White Chocolate Brownie

White Chocolate Brownie

Normally a brownie is brown, but here is my take on a white brownie with white chocolate, dried cherries and almonds. The brownie is still moist and chocolaty, but the cherries gives a tangy taste, so the sweetness is not overpowering.

You can eat the brownie when it is just made, but it only gets better the next day.

Makes 12 small pieces

Ingredients:

Batter:

• 125 g butter
• 200 g white chocolate
• 3 eggs
• 300 g sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla pate or the seeds from ½ vanilla pod
• 150 g all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Filling:

• 100 g white chocolate, chopped
• 75 g sun-dried cherries, chopped
• 50 g almonds, chopped

Topping:

• 150 g white chocolate
• 15 g butter 
• 40 g almonds slivers
• 50 g dried cherries, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 360℉ (180℃). Line a  8” by 8” baking pan with parchment paper, and set aside.

Melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan over very low heat, let cool for a few minutes.

Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla till it is pale and foamy. Add the melted chocolate and mix until fully incorporated. Stir in the sifted flour and baking powder in the batter. Fold in chocolate, almonds and cherries.

Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake it for 35-45 minutes until the top is lightly golden.

Let the cake cool completely before decorating.

Topping:

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler while stirring, take the chocolate off the heat just before it's all melted, and stir until it all is melted. Stir in the butter, spread it on top of the cake, sprinkle almonds and cherries on top.

Cut the cake in small pieces and serve it with a nice cup of coffee. 

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Hvide Chokoladebrownies

Giver 12 små stykker

Ingredienser:

Dej:

• 125 g smør
• 200 g hvid chokolade
• 3 æg
• 300 g sukker
• kornene fra ½ stang vanille
• 150 g mel
• 1 tsk. bagepulver

Fyld:

• 100 g hvid chokolade, groft hakket
• 75 g soltørrede kirsebær, groft hakkede
• 50 g hele mandler

Topping:

• 150 g hvid chokolade
• 15 g blødt smør
• 40 g mandelsplitter
• 50 g oltørrede kirsebær, groft hakkede

Fremgangsmåde:

Forvarm ovnen til 180℃. Kom bagepapir i en ca 20 cm x 20 cm bageform.

Smelt smør og chokolade i en tykbundet gryde over meget lav varme eller over vandbad.Lad massen køle lidt af i et par minutter. Pisk æg, sukker og vaniljekorn til en meget lys gul luftig masse. Bland chokoladen i æggemassen. Bland sigtet mel og bagepulver i og bland det forsigtigt sammen. Tilsidst tilsættes mandler, kirsebær og chokolade og de vendes forsigtigt i dejen.

Hæld dejen i kageformen og bag kagen i ca. 35-45 minutter. Køl kagen helt af før den dekoreres. 

Topping:

Smelt chokoladen over vandbad, indtil den er næsten helt smeltet. Tag chokoladen af varmen og bliv ved med at røre indtil den sidste chokolade er smeltet. Tilsæt smør og rør det i. Spred chokoladen ud over toppen på kagen, og drys med de tørrede kirkebær og mandelsplitter. Lad chokoladen sætte sig, og skær kagen ud i små stykker. 

Server kagen med en god kop kaffe.

Velbekomme!

Pork Roast Sandwich - Flæskestegssandwich

Pork Roast Sandwich - Flæskestegssandwich

We had a BBQ this weekend, and we served flæskestegssandwiches aka pork roast sandwiches. It was way easier than serving burgers. You don't need to flip burgers at the hot grill all day. Just make the bread/buns, red cabbage and danish cucumber salad in advance and grill the roast, before the guests arrives. Then you just need to slice the roast, whenever you are ready to eat. This sandwich is a crowd pleaser.

 In Denmark you can get pork roast sandwich at good hotdog stands (Pølsevogne), and it’s the perfect hangover food.

Ingredients:

• hamburger buns or bread
• Danish cucumber salad
• pickled red cabbage
• Danish Pork roast aka flæskesteg
• condiments like mustard, miracle whip and ketchup, or whatever you fancy.

Directions:

Toast and slice the bread, and assemble the sandwich to you’re liking. I love a bit of miracle whip, pork roast, red cabbage and some cucumber salad in mine.

Rødgrød med Fløde - Berry Pudding with Cream

Rødgrød med Fløde - Berry Pudding with Cream

Rødgrød, aka berry pudding, is not a traditional pudding, it’s more like a jam with added potato starch to get the silky pudding-like consistency. The berry pudding has a very intense berry flavor, and with the cream you have a perfect summer dessert.

Berry pudding is a traditional summer dessert in Denmark, made with the fresh berries when they are in season. I grew up having this several times during the summer. My mom made it with rhubarb and strawberries in the start of summer, and by the end we had it with strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrant. I really love blackcurrant. The intense dark flavor is to die for.

The name "rødgrød med fløde" is almost impossible to pronounce for non-native Danes, but go-ahead and try:  Rødgrød med fløde [ˈʁɶð̪ˀˌɡ̊ʁɶð̪ˀ mɛ ˈfløːð̪̩].

Ingredients:

• 275 g redcurrants
• 775 g strawberries
• 250 g raspberries
• 100 g blackberries
• 150 ml water + 25 ml 
• 225 g sugar + extra for dusting
• 1½ tablespoons potato starch
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

Wash the berries, cut up the larger strawberries into bite-size bits. Come redcurrants and strawberries in a saucepan with water and sugar. Save the raspberries and blackberries for later, they are very delicate and you want to them to keep their shape. Slowly bring it all to a simmer. Skim the stiff foam off the top as it cooks using a large spoon. Let the berries simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add Blackberries.

Whisk potato starch in 25 ml water in a small bowl until combined. Take the berries of the heat, add the potato starch + water and stir until combined. Add raspberries and let them get warm while gently stirring. Transfer pudding to a bowl and sprinkle sugar on the surface of the pudding, so it doesn’t form a pudding-skin. Chill the pudding and serve at room temperature with ice cold cream.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Rødgrød med Fløde

Ingredienser:

• 275 g røde ribs
• 775 g jordbær
• 250 g hindbær
• 100 g brombær
• 1½ dl vand + ¼ dl 
• 225 g sukker + ekstra til at drysse ovenpå
• 1½ spsk kartoffelmel
• 2 spsk citronsaft 

Fremgangsmåde:

Rens bærrene og skær de store jordbær over.  Kom jordbær og ribs i en gryde med vand og sukker. Kog det forsigtigt op, fjern eventuelt skum. Kog forsigtigt grøden i ca. 3-4 minutter. Tilsæt brombærrene. Tag grøden af varmen.

Rør kartoffelmelen ud i den resterende ¼ dl vand. Kom det i grøden og rør rundt. Tilsæt hindbærrene, og lad dem lige varme op. Grøden skal ikke koges nu. 

Kom grøden i en skål, og drys den med sukker, så der ikke dannes skind på toppen. Afkøl grøden og server den stuetemperatur med iskold fløde,

Velbekomme!

Chocolate Ganache Fruit Tart

Chocolate Ganache Fruit Tart

Chocolate is the answer to everything, who cares what the question is?

Just another pie. Sweet, chocolaty and fruitful.

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 20 g almonds
• 20 g cocoa powder, unsweetened 
• 55 g all-purpose flour
• 35 g sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• ⅖ stick (45 g) butter, cold and salted
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla paste
• almost 1 egg

Ganache:

• 60 g dark chocolate
• 60 g milk chocolate
• 120 g heavy whipping cream
• 1½ teaspoon cognac

Topping:

• fresh fruit like cherries, raspberries and blackberries 

Direction:

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 the small tart pans with nonstick spray.

Flour your work surface generously, place the cold dough on top and flour the dough. Roll it out so it fits the tart pan.

Transfer the dough to the pie pan, cut off the overhanging dough for the crust to fit perfectly 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 10 minutes. Remove parchment paper and weights, and bake the crust for another 5 minutes. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Ganache:

Melt the chocolate in the cream over very low heat. When almost melted, remove from heat, and add the cognac. 

Pour the ganache into the crusts, and refrigerate them to set the ganache.

Decoration:

Decorate the tarts with fresh fruit, and serve.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Frugtchokoladetærte

Bund:

• 20 g mandler
• 20 g kakaopulver, usødet 
• 55 g hvedemel
• 35 g sukker
• 1 knsp salt
• 45 g smør, koldt og saltet, i små tern
• ¼ tsk vanille pasta eller kornene fra ½ vanillestang
• næsten 1 æg

Ganache:

• 60 g mørk chokolade
• 60 g mælke chokolade
• 120 g piskefløde
• 1½ tsk cognac

Topping:

• frisk frugt såsom, kirsebær, hindbær og brombær

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 samlet 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 de små tærtebunde. 

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

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 10 minutter, fjern så bagepapir og fyld. Bag bunden i yderligere 5 minutter. Lad bunden køle helt af, inden den fyldes.

Ganache:

Smelt chokoladen i fløden ved lav varme. Når chokoladen er næsten helt smeltet tages gryden af varmen og cognacen kommes i. Hæld ganachen i bundene og sæt tærterne i køleskabet, så ganachen sætter sig.

Dekoration:

Kom den friske frugt på tærterne, og server dem.

Velbekomme!

Steak Rolls - Benløse Fugle

Steak Rolls - Benløse Fugle

As a child we sometimes had steak rolls, or “benløse fugle" (directly translated: Birds with no legs - sounds weird, right?) This was thin slices of meat wrapped around a piece of smoked speck. To be honest that was not one of my favorites. But the thought of swapping the speck with a smoked cheese might be a way to give this old-school dish a new life. 

It totally worked. The spiciness from the chili and the smoked cheese with the meat, made a perfect flavorful combination. It won't be the last time I make these steak rolls.

Ingredients:

• 4 thin slices skirt steak like the meat you use for carne asada
• 4 small blocks smoked gouda, the size of string cheese
• 1 handful spinach
• 8 small slices sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 jalapeño, divided in 4, lengthwise 
• salt & pepper
• oil for searing

Directions:

Season the steak pieces generously on both sides with salt and pepper.

Take a strip of the steak and lay it with the short side towards you. Place some spinach leaves, a slice jalapeño, 2 pieces of tomatoes and one block of cheese in the middle and roll the steak up over the filling, securing it with a toothpick along the length of the roll. Repeat with the last three steak rolls.

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃)

In an ovenproof skillet, heat a splash of grape-seed oil over medium-high heat. When hot add the steak rolls, sear them on all sides. Place the skillet in the oven and let it roast for about 15 minutes, until the steak rolls are done, when the cheese are expanded out of the rolls. Serve the rolls with your favorite sides.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Benløse fugle

Ingredienser:

• 4 tynde stykker oksekød såsom flanke- eller flapkød
• 4 bjælker røget gouda, på str. med ostehaps
• 1 håndfuld spinat
• 8 små stykker soltørrede tomater
• 1 jalapeño, delt i 4, på langs 
• salt & peber
• olie til stegningen

Fremgangsmåde:

Krydder kødet med salt og peber.

Læg et stykke af oksekødet på skærebrættet, med den korte side henimod dig. Læg lidt spinatblade, ¼ jalapeño, lidt soltørret tomat og en ostebjælke på kødet, tættest dig selv. Rul kødet rundt om fyldet og "lås" rullen med en tandstik eller kødnål. Gentage med de sidste 3 kødstykker. 

Forvarm ovnen til 200℃.

Brun rullerne på alle sider i en pande, der kan gå i ovnen, i lidt vindruekeneolie. Sæt panden i oven i ca. 15 minutter, indtil rullerne er møre og osten er "vokset" lidt ud af rullerne.

Server de benløse fugle med dine foretrukne grøntsager. 

Velbekomme!