Pear Marmalade

I had never been a big fan of marmalade until I discovered how delicious it was to just spoon a tiny little bit of it on cheeses. Usually, marmalades are preserves made by boiling the pulp and part of the rind or skin of citrus fruits with sugar to the consistency of jam. However, marmalades can be made from almost any fruit and any berries: Unripe tiny aubergines, green apricots, quinces, small green bitter oranges, rhubarbs mixed with raspberries ... you name it, I probably got a recipe.

This recipe of pear marmalade serves about 8-10 at a buffé table.












INGREDIENTS:
* 3 pears (ab. 250 g)
* 2 tablespoons water
* ½ lime, zest and juice
* 1 teaspoon Certo® fruit pectin (powder)
* 2 dl (200 ml) sugar

METHOD:
1. Peel the pears, remove the seeds.
2. Cut them into smaller chunks and put in a saucepan.
3. Add water, lime zest and juice.
4. Cook covered för about 10 minutes.
5. Mix pectin with 2 tablespoons of the sugar.
6. Stir the mixture down into the saucepan.
7. Add the remaining sugar and cook for about 5 minutes.
8. Allow too cool and serve roomtemperatured with cheeses, for instance chevrè, brie and camembert on a cheese tray.

I use Certo® for this recipe. There are of course other brands. Certo® is not the only one. Do not substitute brands of fruit pectin in recipes without reading the instructions on the package. Each brand of fruit pectin has a different formulation. SURE-JELL for Lower Sugar Recipes and Certo® cannot be substituted for each other.

This Web site provides information 4 SURE-JELL

Pineapple And Strawberry Cake

The Norwegian "wet cake" (blötkake) is not as bad as it sounds. In fact it is very much like the savarin - the sponge cake made from or based on a mixture of flour, sugar and eggs and baked in a ring mold and then soaked with some syrup, wine or fruit juice. I do not like the cake too wet. Therefore I just gently spoon fruit juice over the layers. I always make this cake using my ordinary aluminium cake pan. It is very important to grease the cake pan carefully. To be sure; line bottom with parchment or wax paper too.














INGREDIENTS:
cake pan 23-24 cm (9-10 inches)

* 4 eggs
* 120 g (1 1/3 dl) sugar
* 120 g (1 1/3 dl) flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder

FILLING AND TOPPING:
½-1 l (500-1000 ml) strawberries
1 large can crushed pinapple in its own juice, drain, reserve juice
1 large can pineapple slices in its own juice, drain, reserve juice
4 dl (400 ml) double cream, whipped
2 tablespoons sugar

METHOD:
1. Grease a round cake pan (non-stick or not), dust with fine bread crumbs.
2. Beat eggs and sugar until white and fluffy.
3. Sieve the flour, blend flour with baking powder.
4. Gently fold the mixture into the egg batter, pour batter into the cake pan.
5. Place in a cold oven, turn oven to nearly 200°C [390°F]
6. Gradually decrease temp. to 150°C [300F] and finally to 100°C [200F].
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, allow to cool, then cut cake into 2-3 layers.
8. Spoon reserved pineapple juice over the cake layers.
9. Spread crushed pinapple and whipped cream between each layer.

GARNISH: Whipped cream, strawberries and pineapple. No strawberries? Garnish, for instance, with segments of Mandarin oranges.

How To Prepare A Salmon, Fresh or Frozen

Salmon for dinner but unfortunately it is frozen. Do not despair. Soon I am going to tell you how to cook it.

INGREDIENTS:
Serves 4-6

* 1 ½ kg fresh salmon
* 2-3 teaspoons salt
* 1 bunch of fresh dill

METHOD I:
1. Rinse and pat dry the salmon well.
2. Sprinkle with salt inside the belly and all around.
3. Fill the belly with fresh dill.
4. Place the salmon on a piece of ovenproof aluminum foil,
5. Wrap the foil around the fish and seal edges well.
6. Then freeze until the fish is ready to cook.
7. Heat oven to 80-85° C [175-185° F].
8. Place the frozen, wrapped salmon on a shallow pan and bake for at least 4-5 hours.

METHOD II:
When the salmon is bought frozen; as above with foil.

1. Preheat the oven to 80-85°C [175-185° F].
2. Place the salmon on a shallow pan and bake.
3. Open the package after about 2 hours.
4. Then season with salt and put fresh dill into the belly of the salmon.
5. Continue baking until the salmon is done.

How do you know when the salmon is done?
Timing vary depending on how thick the salmon is. "Done" is a matter of taste. Open the fish, check with a fork, if it flakes apart it is done. It is definitely done when a thermometer shows 50°-60°C [122-140°F].

To serve: Remove salmon from foil, leaving skin on foil. Put salt and pepper on the table. It might be necessary to add more salt and pepper according to taste.
Best served with potatoes, cooked or pressed, lemon sauce and vegetables.

Lemon Sauce (easy to make)
INGREDIENTS

* 1 dl (100 ml) whipping cream, slightly beaten
* 2 dl (200 ml) crème fraiche
* 1 cube fish stock
* zest from 1 lemon or juice from 1 lemon

METHOD:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan.
2. Simmer for 1-2 minutes.
3. Serve hot.

Salmon, brownish above, silvery on the sides, with black spots. It ascends to the headwaters of rivers to spawn and surmounts obstructions, as waterfalls of considerable height. It is a highly prized game and food fish in Sweden. When you buy salmon, consider choosing the wild variety instead of farmed. Farmed salmon contains more toxins than salmon caught in the wild.

Pike and Fish Burgers

My grandmother (my father´s mother) was born 1883. Her name was Elin; a housewife, who took care of the children. In the past, entire generations of a family would live together in a big house and so did my family. My father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, my younger sister and I. We all lived under the same roof.

This is one of my grandmother´s recipes. It originated during the 1930's or perhaps earlier. I found it in one of her cookbooks from that time. This recipe does make a lot of burgers, but they freeze well once cooked. Allow them to cool, then wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.


INGREDIENTS:
60-65 burgers

* 8 hg (800 g) pike fillets
* 5 hg (500 g) minced meat (or lean beef mince, mixed half-and-half with pork mince)
* 4 eggs
* 6-8 cooked, cold potatoes
* 1 ½ tablespoon salt
* 1 teaspoon pepper
* oil and butter

METHOD:
1. Pass fish fillets, potatoes and meat through a meat grinder to obtain a homogenous mixture.
2. Add the other ingredients and mix everything well.
3. Fry a small piece of fish mince to test seasoning.
4. Then shape mince into patties.
5. In a frying pan heat some oil and butter, then fry on each side for a few minutes until golden browned and done.














Serve, for instance, the modern way, with a sauce on the side as a burger on a bun or with fries.

This recipe calls for pike, I would think other white fish would work too. There is no need to follow the recipe blindly. Nowadays, the use of a food processor or blender is handy if you do not have much time. However, I prefer to stick to the traditional method.

One of my neighbours fishes pike in winter. He does not eat pike, nor does his wife. He knows I can make something out of it and hands it over to me. Small ones and big ones. The pike has a lot of bones. It does not matter if there are some smaller bones left when you pass the fillets through a meat grinder. Those bones get stuck round the knife.

Marinated beef for a make-ahead meal

How do you marinate meat? Marinating is for sure one of the best ways to give meat more flavor and to tenderize it at the same time. Typically, we marinate meats for 6 to 24 hours before we finish them on the grill. Sometimes, I prefer to marinate meat over night after cooking it when I need to make-ahead meals.













INGREDIENTS:
Serves 6

* 800 g beef, thick flank or similar

MARINADE:
* 1 dl (100 ml) Kikkoman Japanese Soy
* pinch of sesame seeds
* pinch of thyme
* pinch of basil
* 1 tablespoon orange juice
* 1 teaspoon fresh chili pepper, chopped

METHOD:
1. Preheat oven to 120°C [248°F].
2. Then brown the meat on all sides in an iron pot.
3. Place meat in a shallow open roasting pan, insert a thermometer.
4. Cook until thermometer shows 54ºC [129.2Fº] OR desired temperature.
5. Prepare marinade by combining all ingredients.
6. Put meat in a plastic freezer bag, pour marinade in bag, refridgerate.
7. Turn now and then to coat meat evenly, marinate a day or two.
8. Serve the meat thinly sliced, spoon some marinade over the slices before serving.

Best served with a potato gratin and a green salad. Or perhaps with a couscous salad and a lime raijta; a yogurt sauce. You can find a nice potato gratin recipe here at 4 Simly Recipes and a couscous salad recipe at 4 Dressing for dinner .

Although soy sauce comes from Asia, it can also be used in European cuisine. There are so many varieties of soy sauce on the market these days, it is hard to know which to choose. The aromatic flavor of Kikkoman Soy Sauce makes it the perfect seasoning. Kikkoman Soy Sauce contains only natural ingredients: soybeans, wheat, water and salt. These are combined in a natural fermentation process. It does not contain any chemical flavor enhancers, preservatives or colorings. After opening the bottle, the soy sauce should be used within a few weeks, otherwise it loses its flavor.

Spicy Mince Meat Pie

In Sweden this is called a pie. In French cuisine, I think, it is called a quiche, which means a baked dish that is made primarily of eggs and milk or cream in a pastry crust. Other ingredients such as cooked minced meat, vegetables, or cheese are added to the egg mixture before the quiche is baked. Served with a nice fresh green salad, the pie is suitable for a Sunday brunch.










INGREDIENTS:
Serves 4-6

DOUGH:
* 2 dl (200 ml) flour
* 100 g margarine, cut in small chunks
* 1 tablespoon cold water

FILLING:
* 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
* 400 g ground meat
* 2 tablespoons margarine
* 1-2 cloves garlic
* 2 dl (200 ml) chili sauce (like ketchup)
* ½ teaspoon curry powder
* 1 teaspoon cumin powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon sambal oelek
* ½ tablespoon chili powder
* 1 ½ - 2 dl (150 -200 ml) cheese, grated
* 1 egg
* 1 dl (100 ml) milk
* ½ - 1 teaspoon salt

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 220 degrees C (425 degrees F).
Prepare the dough mixing the flour & margarine into crumbles.
Add water and quickly work into a dough.
Line an ovenproof pie dish and put the dish into the fridge for 15 minutes.
Then prebake for 10-12 minutes
Fry the chopped onion in a pan with margarine.
Add the minced meat, fry and crumble, fry until it is completely dry.
Add garlic, chili sauce and seasonings, simmer for 3-7 minutes.
Taste the mixture; it should be spicy.
Spread the filling evenly on the prebaked dough and mix in the cheese.
Beat eggs, milk and salt.
Pour the egg mixture over.
Bake at 200 degrees C. (400 degrees F.) for 20 minutes.

I am aware of the confusion between cumin and caraway in Northern countries (some other European countries as well). Sometimes, poor distinction is made between the both, which may lead to troublesome confusion in cooking.

Rumtopf (Rom Pot)

Rumtopf, the German delicious fruit preserve. Traditionally part of German Christmas celebrations. The fruity liqueur can be drunk in glasses, and the fruit and liqueur are excellent over vanilla ice cream. It is traditional to begin with the first fruit of the summer season (typically strawberries).

However, fresh fruit and certain berries are available all year in supermarkets. Do not use blackberries or blueberries. They can be bitter and discolor the other fruits and berries. Watermelon can make the mixture watery. Rhubarb can make the mixture sour. Bananas are too mushy. Citrus fruits are too acidic. The fruit should be ripe, but not overripe. Look at it, look at the berries! Remove any damaged parts and pit or core it before measuring. Cut larger fruits into smaller chunks.














INGREDIENTS:
* 1 large jar with a lid
* 5 kg (5000 g) fresh fruits and berries
* 3 l (3000 ml) granulated sugar
* 75 cl (750 ml) rom

METHOD:
1. For instance, start with the strawberries, weigh them.
2. Cover with half as much sugar
3. Allow to sit for an hour.
4. Pour in enough rum to cover the fruit.
5. As space allows and as different fruits and berries come into season, add more fruits, berries, sugar and rum in the appropriate proportions, as described.
6. When ready, allow the entire mixture to sit for some days.
7. Then stir the fruit and berries gently.
8. Cover the jar with a clean film and a lid.
9. Store in a cool place away from heat and sunlight for at least 4 weeks (or 2-3 months).

If the fruit develops any mould - THROW IT OUT ! To prevent spoilage, you can keep the mixture acidic with lemon juice or ascorbic acid (vitamin C powder).

Did I make this understandable? If not. This is another blog about Rumtopf in English 4 A Lot On My Planet

Quick and Easy Oregano Chicken

My spice cupboard might well be stocked with 50 or more different spice herbs, salts and powders. Spices and herbs do not change the chemistry of cookery. They are only added to taste, bearing in mind that there is a difference in pungency and intensity of flavor. Oregano, for instance, is more potent than tarragon.

In Sweden, the dish most associated with oregano, is pizza. However, its rich spicy flavor makes it a perfect match for tomato based sauces, seafood and meats too. Oregano can be used either fresh or dried. If you are using the dried herb, use half the amount of it as you would the fresh called for in the recipe. The dried oregano is often (not always) more flavorful than the fresh one. To color the chicken, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

This chicken meal is so delicious and creates an elegant yet uncomplicated meal. Best served with cooked potatoes and vegetables. When my grandchildren visit, I have to double this recipe. They like it. But they do not really like vegetables, unless it is carrots.









INGREDIENTS:
Serves 4

* 4 chicken fillets (about 500 g)
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 tablespoon butter
* ½ teaspoon salt
* ½ teaspoon black pepper
* 3 dl (300 ml) cream
* 1 hen stock cube
* 2-4 teaspoons oregano
* 1-1 ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar

METHOD:
1. Cut each chicken fillet lengthwise into 3 slices.
2. Melt butter in a frying pan.
3. Brown chicken on all sides, season with salt and pepper.
4. Combine cream, stock cube, oregano and balsamic vinegar in a pot.
5. Put in chicken and garlic.
6. Cover and simmer until chicken is ready (about 5 minutes).

Black Currant Jam

This is an age old Swedish recipe. It comes from Hiram (1912-2006), the wellknown Swedish food writer and the author of many cookbooks. Her grandmother shared this recipe with her children and grandchildren.Traditionally Black Currant Jam is used for fillings on cake layers or served together with pancakes or ice cream.














INGREDIENTS:
* 2 l (2000 ml) black currants, just ripe
* 1 l (1000 ml) water
* 2 kg (2000 g) castor sugar


METHOD:
1. Place black currants and water in a large, non-reactive pot.
2. Bring to boil, simmer for 15 minutes
3. Remove from heat, skim off any foam,
4. Stir in sugar until dissolved, a little at a time
5. Fill clean jars and seal, or put jam in containers and freeze.

A lot of sugar? Yes. But there are no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners. No preservative is added. Pick the black currants just underripe or just ripe because they contain the highest level of pectin that the fruit is going to reach. The jam will set well when cool.

Skagen Mix

INGREDIENTS:
4 Starters

* 500 g shrimps
* 1 dl (100 ml) crème fraiche
* ½ dl (50 ml) mayonnaise
* 1 tablespoon chili sauce (like ketchup, not spicy thai chile sauce)
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon horseradish, grated
* 1 bunch dill, chopped

METHOD:
1. Peel the shrimps.
2. Combine all the other ingredients.
3. Finally stir down the shrimps.
4. Put it in the refridgerator a couple of hours.

Serve over toast or avocados. Garnish with dill sprig, a thin slice of lemon, small pieces of tomatoes, a salad leaf or whatever you got on hand.



Toast Skagen is a combination of shrimps and other ingredients on a small piece of bread (for a recipe go to4 The official gateway to Sweden ) and Skagen is a fishing port at the northern tip of Denmark.

Until abt. 1940, Sweden had no gastronomy at all. Then, one of Sweden´s internationally famous cooks, Dr Tore Wretman (1916-2003) started to influence the Swedish recipes with foreign influences. I have read somewhere that Tore Wretman created this starter during a sea sailing competition. Skagen Toast was served for the first time in 1958 at his restaurant Riche in Stockholm.

(I entered a recipe competition once, arranged by a Swedish magazine. Tore Wretman then was one of the five jury members. 100 recipes were chosen to be in a cookbook. My recipe was a chosen one. A ridiculously easy fish recipe. That happened in 1969. I was 24 years old. It is history now).

Plaice Rolls in Dill and Cheese Sauce with Rosted Root Vegetables

Plaice is the name of a European flounder (Pleuronectes platessa). It is also the name of various American flatfishes, as the summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus).

The plaice is a fine edible fish with white, firm meat of excellent taste. It is one of the lean fish types having a fat content of maximum 2 g fat per 100 g. It is rich in protein and healthy fish oils (like all other fish). It can be served in various ways: Steamed, boiled, fried, baked in the oven or grilled in foil.













Frozen plaice fillets taste especially good cooked this way.

INGREDIENTS:
* 600 g plaice fillets, frozen
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 ml pepper
* 2 ½ dl fish stock (stock cube+water)
* 125 g natural fresh cheese
* 1 dl dill, chopped
* 1-2 tablespooms cornstarch + 1 dl water

METHOD:
1. Thaw the plaice fillets according to package directions.
2. Season them with salt and pepper.
3. Roll up each fillet from the tail end
4. Put the rolls into a large, deep heavy-based frying pan.
5. Pour over stock and simmer for about 5 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and set the rolls aside on a plate.
7. Crumble cheese into the pan, add dill, use a stick mixer to puree until smooth.
8. Bring the sauce to the boil, add cornstarch with water and cook for about 1 minute.
9. Place the plaice rolls into the pan again.

Baked root vegetables cope very well with these plaice rolls.
Recipe: Cut 5-6 potatoes, 2-3 carrots, 1 parsnip, 1 leek, 200 g celeriac into strips, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons oil, season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon raw sugar. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes at 225° C [= 437° F ]

Shortcake and Red Berries

This is my husband´s favorite shortcake. In winter frozen berries work fine. They do not even need to be defrosted. Cake pans come in a wide range of sizes, from a round cake pan, to a loaf pan, to a rectangular pan, to a ..... I have tried them all for this recipe of shortcake. Once, or perhaps twice, I divided batter and poured it into two loaf pans.

The choice is yours! Therefore I do not mention the baking time.The batter will bake much more quickly in a large, wide oven baking pan. Check yourself for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer in to the centre of the cake. When no batter sticks on the skewer, the cake is ready.












INGREDIENTS:
* 75 g butter
* 1 ½ dl (150 ml) milk
* 3 eggs
* 3 dl (300 ml) sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
* 4 ½ dl (450 ml) wheat flour
* 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

* 1-3 dl (100-300 ml) raspberries or red current berries

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C (about 350 F).
Butter an ovenproof cake pan (any size will do),
Cover sides with breadcrumbs.
Melt butter, pour in the milk.
Whip sugar and eggs until white.
Mix baking powder and vanilla sugar with the flour.
Add milk mixture.
Then add flour mixture.
Stir quickly until smooth (the shorter the time, the fluffier the cake).
Pour batter into the cake pan and scatter the berries over the batter evenly.
Bake in the lower part of the oven (oven rack in bottom rack position).

Perhaps you would like to make a cream cheese frosting to cover the cake? This time I prefer to top the cake with some powdered sugar (sifted) instead. Without frosting it freezes well.

The Creole Lady´s Sunday Casserole

This recipe was once upon a time (in the mid -70s) obtained from a friend. Still very popular. The origin is unknown. Descendants of European settlers in the New World colonized by Spain, Portugal, France, and in some cases England, are Creole. In spite of the name, maybe this casserole has a European origin after all.














INGREDIENTS:
Serves 6
* 1 fillet of pork (900 g), sliced
* 2 big or 4 small hot sausages, Chorizo, Kabanoss, or the like, sliced
* 1 ½ teaspoon salt
* ½ teaspoon pepper
* 1 teaspoon marjoram
* 1 tablespoon wheat flour
* 1 jar (195 g) sweet pickled pearl onions
* 1 jar (225 g) black olives, pitted, divided into halves
* 1 red bell paprika, deseeded, cut into pieces of ½ cm
* 1 dl pickled cucumber (or cornichons), finely diced
* 4-5 dl cream

METHOD:
1. Fry the sausage in a cast-iron pot until it has sweated, set aside on a plate.
2. Fry the pork, season with salt, pepper and marjoram.
3. Sprinkle with flour, stirring.
4. Add the onions (save the liquid!), the olives, the cucumbers and the paprika.
5. Pour in the cream, stirring.
6. Add the sausage, bring to the boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.
7. Season to taste with some of the saved pearl onion liquid.

Serve with rice (or cooked and pressed potatoes).
Enjoy!

Homemade fresh cheese

The use of cheese dates back to the ancient world. It is mentioned in the Bible, as well as in Greek and Arabian legends. However, cheese as we know it today was developed in Europe, introduced by Arab traders. Most cheeses are made from pasteurized milk. Cheese has long been called the perfect food as it is high in milk proteins, minerals and vitamins.

If I were to invite you for dinner I would most certainly serve you some delicious cheeses between the main meal and dessert.

To make your own fresh cheese is not difficult at all. My recipe of fresh cheese calls for "filmjölk" and "gräddfil"; milk products some of you may not know about. I´ll try to explain.

"Filmjölk" (fat: 3%) is a fermented soured milk product that has a clean and mild flavor, similar to cultured buttermilk; although buttermilk is thinner and a little more sour. "Filmjölk" contains living bacteria. You can drink buttermilk but "filmjölk" needs a spoon.

"Gräddfil" (fat: 12 %) is a cultured milk product made by curdling half cream with special starter bacteria. When stirred, it becomes rather smooth, resembling low-fat sour cream or thick yogurt in consistency.

I am sure you could easily experiment with your own milk products.The variations are many. Ingredients such as, chopped olives, fresh herbs or sweet ingredients can be added. ”Remember: Your only limit is your imagination.













INGREDIENTS:
* 1 liter (1000 ml) filmjölk
* 3 dl (300 ml) gräddfil
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1 teaspoon sea salt
* ½ teaspoon pepper rosé , crushed with fingertips

METHOD:
1. Heat "filmjölk" and "gräddfil" to about 50° C (122° F)
2. Then, strain by pouring the liquid into a porous container such as a cloth bag or a large paper coffee filter (supporting it with an old coffee filter holder).
3. Cover and place it in the fridge. In about one day, the whey should have all dripped out.
4. Remove the cheese that remains inside the filter.
4. Add salt and garlic
5. Garnish with crushed pepper rosé.

Do not throw the whey. Save and use it in baking bread.

Easy Fish Stew

A wide variety of fish can now be purchased frozen. Nutritionally, the protein in fish contains all the biological essential amino acids as well as minerals and other inorganic compounds necessary for good health. Many people are not too crazy about fish stew. Anyway, here I give you a quick and easy recipe: Frozen fish fillets steamed over slightly crunchy vegetables. Thaw fish only enough so it can be cut into pieces.This fish stew goes especially well with boiled potatoes. The most important rule to remember is that it should not be overcooked.














INGREDIENTS:
* 500 g frozen fish fillets, cut into pieces
* 3 carrots, sliced
* 2 leeks, cut into pieces
* 200 g peas, frozen
* 1-2 tablespoons margarine
* 1 tablespoon wheat flour
* 1 dl water
* 1 ½ teaspoon salt
* pepper
* lots of dill, finely chopped
* parsley


METHOD:
1. Cut fish into pieces, wash, clean and slice carrots and leeks
2. In a large frypan with a lid melt margarine.
3. Fry the vegetables until almost ready.
4. Sprinkle with flour.
5. Add water, stirring
6. Arrange fish over vegetables
7. Add peas and season with salt and pepper
8. Sprinkle with lots of dill.
9. Simmer, covered, until fish is ready, about 5-12 minutes.

Garnish with parsley and some thin lemon slices.

Pie with Creamy Toffee Sauce and Sourish Berries

The sweet-sour flavor of this pie makes it a favorite. I have a couple of redcurrant bushes in my garden - cultivated mainly for jams and jelly. However, I find freezing a great way to save some packages of fresh berries and have them for a pie in winter. You can substitute the redcurrants with some other sourish fruits available. Lingonberries work fine.



INGREDIENTS FOR THE SHORTCRUST:
about 10 pieces
* 2,75 dl wheat flour
* 150 g butter
* 1 dl brown sugar
* 1 dl coconut flakes

INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING/TOPPING:
* 1,5 dl whipping cream
* 1 dl granulated sugar
* ½ dl light golden syrup
* 1 teaspoon ginger powder
* 5 dl fresh or frozen red currants

METHOD:
1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees C.
2. Prepare the dough mixing the flour, butter, brown sugar and coconut flakes.
3. Put it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
4. Line a pie dish (Ø 30 cm) with the dough.
5. Then bake for 10-15 minutes.
6. Combine cream, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan.
7. Simmer until it thickens, 15-20 minutes.
8. Add butter and ginger powder, stirring, allow to cool.
9. Spread the creamy toffee sauce evenly into the pie shell and top with the red currants.

Serve as a dessert with whipped cream.

Homemade Black Currant Wine

The European black currant (Ribes nigrum) produces fine large berries. It is cultivated mainly in Canada and Europe. I have saved my mother´s old recipe of a sweet black currant wine. The berries must not be washed. They should still have their own natural yeast on the skins. But, of course, wine yeast and nutrient can be added, which will make the wine stronger. For the process of fermentation you can use a glass storage jar complete with its cork. Instead of a glass container, you could use polythene which is just as efficient.



INGREDIENTS:
* 5 l boiled, cooled water
* 3 l fresh, fully ripe black currants
* 8 lumps of sugar every day for three months

METHOD:

1. Strip the blackcurrants from the stalks.
2. Crush them using a wooden spoon.
3. Put them into the container.
4. Pour over water (about 30 °C).
5. Put 8 lumps of sugar into the container, shake and keep at room temperature.
6. Feed the wine with 8 lumps of sugar and shake every day for three months.
(Open carefully! Pressure will be high towards the end of fermentation).
7. Allow the wine to rest a few weeks, then strain off liquid.
8. Pour into bottles, cork and store in a cool dark place.

"There is nobody who, having a garden, shouldn’t plant a great number [of black currant bushes] for the needs of their family," wrote the Abbé P. Bailly de Montaran in 1712.
And he added: "Black currant is a fruit that promotes long life in human beings."

Chervil Soup

I made my first acquaintance with chervil as an edible plant for about 10 years ago when I had a problem with my digestive system. My doctor told me to cutting down on spicy food, fat smoked sausages, limit eating fried foods and to eat as healthily as possible. He recommended soups. Well, "versatility" is one of soup's many virtues! (Almost any food can be used in soup-making). I found chervil soup incredibly delicious and good for me.

Chervil is either of two plants in the carrot family, both native to Europe. Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) is an annual plant with fernlike leaves. [Tuberous chervil (Chaerophyllum bulbosum) is a biennial plant with fernlike foliage and edible, tuberous roots]. It has a light anise aroma and a flavour similar to tarragon, but less intense. This herb is one of the traditional “fines herbes” in French cuisine and contains vitamin C, carotene and some minerals.

Haalo from Melbourne, Australia, has posted another blog entry about chervil at Cook almost anything. I must try the recipe of Sauce Gribiche some time.

CHERVIL SOUP

INGREDIENTS :
* 2 tablespoons chervil leaves, chopped
* 2 tablespoons butter

* 1 liter broth (for example a light chicken broth)
* 2 egg yolks + ½ dl whipping cream

* salt and pepper

* cooked slices of carrot
* 1-2 dl fresh chervil leaves, finely chopped

METHOD:

1. Melt butter, add chopped chervil, leave to infuse for 2 min. over low heat.
2. Add the broth.
3. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl, add the whipped cream and beat together.
4. Gradually add the hot broth into the egg mixture, beating.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add some slices of carrot and finely chopped chervil.
6. Return to soup pot and heat. *Do not allow to boil !

You can serve this lovely soup as it is OR at special occasions as a side dish with grilled cheese sandwiches.

*Egg yolks make a very good thickener for soups (and sauces). But the yolks must never be added directly to a hot liquid. If raw eggs are added directly to a pot of hot liquid, they begin to cook and clump together like scrambled eggs.

(The eggs I buy are safe to eat uncooked. I have fresh organic eggs delivered from a local farmer in my neighbourhood. The hens that laid them are cared for. I do not have to worry about the salmonella bacteria at all).

The Swedish Pressed Cucumber Salad

This cucumber salad goes well with just any kind of meal. I have seen some English recipes of so called "Scandinavian cucumber salad" using white wine vinegar. In Sweden we usually use white distilled vinegar (12%), which gives the cucumber salad the correct sweet-and-sour flavor and a wonderful fresh and refreshing taste.













INGREDIENTS:
* 2 fresh cucumbers
* 1 dl parsley, chopped
* 1-2 ml rough ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 2 ½ tablespoons white distilled vinegar

METHOD:
1. Cut cucumbers into the thinnest possible slices.
2. Arrange slices in a bowl.
3. Whisk together the white distilled vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and parsley.
4. Pour over the cucumbers.
5. Place a plate with a weight over the cucumbers to squeeze out the liquid.
6. Chill for 1 hour.

Swedish meatballs, boiled potatoes, brown gravy, lingonberry jam and pickled cucumber ("Pressgurka"). This is actually an old, classic Swedish dish.

A link to the recipe in Swedish 4 Pressgurka

Porter Steak and Sauce

When Tumerica at What I ate asked me for a recipe of Porter Steak, I was sure to find a recipe at once, in English, somewhere. I did not find anything similar to the Swedish recipe..... I went googling for Porter Steak. I ended up with nothing. This is a dish well known in Sweden. Whoever invented this recipe in the first place, it was not me.

Porter is a style of beer in the ale family. It has a dark colour. It took its name from its popularity with the thousands of street and river porters (but not market porters) of London, who drank it to refresh themselves as they carried goods and parcels off and on ships in the Thames and around the streets of London.

With the porter added to the sauce you get a whole new level of flavor. A top round steak is perfect for the Porter Steak. But any boneless cut of meat will do. This is a classic recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 kg boanless beef or similar
* 1 bottle Porter (beer) , 33 cl
* 1 dl sweet black currant juice (concentrated)
* 1 dl soy
* 7-10 juniper berries (optional)
* 10 black peppercorns
* 2 dices meat stock
* 2 cloves of garlic
* 1 yellow onion
* 1 teaspoon thyme (optional)

SAUCE
8 dl liquid from steak
2-5 dl cream
5 tablespoons flour

1. Insert a meat thermometer in the steak.
2. At first cook black currant juice and porter with meat stock dices in a rather small and narrow sauce pan.
3. Place steak immediately in boiling liquid.
4. Add onion and spices.
5. Simmer covered for approx. 1 ½ hour or until thermometer shows 75 degrees C.
6. Turn the steak around at least once.
7. Allow the steak to rest in the liquid for 20 minutes before cutting it up.

THE SAUCE:
1. Pour off 8 dl strained liquid in a pan.
2. Mix flour and cream.
3. Cook the strained liquid and slowly add "cream-flour mixture" while stirring.
4. Simmer for a couple of minutes.

When ready to serve slice meat thinly. Porter Steak is usually served with potatoes, vegetables and black (or red) currant jelly.

A link to the recipe in Swedish 4 Porterstek