My Danish Kitchen

Cornflakes Tops With Strawberries And Nougat

February 6, 2012 by mydanishkitchen

Cornflakes Tops with Strawberries and Nougat

I don’t get into the hype of Valentine’s Day but for those of you looking for a quick and easy little treat to serve for your loved ones, these Cornflakes Tops are just that. I realize of course that nougat is not readily available in the grocery stores in the States, so I purchase it online and to me it’s well worth the effort. But if you don’t want the trouble of having to purchase something online, simply just leave the Nougat out of the recipe and add a little more chocolate instead. The Nougat adds a slightly nutty flavor to the chocolate and the freeze-dried strawberries gives it a sweet yet tangy sensation.  I love how every bite of these Cornflakes Tops stay crunchy. The cornflakes are perfect for holding its crispness even after they have been smothered with chocolate. I hope you enjoy these lovely little bites as much as we did.

Cornflakes Tops with Strawberries and Nougat

Ingredients:

7 oz semi-sweet chocolate (200 grams)

3.5 oz nougat (100 grams)

2 oz cornflakes, original (60 grams)

5/8 oz freeze-dried strawberries (15 grams), plus more for sprinkling on top

Directions:

Give dried strawberries a rough chop and place in a bowl with cornflakes. Over a warm water bath, melt nougat and chocolate. Remove bowl from water bath and pour chocolate over cornflakes and chopped strawberries. Stir gently but thoroughly to ensure dry ingredients are completely covered with chocolate. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop spoonfuls of cornflakes into little haystack shapes. Top with additional finely chopped strawberries and place in refrigerator for two hours to cool and set. To store, keep refrigerated. Enjoy!

Source: My Danish Kitchen

Nougat

Coconut Ice Cream With Saffron

January 30, 2012 by mydanishkitchen

Coconut Ice Cream with Saffron

It’s been a while since I’ve made Ice Cream, and yes I know it’s in the dead of winter, but I just really had a desire to make Ice Cream. I wanted it be a coconut flavor since that is one of Joe’s (my husband) favorite flavors. Then I came across this exotic Coconut with Saffron Ice Cream on David Lebovitz’s food blog. I literally heard it calling my name and I could hardly wait to get started on making it.

To make the Ice cream was a breeze. Throw the ingredients together, simmer and then cool. The following day, into the ice cream maker and it was done within 10 minutes. The color is a brilliant yellow color with beautiful tiny stands of red saffron (I am not sure my photos did the saffron stands justice). And the taste…well the taste is very interesting. Joe and I kept tasting it over and over again to try to fully comprehend the flavor. Joe was disappointed because the coconut flavor was lost against the saffron. I kinda like the saffron flavor. Who knew that saffron had so much flavor in it? I’ve had saffron before but I have never tasted it like this. So when David Lebovitz says “a scant” 1/2 teaspoon saffron (which is difficult to measure out), don’t get carried away with the saffron because it is intense, in this beautiful yellow Ice Cream.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup heavy cream (160 ml)

1 cup coconut milk (250 ml)

1/4 cup sugar

scant 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for another 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour mixture into a sealed Tupperware and allow to cool completely.

Once chilled, pour mixture into your ice cream maker and run according to the manufacturer’s directions. Once churned, serve immediately or place in a sealed container and freeze. Enjoy!

Source: David Lebovitz

Penne Pasta with Shrimp

January 23, 2012 by mydanishkitchen

Penne Pasta with Shrimp

I had a craving for pasta and shrimp but didn’t want Shrimp Scampi since we had that not too long ago. Then i remembered this pasta dish which I have been meaning to try out. I made some adjustment to fit my likings and it turned out really good. The flavors are mild, a little sweet and creamy. I think I might add a little red pepper flakes next time I make this just to give it a kick.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound penne pasta

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup white wine

2 tbsp tomato paste

14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes

1/4 cup half and half

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

8-10 basil leaves, chiffonade

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring salted pasta water to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente.

Peel and devein shrimp, season with salt and pepper and set aside. In a large pan, melt 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat. Add shrimp and cook for two minutes, turning shrimp over half-way through cooking time. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.

Add 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil to pan and lower heat to medium. Cook diced onions until tender and translucent. Add minced garlic and cook one minute longer, add wine and reduce for 2-3 minutes.  Add tomato paste and stir to blend. Add canned tomatoes and continue to simmer covered until pasta is ready.

Add pasta, parsley, basil and half/half. Bring to a simmer and turn off heat. Add shrimp back into pasta dish and arrange on serving dish. Top with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Enjoy!

Source: adapted from Pioneer Woman Cooks Book

Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Quisadilla

January 16, 2012 by mydanishkitchen

Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Quisadilla

I love a really good Chicken Quisadilla and when you make them yourself at home, your completely in charge of the outcome. I don’t particularly like a lot of cheese on my food and when asking for light cheese in a restaurant, it still comes loaded on. In this write-up I have not written any amounts, simply just make it to your own liking.

Makes 1 Quisadilla

Ingredients:

2 flour tortillas (6 inch)

russian dressing for spreading

cooked chicken, sliced

Cabot extra sharp cheese

feta cheese

roasted red pepper, diced

fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Preheat pan or grill to medium heat. Spread russian dressing on one side of each of the two tortillas. Top first tortilla with chicken, Cabot and feta cheese, red pepper and cilantro. Top off with second tortilla. Place on grill or pan, cook until cheese is melted. Flip over and continue cooking until light browned. Remove from heat and cut into quarters. Enjoy!

Source: My Danish Kitchen

Sloppy Joes

January 9, 2012 by mydanishkitchen

Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes! I completely forgot about Sloppy Joes! That was until we were visiting my sister in-law Linda, and her husband John was making Sloppy Joes for a football party and the aroma filling the house was simply amazing. I have not had this dish for many, many years. Probably not since Nicholas was a very little boy and at that time it was probably not made from scratch either. But John’s cooking got me inspired to make Sloppy Joes again and what better crowd to make it for than Joe’s Blacksmithing buddies, aka the Burleymen

Just a little note about this recipe. Next time around I would go easy on the sugar. The full amount of 2 tablespoons of brown sugar may be a bit much in my opinion so I would add it in small increments, tasting as I go. Other than that, I thought it was a really flavorful recipe and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 large green bell pepper, diced

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cup ketchup

1 cup water

1-2 tablespoons brown sugar, or to taste

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

Worcestershire sauce, to taste

2 tablespoons tomato paste

salt and pepper, to taste

Kaiser Rolls

Butter, optional

Directions:

Add olive oil to large cooking pot and heat to medium-high. Add ground beef and brown, drain off fat. Add onions, bell peppers and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Add ketchup, water, brown sugar, chili powder, dry mustard, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Stir and let simmer covered for 15-20 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Slice rolls in half, butter if desired and toast on pan grill or in oven under broiler. Load meat onto toasted rolls and have plenty of napkins on hand because this is a messy affair. Enjoy! 

Source: adapted from Pioneer Woman

Leverpostej – Danish Liver Pate

January 2, 2012 by mydanishkitchen

Leverpostej - Danish Liver Pate

Making Danish Liver Pate probably got me more excited than any other recipe I have had the pleasure to blog about. You absolutely must experience a warm, home-made Liver Pate. Fresh out of the oven, served with fried mushrooms and bacon or topped with some wonderful pickled beets. This is actually the first time I have made it myself. I have been wanting to make it for the past 25 years but somehow the thought of making it by myself was always overwhelming. And  now that I have finally made my first-ever home-made Liver Pate, I can’t quite figure out what the fuzz was all about.

Leverpostej - Danish Liver Pate

Liver Pate is everywhere in Denmark. It can be found, dare I say, in all self-respecting grocery stores. It is a way of life, as natural as the air we breath. The store-bought Liver Pate is very good but there is something to be said about a home-made Liver Pate and I think it is definitely worth the effort! The Pate can be served cold or warm on an open-faced sandwich often topped with either pickled beets, crispy fried onions, mushrooms, cucumbers or Danish Sky which is basically a beef jello. It can be made plainly with just one topping or it can be quite an elaborate Smørrebrød creation.

Liver Pate is not the most pleasant food to prepare, truth be told, it’s really kinda gross. BUT, the end result is making me feel like I’m in heaven. Let me just say that there are hundreds of different ways you can make Liver Pate. I’ve heard of adding potatoes, apples, anchovies, Bechamel sauce – or not, a lot of spices – or not, high-fat – low-fat, animal fat (called Spæk in Danish) vs just margarine, so there are many, many variations out there. This recipe is the one my Mother and Father uses and I think it’s simply just wonderful. Thanks Mom and Dad for helping me make my first ever Liver Pate!

My Mom and Dad, Åse and Ove

Please note that when you go to look for the fat (spæk) used in this recipe, it’s not something you’ll typically find sitting in the freezer section at your grocery store. Simply just ask the butcher in the meat department if they can give you a couple of chunks of fat. Often times, they wont even charge you for it

Ingredients:

For the Bechamel Sauce:

1 deciliter milk (3.4 oz)

4 deciliter water (13.5 oz)

1 extra-large vegetable bouillon cube (10 grams, 3/8 oz)

50 grams margarine (1 3/4 oz)

4-5 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

For the Liver mixture:

500 grams Liver ( 1 lb)

80 grams fat (2 7/8 oz)

65 grams smoked bacon (2 1/2 oz)

50 grams onion (2 oz)

3 whole large eggs

Directions:

To make Bechamel sauce: In a saucepan add water and milk. Break-up vegetable bouillon cube into liquid and bring up to warm temperature, turn heat off. In a pan, melt margarine. Add flour and whisk until smooth, continue to cook for 2-3 minutes. Add warm milk/water in 1 cup increments while whisking. Mixture should be like a thick gravy. Add salt, pepper, allspice and nutmeg to taste. If you get lumps in this gravy simply just run it through a sieve. Pour gravy into a covered Tupperware container and allow to cool in refrigerator.

Cut Liver, fat, bacon and onion into 1 inch pieces. Starting with the fat, bacon and onion, either run them through a meat grinder twice or process in a food processor until you have a slightly lumpy mixture. Liver should only go through meat grinder once or add Liver to food processor and blend until pretty smooth. Mix together Liver and fat mixture. Add the 3 whole eggs and cooled Bechamel sauce, stir to combine. Pour into small aluminum forms (I got 4 small forms full) and if freezing cover top tightly with aluminum foil and store in freezer safe bags. When ready to cook Liver Pate, fill an oven-proof dish with warm water 1/2 way up the side of aluminum form. Bake uncovered in oven at 200 degree C (390 degrees F) for 1 hour 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Source: my parents Ove and Åse Frandsen

Danish Pebernødder with Pepper

December 26, 2011 by mydanishkitchen

Pebernødder

This year I am trying out a different version of Pebernødder. There is of course numerous different recipes floating around out there but I came across this one which had some very high praises attached to it. Evidently it is from Lagkagehuset in Denmark which is a renowned bakery with several locations in Denmark.

Pebernødder

This recipe is very good indeed, really it is! However, I had forgotten why I choose my original Pebernødder recipe and it was because I am not a big fan of pepper. It’s not that you can taste the pepper per se but it does leave a slight heat on your tongue, which I don’t particularly care for, but that’s just me. But the Pebernød really is very tasty in itself and i