Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower

One of my favorite vegetables is cauliflower. It's very versatile, I use it as rice, raw in salads, boiled, roasted, everything goes with Cauliflower. 

These roasted cauliflower florets are a perfect side for a roasted chicken. 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• salt
• shaved parmesan 
• (capers)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475℉ (250℃).

Place the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet. Drizzle the cauliflower with olive oil, and season with the lemon pepper, cumin and salt. Place baking sheet in the oven and cook for 18-25 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting. I like a good caramelization on the cauliflower, so I put them in the oven before the oven is preheated all the way.

Remove cauliflower from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan and some capers (if you have some). Serve immediately while still warm.

Enjoy!

The Danish Version:

Ristet Blomkål

Ingredienser:

• 1 medium blomkål, skåret i buketter
• olivenolie
• 1 tsk citronpeber
• ½ tsk spidskommen
• salt
• høvlet parmesan 
• kapers

Fremgangsmåde:

Varm ovnen op til 250℃.

Kom blomkålsbuketterne i et ovnfast fad i ét lag, eller læg dem spredt på en bareplade. Hæld olivenolien henover. Drys citronpeber, spidskommen of salt på, og vend det hele rundt så alle buketterne er dækkede. (dette kan også gøres i en frysepose før man kommer blomkålen i fadet/på pladen.

Kom blomkålen i ovnen og bag dem i ca 18-25 minutter, vend dem rundt undervejs, så de får en jævn farve. 

Tag blomkålen ud af ovnen og kom parmesan og kapers (hvis du har nogle) henover, og server den straks.

Velbekomme.

Boil cake - No-bake cake

Boil cake - No-bake cake

Boil a cake - it sound crazy. But my mom boiled this cake all through my childhood. In my school we had a class-gathering in the classroom the last day before our christmas- and summer break. We all had to bring some kind of snack, and I always brought this Boil cake. 

Actually it's just at pound cake "baked" in a French Savarin Pan floating in a big pot of soft simmering water. It is a bit tricky to make, because if any water get into the batter the cake is ruined. But when you get the hang of it, the result is a very juicy and soft cake without any dark brown caramelization. My mom topped the cake with an icing made from confectionary sugar, orange juice and orange zest. 

Ingredient: 

• 200 g Butter (salted and soft)

• 150 g sugar

• 2 teaspoon vanilla paste

• 4 eggs

• 200 g all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Icing: 

• confectionary sugar

• 1 orange (some of the juice and zest)

Directions: 

Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a simmer. The French Savarin pan should be able to float freely in the pot. Well, my pot was not large enough, but it works anyway.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, mix in the vanilla paste. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix just until fully incorporated. Fold in the dry ingredients. 

Boiling of the cake.

Pour the batter into the Pan.

Place the pan in the pot and DO NOT put a lid on. The condensation will drip into the batter and ruin the cake. 

Boil the cake for about 50-60 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Remove the pan from the water, and let the cake cool somewhat before removing it from the pan. 

Mix confectionary sugar with orange zest, and just enough juice to make a paste. Pour the icing over the cake.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Kogekage

Ingredienser:

• 200 g smør (saltet of stuetemperatur)

• 150 g sukker

• 2 tsk vanilla paste eller kornene fra en vanillestang

• 4 æg

• 200 g hvedemel

• 1 tsk bagepulver

Glasur: 

• flormelis

• 1 appelsin (skallen og noget af saften)

Fremgangsmåde:

Fyld en stor bred gryde med vand, og varm det op til det næsten koger. Gryden skal være så stor, at en randform kan flyde i gryden. Ok, min randform hviler på kanten, hvilket virker fint.

Rør smør og sukker sammen til det er blegt og skummende. Tilsæt æggene et ad gangen og derefter vanillien. Bland bagepulveret med melet og kom det i dejen. Fordel dejen i formen og kom formen over i gryden. Pas på at der ikke kommer vand ned i formen, for så er kagen ødelagt. Der skal IKKE låg på gryden, da kondensen vil gøre kagen meget svampet, hvilet ikke er rart.

Kog kagen i 50-60 minutter til kagen er færdig, og der ikke hænger noget ved, når du stikker en nål i kagen. 

Fjern kagen fra gryden og lad den køle lidt af inden du vender kagen ud af formen.

Lav glasuren af appelsinsaft, flormelis og revet appelsinskal, og kom den over den afkølede kage.

Velbekomme! 

Maple Plank Salmon

Maple Plank Salmon

Have you ever grilled salmon on a plank? It's actually really easy, and it brings a lot of great flavor to the salmon. The most important thing is to soak the plank for one or two hours before grilling. You can soak the plank in water, cider, or even wine. 😃

I have had planks lying in the my kitchen cabinets for a very long time, I've totally forgot all about them. But on my last few runs to Whole Foods Market, I've wanted to try their Cedar Plank Salmon. But I opted to try making my own, Hawaiian inspired salmon.

Here is my take.

Serves 2-3 people

Ingredients:

• 1 food-safe maple plank (you can use any kind of food-safe planks)
• 1 salmon fillet, or 2-3 portion sized
• salt & white pepper
• lemon juice

Topping:

• 2 thin slices fresh pineapple, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon curd
• ½ jalapeño, minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ cup macadamia nuts
• salt & white pepper
• sprinkle of red pepper flakes

Directions:

Soak the plank in water for about two hours, making sure that it stay submerged.

Abut 15 minutes before you are ready to cook, preheat the grill/BBQ to 375-400℉ (190-200℃). You want to cook the salmon over direct heat.

Maple Plank Salmon ready for the grill/BBQ

Remove skin and bones from the fillet. You can let the skin stay on the fish, but I always remove it.
Drip some lemon juice over the fish, and season it with salt and white pepper. Place the fillet on the plank, and make the topping. If the filet has a thin tapered belly edge, tuck the edge under to get a more even thickness of the filet. This prevent the thin part to overcook. 

Mix the topping and spread it evenly over the fillet.

Cook for about 12-18 minutes with the lid closed, until the salmon is done (when the salmon is no longer translucent but uniformly pink in the center. Small fillets will cook more quickly than larger cuts. 

(Check the doneness by inserting a knife in the center and peek inside.)

You can reuse the planks until they become overly charred, cracked, or impossible to clean. 

Enjoy!

Dutch Baby with Lemon and Blueberries

Dutch Baby with Lemon and Blueberries

A Dutch baby is also called a German pancake or Dutch puff. It’s a mix between a pancake, popover and  a crepe. The traditional Dutch baby is baked in a cast iron skillet. The Dutch baby puffs up, but deflate as soon as it is taken out of the oven. This dish is not labor intensive, you can easily make this when you have people over for sunday brunch. The Dutch baby hangs out in the oven, and compared to pancakes you don’t have to flip it. The cast iron skillet makes the dish very forgiving too, because it keeps the Dutch baby warm for quite some time. 

I like that the Dutch baby is not overly sweet, but if you have a sweet tooth you can always pour some maple syrup over it.

Makes 1 large or 4 small

Ingrediets:

• 4 large eggs

• 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk

• 1 cup (95 g) all-purpose flour

• ¼ cup (50 g) sugar

• 1 lemon, the zest of (grated)

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon vanilla paste

• 125 g blueberries, save some for topping

• 1-2 tablespoons butter

• confectionary sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (205℃). Heat the cast iron skillet over high heat.

Blend eggs, milk, flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt in a blender. 

Add butter to the hot skillet, and pour in the batter, when the butter is melted, and scatter the blueberries on top, (save some for topping).

Put the Dutch baby in the oven, and bake until it's puffed and cooked through for about 20-25 minutes. 

Serve the Dutch baby with blueberries and sprinkled with confectionary sugar.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Tysk pandekage

Ingredienser:

• 4 store æg

• 240 ml sødmælk

• 95 g hvedemel

• 50 g sukker

• 1 citron, revet skal fra

• ¼ tsk salt

• ½ tsk vanilla paste eller kornene fra ½ vanillestang

• 125 g blåbær, gem lidt til pynt

• 1-2 spsk smør

• flormelis, til pynt

Directions:

Varm ovenen op til  205℃, og varm støbejernspanden op på komfuret på højeste blus.

Blend æg, mælk, mel, sukker, citronskal og salt i en blender.

Kom smørret på panden, og kom dejen i når smørret er smeltet. Fordel blåbærrene over dejen, og sæt panden i ovnen. Bag den tyske pandekage indtil den er gennembagt og er hævet op, det tager ca. 20-25 minutter.

Server pandekagen med resten af bærrene og et drys flormelis. Du kan også servere pandekagen med ahornsirup.

Velbekomme!

Vanilla Pepper - The New Black

Rib Eye Steak with Vanilla Pepper Rub and Roasted Vegetables 

When you think of vanilla, you’ll automatically think of desserts or cakes. But why not give the vanilla a try in the savory kitchen. It’s a uniquely flavored spice that brightens up your steaks or chops. On a visit to Oxbow Public Market in Napa,  I found a vanilla pepper rub from Whole Spice. The smell of the rub pulled me in, and I had to have it, even though it was kinda expensive. The sweet, fruity smell and the kick from the pepper made me want to go home and cook. Basically I found my new spice for this BBQ season.

We have tried it on rib eye steaks and now I'm in love with the rub. The steak gets an exotic and spicy flavor that really stands out in a very good way. The vanilla pepper rub, is the new black in my house.

I might try to make my own vanilla pepper rub. I just have to find the right balance between black pepper, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, lemon, thyme, nutmeg and cloves. Or I'll just have to order a big batch, so it will last the whole summer.

If you ever stop by Oxbow Public Market and Whole Spice, try the vanilla pepper rub, it’s to die for. You can also order it online. It's worth every penny.