Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

I know the picture isn't perfect, but the taste is so so good. My brother was the one that told me about this mustard glazed salmon. In my mind this glaze is used to glaze a ham. And the caramelized pearl onions is a traditional side for roast beef. But as it turned out, the glaze worked perfect with the salmon. It added a mild smokey flavor to the juicy salmon. This dish will be on our meal plan in the near future again. Especially because I plan to add more fish to the table this year, and salmon being my husbands favorite fish. 

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 3 pieces salmon, or 1 larger piece
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon grainy mustard (I used Maille Old style whole grain dijon mustard)
• 5 tablespoons brown sugar
• 200 g (about half a bag) frozen pearl onions

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Brush an ovenproof dish with oil, and set aside.

Remove skin and bones from the salmon. Place it in the ovenproof dish, skin-side down. 

Mix mustards and sugar till you have a paste, this will be the glaze. Brush the salmon with the glaze. Place the pearl onions all around the salmon and pour the rest of the glaze over the onions. Bake the salmon for 20-30 minutes until its done, and the glaze is somewhat caramelized. Serve the salmon with boiled potatoes and creamed spinach.

Enjoy!

Kaffebrød - Coffee Bread

Kaffebrød - Coffee Bread

Kaffebrød or coffee bread might be a forgotten cake. It might not get as mush recognition as a lot of other Danish cakes. But I really like them. The crispy bread with a sweet slightly chewy topping, is really good with a cup of tea or coffee. 

Makes 12-15.

Ingredients:

Bread:

• 25 g live yeast (2 teaspoons dry active yeast)
• 250 ml milk
• 500 g all-purpose flour
• 50 g butter, salted
• 50 g sugar 
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cardamom 
• 1 egg

Topping:

• 300 g marzipan
• 300 g sugar
• 3 egg whites 
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
• ½ teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste 

Directions:

Bread:

Heat the milk till a little more than finger warm. Let the butter melt in the warm milk.

Mix the sugar with the yeast, the mixture turns liquid. If using dry yeast, dissolve it in the milk.

Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer. Knead the dough for about 7 minutes. 

Let the dough rise for about 40 minutes. Divide the dough in two, and roll each part Into a large flat bread using a rolling pin. Let the breads rise on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Bake he bread for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown.

Let the breads cool before slicing in 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick slices. Place the slices cut-side up on a baking sheet. Toast the slices for 5-7 minutes until light golden brown. 

Topping:

Mix marzipan, sugar, vanilla and egg whites in a stand mixer till you have a soft paste. Mix in flour and baking powder. Now you should have a thick paste, that won't run off the bread slices. Put the paste into a piping bag, and cut off so you have a large hole, so you just need one fat line of topping to cover the bread slices. Pipe one line on top of the toasted bread slices. Bake the slices for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Let the coffee bread cool before serving.

Enjoy!

French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup

French onion soup is a worldwide classic and a big favorite in my house. The deep, somewhat sweet and umami flavors with the saltiness from the gruyere is a party in my mouth. I like to serve  some extra crispy slices of cheesy bread slices, to add some extra texture. French onion soup is normally an appetizer, but somehow it always transforms itself to a main course, when I make it at home. Perfect for a meatless Monday or any other day. 

Serves 6 as an appetizer 

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter, salted
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 onions, thinly sliced
• 4-5 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leave
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 cup (2½ dl) white wine
• 1 liter (4 cups) beef broth

Topping:

• 1 baguette, sliced
• ½ pound gruyere cheese

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, onions, and thyme, and cook until the onions are soft and caramelized, this will take about 25 minutes. You want to get a good caramelizing on the onions, this will make the flavors more deep and more complex. Add the wine, broth, garlic and bay leave. Bring the soup to simmer. Let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes. Season to taste. Discard thyme sprigs, garlic and bay leave.

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃). Spread the baguette slices on a baking sheet, sprinkle with some olive oil. Toast the bread for about 10 minutes until golden and crispy. 

Preheat the boiler.

Pour the soup into ovenproof cups or bowls. Place 1-2 bread slices on top, and sprinkle a good amount cheese on top. Place the soup under the boiler and heat until the cheese has melted and turned golden and bubbly. 

Serve the soup immediately.

Enjoy!

Happy New Year

Kransekage

Happy New Year!

Thank you all for visiting my blog. It is still humbling to have all of you as my audience. I do my very best to bring you recipes and inspiration from my world. And I am very thankful for my husbands work on the pictures for the blog. I love the collaboration we have on this project.

Yet another year is coming to an end. 2015 will soon be in the past. I hope this past year has been all that you hoped and wished for. I hope you had a blast, that you got peace in your soul and love in your heart. I am thankful for all I got to experience during the past year, all the people who came for a visit, and all the new and old friends and family I got to meet during my vacation in Denmark. 

In my family we will serve champagne and kransekage at the stroke of midnight, wishing friends and family a happy new year. 

What were the biggest hits on my blog this year? 

Here is my top 3 for 2015:

1. Danish Rye Bread - without Sourdough
2. Rundstykker version II 
3. Romkugler - Danish Rum Balls

All three are good Danish classics. But the overall favorite post is  Braided Nutelle Bread from 2014. This must mean Nutella is King on my blog. 😉

I wish you all the most fantastic 2016 filled with joy, hope, love and  laughter. 

Cheers.

Soft Liquorice Caramels v.2

Soft Liquorice Caramels

Thank you for stopping by my blog during the past years. It has been a fun but busy year, I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have. 
Christmas Night and Christmas Day came and went so fast this year. I love having my family and friends around me. My wish for next year, is to be more relaxed and  enjoy the evening more.

I wanted to make these soft caramels and got inspired by a recipe on a Danish blog called Valdemarsro.

Happy holydays from my family to yours.

Makes 15-20 pieces. 

Ingredients:

• 50 g light corn syrup, or glucose
• 100 g sugar
• 200 ml heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon sweet liquorice syrup
• 1 tablespoon raw liquorice 

Directions:

Prepare a 9-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, and set aside.

Mix corn syrup, sugar and cream in a saucepan, and bring it to a boil, while stirring. Lower the heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes. The caramel is done when the mixture pulls away from the saucepan, when stirring, and you can see a slight crystallization when you stir. Mix in the liquorice syrup. Pour the caramel into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the raw liquorice on top. Let the caramel set on the kitchen counter for a few hours, before cutting into cubes. Wrap each caramel in parchment paper or wax paper and keep the caramels in a cool place in an airtight container. 
Enjoy!