Egg Salad

Egg Salad

Egg salad is one of the easiest things to make. When the eggs are boiled and cooled, it will only take 5 minutes to make. And it still packs great flavor. I might not be the healthiest but add a good salad and some vegetables on the side, suddenly you have a great meal.

Everybody has their way to boil eggs. I put the eggs in a small saucepan and just covered with cold water. Over high heat bring the water to a boil, let the eggs cook in the boiling water for 7 minutes. Remove from heat, drain the water and stop the cooking with cold water.

Serves 3

Ingredients:

• 75 g mayonnaise
• ¼ teaspoon mustard
• 2 dash curry powder
• 3 eggs, hardboiled, cooled, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper. 

Serve the egg salad on your favorite bread.

Enjoy!

Stout Ice Cream

Stout Ice Cream

Happy Father's Day, in advance for the US, or belated if you are in Denmark.

My dad didn't drink much alcohol, after becoming a family man. I honestly don't think he shied away from alcohol in his younger days, but that's a whole different story. When we had family gatherings my dad would drink one stout mixed with a sweet lemon soda. It actually tasted quite good, the sweetness went great with the bitterness of the dark beer. 

To celebrate Father's Day, and remembering my own dad, I'm making Stout Ice cream. This sweet creamy ice cream has a lot of caramel flavors with a bitter note in the end. It pairs perfectly with fresh summer berries. I know it sounds weird to have beer and ice cream, but it really works.

Makes about a pint - Somehow some of the ice cream always disappear on the way from the machine to the freezer. 

Ingredients:

• 1 (ml) stout, I used a Guinness Extra Stout
• 5 egg yolks
• 125 g sugar, less if you use a sweet stout
• 400 ml heavy whipping cream
• 200 ml whole milk

Directions:

Bring the stout to a boil, reduce heat and let it simmer until you have a syrup. Let the syrup cool completely. 

Pour  half of the cream into a metal bowl placed in a larger bowl of ice, set aside. 

Warm milk, and 100 g sugar in a medium saucepan until scalding. Make sure the sugar is dissolved completely.

In another bowl, whisk egg yolks with 25 g sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, while whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan, and heat the mixture over medium heat, until it thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Stir constantly in this process and make sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan, DON'T LET IT COME TO A BOIL. 

Pour the egg/milk mixture into the cold cream through a sift. 

Cool the custard in refrigerator. 

Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze it according to manufacturers instructions. 

Freeze the ice cream in the freezer a couple of hours before serving. Serve the stout ice cream with fresh fruit.

Enjoy!

Birkes - a Breakfast Roll (Pastry)

Birkes - a Breakfast Roll

Birkes is a great pastry but without the sweetness. Birkes taste great warm with a slice of Havarti  or fontina cheese.

How to get warm birkes for your breakfat or brunch: Make the dough a day in advance and freeze the birkes when they are ready to put in the oven. Next morning, place the still frozen birkes on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes in a preheated oven. 

Makes 12-15

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 100 g butter, cold
• 500 g all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 50 g fresh compressed yeast (or 4 teaspoons dry yeast)
• 300 ml milk

Filling: 

• 100-125 g butter

Sprinkles:

• egg wash (1 egg +2 tablespoons milk)
• poppy seeds

Directions:

In a large bowl mix the cold butter with the flour, sugar and salt until the butter is fully incorporated. 

Heat the milk until finger warm and dissolve the yeast in the milk. Add the warm milk to the flour and knead the dough for 5 minutes on the stand mixer, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Let the dough rise covered for about 30 minutes at room temperature.

Gently ease the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle, the size is not important. Place thin slices of butter on ⅔ of the dough, leaving ⅓ bare. Fold the part without butter over half of the buttered dough, and fold the last ⅓ over like you are folding a letter. Like as in a puff pastry dough.

Let the dough rest for about 10 minutes in the refrigerator, before rolling the dough to a thin rectangle again, and making another letter fold. 

Preheat the oven to 435℉ (225℃).

Roll the now laminated dough a little longer, so you are able to get 12-15, 2-inch (5 cm) wide pieces. Gently place the birkes on a parchment lined baking sheet. Let the birkes rest 10 minutes covered.   

Brush the birkes with egg wash, and sprinkle with white poppy seeds, and bake them for 15-18 minutes. Cool the birkes for a little while, and serve them warm.

Enjoy!

Tempering Chocolate

Dark chocolate:

Chop the chocolate finely, set just under ⅓ of the chocolate aside, and add the rest into a stainless steel bowl. Set the bowl on to a saucepan with very hot water. Let the chocolate melt while stirring. When the chocolate reaches 118-120℉ (48-49℃), take the bowl off the hot water. While stirring add the remaining chocolate in the warm chocolate. This will cool the chocolate. You need the temperature to cool to 80℉ (27℃). To make this process speed up, place the bowl in a bowl with ice-cold water for a short moment.   When the chocolate reaches 80℉ (27℃) put the bowl over the hot water again, and heat the chocolate to 88℉ (31℃), and now its ready to use for coating. It is Very important that the chocolate stays under 91.3℉ (33℃), if it does not, you need to start all over again.

TIP: If you keep an extra bowl with some warm chocolate, 118-120℉ (48-49℃), you can add small amounts of this, to the tempered chocolate if the temperature is getting to low while you are working with the chocolate.

Milk chocolate:  

You need to do the same steps with milk chocolate, as for the dark chocolate.

Heat to 116-118℉ (47-48℃)

Cool to  80℉ (27℃)

Reheat to 86℉ (30℃)

White chocolate:

You need to do the same steps with white chocolate, as for the dark chocolate. White chocolate is per definition not a real chocolate, 

Heat to 116-118℉ (47-48℃)

Cool to  80℉ (27℃)

Reheat to 84℉ (29℃)

How-to videos:

How to temper chocolate? Here is a video from CHOW, on how to do it. I also like this video, that gives you the science behind tempering chocolate. This warms a food chemists heart. ❤️

Hvordan temperer man chokolade? Her er en video fra Mette Blomsterberg, der viser hvordan hun gør. Blomsterberg køler ikke chokoladen til 27℃, for igen at opvarme chokoladen, til arbejdstemperaturen 31-33℃, som jeg ellers har lært. Men man må tro på at hun ved hvad hun gør. + jeg kan lide at hun har den lune chokolade klar, til at tilsætte lidt, for at holde temperaturen konstant, mens du arbejder med den.

Smørbirkes - Poppy Seed Roll

Smørbirkes - Poppy Seed Roll

Smørbirkes or poppy seed rolls is a classic roll found at most bake shops in the eastern part of Denmark. In Jutland a smørbirkes is a completely different thing.

The rolls are much like a brioche, just without the eggs. It's sweet and soft and pairs perfect with butter, jam and cheese.

Makes 15-18

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 100 g butter, cold

• 500 g all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 50 g fresh compressed yeast (or 4 teaspoons dry yeast)

• 300 ml milk

Sprinkles:

• egg wash (1 egg +2 tablespoons milk)

• poppy seeds

Directions:

In a large bowl mix the cold butter with the flour, sugar and salt until the butter is fully incorporated. 

Heat the milk until finger warm and dissolve the yeast in the milk. Add the warm milk to the flour and knead the dough for 5 minutes on the stand mixer, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Let the dough rise covered for about 30 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 435℉ (225℃).

Gently ease the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in 15-18 balls, even in size. Roll the ball to a 9-inch (22 cm) log. Using a rolling pin, roll the log longer and flat. Fold dough piece in half, and place it on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the balls. 

Let the smørbirkes rise covered for 10 minutes.

Brush the top part of the smørbirkes with egg wash and sprinkle with a nice layer of poppy seeds.

Bake the smørbirkes for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Let the smørbirkes cool on a wire rack and serve them freshly baked, or slightly reheated next day.

Enjoy!