Sunchoke Soup with seared Scallops

Sunchoke Soup with seared Scallops

Last weekend I went to the local farmers marked, the perfect place to find farm-fresh produce in season. It was here I found sunchokes, aka Jerusalem Artichokes, sunroots or earth apples. 

You can eat the sunchokes raw in salads or cooked in soups and gratins. The raw sunchokes has a nutty taste, while the cooked are sweet with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Sunchokes has a high content of vitamin C and K.

I decided to make sunchoke soup, a  creamy soup perfect for an appetizer, but filling enough to use as a main course. 

Serves 4 as an appetizer or serves 2 for a main course.

Ingredients:

• 400 g sunchokes, peeled and chopped
• 300 g potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 dl (1¼ cup) whole milk
• 1 dl (little over ⅓ cup) cream
• 2 teaspoons chicken base
• 6 dl (2½ cup) water
• salt and white pepper, to taste

Topping:

• 6-8 scallops
• 2 tablespoons dry chorizo or paprika sausage, chopped and fried
• 3 teaspoon chives, finely chopped
• a few drops truffle oil
• sunchoke chips (1-2 sunchokes)

Directions:

Soup:

Cook the sunchokes and potatoes in milk, cream, chicken paste and water until tender. Blend the soup mixture in batches. If using a traditional blender remove the middle-nob so the steam can escape and cover with a kitchen towel so you will not burn yourself on soup splatters. Puree until smooth. Season the soup with salt and white pepper. Keep the soup hot while you sear the scallops.

Sunchoke chips:

While the sunchokes and potatoes are cooking. Brush 1-2 sunchokes clean. Slice the sunchokes very thinly into a bowl of ice water. Heat grape seed oil in a saucepan. Pad dry 3-5 slices  and fry them in the hot oil until they turn golden. Let the excess oil drip off on some paper towel. Sprinkle with salt.

Scallops:

Heat some grape seed oil in a skillet and fry the scallops on high heat until golden on both sides. Just before removing scallops from the skillet, season them with salt and white pepper.

Pour the soup into a serving size bowl. Top the soup with 1-2 scallops  and the rest of the topping. 

Enjoy.

Tiramisu

Tiramisu

Tiramisu, meaning "pick me up," is one of the best desserts in the world. I love the creamy, sweet, coffee and Amaretto flavored goodness, and I hope you will enjoy my version of this classic dessert. 

Ingredients:

Syrup:

• 1 cup coffee, espresso or very strong coffee
• ½ cup Amaretto (almond liqueur)
• ½ teaspoon instant coffee

Mascarpone cream:

• 4 egg whites (pasteurized)
• 4 egg yolks (pasteurized)
• 150 g confectionary sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 500 g mascarpone

Other:

• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• about 40 lady finger cookies 

Directions:

Syrup:

Brew the coffee and let it cool. Mix in the instant coffee and amaretto, set aside.

Mascarpone cream:

Beat the egg whites until stiff, using an electric mixer or stand mixer. Set aside. Beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. 

Whisk the mascarpone cheese until smooth. Mix in the egg yolk mixture and vanilla. Gently fold the stiff egg whites in the mixture with a spatula.

Pour the syrup into a small shallow dish. Dip each ladyfinger into the syrup for only 5 seconds. Letting the ladyfingers soak too long will cause them to fall apart. Place the soaked ladyfinger on the bottom of a baking dish. Make sure to fill the whole bottom, break the ladyfinger to make them fit. 

Spread ½ of the mascarpone mixture evenly over the ladyfingers. Arrange another layer of soaked ladyfingers and top with remaining mascarpone mixture. Sprinkle the cocoa powder  on top. 

Cover tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 8 hours.

Enjoy.

The Danish version:

Tiramisu

Ingredienser:

Sirup:

• 1 cup (240 ml) stærk kaffe eller espresso
• ½ cup (240 ml) Amaretto (mandellikør)
• ½ tsk frysetørret kaffepulver

Mascarpone cream:

• 4 æggehvider pasteuriserede
• 4 æggeblommer pasteuriserede
• 150 g flormelis
• 1 tsk vanille pasta (kornene fra ½ vanillestang)
• 500 g mascarpone

Yderligere:

• 1 spsk kakao (usødet)
• ca 40 ladyfingre, Savoiardi

Fremgangsmåde:

Sirup:

Bryg kaffen og lad den køle af. Bland kaffepulver og Amaretto i. 

Mascarpone cream:

Pisk æggehviderne stive, og sæt dem til side. Herefter piskes æggeblommerne og flormelisen indtil de er lysegule og luftige, ca 5 minutter.

Rør mascarponen så den bliver blød og cremet, det tager kun få sekunder. Bland æggeblommerne og vanillen i mascarponen. Til sidst vendes de stivpiskede æggehvider forsigtigt i cremen. 

Hæld siruppen i en flad skål. Dyp hver ladyfinger i siruppen, ikke længre end ca 5 sekunder ad gangen, da ladyfingrene eller vil gå i opløsning. Dæk bunden af fadet med dyppede ladyfingre. Hæld halvdelen af cremen over. Dyp resten af ladyfingrene i siruppen og læg dem oven på cremen. Fordel resten af cremen over dette andet lag ladyfingre. Drys et tyndt lag kakaopulver over tiramisu'en. 

Dæk tiramisuen til og lad den hvile i køleskabet i mindst 2 timer, men  gerne op til 8 timer. Tag Tiramisuen ud af køleskabet lige før servering.

Velbekomme

Chicken with Rhubarb

Chicken with Rhubarb

You know it is spring when you can get fresh Rhubarb. The sweet and sour vegetable, (it's a vegetable, not a fruit, even though you use it like a fruit), is good in cakes, in jams but also in ´food. 

As a child we had the rhubarb picked straight from the plant, washed and dipped in some sugar to snack on. If you discount the sugar, rhubarb is a healthy snack. 

This chicken dish is sweet and sour, and the creamy sauce make this really good with pasta.

Serves 4.

Ingredient:

• 6 chicken thighs ( I use boneless skinless thigh filets)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil or butter
• ¾ cup (180 ml) whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon chicken base
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ teaspoon chili paste
• ¼ cup chives, chopped
• 300 g rhubarb, sliced

Directions:

Check the chicken thighs and remove any excess fat. Heat the olive oil and sear the chicken on both sides for about a minute. Place the chicken in an ovenproof dish.

In a bowl mix cream, honey, chicken base and chili paste. Sprinkle rhubarb and chives over the chicken and pour the cream mixture over it.

Roast the chicken in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. Serve the dish with rice or fettuccine pasta. I normally serve this dish on a bed of baby spinach. 

Source Arla.dk

Limoncello/Liquorice Tiramisu

Limoncello/Liquorice Tiramisu

I have a love for al thing liquorice, and adding lemons into the mix, makes everything so much better. This spin on the traditional tiramisu is almost better than the original, well they are tie for first place. The limoncello makes the dessert seem light and fluffy and not as heavy as the original. If you don’t care for licorice, just leave it out, the limoncello tiramisu can easily stand on its own.

Ingredients:

Syrup:

• ½ cup (120 ml) limoncello liqueur

• ½ cup (120 ml) water

• ¼ cup (50 g) sugar

• ½ cup (120 ml) lemon juice

Mascarpone cream:

• 4 egg whites (pasteurized)

• 4 egg yolks (pasteurized)

• 150 g confectionary sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste

• 500 g mascarpone

• 1 lemon, zest of

Other:

• 1 tablespoon fine liquorice powder (from Lakrids by Bülow)

• about 40 ladyfingers, Savoiardi

• 1 teaspoon raw liquorice powder (from Lakrids by Bülow)

Directions:

Syrup:

In a small pan heat the limoncello, water, sugar and lemon juice almost until the sugar has completely dissolved. Set the syrup aside to cool down to room temperature.

Mascarpone cream:

Beat the egg whites until stiff, using an electric mixer or stand mixer. Set aside. Beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. 

Whisk the mascarpone cheese until smooth. Mix in the egg yolk mixture and vanilla. Gently fold the stiff egg whites and lemon zest in the mixture with a spatula.

Pour the syrup into a small shallow dish. Dip each ladyfinger into the syrup for only 5 seconds. Letting the ladyfingers soak too long will cause them to fall apart. Place the soaked ladyfinger on the bottom of a baking dish. Make sure to fill the whole bottom, break the ladyfinger to make them fit. Sprinkle with some fine liqourice powder.

Spread ½ of the mascarpone mixture  evenly over the ladyfingers. Sprinkle the rest of the fine liquorice powder on top. Arrange another layer of soaked ladyfingers and top with remaining mascarpone mixture. Sprinkle the raw liquorice powder on top. 

Cover tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 8 hours.

Enjoy.

The Danish version:

Limoncello/Lakrids Tiramisu

Ingredienser:

Sirup:

• 120 ml limoncello likør

• 120 ml vand

• 50 g sukker

• 120 ml citronsaft

Mascarpone cream:

• 4 æggehvider pasteuriserede

• 4 æggeblommer pasteuriserede

• 150 g flormelis

• 1 tsk vanille pasta (kornene fra ½ vanillestang)

• 500 g mascarpone

• 1 citron, kun den gule del af skallen

Yderligere:

• 1 spsk fine liquorice powder (fra Lakrids by Bülow)

• ca 40 ladyfingre, Savoiardi

• 1 tsk raw liquorice powder (fra Lakrids by Bülow)

Sirup:

Varm limoncello, vand, sukker og citronsaften op indtil al sukkeret er smeltet. Køl siruppen ned til stuetemperatur. 

Mascarpone cream:

Pisk æggehviderne stive, og sæt dem til side. Herefter piskes æggeblommerne og flormelisen indtil de er lysegule og luftige, ca 5 minutter.

Rør mascarponen så den bliver blød og cremet, det tager kun få sekunder. Bland æggeblommerne og vanillen i mascarponen. Til sidst vendes de stivpiskede æggehvider og citronskallen forsigtigt i cremen. 

Hæld siruppen i en flad skål. Dyp hver ladyfinger i siruppen, ikke længre end ca 5 sekunder ad gangen, da ladyfingrene eller vil gå i opløsning. Dæk bunden af fadet med dyppede ladyfingre, herefter drysses lidt fint lakridspulver henover. Hæld halvdelen af cremen over, og fordel resten af det fine lakridspulver over hele overfladen. Dyp resten af ladyfingrene i siruppen og læg dem oven på cremen. Fordel resten af cremen over dette andet lag ladyfingre. Drys et tyndt lag raw liquorice powder (lakrids)  over tiramisu'en. 

Dæk tiramisuen til og lad den hvile i køleskabet i mindst 2 timer, men  gerne op til 8 timer. Tag Tiramisuen ud af køleskabet lige før servering.

Velbekomme

Pistachio crusted Halibut.

Pistachio crusted Halibut

I have been looking for ways to have more fish on the menu. Most times we end out having salmon. I really wanted to have more white fish. 

In Denmark you normally have halibut smoked for lunch on an open faced sandwich. So the fresh halibut was new to me, but it’s so meaty and the color so bright white. 

Putting halibut together with pistachios and lemon zest is a winning combination.

Serves 4 people

Ingredients:

4 (1 1/4-inch-thick) pieces skinless halibut fillet (about 6 ounces each)

1 cup whole milk

2/3 cup shelled pistachios

2 tablespoon parmesan,  grated

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 lemon, the zest of

Directions: 

Put fish in a ziplock bag, pour milk over it, and chill for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the pistachios finely and mix it with lemon zest, parmesan and oil in a bowl.

Heat the oven to 425°F

Remove fish from milk, letting excess drip off. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper, top up with pistachio mixture to form a thick coating on the halibut.

Bake the fillets until the topping is crisp and browned and the fish is cooked through, 10 to 12 min., depending on thickness. Serve immediately.

Serve with roasted potatoes and a spicy sour cream sauce.