream and place a small bailey's upside-down in the top. 

Enjoy!

The Danish Version:

Irsk Brownie Dessert med Bailey's Mousse

Ingredienser:

Irsk Brownie:

  • 50 g hvedemel
  • 1 spsk usødet kakao
  • 125 g mørk chokolade
  • 50 g smør, saltet
  • 50 ml Guinness stout
  • 1 tsk vanilje pasta /korn fra en vaniljestang 
  • 1 spsk espresso, eller anden stærk kaffe
  • 2 æg
  • 200 g sukker

Bailey's Mousse:

  • 300 ml piskefløde
  • 165 g mørk chokolade, jeg brugte Valrhona
  • 50 g god mælke chokolade, jeg brugte Valrhona
  • 85 ml Bailey's

Topping:

  • flødeskum
  • 4-6 mini Bailey's

Fremgangsmåde:

Irsk Brownie:

Forvarm ovnen til 180℃. Smør en 20x20 cm bradepande og læg et stykke bagepapir i bunden, og smør også det.

Blandmel og kakao i en skål.

Smelt chokoladen, smør i en gryde og rør det sammen til en skinnende masse. Tag gryden af varmen og tilsæt øl, kaffe og vanilje. 

Pisk æggene med sukker indtil du har en bleggul tyk masse. Bland chokoladeblandingen i, og fold derefter forsigtigt melet i. 

Kom dejen i bradepanden og bag kagen i 30-35 minutter. Du skal gerne ende op med en blød kage med sprøde kanter. Afkøl kagen helt før du bruger den i desserten.

Bailey's Mousse:

Hak chokoladen fint, og kom det i en skål.

Varm fløden op i en gryde indtil kogepunktet. Hæld den varme fløde over chokoladen. Vent ca 20 sekunder før du begynder at røre. Bliv ved at røre indtil massen er homogen. Dæk skålen til og lad det køle i mindst 4 timer i køleskabet.

Rør bailey'en i og pisk massen med en håndmikser til den er tyk og luftig. Pas på ikke at overpiske massen, da det gør moussen grynet. Kom moussen i en sprøjtepose, og opbevar den på køl indtil du skal bruge den.

Pisk flødeskum til at toppe desserten af med.

Samling:

Sprøjt lidt mousse i bunden af en portionsskål, kom et stykke brownie ovenpå. Kom endnu et lag mousse ovenpå og top desserten af med en god klat flødeskum og sæt en mini Bailey's flaske ned i desserten. 

Velbekomme!