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Monday, December 31, 2012

Fruit Tingle Cocktail

This Australian cocktail is simulating the sweet flavours from the confectionery Fruit Tingles.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Pan Fried Nile Perch

Nile perch has light delicate white firm flaky flesh containing very few bones and is an excellent fish option to eat. It can be grilled, fried, poached, sautéed, braised, roasted, steamed or served as kebabs or even sashimi. Nile perch has low water content and is best marinated before being broiled or barbecued.

 

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Puff Pastry Tart (Tarteletter med Kylling i Asparges)

This Old classic Danish dish has been a traditional everyday meal for generations. A crispy warm pastry shell filled with chicken and asparagus.  A similar recipe is mentioned first time in Frøken Jensen’s cookbook from 1901. This is the way I normally make the dish and it is perfect as a first course.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Roast Pork Rack

Pork rib roast is also referred to as rack of pork. The cut originates in the rib area of the loin containing more fat which makes it flavorful. This cut makes a show-stopping centerpiece for an elegant dinner. Before roasting or barbecuing the pork rib roast, it should be “Frenched.” Simply cut the meat away from the end of each rib, so that part of each bone is exposed. A butcher also can do this for you.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Fire Engine Cocktail

This is a good sweet cocktail resembling the colour of a fire truck, which is a mocktail with lemonade instead of vodka.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Pebernødder (Pepper Nuts)

Pebernødder is a traditional biscuit served at Christmas time in Denmark, available in shops and supermarkets. They are consideration to be the oldest Christmas biscuit in Denmark and directly translated means pepper nuts. The biscuits were referred to as nuts since baking soda was not available, which made the biscuits hard similar to nuts with a peppery flavour derived from nutmeg or pepper. Pebernødder was always placed in a bowl on the table and poured into paper cones which is hung on the Christmas tree.

There are plenty of recipes for these biscuits using different peppers and spices, however nutmeg gives a perfect heat. These pebernødder are not hard like nuts but rather crunchy and mildly spicy.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Fruit Mince Pies with Butter Biscuit

A fruit mince pie is a small British sweet pie traditionally served during the Christmas season made with a spicy fruit mix baked in shortbread. These pies have a Danish vanilla and butter biscuit top.


Monday, December 24, 2012

Yule Log

Yule Log or Buche de Noel is a distinctive old traditional cake made to celebrate Christmas and the winter solstice simulating the burning of a wooden log in the hearth. This is a very popular cake for a Christmas buffet.


Sunday, December 23, 2012

Creamed Rice with Almonds and Cherry sauce

This dish, derived from French cooking, is a rice pudding with almonds. Ris à l'amande is the description of this dish I grew up with however the official name in Denmark is now in one word Risalamande. This is a classically Danish Christmas dessert dish served on Christmas evening. The tradition is to cook a big portion of rice pudding on the 23th December and serve it warm with cinnamon sugar and butter on top for dinner. The rest is left outside for cooling and the story goes the elves would eat from this at night. The last portion is used for the dessert the next day, which is mixed with chopped almonds and served with cherry sauce on top. This dish would be served in a big bowl placed on the dining table with a whole almond positioned inside the dish and the finder of this almond would get the almond present. An almond present could be anything but was mostly a marcipan pig, chocolate, a toy or a game.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Rice Pudding (Risengrød)

This is a classically Danish Christmas dish. The tradition is to cook a big portion of rice pudding on the 23rd December and serve it warm with cinnamon sugar and butter on top for dinner. The rest is left outside for cooling and the story goes the elves would eat from this at night.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Sangria

Sangria is a delicious Spanish punch made with red wine, fresh, seasonal fruit and fizzy water or citrus flavoured soda. It is extremely easy to make and perfect for the hot summer days. The best part of Sangria is you can use a selection of different wines in the recipe mix and more often than not the chilled leftover wines from the day before can be used in the punch. On top of this you can spice it up by adding your favourite fruits, spice and liquors. Chill the punch and enjoy the summer afternoons.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

White Christmas Slice

This is an Australian crispy no bake slice great for Christmas using rice Bubbles. They are great for kids to have fun with in the kitchen. Wrap some of the slices in cellophane which can make great Christmas presents.


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Aussie Hamburger

The Australian Hamburger sandwich served in many fish and chips shops is different to the other counterparts with always containing a slice of beetroot. Basically it is a Hamburger with a bun split in half and toasted, sandwiched and layered with barbeque or tomato sauce, a beef patty, grilled onions, a slice of beetroot, a slice of tomato, iceberg lettuce and served with hot potato chips. This is a more contemporary way to mix the burger meat, though I mostly use good lean beef mince for my Hamburgers.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns

This yeast recipe can be used to make hamburger buns, hot dog buns or a sandwich loaf and is really easy to make at home.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Banana Split with Ganaché and Toasted Macadamia

Reconsider a classic dessert of the olden days like this banana split. There are numerous variations, however the classic banana split is made with a banana cut in half lengthwise and placed in an oblong dish, with scoops of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream served in a row between a split banana. Pineapple topping is drizzled over the vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup over the chocolate ice cream and strawberry topping over the strawberry ice cream.  Garnish with crushed nuts, whipped cream and maraschino cherries.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Baked Nile Perch

Nile perch is a freshwater fish in the lakes and rivers of central Africa and originated in the Nile River. The largest population is in Lake Victoria and the fish is marketed as Nile perch or Lake Victoria perch. This perch can reach a massive 150 kilograms and grow up to 2 meters in length, even though the commercial sizes range from 3 to 7 kilograms. Nile Perch is mild flavored and has a moist, medium-firm texture. The big fillets and meaty texture can resemble Grouper or Sea Bass. The raw fillets have a pinkish, flesh-toned tint to them, although they will cook up white. A big bonus with Nile perch is it has one of the highest levels of Omega-3 found in any seafood.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Sex in a Bubblegum Factory Cocktail

This cocktail was on a cocktail menu in an Italian style restaurant/bar where I was eating pizza with friends and my wife. I asked for a fruit tingle cocktail, which is a very sweet and popular cocktail in Australia. The waitress thought this cocktail was the sweetest they had on the menu, so I ordered one of these. After a while she came out with a beautiful turquoise coloured cocktail in a tall glass. I thought it was so good that I had another one and made this cocktail at home a few days later.


Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Monday, December 10, 2012

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Roasted Autumn Vegetable Salad

This is a divine roasted salad, which is suitable with any roast meat or have the vegetable salad on its own.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Chicken Oysters with Kipfler Potato

This dish is inspired by a recipe from Larousse Gastronomique book “Chicken Oyster with Morels (sot-l’y-laisse aux morilles) from Jean-Claude Ferrero’s recipe. Carefully wash 4-5 morels and split them in two lengthwise. Dredge 6-8 chicken oysters with flour and fry briskly in 25 g butter in a shallow pan together with 1 chopped shallot. When golden brown, season with salt and pepper and add morels. Cover the pan and cook gently for 7-8 minutes, then add 1 dl Savignon and finish cooking with the lid off. (A little nutmeg will further improve the flavour). Add1 tablespoon cream and cook for another 10-12 minutes. Serve in a hot dish.”

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Woo Woo

A Woo Woo cocktail is an alcoholic beverage consisting of vodka, peach schnapps and cranberry juice. It is normally served in a highball glass and can also be served as a shot or in a lowball glass. The ingredients are usually shaken together with ice or stirred if preferred. A lime wedge can be used as a garnish.


Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Fruit Mince Pies

A fruit mince pie is a small British sweet pie traditionally served during the Christmas season made with a spicy fruit mix baked in shortbread.


Sunday, December 2, 2012

Pork Belly Roast

This particular piece of pork meat has a lovely thick layer of fat which keeps the meat really moist as it roasts and delivers an incredible even layer of delicious pork crackling. Belly has been a much underrated meat cut although it has surfaced as a part of many cooks repertoire. This is a soft tender pork roast with crisp crackling good enough to eat as is, however serve it with sweet mash and vegetables for additional delight.


Saturday, December 1, 2012

Fruit Mince Christmas Cupcakes

One-Two-Three-Four Cake (called Measure Cake) is the classic cupcake recipe which I have used as a base for these Christmas cupcakes. Always easy recipe to remember.


Friday, November 30, 2012

Scotch Fillet and Potato Salad

The rib eye known as the Scotch fillet is a beef steak from the rib section. The rib eye was formerly the center best portion of the rib steak without the bone. The name Rib eye is used in Australia when this cut is served with the bone in, remove the bone and it is called a Scotch Fillet. It is one of the extra tasty beef cuts and the marbling of fat makes it a very good steak for slow roasting or grilling.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Tequila Sunrise

The Popular Tequila Sunrise is a 70’s cocktail made with tequila, orange juice, grenadine syrup and is named for the way it appears after it has been poured into a glass.


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Buttermilk and Potato Salad

The Desiree potatoes have smooth pink coloured skin and have yellow flesh with a distinctive flavour. They have a very thin skin and are a versatile all rounder potato variety which is firm and holds its shape. Desiree potatoes can be used for all cooking methods. When buying potatoes avoid soft, wrinkled or green coloured potatoes and handle potatoes gently as they can bruise. Keep potatoes stored in a cool and dry place away from light. Peel or wash potatoes then cook as desired such as boiling or baking.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Sarah Berhardt Cake

This is a heavenly cake available in most cake shops in Denmark and is named after the famous French actress of the Comedie Francaise Theatre in Paris. Sarah Bernhardt was nicknamed “The Divine Sarah”. This traditional Danish cake consists of an almond macaroon topped with chocolate Ganaché and coated in dark chocolate.


Monday, November 26, 2012

Swiss Macaron

It is the way I have made macarons since my apprenticeship and is still my preferred macaron for cakes. It is crispier than a French or Italian macaron and has an excellent texture variety in cakes. This macaron has a top surface texture like a dry cracked seabed.


Sunday, November 25, 2012

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Sesame and Poppy Seed Bark Bread

As far back into the past as research can explore, bark bread formed part of our ancestor's diet and for long periods it was the daily bread. Severe winter and icy temperatures joined forces with famine. In the cruel northern climate of the winters people were looked for every possible substitute for their normal diet. They ate bark, buds, leaves, husks, nettles, hay, straw and roots. They even grounded up bones for flour. Bark bread became the daily bread. The membrane immediately under the rough bark was scaled off with an iron scraper.

The process of preparing the bark involved, hanging it up to dry in the open air then it was beaten or crushed and grounded into flour. The bark membrane is very thin and many trees had to give up their skins before there was enough to make dough. Pettu is flour made from Pine bark and was traditionally used to make two types of breads. Bread made with buttermilk and pettu or bread made with a mix of rye flour and pettu. Making real Bark bread: 500 ml water, 500 ml sour milk, souring, yeast, 1 tablespoonful salt, 4 parts rye or oat flour and 1 part bark flour. Bake in a 250ºC preheated oven for approx. 20 minutes.

There is even today made bread containing bark, on the other hand this recipe is only simulating the look of bark which is easy to make and use as a dipper.


Friday, November 23, 2012

T-bone Steak with Salad

The T-bone steak of beef is cut from the short loin. The T-shaped bone has meat on each side, the larger is a strip steak and the smaller a tenderloin steak. These steaks are generally considered one of the highest quality steaks and are priced accordingly at restaurants. T-bone steak is best when seasoned, quickly pan fried, grilled or roasted. Season a 350g T-bone steak generously and grill over a hot barbecue or griddle pan for about four minutes on each side. Allow resting for at least 5 minutes. Serve pink, juicy with lemon wedges and a drizzle of olive oil over a tossed salad.


Note: Rare = feels soft. Medium-rare = feels evenly bouncy. Well done = feels firmer.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Old Fashioned Cocktail

The Old Fashioned is a style of cocktail prepared by mixing dissolved sugar with bitters, adding alcohol such as whiskey or brandy and a twist of citrus rind. It is traditionally served in a short, round, one cup glass, which is branded as an Old Fashioned glass.



Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Strauss Macaroon Cake

I have made an enormous amount of cakes in my work as a pastry chef and this is a classic in my weekend repertoire. The crunchy macaroon topped with apricot jam, whipped cream and coated with milk chocolate.


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Monday, November 19, 2012

Strawberry Jammie Dodgers

Jammie Dodgers are celebrated British biscuit sandwiches made using shortbread and raspberry jam. This type of jam biscuit is commonly made in bakery, cake shops and coffee shops.


Sunday, November 18, 2012

Sacher Torte

The legend tells us “one day in 1832 the all-mighty "Coachman of Europe" Wenzel Clemens Prince Metternich orders the creation of a particularly palatable dessert for high-ranking guests, "but don’t make me look a fool tonight!” he said, however that very day the chef was sick in bed, so the order is transferred to a 16 year old apprentice Franz Sacher who was in his second year apprentice. It is certain this specialty was presented to the guests and was to their greatest delight, “this soft and fluffy chocolate cake with the tasty apricot jam beyond the icing”
In 1876, Franz's son, Eduard Sacher, opened a grand hotel called “Hotel Sacher” and his wife, Anna turned it into one of Europe's greatest hostelries where the aristocracy would meet. Franz Sacher Jr., a son of Eduard, sold his original recipe to Demel's, a fancy coffee café on the Kohlmarkt, which allowed them to produce a Sacher torte. Both the Hotel Sacher and the Demel Patisserie claimed to produce the "original" Sachertorte, so these two institutions engaged in a lawsuit which lasted for years. The judgment in 1965 went in favor of Sacher, giving them the right to the “Original Sacher Torte” while Dehmel had to be satisfied with the “Original Eduard Sacher Torte”. The main difference between the two recipes is that in Sacher's case, the layer of jam is between two layers of the chocolate sponge, while in Demel's version the jam is on top of the sponge but under the chocolate covering”.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Chicken Oysters with Angel Hair Pasta

This dish is inspired by a recipe from Larousse Gastronomique book “Chicken Oyster with Morels (sot-l’y-laisse aux morilles) from Jean-Claude Ferrero’s recipe. Carefully wash 4-5 morels and split them in two lengthwise. Dredge 6-8 chicken oysters with flour and fry briskly in 25 g butter in a shallow pan together with 1 chopped shallot. When golden brown, season with salt and pepper and add morels. Cover the pan and cook gently for 7-8 minutes, then add 1 dl Savignon and finish cooking with the lid off. (A little nutmeg will further improve the flavour). Add1 tablespoon cream and cook for another 10-12 minutes. Serve in a hot dish.”

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Singapore Sling

Cocktails frequently have a habit of taking on a life of their own and Singapore Sling is a classic cocktail which has changed from the original version.

According to Wikipedia “the Singapore Sling is a South-East Asian cocktail that was developed sometime before 1915 by Ngiam Tong Boon, a bartender working at the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel Singapore. The original recipe used gin, Cherry Heering, Bénédictine and fresh pineapple juice, primarily from Sarawak pineapples which enhance the flavour and create a foamy top. Most recipes substitute bottled pineapple juice for fresh juice; soda water has to be added for foam”.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Monday, November 12, 2012

Movember Cookies

Movember is an annual event with the intention of men growing a moustache during November to raise awareness of male cancer. “Movember Foundation” encourages men to get involved and aims to increase early cancer detection, diagnosis and effective treatments, eventually reduce the number of preventable deaths. The “Movember Foundation” encourages men to be aware of any family history of cancer, getting an annual check up and to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Therefore make a Movember cookie and create plenty of attention. You can use any of your favourite cookie or biscuit recipes and make into the shape of moustaches with a cutter. Here is my shortbread recipe.