Category Archives: Favourite recipes

My most flavourful recipes

Favourite recipes

Lamb shanks with pumpkin and dates

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8 lamb shanks (1 per person)

Plain flour, salt and pepper, to coat

600 g pumpkin, deseeded (but the peel can be left on), and cut into 2 cm wedges

Olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

1 whole garlic, chopped

500 ml chicken stock

250 ml full-bodied redwine

400 g peeled tomatoes, crushed

150 g dates, pitted and halved

3 cinnamon sticks

6 star anise

Chili to taste (chipotle works well here)

Salt and pepper

Fry the onions and garlic in olive oil in a large pot till soft and add all the other ingredients except the pumpkin and the lamb shanks. Bring to a simmer.

Brown the coated lamb shanks well and add them to the pot.  Simmer for 1,5 hours. Shanks should be almost covered. Add more stock or wine if needed.

Add the pumpkin and simmer for another hour or till the pumpkin is tender and the meat even more so.

Check for salt and serve with bulgur, rice or your favourite mash.

Favourite recipes, Miscellaneous

Four kinds of homemade marshmallow – for the children in the family or the child in you

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Note that you will need a candy thermometer.

And please handle these recipes with extreme care. You do not have to watch the boiling syrup constantly, but don’t leave the kitchen, and don’t let children do this by themselves.

Also be careful when whipping the syrup after boiling and beware of splattering that might still be very hot.

The marshmallows can be decorated any which way you like, or each person can dip theirs in melted chocolate, or drop them in their coffee or hot chocolate ……

The first ones – plain vanilla – work well in hot chocolate, and the ones with dark chocolate and cinnamon meld nicely on top of a cup of coffee.

Vanilla marshmallows

20 gelatine leaves

2 dl water

400 g sugar

1 vanilla pod

200 g icing sugar

Spread half the icing sugar over the bottom of a shallow dish. This recipe will fill a dish measuring approx. 17 x 29 x 4,5 cm. A surplus is fine as it will coat the sides when you start to cut the marshmallows.

Soak the gelatine leaves in plenty of water

Bring water, sugar and content of the vanilla pod to the boil and let boil gently for at least 20 minutes till it reaches a temperature of 120 C.

Squeeze the water out of the gelatine and add the gelatine to the syrup. Stir till the gelatine has completely dissolved.

Transfer to a deep bowl and whip till the mixture becomes extremely thick and you can almost hear the mixer start to groan.

Pour into the dish – work quickly before it becomes too springy and unmanageable.

Spread the other 100 g icing sugar on top and let cool completely for an hour or two at room temperature. When ready to serve, cut with a knife or scissors.

Next time I’ll add some chili one way or another – how could I forget?

Marshmallows with chocolate and cinnamon

8 gelatine leaves

1 dl water

200 g sugar

50 g icing sugar

50 g cocoa powder

50 g dark chocolate

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Soak the gelatine leaves in plenty of water.

Mix icing sugar and cocoa together and spread half of it over the bottom of a shallow dish. This recipe will fill a dish measuring approx. 14 x 293 x 4 cm. A surplus is fine as it will coat the sides when you start to cut the marshmallows.

Finely chop the chocolate.

Boil the water and sugar gently till it reaches a temperature of 120 C.

Squeeze the water out of the gelatine and add the gelatine to the syrup. Stir till the gelatine has completely dissolved.

Transfer to a deep bowl and start whipping. When it starts to thicken, but while the substance is still warm enough, add chocolate and cinnamon and continue whipping till the mixture becomes extremely thick and you can almost hear the mixer start to groan.

Pour into the dish – work quickly before it becomes too springy and unmanageable.

Spread the rest of the icing sugar/cocoa powder mixture on top (a surplus is fine as it will coat the sides when you start to cut the marshmallows) and let cool completely for an hour or two at room temperature.

Marshmallows with white chocolate and dried blueberry powder (or any other kind of dried fruit or berry powder)

Follow the recipe above but use white chocolate instead of dark chocolate, and dried blueberry powder instead of cocola powder, and also add 2 tsp blueberry powder to the mixture instead of the cinnamon.

Marshmallows with licorice, turmeric and chili

As above, but add a fresh red chili, halved lengthwise and deseeded, to the syrup while boiling. Remove the chili before whipping and adding licorice powder and turmeric.

Favourite recipes, Starters

Marinated tuna with capers and tomato

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(Photo to come)

 

300 g best quality raw tuna, cut into very fine dice

A handful of chopped coriander (or flat-leaf parsley or dill)

1 heaped tablespoon salted capers, squeezed dry and finely chopped

Juice of one lemon

5 tablespoons olive oil

3 large tomatoes, deseeded, drained and diced finely

 

Mix all ingredients except the herbs and the tomato, season with pepper, and salt if necessary.

Cover and leave in fridge for at least an hour.

Mix with the chopped herbs and the tomato “concassé” and serve immediately. Molded with the help of four tian rings and garnished with a sprig or two of dill or coriander looks good. Serve with a dollop of the best wasabi paste you can make/buy.

 

 

 

Favourite recipes

Ceviche-type salmon with loads of herbs

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Slice up 300 g fresh, non-farmed, salmon. Mix well with juice and grated peel of one organic (or at least un-waxed) lemon, one tblsp roasted sesame oil, a sprinkle of your favourite dried seaweed, a pinch of salt and freshly grated black pepper. Leave to “cook” for half an hour.

Along the way, add a knob of grated or finely chopped fresh ginger, (at least) one finely sliced chili, one finely chopped red onion and at least two finely chopped garlic cloves.

Just before serving, add olive oil to taste, and a handful or two of herbs, whatever you have at hand – oregano, thyme, parsley, mint and – my personal favourites – holy basil and coriander. Coarsely chopped or not at all. And don’t be fussy about the stems. They hold lots of flavour and add a nice crunch. It is a complete waste to discard them.

I am thinking a sprinkling of chopped walnuts might work too.

 

Favourite recipes, Main courses

Roast leg of lamb with gorgonzola

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lamb_gorgonzola_cropped
Click to enlarge

1 large leg of lamb about 2,5 kilo

5 cloves garlic, peeled

Sprigs of rosemary and thyme

3 dl dry white wine

125 g gorgonzola

1,5 dl creme fraiche

Continue reading Roast leg of lamb with gorgonzola →

Favourite recipes

Seaweed salad

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Seaweed salad

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Yields four small servings

  • 30 gram dried seaweed (I like to use for example Nippon Shokken’s Mixed Seaweed)
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely grated ginger or galangal
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
  • Fish sauce or salt to taste
  • 1 small red onion, chalotte or large spring onion, trimmed and finely chopped or sliced
  • fresh chili, to taste, deseeded and finely sliced
  • Fresh coriander to garnish
  1. Soak the seaweed in plenty of cold water for five to ten minutes.
  2. Combine all the other ingredients in a bowl.
  3. Drain the seaweed and squeeze out excess water.
  4. Toss with the dressing and garnish with fresh coriander

 

Favourite recipes

Quiche lorraine

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Quiche Lorraine

(Almost as good as the first Quiche Lorraine on the first trip to Paris?)

1 stor tærteform, foret med mørdej (skal ikke forbages)
Ca. 150 g bacon i tern
5 små eller 4 store æg
3 dl (ialt) af en eller flere af følgende: mælk/fløde 13/piskefløde/crème fraiche
150 g (eller efter smag) revet ost (cheddar, emmenthaler el.lign.)
1 hakket løg
Salt (men husk, at der er salt i både bacon og ost)
Peber, gerne hvid

Derudover kan, alt efter smag og hvad man har, tilsættes en, flere eller alle af følgende:

Revet muskat
1-2 fed hvidløg – finthakket
1 knivspids cayennepeber
1 tsk sennepspulver

Bacon ristes ved middelvarme så det meste af fedtet smeltes af. Ternene fordeles i tærteformen sammen med hakket løg og revet ost.
Æggene (hånd-)piskes sammen og resten af ingredienserne blandes i, hvorefter massen forsigtigt fordeles i tærteformen.
Bages ved 200 grader i 40-45 minutter.

 
 
Desserts, Favourite recipes

Chocolate parfait

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Chocolate parfait

 

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
½ dl boiling water
150 g dark chocolate 70%

 

4 pasteurised egg yolks
1,5 dl castor sugar
1,5 dl water
3 dl whipping cream
3-4 tbsp brandy

Melt the chocolate over simmering water. Mix cocoa powder and boiling water.

Whip the egg yolks till light and frothy. Heat sugar and water and boil for 4-5 minutes and the add this syrup to the egg yolks, whipping. Continue to whip the mixture over a pan of boiling water until it starts to thicken.

Then let the mix cool while whipping. Add the cocoa mixture and turn in the melted chocolate.

Whip the cream till soft peaks and turn it in with the brandy.

Churn in an ice cream machine.

 

Desserts, Favourite recipes

White chocolate ice cream with chili

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3 dl milk

1 large or two small red chilies, split and deseeded

2 cinnamon sticks

4 large egg yolks

50 g sugar

150 g white chocolate, chopped

3 dl whipping cream

 

Heat the milk with the cinnamon and chili until almost boiling and leave for at least 20 minutes.

In a bowl which can later be placed over a pan of simmering water, whisk sugar and egg yolks until pale and frothy.

Strain the milk and reheat it.

Add the chopped chocolate to the milk. When the chocolate is completely melted, pour it onto the eggs, stirring all the time.

Heat the mixture over a pan of simmering (not boiling) water for some minutes until it starts to thicken slightly. Chill.

Whip the cream and fold it into the chilled custard. Churn in an ice cream maker.

For a bit more bite, finely chop the chili, or part of it, and add to the ice cream just before churning is complete.

Favourite recipes

Lemon mousse

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Lemon mousse

5 gelatine leaves, softened in water, melted in a bain-marie and cooled down to lukewarm

3 egg yokes

3 egg whites

125 g sugar

1 tsp grated lemon zest (organic)

1 dl lemon juice (approx. two lemons)

2.5 dl whipping cream

Whip egg yokes and sugar till very light and frothy. Turn into this the lemon zest and juice. Stirring, drizzle in the melted gelatine.

Whip the cream and turn it in.

Whip the egg whites very stiff and turn them in.

Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours.