Chicken Nuggets - homemade

Chicken Nuggets

I would rater die,  than eat chicken McNuggets or other store bought nuggets. There is nothing good about a salty fattening fried piece of "chicken." But homemade nuggets made from chicken breast, is a meal worth eating. They are easy to make and is a good and healthy dinner on a week-night. You just have to plan ahead, and marinate the chicken. You can even substitute the cracker with rye flour for a healthier option.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 250 g buttermilk
• 25-50 g saltine crackers or another salty buttery cracker
• 1-2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 pinch pepper
• salt

Directions:

Cut each chicken breast in 8-10 pieces, and put them in a plastic bag or container. Add the buttermilk, and let the chicken marinade in 24-48 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Drain of the buttermilk, and wipe the excess buttermilk off in a paper towel. 

Put cracker and spices in a zipplock bag, and break the cracker into small crumbs. Put the chicken pieces into the bag, to coat. 

Spread the chicken onto a baking sheet, and bake 15-20 minutes. Turn pieces over midway.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Kyllingenuggets

Ingredienser:

• 200 g kyllingebryst
• 250 g kærnemælk
• 25-50 g tuc kiks
• 1-2 tsk chilipulver
• 1 tsk paprika
• 1 tsk hvidløgspulver
• 1 knsp peber
• salt

Fremgangsmåde:

Kyllingen skæres i passende bidder, ca. 6-8 stykker pr kyllingebryst.  Kom kyllingestykkerne i en plastikpose. Hæld kærnemælken ned i posen, og lad kyllingestykkerne marinere i køleskabet i 24-48 timer.

Opvarm ovnen til 200℃.

Kom kiksene ned i en frysepose og bank dem til rasp, tilsæt krydderierne. Tag Kyllingestykkerne op, og tør den overskydende kærnemælk af. Kom kyllingestykkerne ned til kiksraspen, og ryst posen til de alle er dækket af et lag. Læg kyllingestykker på en bageplade og bag dem i 10-15 minutter. Vend evt stykkerne halvvejs.

Velbekomme!

Breakfast Sourdough Rolls

Breakfast Sourdough Rolls

I have a love of bread, for the most part I prefer more rustic bread like sourdough bread. But baking my favorite bread takes time. So I had to try to make some easy sourdough rolls, and here is what I came up with. A rustic crisp roll with flaxseeds, whole wheat, oats and sunflower seeds.  

Makes 8-9 rolls.

Ingredients:

• 5 g live yeast (½ teaspoon dry yeast)
• 80 g (¾ dl) mature sourdough*
• 4 dl (1⅔ cup) cold water
• 50 g rolled oats
• 2 teaspoon (15 g) sea salt
• 150 g whole wheat flour
• 345 g all-purpose flour
• 40 g flaxseeds 
• 40 g sunflower seeds 

Sprinkle:

• rolled oats or rolled spelt
• rice flour

Directions:

In a large bowl, pour in the water, yeast and sourdough, and mix it well. Mix in the oats, whole wheat flour, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds and salt. Add the all-purpose flour a little at a time, until you have a firm but slightly sticky dough. You might not need all the flour.

I always knead my doughs in my stand mixer, and I knead the dough for about 8-10 minutes until the dough is a bit shiny and elastic. 

Put the dough in another bowl, wiped with some olive oil. Seal the container with plastic wrap (or my favorite Press'n Seal), and leave to rest for an hour on the kitchen counter. Put the dough in the refrigerator for 12-20 hours.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit for at least 1 hour. 

Preheat you oven and Pizza stone to 500℉ (260℃). 

Pour some rice flour and rolled spelt on the kitchen counter and gently scrape the dough out onto it. Cut the dough in 8-9 pieces and put them on a plate sprinkled with some cornflour, so the rolls don't stick.

Place the rolls on the pizza stone and let them bake for 15-20 minutes.

Let rolls cool before serving.

Enjoy!

* If you don't have a sourdough, use 15 g live yeast or 1½ teaspoon dry yeast

The Danish version

Surdejsrundstykker 

Surdejsrundstykker

Ingredienser:

• 5 g gær
• 80 g (¾ dl) surdej**
• 4 dl koldt vand
• 50 g havregryn
• 2 tsk (15 g) havsalt
• 150 g fuldkornshvedemel
• 345 g hvedemel
• 40 g hørfrø
• 40 g solsikkekerner

Drys:

• havregryn eller speltflager
• rismel

Fremgangsmåde:

Rør gær, vand og surdej sammen i en skål. Tilsæt fuldkornsmel, havregryn, hørfrø, solsikkekerner og salt og rør dejen sammen i en røremaskine. Tilsæt hvedemel lidt ad gangen, men kun nok til du har en fast med stadig let-klisteret dej. Det er ikke sikkert du skal bruge alt melet.

Ælt dejen i røremaskinen i ca 8-10 minutter ved medium hastighed indtil du har en blank elastisk dej.

Når dejen er æltet godt, kommes den i en skål smurt med lidt olivenolie. Dæk skålen til med plastikfilm, og lad dejen hvile på køkkenbordet i ca 1 time. Kom dejen i køleskabet i 12-20 timer.

Tag dejen ud af køleskabet og lad den stå ved stuetemperatur i mindst 1 time.

Forvarm ovn og bagesten til 260℃.

Vend dejen ud på et bord drysset med rismel og speltflager. Skær dejen i 8-9 stykker, og sæt dem på en tallerken drysset med majsmel, så de ikke sætter sig fast. Overfør bollerne til bagestenen, og bag dem i 15-20 minutter.

Velbekomme!

Hvis du ikke har en surdej så kan du erstatte det med 15 g gær eller 1½ tsk tørgær.

This post has been submitted to YeastSpotting

Pavlova

Pavlova

Super easy dessert, perfect for a summer night on the terrace.

Ingredients:

• 4 egg whites
• 265 g sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Topping:

• Heavy whipping cream, whipped
• berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300℉ (150℃). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw a 9-inch circle on the parchment paper, and turn the parchment paper upside down, so you don't get any pencil on the pavlova.

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 extract and lemon juice.

Spoon the meringue inside the drawn circle on the parchment paper. Spread the meringue working from the center towards the edge. You want to make it look like a bowl.

Bake the pavlova for 1½ hour. Cool on a wire rack, before adding whipped cream and berries.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Fuglerede

Ingredienser:

• 4 æggehvider
• 265 g sukker
• 2 tsk maizena
• 1 tsk vanilla ekstract
• 1 tsk citronsaft

Topping:

• piskefløde, pisket til skum
• bær (blåbær, hindbær, jordbær og brombær)

Fremgangsmåde:

Opvarm ovnen til 150℃. Kom bagepapir på en bageplade. Tegn en 22-24cm cirkel på bagepapiret, og vend bagepapiret , så du ikke får blyant på din fuglerede. 

Pisk hviderne stive, og tilsæt sukkeret et par spsk ad gangen, mens der stadig rørers. Du skal ende op med en tyk blank marengs. Forsigtig fold maizena, vanille og citronsaft i marengsen.

Hæld marengsen ud midt i cirklen og spred den ud mod kanten fra midten af. Så du ender op med en lille skål i marengs.

Bag fuglereden i 1½, og lad den køle helt af på en rist. 

Pisk fløden, og fordel den og bær på fuglereden og server den straks.

Velbekomme.

Grilled Espresso Tri-Tip

Grilled Espresso Tri-Tip

I had never heard about a tri-tip roast befor moving to California. And even though I have seen the cut in the stores, I didn't know how to cook it. My dear neighbors changed that, when they invited us for a BBQ, and served tri-tip. Now tri-tip is on my cuts to buy. It is so good and flavorful. Now I have to get my neighbor's secret rub, to get the perfect tri-tip for summer.

The tri-tip is a cut from the bottom of the sirloin, and is a close cousin of the culotte roast. 

Since the tri-tip is a lean cut, you have to be careful not to over cook it, particularly when preparing the full roast. You don't want to cook it to more than medium. 

This time the tri-tip became a little more done, than I would have liked, but I still turned out great. The deep flavor of the coffee worked perfect with the spice from the pepper and the beef. 

Ingredients:

• 1 tri-tip roast
• 3 tablespoons finely ground espresso coffee beans
• 1 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Combine espresso beans, brown sugar, garlic powder, black pepper, and chili powder. Rub mixture onto the roast and place in a large dish. Let the roast marinade covered, in the refrigerator for at least an hour. 

Preheat grill to medium heat (400℉/200℃).  

Remove roast from fridge and place on grill/BBQ, use indirect heat. Cook for 15-18 minutes turning occasionally. When done, remove from heat allow to sit for a few minutes before carving into  thin slices. 

Enjoy!

Pigs in a Blanket - Pølsehorn

Pigs in a Blanket - Pølsehorn

Pigs in a blanket aka pølsehorn is a favorite among kids and adults all over the world.  They are perfect for kids birthday parties or as an easy snack or lunch. You cant eat them cold, warm or hot with your choice of condiments. 

Ingredients:

10 German style Wieners 

Dough:

• 50 g live yeast (or 4 teaspoons dry yeast)
• 250 g water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 40 g butter (salted)
• 1 egg
• 425 g all-purpose flour
• 100 g spelt flour
• 1 egg for egg-wash 

Directions:

In a bowl combine warm water, milk, yeast and sugar. If you use dry yeast let the mixture stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. 

In the stand mixer bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add butter and mix it with a flat beater until the flour looks like crumbs. (Well the dough hook works too.) Stir in yeast mixture and egg until a dough forms. Knead the dough for 5-8 minutes on medium, (8-10 minutes if kneaded by hand), until smooth and elastic. 

Let the dough rise covered for 1 - 2 hours until doubled in bulk.

Cut the wieners in half. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pour the dough onto a lightly floured workspace, fold the dough over 3-4 times and using dough scraper, divide the dough into 18-20 small balls. Gently roll each ball into a 11-inch/30 cm  rope, and wrap the dough around the half wiener. Squeeze the ends onto the rest of the dough, so it won't unroll when rising.

Cover the pigs loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let to rise in a warm place for one hour.

Preheat oven to 400℉/200℃ with rack in center. Beat an egg and brush some on top of pigs. Bake until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Transfer to a rack to cool before serving.

Serve the pigs in a blanket with your favorite condiment. 

Enjoy!

This post has been submitted to YeastSpotting

The Danish version:

Ingredienser:

• 50 g gær (eller 4 tsk tørgær)
• 250 g vand, lunkent
• 1 tsk salt
• 2 spsk sukker 
• 3 spsk mælk
• 40 g saltet smør
• 1 æg
• 425 g hvedemel
• 100 g speltmel
• 1 æg, til pensling

Fremgangsmåde:

Bland det lunkne vand med mælk, gær og sukker. Hvis du bruger tørgær, så lad blandingen stå indtil det begynder at skumme.

I en røremaskine bland melene, salt og smør, indtil smørret er blandet ordentligt med melet, så det ligner krummer. Kom gærblandingen og ægget i. Rør indtil det er blevet til en dej. Ælt dejen i 5-8 minutter. (Ælt 8-10 minutter, hvis du gør det i hånden). Du skal ende op med en jævn og elastisk dej.

Lad dejen hæve tildækket i skålen i 1-2 timer, eller til den er doblet i størrelse.

Halvér pølserne., og kom bagepapir på et par bageplader.

Hæld dejen ud på et bord drysset med mel. Fold dejen 3-4 gange og del dejlen i 18-20 lige store stykker/boller. Rul bollerne ud til ca. 30 cm lange pølser, og sno dejen rundt om pølserne. Pres enderne ind i dejen, så snoningen ikke ruller op, når pølsehornene hæver.

Dæk pølsehornene med et rent viskestykke, og lad dem hæve i omkring 1 time.

Opvarm ovnen til 200℃. Pensel pølsehornene med det sammenpiskede æg, og bag dem i ca 15 minutter indtil de er gyldne og gennembagte.

Køl pølsehornene lidt af inden de serveres.

Server pølsehorn med sennep og ketchup.

Velbekomme!