Sweet • Sour • Savory

Food blog on scandinavian style food done right.

Liquorice Wreaths - Lakridskranse

Christmas, Cookies, Holiday, LiquoriceTove Balle-Pedersen1 Comment
Liquorice Wreaths - Lakridskranse

Liquorice Wreaths - Lakridskranse

Dansk version

December 3.

One of the classic Danish christmas cookies is vanillekranse, a crispy, sweet, buttery cookie with the distinctive vanilla flavor. These cookies have always been one of my favorite. 

What can you do with a perfect cookie to make it more Danish or Nordic? In this day and age - you have to add liquorice, and so I did. 

Liquorice wreaths is a new take on vanillekranse, the traditional christmas cookie in Denmark. The liquorice taste is subtle and is perfect in this classic crispy cookie.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Cream the sugar and liquorice marzipan with the butter. Mix in the egg, and finally mix in the liquorice powder and flour. 

The attachment and process 

The attachment and process 

Put the dough into a decorating bag with a star decorating tip. You can also use a cookie press. Pipe the dough in small circles approximately 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

If you have a stand mixer, a meat grinder attachment and a vanillekranse attachment to make stings of star shaped dough; you can do this instead of piping the cakes:

If using a stand mixer, chill the dough in the refrigerator overnight. Add the cold dough to the feeder on the grinder, and push it into the grinder, and long strings of star shaped dough comes out of the grinder. I do this on medium to high speed. Place the strings of dough on the table, an cut them into 4 inch pieces. Join the ends to form a wreath, and place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 356℉ (180℃) 12-15 minutes, until browned on the edges. It's kinda hard to tell, but it's better to bake them 30 seconds longer than ending up with soft cookies. Cool the cookies on a wire rag. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Enjoy!

 

The Danish version:

Lakridskranse

Dette er en del af Madblogger udfordringen #5 Nordisk Jul. 

#MadbloggerUdfordringen5 og #MadbloggerUdfordringen.

Der er lakrids i alt efterhånden, så jeg måtte lige se om dette ville fungere. Og ja det holder hele vejen. Det er stadig den sprøde lækre krans man kender fra vanillekransen, med en skøn eftersmag af lakrids.

Ingredienser:

Fremgangsmåde:

Sukker, lakridsmarcipan og smør røres sammen, indtil det er luftigt. Rør ægget med i og tilsæt slutteligt lakridspulver og hvedemel. Mix kun til dejen netop har samlet sig. 

Dejen kommes i en sprøjtepose med en stjerne tyl & sprøjtes straks ud i "kranse" på bagepapir - diameter ca. 5 cm. Bages ved 200℃ til de er let gyldne - ca. 12 - 15 minutter. Giv dem hellere lidt længere tid, da de er svære at bedømme udfra farven. Det er ikke sjovt at få bløde småkager.
Afkøles på bagerist og opbevares i tætsluttende dåse.

Velbekomme!

Christmas Cream Puffs - Pebermynteflødeboller

Christmas, Desserts, Holiday, Sweets and CandyTove Balle-PedersenComment
Christmas Cream Puffs - Pebermynteflødeboller

Christmas Cream Puffs - Pebermynteflødeboller

December 2nd.

Peppermint is one of the most recognized tastes of Christmas. Red and white is classic christmas colors and you see candy canes and peppermint flavored coffee and chocolate everywhere. So why not make peppermint cream puffs/flødeboller. Even though cream puffs can be eaten all year round, these are very christmasy.  

Ingredients:

Makes 20.

Base:

  • 200 g marzipan

Filling:

  • 100 g (little over ⅓ cup) pasteurized egg whites 
  • 200 g (1 cup) sugar 
  • 50 ml (a little under ¼ cup) water
  • a few drops peppermint extract

Chocolate coating:

  • 200-250 g milk chocolate, a good one I used Valrhona

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃).

Cut the marzipan log into 20 slices. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the marzipan for 5 minutes, let them cool completely.

Filling:

When making meringue it is very important that there are no fat residue on your bowl and whisk, otherwise the egg whites won't get fluffy.

The cream puffs without coating

The cream puffs without coating

Whisk the egg whites until they just turn fluffy. Meanwhile heat sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and keep it simmering until it reaches 243℃ (117℃). 

Pour in the scolding hot syrup into the egg whites while whisking. The meringue becomes pretty warm, but keep whisking for 15 minutes, until stiff peaks. Gently fold in the peppermint extract.

Add the meringue to a piping bag with a plain round tip. Pipe the meringue in a high peak.

Bake the cream puffs for 5 minutes, just until the surface sets, but haven't got any color. This makes it easier to cover in chocolate. Let the cream puffs cool completely.

Tempering the chocolate:

This is how I do it, but if you have your own way, that works for you, use that method.

Chop the chocolate finely, set just under  of the chocolate aside, and add the rest into a stainless steel bowl. Set the bowl on a saucepan with very hot water (don't let the bowl touch the water) . Let the chocolate melt while stirring. When the chocolate reaches 111℉ (44℃), take the bowl off the hot water. While stirring let the chocolate cool until it reaches 80-83℉ (27-28℃), add the rest of the chopped chocolate and stir vigorously until its all melted. Put the bowl with chocolate over hot water again, and heat the chocolate to 86℉ (30℃). Now its ready to use for coating.

Coating:

Place the cream puffs on a wire rack. Drizzle the chocolate on top until the whole peak is covered with chocolate. Tap the wire rack on the counter to get the excess chocolate to run off. Place the cream puffs in the refrigerator for a few minutes until the chocolate has set. 

The cream puffs will keep 3 days a 50-54℉ (10-12℃).

Enjoy!

Mulled White Wine

Christmas, Drinks, HolidayTove Balle-PedersenComment
Mulled White Wine

Mulled White Wine

Today is December 1st and now the countdown for Christmas starts. Like last year, I'll post a new christmas-related recipe every day. I hope you will enjoy this December celebration.

Normally mulled wine is made with red wine, but making it with white wine makes it more fruity, crisp and light. This lighter version is really nice here in the warmer climate, and will even work as an ice cold drink.

Serves 4. 

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup (180 ml) elderflower syrup (I used Darbo elderflower syrup)

  • 1 vanilla bean pod

  • 2 thin slices fresh ginger

  • 8 whole cloves

  • 1 crisp white wine

  • 1 splash white rum

  • slivered almonds

  • diced dried yellow fruits (pineapple, mango, melon, golden raisins)

  • 1 orange

Directions:

Pour the syrup in to a tall glass, add whole cloves and vanillapod, cut lengthwise. Cover the glass and place it in the refrigerator overnight. 

Pour the syrup into a large pot, add white wine, ginger, 2 thin slices orange, a splash rum and heat it up. Be careful not to let it boil. Remove, orange slices, ginger and cloves. 

Add the dried fruit and the almond slivers and serve in small heatproof glasses.

Enjoy!

 

 

Ebelskiver with Pear and Blue Cheese

Brunch, Christmas, Holiday, SnacksTove Balle-PedersenComment
Ebelskiver with Pear and Blue Cheese

Ebelskiver with Pear and Blue Cheese

Today is the first day in Advent, meaning the first of four Sundays before Christmas. In my house we start the christmas decorating on December 1st, or the 1st of Advent, which ever comes first. I might sneak in some christmas things earlier, but who is to judge me ;) On the 4 Sundays before christmas we gather with frinds and family to eat ebelskiver/æbleskiver and drink mulled wine/gløgg. This year I wanted to change it a bit with some savory ebelskiver filled with pear and blue cheese. And they are really good as a hors d’Oeuvre or snack with a glass of good red wine.

Makes about 15 ebelskiver.

Ingredients:

Ebleskiver:

  • 125 g all-purpose flour
  • 65 g butter (salted and melted)
  • 190 ml milk (1,6 cups)
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

Filling:

  • 1 pear
  • blue cheese
  • 5 pecans

Directions:

Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Whisk whites with a mixer until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Mix milk with flour and baking powder till there's no lumps. Add the melted butter, egg yolks and salt. Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes. Gently fold in the egg whites, do not over mix the batter, but you don't want spots of egg whites in the batter. Heat the ebelskive pan. Fill the holes about ¾. As soon as the batter starts to bubble around the edge, turn* the ebelskiver halfway. Place a pea-sized piece of cheese and a few dices of pear + a sprinkle of chopped pecans into the batter, so it disappears. Add a little bit more batter to the ebelskiver. Turn the ebelskiver all the way, so you end up with a perfect ball. Continue cooking for a few minutes, turning the ball to keep it from burning. * I use a knitting needle to turn the ebelskiver, but you can also use a fork. Serve the ebelskiver hot too warm with a drizzle of honey and a nice glass of wine.

Enjoy!

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

Dinner, Sides, Thanksgiving, VegetablesTove Balle-PedersenComment

This week is all about getting ready for Thanksgiving here in the US. Every store is filled with turkey, stuffing, cranberries and gravy. 

I took a look back on my recipes, to see which ones would be perfect as Thanksgiving dinner sides. And here is my top 3.

 

Brussels Sprouts Purée  

Sweet creamy purée with a crunchy brussels sprouts salad on the top.

A new way to serve brussels sprouts. This one can make any kid and adult love brussel sprouts.

 

 

 

Sweet, smokey scalloped hasselback sweet potatoes.

highly addictive and a must-have at your Thanksgiving dinner.

 

 

 

 

Roasted Winter Squash, A healthy colorful side. The sweetness of the squash is well balanced with the onions and chili.