The Icelandic Amateur Chef

Chocolate and Almond Cake

2012-02-04T00:09:00.000-08:00

This cake is really fantastic! Light, yet rich and terribly simple to make. I wish I took this picture but my friend Marius "the gentle giant" from Norway took a series of pictures for a dessert book which is still to be published!

225g butter, room temperature

2 dl caster sugar

1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out

1 dl brown sugar

4 eggs, separated

200 g sweet almonds

200g dark chockolate 70%

icing sugar to dust

1. Butter a round loose based pan (25cm) and put baking paper in the bottom so it will be easier to remove the cake from the base.

2. Put the butter, 1 ½ dl sugar, vanilla seeds and brown sugar in a bowl and whisk together until fluffy. Then add the egg yolks and stir together with a spatula.

3. Put the almonds in a food processor and pulse until fine sandy consistency. Add the almonds and chockolate to the bowl and mix together

4. Whisk the egg whites with the rest of the sugar until stiff in a separate bowl. Add ½ the egg whites to the cake mix and fold together, then add the other half and fold again. Pour the cake mix in the baking pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes and shift some icing sugar on top. Serve with strawberries and whipped cream.

Blueberry Skyr Muffins

2012-01-25T08:04:00.000-08:00

In the events of Sweden advertising and selling Icelandic Skyr, I made some SUPER HEALTHY Blueberry muffins. NO white flour, NO sugar, NO butter......sound awful!! Actually they were pretty good, high in protein and only slow carbs.

Makes 12 muffins

100 g spelt flour

100 g rolled oats

100 g whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

150 ml yogurt

250 g skyr (if you don´t have skyr then just use yogurt)

200 ml sunflower oil

2 large eggs

150 ml agave syrup

100 g blueberries

1. Set oven to 180C

2. Mix the dry ingredients well together in a bowl.

3. Mix the yogurt, skyr, oil, eggs and agave syrup in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix, as usual with muffins do not over mix.

4. Add the frozen blueberries to the batter and fold 3 - 4 times. If you fold too many times the batter turns purple.

5. Spoon the batter evenly into a muffins mould and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Vanilla Custard & Rhubarb Soufflé

2012-01-21T07:19:00.000-08:00

When I want to impress I bring put the Big Guns!! ...no not my biceps, I mean my absolute favorite desserts. Don´t be scared of souffles, this recipe is very easy and all you have to do is be well prepared. The special thing about this recipe is that when you take a spoon full of soufflé you all kinds of different flavors and texture. You have the hot creamy vanilla soufflé, cold custard, crunchy biscuit and sweet and sour rhubarb all at the same time!

Serves 6

400 g rhubarb, cut into small chunks

100 g caster sugar

25 g butter, softened

6 gingerbread biscuits, smashed to fine crumbs

150 g readymade vanilla custard, plus extra for serving

1 large egg yolk, plus 4 egg whites

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp plain flour

pinch of sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Put the rhubarb into the saucepan with the 100g sugar. Put the lid on and let it simmer on a medium-low heat for about 10 - 15 minutes, or untill the rhubarb is soft. Set it aside and let it cool down.

2. Butter the inside of 6 ramekin dishes and dust the inside with the smashed gingerbread biscuits. Then shake out the excess crumbs. Then put one tablespoon of the cooled rhubarb on the bottom of the ramekins.

3. Mix the rest of the stewed rhubarb with the custard, egg yolk and flour in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the egg whites, salt and granulated sugar until you have soft peaks.

4. Working very gently, fold 2 spoonfuls of the stiff egg whites into the rhubarb mixture. Then tip this into the bowl containing the rest of the egg whites and fold together very carefully.

5. Divide the mixture between the ramekins and level the tops. Bake the souffles in the preheated oven for 18 - 20 minutes, or until the souffles are lovely golden and have risen nicely.

6. Remove from the oven and directly make a hole in the middle of the soufflé with a spoon and dollop two or three tsp of vanilla custard into the hole. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve!

Oatmeal Crumble Muffins

2012-01-08T00:57:00.000-08:00

I love having newly baked muffins on a sunday mourning but I think it is important that they are at least semi healthy, just so your blood sugars don't go on a roller coaster ride. These muffins are a bit custerd-y when hot but firm and soft when cooled. Although the muffins have sugar in them they are not at all to sweet, but the crumble adds the slightly sweet and buttery taste which is crucial I think.

Makes 12 large muffins

Crumble Topping

80 gr whole wheat flour

40 gr rolled oats

50gr sugar

pinch of salt

60gr butter, cold

1. Add everything into a bowl and work together with your fingers, pinching the flour and butter together until a sandy texture. But the topping into the freezer until you make the muffins.

100 gr rolled oats

100 gr whole wheat flour

100 gr all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

200 gr butter, melted

70 gr cane sugar or brown sugar

350 ml plain yogurt

2 large eggs, whisked

1. Set oven to 180 C and butter a 12 muffin mould.

2. Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl.

3. Melt the butter in a pan, then add the sugar and let it dissolve in the warm butter. Add the whisked eggs and yogurt and mix together.

4. Add the whet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir. Do not overmix!

5. Pour the batter into the muffins mould and sprinkle the frozen crumble topping on top. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes depending on your oven. Let the muffins cool down before you remove them from the mould.

Lemon-Banana Cake

2012-01-04T12:58:00.000-08:00

This is such an easy cake to make, and I love how you just mix the dry, the whet ingredients together and your done. We Icelanders traditionally make the banana bread more like bread that you eat with butter but I actually like this twist on it. Quick and easy...thats how I do it!

120 gr all-purpose flour

140 gr whole wheat flour

125 gr brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

100 gr dark chocolate

80 ml olive oil/sunflower oil

2 large eggs, beaten

3 large bananas

60 ml yogurt, 3%

1 tsp vanilla extract

zest of one lemon

For the glaze

80 gr brown sugar

50 gr powdered sugar

juice of one lemon

To make the glaze: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and let it sit for at least 45 minutes.

1. Set oven to 180 C

2. Mix the dry ingredients well together in a large bowl.

3. Mix the whet ingredients well together in a another bowl.

4. Pour the whet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a spatula. Do not over-mix!

5. Bake for approx. 60 min. Its better not to overcook the cake as you want that soft middle. Let it cool before you pour on the glaze.

Mascarpone and Espresso Mousse

2011-12-30T04:59:00.000-08:00

A dessert to impress with tomorrow night at the new year party. This combo of chocolate and mascarpone with the coffee works really well and is the perfect ending to a new years feast!

For 4 greedy people

100 gr dark chocolate, 70%

125 gr mascarpone cheese, room temperature

2 tbsp powdered sugar

4 tbsp espresso, cooled

1 1/2 dl cream

decoration

4 tbsp cream, whipped

chopped dark chocolate

2 macaroons

1. Melt the chocolate over a bain marie (waterbath). Whip the mascarpone and the sugar together in a bowl. Add the espresso coffee and melted chocolate and mix well with a spatula. Whip the cream and then fold it together with the cheese and chocolate mixture. Pour into serving moulds and cool over night in the fridge.

2. Decorate with the whipped cream, chocolate and macaroons before serving.

Portobello Starter

2011-12-30T04:28:00.000-08:00

This is a great little amuse bouche or starter on some thinly sliced sourdough bread for the new years party.

For 4 -6

3 - 4 large portobello mushromms, sliced

50gr butter

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

150ml cream

zest from 1 lemon

handful of chopped parsley

salt and pepper

Start of sauté-ing the mushrooms in the butter and garlic in a pan and season well with salt and pepper. Make sure not burn the garlic!

Add the cream and let it come up to the boil. Take of the heat and let it cool slightly until the cream has thickened. You may need to add a little cream depending on how much sauce you want.

Chop the parsley and zest together and sprinkle over just before you serve.

I am back in the Kitchen!

2011-12-30T04:16:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends!

Hope you missed me :)

I will start Food-Bloggi´n again and hope you will follow me here on the icelandic amateur chef.

All the best and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Gudmundur Palmason

Christmas Chocolate

2010-12-09T00:15:00.001-08:00

500g dark chocolate 70%
1tbsp instant coffie
2dl mixed nuts, almonds and hazelnuts
1dl dried fruit, blueberries or raisins
1dl dessicated coconut

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. Stir in the instant coffie.

Roast the nuts in the oven for 15 minutes at 180˚C.

Add the nuts, coconut and dried fruit to the melted chocolate and pour over a baking tray lined with baking paper. Spread evenly with a spatula and let cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.

My Famous Christmas Florentines

2010-11-22T03:15:00.000-08:00

100g special K cornflakes, bashed into fine crumbs
90g flaked almonds
50g dried blueberries
50g dried apricot, chopped
397g can condensed milk
300g milk chocolate
60g dessicated coconut

Heat the oven to 180˚C and line a baking tray with a sheet of baking parchment. Put the crushed cornflakes, almonds, blueberries and apricots in a bowl and mix well together. Stir in the condensed milk until all the ingredients are sticky. Spoon tablespoons of the mixture onto the sheet and leave some room for spreading. Flatten each spoonful with the back of the spoon and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Melt the chocolate over simmering water. When the cookies are cool, spoon or brush the base of the cookies with the melted chocolate and dip in the dessicated coconut. Leave until the chocolate has set and serve or put in a box as presents. Will keep for 5 days in a airtight container.

English Scones

2010-10-27T01:12:00.000-07:00

225g flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

25g sugar

50g butter, softened

150ml milk

1 egg, beaten

100gr walnuts, chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 220C.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Stir in the sugar, add the butter and rub quickly into the flour, creating a fine breadcrumb consistency.

Add the milk, a little at a time, working to a smooth dough. Add the walnuts and work them into the dough.

This is now best left to rest for 5-15 minutes before rolling.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface until 2cm thick. Using a 5cm pastry cutter, cut the dough, using one sharp tap and not twisting the dough as you cut. Twisting the scone mix will result in an uneven rising.

Once cut, the scones can be either brushed with the beaten egg for a shiny glaze, or dusted with the flour for a matt finish.

Place the scones on a greased baking tray and bake in the pre-heated oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly, and serve while still warm.

Bread and Butter Pudding

2010-10-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

Bread and butter pudding is one of those classic old English recipes that really warm you up when it starts to get cold. The addition of marmalade brushed over the bread makes it fantastically crisp, with a zingy orangey bitterness that just makes the whole thing superb. I also include baileys wich I love but if you don´t like it....leave it out. This is another dessert that you don’t want to overcook because you want to have the soft insides contrasting with the crispiness on top.

350g white bread, at least 24 hours old

5 tbsp orange marmalade

3 large eggs and

1 egg yolk

250ml full fat milk

250ml double cream

1dl bailey´s liquor

2 tbsp sugar

few drops of vanilla extract

sugar and cinnamon to sprinkle

1. Set the oven at 180˚C. You will also need a deep ovenproof dish, very lightly buttered.

2. Slice the bread and trim the edges off.

3. Melt the marmalade in a small saucepan. Put half of the bread slices in the oven proof dish. Spoon half of the marmalade over the bread. Heat the milk, cream, vanilla extract, baileys and sugar in a pot and bring to the boil. Take of the heat and beat in the eggs. Pour half the egg and milk mixture over the bread. Add the remaining slices, the rest of the marmalade and the rest of egg and milk mixture. Push the bead down so it soaked with the sweet liquid. Sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar on top.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until it is puffed and golden. Shake it gently, it should wobble but show no sign of uncooked custard. Serve warm, and if you wish, with a dollop of whipped cream.

Guacamole

2010-09-05T02:14:00.000-07:00

Please don´t be lazy and buy the ready made canned guacamole crap you get in the supermarkets. Make it your self, it´s very easy. This is very healthy stuff and tastes great with the classic quesadillas or with grilled chicken.

2 - 3 avocados

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tomato, cut into cubes

1 garlic clove, pressed

dash of tabasco

salt and pepper

1. Remove the shell and stone of the avocados and mush the green stuff with a fork. Add the lime and olive oil and keep mushing everything together in a bowl.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend well together. Season with salt and pepper.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

2010-08-11T23:56:00.000-07:00

This is the best chocolate cake, crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle.

125g dark chocolate, 70%

125g sugar

60g butter

3 eggs, seperated

1. Preheat the oven to 175

2. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a bowl over simmering water.

3. Whisk the eggwhites untill stiff.

4. Once the chocolate and butter has melted, stir in the sugar and egg yolks very quickly.

5. Pour into a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes.

The Best Breakfast

2010-07-20T02:40:00.000-07:00

1L yogurt, fat free

1 heaped tbsp brown sugar

2 eggs, free range

2 bananas

2 apples

strawberries

1. Whip the yogurt, sugar and eggs well together in a bowl.

2. Cut the fruit as you like and add to the yogurt.

3. Serve with some granola or just as it is.

Italian Chicken Stew

2010-06-22T05:16:00.000-07:00

This is a very nice and simple recipe that i love to make. It only takes 10 - 15 minutes to prepare and then you just let it simmer on a low temperature for as long as you like.....the longer the better!!

4 chicken breasts, cut into cubes

1 large red onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 can chopped tomatoes

salt and pepper

oregano

basil

5 dl chicken stock

zest of 1 orange

2 tbsp honey

1. Brown the chicken in some olive oil and then set aside.

2. Saute the onion and garlic in the same pan for 4 - 5 minutes, don´t burn. Add the tin tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano and basil. Let it simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.

3. Add the chicken stock and orange zest. Stir and bring to the boil.

4. Add the chicken and let it simmer on low heat for 25 minutes.

5. Finally add the honey and stir. Serve with some jasmine rice and focaccia.

Grilled Peaches – with Vanilla Mascarpone

2010-06-08T05:03:00.001-07:00

This is a great summer dessert which will impress all your friends. You could sprinkle some chopped mint on top to make it extra "summery". I used the mascarpone but you could just as easy go with some vanilla ice cream. Remember that the peaches must be soft and juicy, not to firm!!....ehhhh that could have meant something else :)

4 peaches, halved and stone removed

2 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp caster sugar

1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out

250g mascarpone cheese

3 dl razberries

2 tbsp honey

4 servings

1. Put the peaches in a bowl, drizlle the olive oil and 2 tbsp of sugar over and coat the peaches well. Grill on the meat side down on a hot grill for 5 minutes. Lower the heat on the grill, turn the peaches and cook for another 5 minutes.

2. Put the mascarpone cheese in a bowl and add the vanilla seeds, rest of the sugar and mix together.

3. Serve with some razberries and drizzle the honey on top.

French Chocolate Fondant Cake

2010-05-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

This is a great dessert for you chocolate lovers.

200g dark chocolate

240g butter

8 eggs

400g sugar

130g flour

Preheat the oven to 170°C and butter a 24cm-wide cake pan.

In a bowl, melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a water bath. Then set aside.

In a another bowl, mix the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer. Then place the bowl over the water bath and keep mixing until slightly warm (room temperature).

Pour the chocolate over the egg mixture, and blend together with a spatula.

Sprikle the flour over and mix together with the spatula. untill smooth.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 30 minutes until just set.

Chocolate dessert

2010-05-10T04:23:00.000-07:00

I challenge anyone who has a more simple and delish dessert than this!! And don´t worry about the maringue on top, I just did that to show off :)

2 ½ dl double cream

200g dark chocolate

3 egg yolks

50g butter

zest from 1 orange

½ dl whiskey or cognac

1 vanilla pod, halved and seeds scraped out

1. Put the double cream, vanilla seeds and vanilla pod into a pot and bring it to the boil. Add the chockolate and butter and let it melt into the cream. Take off the heat and stir the egg yolks in one by one. Add the whiskey and orange zest to the chocolate and stir. Pour into small serving glasses and cool for 30 minutes.

Easy Thai Salmon

2010-04-05T01:42:00.000-07:00

This is such a easy dish to make and it tastes fantastic. Just make sure that you use fresh ingredients and not the dried herbs.

1 fillet of salmon, 900g

1 lemongrass, cut into small pieces

2 garlic cloves, sliced thin

1 thumb size ginger, skin removed and sliced

1 red chili, sliced

a handful coriander

1 lime, sliced

salt and pepper

1. Heat the oven to 180C

2. Cut scores into the flesh of the salmon. Rub the salmon with all the ingredients and make sure that you fill the scores as well.

2. Add some olive oil to a hot pan and put the salmon skin side down on the frying pan. Put the pan with the lemon in the oven and bake for about 12 minutes.

3. Serve with some jasmin rice, soy and lime.

The Best Carrot Cake

2010-03-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

This is absolutely the best carrot cake that I have ever tasted....by far!!

250g butter, softened

250g brown sugar

5 eggs, separated

zest and juice of 1 orange

170g flour

1 tsp bakin powder

100g almonds, chopped

100g walnuts, chopped

250g carrots, peeled and grated

sea salt

For the Icing

150g mascarpone cheese

200g cream cheese

100g icing sugar, sifted

zest and juice of 1 lime

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat the egg yolks in one by one and then add the orange zest and juice. Stir in the shifted flour and baking powder. Add the chopped almonds and walnuts and mix together.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, then fold them into the cake mix. Scoop the mixture into a buttered cake tin and bake in the oven for 45 minutes until golden and risen.

3. Leave the cake to cool for one hour until you put on the icing.

4. To make the icing, mix all the ingredients together and spread over the top of the cake. Finish off with a sprinkle of chopped walnuts.

Vanilla Ice Cream

2010-03-09T03:14:00.000-08:00

There is such a difference between ice cream that you make your self and the ones you buy at the supermarket. I could eat a whole liter of this ice cream if my increasingly growing stomach would´t stop me.

4 egg yolks

250ml full fat milk

250ml heavy cream

100g sugar

1 vanilla pod, sliced down the middle

Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring it slowly to the boil. Place the vanilla pod and the vanilla seeds into the milk and let it infuse for about 15 minutes.

In a bowl, beat and mix the egg yolks and sugar until thick. Carefully remove the vanilla pod from the infused milk. Pour the milk into the bowl with the eggs and stir together. Pour the mixture back into the pan and keep stirring on a low heat until the mixture thickens. Take aside and leave to cool.

Transfer the ice cream mixture to a ice cream maker and let the machine work for about 30 minutes.

Apple & Calvados Crépes

2010-02-22T04:15:00.000-08:00

1 cup flour

1 egg

1tbsp olive oil

pinch of salt

350ml milk

1 dl calvados

1tsp cinnamon

4tbsp sugar

2 apples, peeled and sliced

maple syrup, as much as you like

1. In a bowl, combine flour, egg, olive oil, salt and half the milk. Whisk the batter well, adding the remaining milk, a little at a time, until the batter is silky smooth in consistency.

2. Add a ladle of batter to a hot non-stick skillet. Evenly smooth out the batter. Cook until the batter sets and the underside is lightly browned. Run a spatula underneath the crepe and flip over. Cook until the other side is lightly browned. Remove from heat.

3. Add the apples to a hot non-stick pan and add the sugar and cinnamon. Move around with a spatula. When the apples have mixed with the sugar and cinnamon add the calvados wine to the pan and flambere so the alcohol evaporates. Cook the apples until soft. Put the apples on each half of the pancakes and fold the other half over. Serve with some vanilla ice cream and maple syrup.

Icelandic Profiteroles

2010-02-14T04:40:00.000-08:00

Once a year in Iceland we dedicate a whole day for these treats.... it's called "Bolludagur". Everyone goes crazy for them and they come in all kinds of different flavors.

125ml milk

200ml water

150g flour

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

100g butter

4 eggs, lightly beaten

strawberry jam

5dl simple cream

chocolate sauce:

200g dark chocolate

30g butter

125ml full fat milk

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Place the milk, cold water, salt, sugar into a pan and set over a low heat. Once the sugar and salt has dissolved add the butter. Once the butter has melted, bring to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat then tip in the flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon. As soon as the mixture starts to come away from the side of the pan, stop beating and tip onto a plate to cool.

2. Return the mixture to the pan, then gradually beat in the eggs, a little at a time, mixing well between each addition, until you have a smooth paste.

3. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. Spoon the pastry into a piping bag. Now pipe small balls onto the baking sheet, spaced well apart. Bake for 18-20 minutes until well risen and golden brown.

4. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.

5. Whip the cream until fluffy. Cut each one in half. Add a teaspoon of strawberry jam on the bottom then the cream and close with the top.

6. For the chocolate sauce, break the chocolate into small pieces in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave. When the chocolate has melted add the butter and stir. Gradually whisk in the milk until you have a smooth sauce. Serve the cream-filled profiteroles with the hot chocolate sauce drizzled over.

Lemon Meringue

2010-02-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

This recipe is for my brother who just came back from paris. He had a lemon meringue every day for dessert.......you could say that he has a sweet tooth. This recipe is adapted from chef Gordon Ramsay. The photo was taken by Marius Johannesen when I invited my friends from school to a dinner party.

125g unsalted butter

90g sugar

1 egg

250g plain flour

50g dark chocolate, melted

6 eggs, (2 whole and only 4 yolks)

180g sugar

200ml cream

2 lemons, juiced

3 egg whites

4 tbsp sugar

To make the pastry put the butter and sugar in a food processor and whizz until just combined. Add the egg and whizz for 30 seconds. Add the flour and process for a few seconds until the dough just comes together, (add 1 tbsp cold water if the dough seems too dry). Knead lightly on a surface dusted with flour then shape into a flat disc and chill for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 190C. Roll the pastry out and use it to line a 20cm loose-based tart ring. Leave the excess pastry hanging over the edge. Rest for 20 minutes in the fridge. Line the pastry with baking parchment and dry beans and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and foil and bake another 5 minutes until the base is cooked and lightly golden.

Brush the base with the melted chocolate and cool. Lower oven to 110C.

Whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar together in a bowl and stir in the cream. Finally, add the lemon juice - this will thicken the cream.

Pour the filling into the pastry case and carefully push the shelf back and bake for 50-60 minutes until the filling is almost set. It should have a slight wobble in the centre. Trim the pastry level with the top of the tin and leave it to cool completely.

Whisk the egg whites untill stiff and add the sugar slowly. Continue whisking untill the egg whites make stiff peaks. Spread the meringue over the pie and run a cook's blowtorch over the surface to give a baked effect.

Asparagus & Potato Pie

2010-02-05T01:38:00.000-08:00

Once you try this one it is going to be a classic that you do regularly. This pie goes really well with some fresh salad.

500g fresh asparagus
5 sheets filo pastry
50g melted butter
600g potato, peeled
100g cheddar cheese
100g gryere cheese
300ml double cream
3 eggs
handful fresh sage, chopped
½ tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper

Put the asparagus in some boiling salted water for a few minutes until half-cooked and then take them out of the water.Pour the potato-cheese mix into the oven-proof dish, layer the asparagus over and scatter the sage on top. Brush everything with some melted butter and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Potato & Chorizo Omelette

2010-01-24T10:39:00.000-08:00

4 small potatoes, scrubbed and cut into chunks

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 large free-range eggs

100g chorizo sausages, cut into 1cm thick slices

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked

2 shallots, peeled and very finely sliced

Juice of 1 lemon

Extra virgin olive oil

A bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Preheat your oven to full whack, or get your grill nice and hot. Put the potatoes into a saucepan of boiling salted water and simmer them until cooked, then drain in a colander and leave them to steam dry. Beat the eggs with a fork in a large mixing bowl, season well with salt and pepper, and put to one side.

2. Heat a 20cm non-stick, ovenproof frying pan. Add the chorizo slices and the potato chunks. The chorizo will start to sizzle, releasing all its tasty oils and spices. After a couple of minutes, when everything's lightly golden and crisp, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and put to one side. Sprinkle the rosemary leaves into the hot fat. As soon as they hit the pan, they'll start to crisp up. Pour the beaten eggs on top immediately, adding the potatoes and chorizo and spreading everything out evenly. Place the whole pan in the preheated oven or under the grill until the omelette is golden brown on top and just cooked through in the middle.

3. While the omelette is cooking, put the shallots into a bowl with the lemon juice, some salt and pepper and a glug of extra virgin olive oil. Toss and pinch the shallots with your fingertips to soften them slightly, then mix in the parsley leaves. Serve a little on top of the omelette.

My Guest Post on Chow & Chatter

2010-01-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

Photo taken by Hlynur Palmason

Hi friends

My new food-blog friend Rebecca on chowandchatter.com was so nice to let me guest post on her fantastic food blog about myself and Icelandic recipes. Please go and check out her site.

Guðmundur Birkir Pálmason

Minced Beef Burgers in a Brown Sauce

2010-01-17T02:55:00.001-08:00

This is a recipe my mom used to make and always takes me back to my childhood. Good and wholesome home cooking is the best.

1 kg minced meat, (beef 10%)

1 onion, thinly sliced

3 slices of bread

1 egg

2dl milk

2 tsp allround spice

salt and pepper

300ml beef stock

1dl simple cream

flour to dust

Put the bread in a foodprosessor and pulse until you have fine crumbs. Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl and add the milk and egg. Mix well together.

Add the minced meat and allround spice to the bowl and mix well with your hands. Salt and pepper to taste.

Make 9 – 10 burgers and set them aside. Add the sliced onion and a drizzle of olive oil to a hot pan and fry them until brown. Then remove the onion from the pan and set aside.

Dust the beef burgers in some flour , the flour will thicken the sauce and give the burgers a nice texture. Fry them in a little butter on both sides on a hot pan.

Add the onion back to the pan and then add the stock. Let simmer for 3 minutes. Add the cream to the sauce and stir.

Serve with some boiled potatoes.

Espresso Ice Cream Pie

2009-12-20T12:20:00.000-08:00

This is so ridiculously tasty and so easy to do, becouse you dont have to bake or whisk anything really, you just make the base in a foodprossessor, spread the softened ice cream over and pour the fudge on top. You can flavor and change this pie however you like and the possibilities are endless. You can use whatever flavor ice cream you like for example coffie, chocolate, strawberry, caramell......you get the idea . And you can flavor the fudge with cardomom or brandy or espresso coffie or or.......or or or....Cover the pie with clingfilm film and a double layer of foil and the pie will hold for 6 months in the freezer.

375g digestive biscuits
75g soft unsalted butter
50g dark chocolate
50g milk chocolate

1 1/2 L vanilla ice cream

2 shots espresso, cooled

300g golden syrup
100g brown sugar sugar
pinch of sea salt
75g butter
125ml double cream

Process the biscuits with the butter and chocolate until it forms a damp but still crumb-like clump. Press into a 23cm pie plate or flan dish. Form a lip of biscuit a little higher than the plate or dish if you can. This process takes patience as you need ideally to form a smooth even layer….. Sorry. Freeze this biscuit-lined layer for about an hour so it gets really hard.
In the meantime, let your ice cream soften in the fridge, then stir in the cooled espresso. Spread the ice cream into the hard-biscuit-lined dish to form a layer. Then cover in clingfilm and replace in the freezer.

Put the syrup, sugar, salt and butter into a saucepan and let it melt over a low to medium heat, before turning it up and boiling for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and add the bourbon, letting it hiss in the pan. Add the cream and stir to mix into a sauce, then leave to cool. Once the sauce is cool pour it over the pie to cover the ice cream layer and then put it back in the freezer. Once frozen, cover with clingfilm again.

When ready to serve, remove from the freezer, take the whole pie out of its dish and cut into slices.

Gingerbread Hotcake

2009-12-13T04:56:00.000-08:00

150g flour

100g light muscovado sugar, plus 200g extra

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons mixed spice

125ml full-fat milk

60ml vegetable oil

1 egg

6 teaspoons butter

500ml boiling water

1.	Preheat oven to 220°C and place a baking sheet on the shelf. Put water on to boil.
2.	Mix together the flour, 100g of the sugar, the baking powder, 1 teaspoon of the ground ginger, 1 teaspoon of the mixed spice, and the milk, oil and egg.
3.	Put into a greased baking dish
4.	In another bowl, mix together the remaining 200g of sugar with the remaining teaspoons each of mixed spice and ground ginger, and sprinkle over the batter in its baking dish. Dot the butter on top and pour the boiling water over the mixture.......I know it´s strange but it works:)
5.	Put the dish on the baking sheet in the oven for 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving, and make sure you scoop out the sauce beneath the sponge in the dish.

Christmas Florentines

2009-12-06T00:44:00.001-08:00

Why not give something you made yourself for christmas this year, like these christmas florentines. I think it´s always a special thing when you get something from someone that has put in some effort and creativity into a present. You could make some homemade vanilla sugar like i gave my mom and dad last cristmas where you pulse 4 vanillapods with 1kg of sugar in a foodprocessor, some red wine chocolate truffles which I will do this christmas or saffran pears in a jar where you add 0.5g of saffran to 1 can of pears and put it in a nice jar wich everybody would like to eat with some vanilla ice cream.

100g special K cornflakes, bashed into fine crumbs
90g flaked almonds
50g dried blueberries
50g dried apricot, chopped
397g condensed milk
300g milk chocolate
60g dessicated coconut

Heat the oven to 180˚C and line a baking tray with a sheet of baking parchment. Put the crushed cornflakes, almonds, blueberries and apricots in a bowl and mix well together. Stir in the condensed milk until all the ingredients are sticky. Spoon tablespoons of the mixture onto the sheet and leave some room for spreading. Flatten each spoonful with the back of the spoon and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Melt the chocolate over simmering water. When the cookies are cool, spoon or brush the base of the cookies with the melted chocolate and dip in the dessicated coconut. Leave until the chocolate has set and serve or put in a box as presents. Will keep for 5 days in a airtight container.

Lemon Tarte á la Marco Piere White

2009-11-29T12:12:00.000-08:00

I know I know.....I just posted my lemon tarte 2 weeks ago, but I just had to share this recipe from the master Marco Pierre White who I think is the best and most exciting chef of all time. When you see him in his tv show from the old days when he was just 27 years old, you really are amazed on how seasoned he is as a head chef and how fucking great the dishes are he creates. Here is a link to a video of him cooking for Raymond Blanc...www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-D8Wzqs-xc

Pastry
500 g plain flour
175 g icing sugar
250 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 vanilla pod, split open
11/2 eggs, beaten

Supplier Directory

Fylling

9 eggs
400 g caster sugar
grated zest of 2 lemons
juice of 5 lemons
250 ml double cream

Decoration
50 g icing sugar
sprigs of mint

1. Sift the flour and icing sugar on to a work surface and work in the butter. Make a well in the centre and add the lemon zest and seeds scraped from the vanilla pod. Add the eggs. Knead the mixture with your fingers, working as quickly as you can, until everything is combined to a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

3. Grease a flan tin with a removable base that is 20 cm in diameter and 3.75 cm deep. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a disc large enough to line the tin and allowing an overhang of not less than 1 cm. Lay the pastry gently into the tin.

4. Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper and fill with enough dry bakingbeans or lentils (or indeed any dry pulses) to insure the sides as well as the bottom are weighted. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and greaseproof paper and trim off the overhanging pastry, then return the flan case to the oven to bake for a further 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, make the lemon filling. Whisk the eggs with the caster sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice, then add the cream. Continue to whisk until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Skim any froth from the top.

6. Reduce the oven temperature 120°C. Pour the cold filling into the hot pastry case (this will insure that the case is sealed). Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool and set for about an hour.

7. When ready to serve, preheat the grill to very hot. Sift the icing sugar over the top of the tart and place it under the grill to caramelize the sugar to a light golden brown. Alternatively, you can just sprinkle the tart with icing sugar without caramelizing it. Cut the tart into slices and decorate each with a sprig of mint.

Easy Cheesecake

2009-11-20T05:40:00.000-08:00

12 digestive bisquits

100g melted butter

1 tsp cinnamon

250g cream cheese

250g mascarpone cheese

1/2 dl sugar

1 tsp vanilla sugar

2 large eggs

1 tbsp plain flour

zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 180C

Add the bisquits to a foodprosessor and blitz. Add the melted butter and cinnamon and blitz again.

Press the bisquit base into a pie dish with your hands and bake in the oven for 12 minutes.

Beat together in a bowl the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, sugar, vanilla sugar, zest and jiuce of the lemon. Beat in the eggs one by one. Shift in the flour and mix well together.

Pour into the pie dish and bake for another 30 minutes on the lowest rack.

Shift some icing sugar on top and burn with a blowtorch.

Goulash

2009-11-10T23:13:00.000-08:00

500g stew beef

100g flour

olive oil

1 onion, sliced thinly

1/2 red pepper, de-seeden and sliced

1/2 green pepper, de-seeden and sliced

100g mushrooms, cut into quarters

25g butter

salt and black pepper

2 tbsp tomato purré

200ml beef stock

3 tbsp paprika

a handful of parsley

100ml cream fraise

1. Heat the oven to 150 C. Toss the beef in some seasoned flour, and brown in a hot pan in some olive oil. When the beef is well brown, pour the beef on a plate and set aside.

2. In the same pan, fry the onion, mushrooms and peppers in some olive oil and butter and season well with salt and pepper. Add the tomato purré, beef stock and paprika. Blend well together and bring the mixture to the boil.

3. Add the beef back into the pan with all the juices. Add the parsley and cream fraise and stir together. Cover the pan with tin foil and cook in the oven for 5 hours.

My Favorite Lemon Torte

2009-11-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

I´ve allways been a succer for lemon tarts and this recipe is my absolute favorite one, with the crumbly crust, soft and creamy middle and zangy lemon curd on top.....jummy. Hope you like it!! :)

Basic pastry dough recipe, makes 2
500g flour
250g butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg. lightly beaten
4 tbsp white wine or milk
100g icing sugar

Lemon filling
2 lemons
4 large eggs
3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups heavy cream

Lemon Curd
1 large egg
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp butter

Bring the butter to room temperature. Mix the butter and flour together until just crumbly. Add the sugar, egg and wine, mix into a soft dough. Shape the dough into one or two balls and refrigerate wrapped in plastic.

Roll out the pastry to a thin circle. Line a 9 inch tart pan with the dough. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Remove the zest from the two lemons and squeeze to remove the juice. Place the zest, chopped fine, the juice, eggs, sugar and the cream in a bowl and beat until smooth. Pour the filling into the tart pan and bake for about 30 minutes until the filling sets. Then set aside to cool down.

To make the curd, place the egg yolks, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl over simmering water. Whisk until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, pour over the lemon tart and spread evenly. Let sit at least 20 miutes.

Serve with some whipped cream.

Monkfish in Saffron Cream Sauce

2009-10-24T00:23:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, I didn´t take a picture of this recipe becouse I was in a hurry. This is just me eating an onion soup. My sister asked me if I could make something wish fish - saffron - and cream..... so I did!!! This is the result...a delish recipe that also goes well with chicken or other types of fish off course.

And I also what to thank all of you who whisit this site every day. I get over a thousand hits every week, which is fantastic. I hope you get inspiration for cooking for your friends and families. That is what cooking is all about.

1kg monkfish fillets, cut into 10cm pieces

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

5 tbsp butter

2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped

0.5 g saffron

1 glas white wine

1dl double cream

salt and pepper to season

1. Sweat the shallots in 2 tbsp of butter. Add the chopped tomatoes, parsley, saffron, salt, pepper and white wine. Let simmer for 2 minutes. Add the monkfish and cook for 6 - 7 minutes and then remove with a slotted spoon. Keep warm under some aluminium foil.

2. Add the cream to the pan and bring to a boil. Allow the sauce to thicken slightly and then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining butter. Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Pour the sauce over the monkfish and serve with some rice and salat.

Potate al Forno

2009-10-18T05:42:00.000-07:00

800g potatoes, sliced into quarters

fresh basil, chopped

fresh sage, chopped

fresh rosemary, chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

100ml olive oil

salt and pepper to season

Preheat oven to 200 C.

Put potatoes in oven proof dish and sprinkle over the fresh herbs and garlic.

Salt and pepper well.

Drizzle over the olive oil and mix well with your hands.

Roast in the oven for 45 minutes until golden brown.

Italian Mushroom Soup

2009-10-12T00:10:00.000-07:00

200g large fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

fresh mint, chopped

fresh oregano

1.2 L chicken Stock

1 handful freshly grated parmigiano cheese

2 eggs

Salt and fresh pepper to season

In a pot, heat extra virgin olive oil, butter and throw in the fresh herbs.

Add the mushrooms to the pot and let cook for a minute so that the mushrooms can absorb all the flavours.

Add a ladle of chicken broth and allow the mushrooms to cook for another minute or until the broth has been absorbed.

Salt and black pepper to season and pour in the remaining broth.

Bring the soup to a boil and then lower the heat. Let simmer for half hour.

Before plating, add parmigiano cheese and 2 eggs. Stir very well for a minute and serve hot.

White Chocolate Panna Cotta – with Spicy Rhubarb

2009-10-01T02:49:00.000-07:00

3dl double cream
1dl full fat milk
100g white chocolate
1 vanilla pod, scored and seeds removed
zest from 1 lemon
2 gelatin sheets
1 ¼ dl sugar

200g rhubarb
2tsbp sugar
1 vanilla pod, scored and seeds removed
2 staranise
1 thum-sized cinnamon stick

6 servings

1. Put the cream, milk, vanilla pod, vanilla seeds, lemon zest and sugar into small pan and slowly simmer for 10 minutes or until reduced by a third. Stir in the white chocolate and let in melt into the mixture. Remove from the heat and stir in the soaked gelatine sheets until dissolved. Allow to cool a little, then pour into moulds and place in the fridge.

2. Meanwhile chop the rhubarb into 4cm pieces and add to a thick-bottomed deep saucepan. Add the sugar, vanilla pod, vanilla seeds, staranise and cinnamon stick to the pot and let it gently come to the boil. Then turn down the heat and let it simmer for about 45 minutes. Remove the cinnamon and staranise and serve with the chilled panna cotta.

Cauliflower Panna Cotta with Caviar and Grapefruit Granita

2009-09-27T04:51:00.000-07:00

This is a excellent starter when you whant to impress your friends at the next dinner party. Don´t be scared if you think this is too difficult becouse this is really easy to do......trust me :)

Makes 4

250g cauliflower
3dl double cream
5 gelatin sheets
1 heaped tbsp sugar
salt and pepper
caviar

Cut the cauliflower in smaller pieces. Bring it to the boil with the cream and sugar, and lower the heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Put the lid on and cook on low heat until done. Don´t burn!!

Mix the cauliflower with ½ of the cream in a blender into a smooth purré.

Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water and dissolve over low heat. Then add a small amount of purré at first and stirr well. Then add the rest of the purré and stir once again.

Pour the panna cotta into small moulds and push the small cauliflower pieces into the panna cotta. Chill the fridge before serving.

Use a warm knife to loosen the panna cotta from the moulds and serve with the caviar on top.

For the Vodka Jelly
18cl vodka
1dl water
1 ½ gelatin sheets
a handful of fresh mint

Bring the vodka and water to the boil and reduce 0.25 of the liquid. Add the soften gelatin sheets and stir.

Pour into a plastic mould with clingfilm and and sprinkle the mint leafes over. Allow the jelly to set in the fridge. Cut into little cubes and decorate when serving the panna cotta.

For the Grapefruit Granita
1 cup grapefruit juice
½ tbsp vodka
½ tbsp sugar
3tbsp champagne vinigar or white wine vinigar

Mix the ingrediants together and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Freeze for 1 hour. Then rake the frosted grapefruit into kristals with a fork and freeze again for 1 hour. Do the same thing once again and freeze until serving. The frozen grapefruit should be small kristals.

Grana Padano Ís

2009-09-20T23:04:00.000-07:00

500ml rjómi

200g rifin Grana Padano

4 msk balsamic edik, ekkert ódýrt drasl!!!

Setja rjóman og Grana Padano ostin í skál yfir vatnsbaði.

Þeyta létt þar til Grana Padano osturin bráðnar og rjómin þykknar örlítið.

Hella síðan í gegnum sigti ofan í djúpt edlfast mót.

Leyfa mixtúrunni að kólna áður en það er sett í frystin. Frysta í 8 – 10 tíma. Hræra síðan með gaffli á 2-ja tíma fresti næstu 6 tímana, til að fá rjómaís-áferðina.

Bera fram í littlum skálum eða glösum og dreyfa smá balsamic edik yfir.

Spaghetti Limone

2009-09-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

450g spaghetti
1 hvítlauksgeiri, til að nudda
sítrónusafi af 2 sítrónum
5 msk olivuolía (74ml)
salt
1 bolli parmigiano , rifin, plús smá extra til að dreyfa yfir í lokin
1 búnt fersk persilja, söxuð
rifin börkur af 1 sítrónu

Settu spaghetti í pott með sjóðandi söltuðu vatni og hrærðu vel svo það festist ekki saman.

Skerðu hvítlauks geiran í tvent og nuddaðu innsíðuna af skál. Hvítlaukurin mun bragðbæta það sem fer í skálina. Hentu svo lauknum.

Settu sítrónu safan í skálina og helltu rólega olivuolíuni saman við á meðan að þú þeytir vel.

Settu góða klípu af salti og parmigiano ostin.

Þegar spaghetti er al dente, hella þá vatninu af og bæta spaghetti í skálina. Blanda vel saman.

Strá parmigiano, persilju og sítrónubörk yfir spaghetti. Bera fram undir eins.

Onion soup with Madeira

2009-09-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

a good thick slice of butter

large onions – 3, peeled and sliced

bay leaves - 2

flour – 2 tablespoons

white wine – 250mls

chicken or vegetable stock – 1 litre

Madeira 3-4 tablespoons

sourdough bread – 8 small slices

Gruyere, thinly sliced – 75g

Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan, add the sliced onions and the bay leaves and let them cook, without colour, over a medium heat. You want them to be soft and slightly sticky, which will take a good 25 minutes. Don’t hurry them. When they are ready, stir in the flour, cook for a minute or two then pour in the white wine and then the stock, bringing it to the boil. Season with salt and black pepper. Turn the heat down so that the soup simmers, and leave it, but stir occasionaly for a good 30-40 minutes. Add the Madeira and continue simmering for 5 -10 minutes.

Toast the bread on one side then cover the other with the sliced Gruyere. Check the soup for seasoning then spoon into ovenproof bowls. Float the slices of bread on top and place under the grill for a couple of minutes till the cheese has melted.

Frozen Grapes - with Dark Chocolate

2009-08-27T01:18:00.000-07:00

I saw this idea in a book by Jamie Oliver once , and I was really interrested on how it would work, becouse if you buy beautiful fresh grapes then why would you freeze them, but it really works!! The inside of the grapes change to a sorbet like consistensy and are a great complement to a warm summer day.

The best way to eat frozen grapes is with some good quality hazelnut chockolate or dark Varlhrona chockolate and limonchello snaps.

Chickpea Pasta

2009-08-13T01:19:00.000-07:00

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

250g mushrooms, sliced into quarters

2 carrots, sliced into 1cm chunks

fresh rosemary

olive oil

1 glass white wine

2 cans chickpeas

5dl chicken stock

100g pasta tortiglioni

fresh basil

fresh parsley

salt & pepper

Sweat the vegetables in some olive oil and fresh rosemary.

Add the white wine and reduce the liquid.Add the chick peas and chicken stock and let simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.

While it simmers, cook the pasta in salted water.Remove half the chickpeas from the pan and set aside. Blitz the rest in a blender or with a staf-mixer until creamy and smooth.

Then add the chickpeas and cooked pasta back to the pan. If the sauce is too thick add some of the pasta water to the pan.

Add some fresh basil and parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some bread and white wine.

Grilled Peaches – with Vanilla Mascarpone

2009-07-31T23:55:00.000-07:00

4 peaches, halved and stone removed
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
250g mascarpone cheese
3 dl razberries
2 tbsp honey

4 servings

1. Put the peaches in a bowl, drizlle the olive oil and 2 tbsp of suger over and coat the peaches well. Grill on the meat side down on a hot grill for 5 minutes. Lower the heat on the grill, turn the peaches and cook for another 5 minutes.

2. Put the mascarpone cheese in a bowl and add the vanilla seeds, rest of the sugar and mix together.

3. Serve with some razberries and drizzle the honey on top.

My favorite Beef Stew

2009-07-23T00:19:00.000-07:00

olive oil

a knob of butter

1 onion, peeled and chopped

a handful of fresh sage leaves

800g stewing steak, cut into 5cm pieces

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

flour, to dust

2 parsnips, peeled and quartered

200g button mushrooms, quartered

4 carrots, peeled and halved

½ a butternut squash, halved, deseeded and roughly diced

500g small potatoes

2 tablespoons tomato purée

½ a bottle of red wine

285ml beef or vegetable stock

zest of 1 lemon, finely grated

a handful of rosemary, leaves picked

1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Put a little oil and your knob of butter into an appropriately sized pot or casserole pan. Add your onion and all the sage leaves and fry for 3 or 4 minutes.

Toss the meat in a little seasoned flour, then add it to the pan with all the vegetables, the tomato purée, wine and stock, and gently stir together. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper and just a little salt. Bring to the boil, place a lid on top, then cook in the preheated oven until the meat is tender. Sometimes this takes 3 hours, sometimes 4 – it depends on what cut of meat you’re using and how fresh it is. The only way to test is to mash up a piece of meat and if it falls apart easily it’s ready.

Once it’s cooked, you can turn the oven down to about 110°C and just hold it there until you’re ready to eat. The best way to serve this is by ladling big spoonfuls into bowls, accompanied by a glass of red wine and some really fresh, warmed bread. Mix the lemon zest, chopped rosemary and garlic together and sprinkle over the stew before eating. Just the smallest amount will make a world of difference – as soon as it hits the hot stew it will release an amazing fragrance.

Greek Yogurt - with Mango and Banana Purré

2009-07-16T00:09:00.000-07:00

This is a fresh healthy dessert, which can also be a sunday morning treat. My friend Marius Johannessen took this picture for our book "Desserts by seasons".

2 mangos

2 bananas

4 tsp honey

3 dl orange juce
300g greek yogurt

3 tbsp vanilla sugar, (sugar and seeds from 1 vanilla pod)
1 tbsp honey
25 g pistachios, chopped

6 servings

1. Peel and dice the mangos and the bananas and freeze for 1 hour. Then put the frozen fruit, honey and orange juce into a food processer. Mix until smooth.

2. Mix the yogurt, vanilla sugar and honey in a bowl. .

3. First put the friut smoothie in the bottom of the glas and then the greek yogurt, and so on. Sprinkle the chopped pistachio nuts on the top.

Scallops with Squash Sauce

2009-07-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 banana schalotte, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 glas white wine
100ml chicken stock
100ml cream, (full fat)
butter and oil
salt and pepper to season
300g mixed mushrooms
butter and oil
salt and pepper
8-12 scallops
butter and oil
lemon juce

For the sauce, heat a pan on high heat and sweat the onions and garlic in some butter and oil. Add the butternut squash, white wine and chicken stock to the pan and stir together. Season well with salt and pepper and let simmer on medium heat for 10-12 minutes or till the squash is ready. Add the cream and purré in a mixer.

For the mushrooms, add some butter and oil to another pan and cook the mushrooms for 2 -3 minutes and season with salt and pepper.
For the scallops, season well and cook for 1 min on each side on a hot grill with some butter and oil. When done, squeeze some lemon juce to give them a extra kick. Decorate with parmesan shavings and whatercress.

Poached Pear and Marzipan Mille-feuille

2009-06-28T22:36:00.000-07:00

150g ready-made white marzipan
A little icing sugar, for rolling and sweetening
200g granulated sugar
1 small lemon (juice, optional)
Bunch fresh basil, about 50g
4 large fairly firm pears, halved and stoned
Crème fraiche
1 lime, zest only
1 lemon, zest and juice
1-2 tbsp Grand Marnier

flaked almonds to sprinkle

1. Dust the worktop lightly with sifted icing sugar and roll the marzipan out to the thickness of a 10kr coin. Cut out eight circles using a 10 or 11cm cutter , re-rolling the marzipan trimmings if necessary.

2. Using a blowtorch, brown each marzipan disc evenly until it turns a caramel colour. Set aside.

3. Heat the sugar and 500ml water slowly in a saucepan until the sugar starts to dissolve, stirring once or twice. Meanwhile, peel 3 or 4 strips of zest from the lemon using a swivel peeler, and drop into the sugar and water. When the sugar has dissolved, bring the mixture to the boil, then boil for about 5 minutes so you have a medium-strength syrup. Pick out a good handful of small basil leaves and reserve for the crème fraiche. Put the rest of the basil leaves and stalks into the hot syrup.

4. Slip the halved pears into the syrup. Poach on a low heat for 5 - 6 minutes. Remove from stock. When cool enough to handle, peel the skin off each pear and the stone should fall out. Place in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and drizzle the Grand Marnier over, then sprinkle with icing sugar. Transfer to the oven and bake for 6-7 mins.

5. Mix the crème fraiche with the lemon and lime zest. Roll the remaining basil leaves together, slice finely and mix into the crème fraiche.

6. To serve, spoon a little crème fraiche onto the plates and use it to 'fix' the marzipan discs to the plates so they don't slide around. Spoon more crème fraiche on top of the discs. Arrange a pear half, cut side up, on top of the crème fraiche and sit another half, cut side down on top - so you now have a whole pear. Repeat for the remaining plates. Finally sprinkle over the flaked toasted almonds.

Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding – with Bailey´s

2009-06-16T06:06:00.000-07:00

Bread and butter pudding is one of those classic old English recipes. The addition of marmalade brushed over the bread makes it fantastically crisp, with a zingy orangey bitterness that just makes the whole thing superb. I also include baileys wich I love but if you don´t like it....leave it out. This is another dessert that you don’t want to overcook because you want to have the soft insides contrasting with the crispiness on top.

350g white bread, at least 24 hours old

5 tbsp orange marmalade

3 large eggs and

1 egg yolk

250ml full fat milk
250ml double cream
1dl bailey´s liquor
2 tbsp sugar

few drops of vanilla extract

sugar and cinnamon to sprinkle

1. Set the oven at 180˚C. You will also need a deep ovenproof dish, very lightly buttered.

2. Slice the bread and trim the edges off.

Coleslaw

2009-06-11T00:31:00.000-07:00

Coleslaw is something most of us have grown up eating, but most of the time it´s store bought which is the worst thing in the world.......who likes that crap anyway???!!! With this in mind, I want to bring it back with a vengeance.
I’ve used 50-50 creame fraise and mayonnaise to bind the vegetables because it not only tastes better, in my opinion, but it’s also healthier.

3 carrots
3-4 radishes
400g white cabbage, outer leaves removed
1/2 red onion, peeled
1 shallot, peeled
1 lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
A handful of fresh parsley, leaves picked and chopped
2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tbsp creame fraise
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Shred the carrots with a grater and slice the radishes on a mandoline.

2. Put the veg into a mixing bowl. Slice the cabbage, onion and shallot as finely as you can and add to the bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix half the lemon juice, a glug of extra virgin olive oil, the chopped parsley, mayonnaise, creame fraise and mustard.
4. Pour this dressing over the veg and mix well to coat everything. Season to taste with salt and pepper and the rest of the lemon juice if you like.

Big-G Borgari

2009-06-04T00:17:00.000-07:00

Stundum vill maður bara hamborgara og franskar og þá er þessi borgari algjör snilld. Þessi uppskrift verður í komandi bók okkar bræðra sem kemur vonandi út jólin 2010. Hlynur Pálmason er algjör meistari með myndavélina og lætur einfaldan hamborgara og franskar líta út eins og málverk eftir Monet......:) Vonandi á þessi borgari eftir að njóta sín á grillum íslendinga í sumar.

Gerir 6 stóra borgara

1 kg nautahakk
1 laukur, fínt saxaður
1 msk dijon sinnep

½ tsk kúmin

1 msk kóriander fræ
salt og pipar rósmarín, eftir smekk
1 lúka parmesan ostur, rifin
1 egg
120 g brauðmylsnur

Franskar

2kg kartöflur

ólívuolía

rifin börkur af 1 sítrónu

100g maldon salt

rósmarín, eftir smekk

1. Byrja á að steikja laukin í smá olivuoliu á meðal hita þar til gylltur og taka svo til hliðar. Settu hakkið í skál og settu laukin saman við. Settu kúminfræin og kórianderfræin í mortel ásamt salti og pipar, og mala í gróft duft. Settu kryddblönduna við kjötið ásamt sinnepi, eggi og parmesan osti og blandaðu vel saman með höndunum. Ef þú villt ekki nota hendurnar getur þú sett þetta allt saman í matvinnslu vél. Bættu síðan við brauðmylsnunum saman við og vinna vel saman. Ef kjötið er of klístrað þá bara bæta við brauðmylsnum. Móta síðan borgarana með höndunum.

2. Hálftíma áður en þú villt steikja hamborgarana, kveiktu þá á ofninum og stilltu á 230˚C. Skerðu kartöflurnar í littla franskar og settu í sjóðandi vatn í 10 min. Taktu þær svo úr vatninu og settu á ofnplötu. Settu sítrónubörkin, saltið og rósmarín í mortel og malaðu það saman í fínt salt. Stráðu því síðan yfir kartöflunar ásamt skvettu af olivuolíu og veltu þeim vel saman við saltið og olíuna. Skelltu þeim síðan inn í ofn og bakaðu þær í 20 – 25 min. Kartöflunar verða stökkar en mjúkar í miðjuni.

exams

2009-04-19T02:58:00.000-07:00

Hello friends

This will be my last entry until the beginning of june. I am studying for my chiropractic pre-clinik exams and that will take all my time and energi. Wish me luck......

Guðmundur Birkir Pálmason

Rhubarb Soufflé – with vanilla custard

2009-04-10T22:57:00.000-07:00

400g rhubarb, cut into 2.5cm chunks

100g caster sugar 25g softened butter

6 gingersnap biscuits

150g readymade custard, plus extra for serving

1 large egg yolk, plus 4 egg whites
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp plain flour
sea salt

6 servings

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and put in a baking tray to heat up. Put the rhubarb into a saucepan with the 100g of sugar. Put a lid on the pan and simmer gently for about 10 minutes, until the rhubarb is soft. Put to one side and leave to cool completely. Get yourself six ramekin dishes and rub their insides with the butter. Put the gingersnap biscuits into a sandwich bag, tie a knot in the top and smash the biscuits with a rolling pin or the bottom of a pan to make quite fine crumbs. Dust the insides of the buttered ramekins with the smashed biscuits, then shake out any excess crumbs.

2. Blob a tablespoon of the cooled stewed rhubarb into each ramekin dish. Mix the rest of the rhubarb with the custard, the egg yolk and the flour. In a large bowl, using an electric whisk, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until you have soft peaks. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and whisk on a high speed until the whites are very stiff – this should take about 3 minutes.

3. Working very gently, fold 2 spoonfuls of the stiff egg whites into the rhubarb mixture. Tip this into the bowl containing the remaining egg whites and fold together very carefully. Divide the mixture between the ramekins and level the tops. Remove the hot baking tray from the oven and place the ramekins on it. Put back into the preheated oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the soufflés are a lovely golden colour and have risen nicely. Make a hole in the middle of the soufflé with a spoon and dollop two or three tsp of vanilla custard into the hole. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve immediately.

Baklava with Vanilla-Mascarpone

2009-04-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

This delicious mini pastry comes somewhere from the middle-east.....turkey or something (it´s all the same to me). It is unbelievably sweet and you get quite enough after a few bites but those bites are worth the effort of making these. I urge you not to be scared of making these but you must follow the method really well because the filo pastry is really fragile and it can dry up really quickly. Good luck :)

Makes 20 baklavas

Pastry
378g filo pastry, one packet
180g butter, melted
2tsp water

filling
150g walnuts
150gpistachios
60g sugar
1tsp cinnamon

honey syrup
375g honey
165g sugar
250ml water
1 lemon, zest and juice

Preheat oven to 180°C To make the filling, spread the walnuts on a baking tray and lightly toast in the preheated oven for 5-8 minutes or until aromatic. Cool.

Combine walnuts, pistachios, sugar and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor and process using the pulse button until they are finely chopped.

Remove the filo pastry from its packet and lie flat on the work bench. Cover with a dry tea towel and then a damp tea towel. (This will keep the filo from drying out while making the baklava.)

Brush a shallow 18 x 28cm cake tin with some of the butter. Take 1/3 of the sheets of filo. Brush the top sheet generously with butter and fold into thirds to make a rectangle the size of the tin.

Place in the base of the buttered tin and brush surface with butter.
Continue layering with the left over 1/3 of pastry. Spread 1/2 of the nut filling over the filo to cover. Layer 1/2 of the remaining filo sheets as before. Spread left over nut filling over filo and top with the remaining layered buttered filo sheets. Lightly brush top with remaining butter.

Using a sharp knife, cut a diamond pattern into the top layer of filo and sprinkle with the water.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes longer or until the filo layers are cooked through.

Meanwhile, to make the honey syrup, combine honey, sugar, water, lemon rind and juice in a saucepan and stir over high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and maintain over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the syrup has thickened slightly.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. When cooked, remove baklava from the oven and immediately pour the cooled syrup evenly over the surface. Stand to cool completely. Cover with foil and store at room temperature in the tin for up to 2 weeks.

Cut into diamond shapes to serve with espresso coffee or as a dessert with whipped cream.

Rhubarb & Ginger Crumble

2009-03-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

I love making different types of crumbles and cobbler pies, there are so many variations you can make. My favorite is still my oldest recipe of apple crumble wich I got from my mom many years ago and it never fails to impress, and I think I can go as far as saying that it is my all time favorite dessert but in combination with some vanilla ice cream of course. But back to this recipe, the key ingredient in this recipe is the stem ginger, wich goes really well with all kinds of desserts. You can buy the stem ginger in all the mayor supermarkets now.

1kg rhubarb stalks, cut into 5cm pieces
1tbsp water
4 tbsp caster sugar
1tbsp chopped Preserved stem ginger, in syrup

For the crumble:
100g butter
100g caster sugar
200g plain flour
50g toasted flaked almonds

6 - 8 servings

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. Place the rhubarb chunks on a shallow roasting pan, sprinkle with the water and 4 tablespoons of caster sugar. Bake for 10 minutes.

3. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the ginger.

4. Reduce the oven temperature to 190°C.

5. Tip the rhubarb mixture into a baking dish about 4cm deep.

6. To make the crumble, combine the butter, sugar and flour in a bowl. Rub with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

7. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the rhubarb. Bake for 10 minutes until golden.

8. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve with ice-cream or double cream

Icelandic Oatmeal and Blueberry Pie

2009-03-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

This is an old icelandic classic called "Hjónabandssæla" which means "happy merriage". I do not know if this is the secret of a happy merriage but it sure is tasty...:) Mein frau Rakel is the creator of this recipe so don´t forget to praise her in your comments.

200g butter, room temperature
170g oatmeal
170g plain flour
100g caster sugar
1tsp bicarbonate
blueberry jam

Preheat the oven to 200˚C.

Add the butter, oatmeal, flour, sugar and bicarbonate into a large bowl and work together with your hands…..or you can add all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until you get a fine sandy textured dough.

Take 2/3 of the dough and push into a buttered cake dish with your hands.

Spread the blueberry jam over and then just sprinkle the rest of the dough over the jam.
Bake for 30 minutes in the middle shelf.

Sesam Thins

2009-03-24T01:43:00.000-07:00

These sesam thins are a great snack between meals and also fantastic to serve with a chocolate mousse. But be carefull when you make these becouse you can burn your self pretty badly if you not carefull......so no kids allowed in the kitchen when you are making these sesam thins.

5 dl caster sugar

8 tbsp of water
200g sesam seeds

Pour the sugar and 8 tbsp of water onto a hot pan. Let the sugar melt into a golden brown caramel. Sprinkle over the sesam seeds and continue cooking until dark brown.

Pour onto a oiled teflon sheet and spread with a knife to ½ cm thickness....or thinner if you can. Let it cool down for 15 minutes and then break into pieces. Lovely to serve some chocolate mousse with the sesam thins

Panna Cotta with Mango

2009-03-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

This recipe is in honor of my first book........"Mín Ítalía", wich you can not buy at the moment, but if you are lucky you will maby get one for your birthday...:) This is one of 50 recipes in this book and the theme is......... Italian cooking at it´s best!! My friend Marius Johannessen took this picture as others in this book and he does a fantastic job.

You can check out my new book at http://www.blurb.com/books/576488

350ml heavy cream

120ml milk

3 gelatin sheets

1 fresh mango, peeled and cubed

2 tbsp vanilla sugar (caster sugar mixed with seeds from vanilla pod)

1 tbsp honey

4 servings

1. Pour the cream and milk into a heavy saucepan. Add gelatin sheets.

2. Place pan over medium heat and stir until gelatin dissolves. Do not boil. Add sugar and honey and continue to stir until sugar is melted.

3. Just before cream and milk come to a boil, remove from heat. Pour mixture through a strainer to remove foam and to ensure a velvety consistency.

4. Let cooked cream cool down and add 3/4 of the mango. Pour into wine glasses and chill in refrigerator for six hours.

Gelato Affogato

2009-03-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

8 scoops vanilla ice cream

4 shots hot espresso, unsweetened
1 handfull toasted flaked almonds

For each serving, place 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream into a glass. Pour hot espresso over ice cream and sprinkle the toasted almonds on top. Serve immediately before the ice cream melts

Chicken Mozzarella with Two Potato Mash

2009-03-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

This is my new favorite chicken recipe at the moment. I got inspired by Gordon Ramsay when he was cooking a similar dish on one of his shows. This is such a easy and simple dish to make and i promise that your family members will not be dissapointed.
My brother took this picture when he was visiting from Iceland a few weeks ago and he was very impressed with this dish.

4 chicken breasts, boned, skinned & pounded thin
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
60g plain flour
200g dry breadcrumbs
Olive oil
1 fresh ball of mozzarella
50g grated Parmesan

For the tomato sauce
Olive oil
2 shallots
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
Approx 250g cherry tomatoes

1/2 dl sherry wine
½ teaspoon dried basil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the potato mash
250g potatoes

250g sweet potatoes
1dl full fat milk

50g butter

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. Peel and boil the potatoes in salted water for 12 minutes until tender. Drain well and set aside.
3. Season the chicken fillets on both side with a little salt and pepper. Lightly beat the eggs together with the milk. Dust each chicken breast in flour, then dip in the beaten eggs and finally coat in the breadcrumbs.

4. Sauté the chicken breasts in a little hot olive oil until golden brown - approximately 2 minutes on each side. Drain the cooked chicken on kitchen paper, then remove to a baking tray.

5. To make the tomato sauce heat some oil in a heavy based pan. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the tomatoes and basil. Allow the tomatoes to soften. Then add the cherry and simmer for 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Spoon a little tomato sauce over each chicken breast. Top with a round of mozzarella, and sprinkle with the grated parmesan. Bake in the oven for approximately 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the cheese is melted and golden.

7. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add the butter and milk and continue to mash together. Season with salt and pepper.

8. Serve each chicken breast with a dollop of mashed potato.

The Best Pizza Dough & Pizza Sauce

2009-02-27T04:49:00.000-08:00

There is an unbreakable ritual in my family, which is that on fridays we eat pizza......and I don´t mean the bought kind, it has to be home made. As I moved away from home 10 years ago I have tried to honor the ritual with my family as my brothers and sisters try the same thing with their families. There is nothing better than kicking back with you family and eating a home made pizza and drinking a glass of wine with the friday TV entertainment..................right??..:)

I don´t think that I have to remind you guys that this is really easy to make, and don´t be affraid to make your own pizza dough at home becouse it will taste so much better. If you try out this recipe you could leave out the pine nuts and use 200g of corn flour to 800g of plain flour. It will give a really cool yellowish color to the dough and a slight more Italian flavor.

For the Pizza Doug

1kg all-purpose flour

12g dry yeast

150ml white wine

480ml lukewarm water

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

handful of toasted pine nuts, chopped (optional)

Pour a mount of flour on a smooth work surface and create a well in the middle of the flour.
Add the yeast into the well, along with white wine, pine nuts (optional), olive oil and a portion of salted lukewarm water.
Work flour slowly, adding the rest of the salted lukewarm water as needed until it turns into uniform dough. Knead well and form a ball.
Dust the inside of a bowl with a little flour, add the pizza dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest to rise for about 45 minutes at room temperature. For the Pizza Sauce

3 tins chopped tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, chopped

handful fresh basil

salt and pepper

Add olive oil to a pan. Fry the garlic and basil for 30 seconds. Add the tin tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour the sauce through a sive and push the sauce through with the back of a spoon. Throw away the leftover basil and garlic...they have done their job. Add the sauce back to the pan and let simmer on low heat for 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Greek yogurt – with mango and banana purré

2009-02-21T03:48:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe from my book which i am working on with my friend Marius Johannessen. The book will feature 50 desserts and they will be linked to the four seasons of the year. This is a fresh and healthy dessert, which can also be a sunday morning treat and for those who live in iceland, you can replace the greek yogurt with skyr...........Enjoy:)

2 mangos
2 bananas
4 tsp honey
3 dl orange juice
300g greek yogurt
3 tbsp vanilla sugar, (sugar and seeds from 1 vanilla pod)
1 tbsp honey
25g pistachio nuts, chopped

6 servings

1. Peel and dice the mangos and the bananas and freeze for 1 hour. Then put the frozen fruit, honey and orange juce into a food processer. Mix until smooth.

2. Mix the yogurt, vanilla sugar and honey in a bowl. .

3. First put the friut smoothie in the bottom of the glas and then the greek yogurt, and so on. Sprinkle the chopped pistachio nuts on the top.

Meringue with Pears, hazelnuts and Ginger Chocolate

2009-02-15T09:26:00.000-08:00

This is one of many different ways of making this type of marengue dessert. You can use other fruits like bananas or peaches and you can flavor the chocolate sauce by adding some liquor in stead of the candied ginger. In whatever way you choose to go I can promise that it will taste fuc... wonderful and you will be a star at your next dinner party.

4 egg whites
pinch of salt
200g caster sugar
2 handfuls of hazelnuts
1 large or 2 small tins of pears
200g dark chocolate
zest from ½ orange
2 pieces candied ginger (condenced ginger)
2 dl double cream
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
1tbsp icing sugar

Preheat oven to 150˚C. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt and gradually add the caster sugar. Whisk untill it forms stiff peaks. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 60 minutes. When ready, set aside to cool.

Roast the hazelnuts in the oven for 10 minutes.

Melt the chocolate over simmering water and add the orange zest and chopped ginger.

Whip the cream with the vanilla seeds and icing sugar.

Cut the pears into halves and scatter over the baked merangue. Spread the whipped cream and chocolate sauce on top. Roughly chopp the hazelnuts and scatter over the whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

Pain perdu with caramelised pears

2009-02-10T00:28:00.000-08:00

This is my version of pain perdu, which is french for "eggy bread" and it´s sooooo good. Serve with a dollop of ice cream and you are in seventh heaven. Make sure you get firm pears or they will just break down when you cook them in the caramel. You can also use some other fruits like peaches, apples or bananas.
4 ripe and firm pears
80g caster sugar
40g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3 large eggs, beaten
4 tbsp milk
4 tbsp double cream
1/2 a vanilla pod

4 thick slices of white bread
Handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped

1. Halve the pears and remove the core, halve again into quarters and then halve again into little pieces. Heat 3 tablespoons of the sugar in a heavy-based ovenproof pan, when it begins to caramelize place the pears, cut-side down in the caramel. Add another tablespoon of sugar on top and cook for a few minutes. As the sugar starts to disappear add 15 grams of butter and let it cook down in the sauce. When the sauce is thick and syrupy, take off the heat and set to one side

2. Melt the remaining butter in a wide pan until it begins to foam. Whisk the eggs, milk, cream and remaining sugar together. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into the egg mixture with the finely chopped mint and mix together. Dip the bread into the egg mixture and fry in the butter for a minute or two on each side until golden brown. Place each slice on a serving plate.

3. To serve, lift the pears onto the pain perdu. Dust with icing sugar and serve with a dollop of crème fraiche or mascarpone.

And if you are extra greedy person.....like me, you can make a sandwich version of the pain perdu

Beef Fillet with Duxelle Mushroom Gratin

2009-02-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

2 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tbsp olive oil
200g chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped
1dl sherry wine
2 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
½ dl double cream
1 large egg yolk
handful of bread crumbs
zest of 1 lemon
4 fillet steaks, about 180g and 4cm thick
4 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan

To prepare the topping, gently sauté the shallots and garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for about 5 minutes until nicely softened. Add a further 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the mushrooms over a high heat, stirring frequently, add the cherry and cook for about 5 minutes. The mixture should be quite dry. If necessary, tip it into a sieve to drain off any remaining liquid. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl, allow to cool.

Whip the cream until softly stiff. Fold in the mushrooms along with the egg yolk, herbs, lemon zest, bread crumbs and a tablespoon of the grated Parmesan, then season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Season the steaks all over with salt and pepper. Heat a large non-stick frying pan until you can feel a strong heat rising. Cook the steaks for about 2-3 minutes, turning them to seal all over. Remove from the pan. Put the steaks on a shallow baking tray. Pile the mushroom mixture on top of the steaks and dust with the remaining parmesan. Cook in the oven for about 5-7 minutes until the topping is bubbling and golden

The Perfect Baked Alaska

2009-01-27T05:29:00.000-08:00

I got the idea when Rakel was making a dessert last weekend, where she used the cake with some espresso ice cream and drizzeled some sherry on top. The cake and the ice cream whent really well together, so I got the idea to make it with baileys instead and do a pretty version of a baked alaska. This recipe should make about 6 baked alaskas and you could have some left over ice cream and cake, which you can just freeze until another time.

The cake
250g flaked almonds
5 egg whites
200g sugar

Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Butter the inside of a square oven-proof mould.
Whisk the eggs and sugar with an electric whisk until it forms soft peaks. Fold in the almonds and pour into the oven-proof mold. Bake for 30-40 minutes. When ready set aside to cool.

The Baileys Ice cream
500ml double cream
5 egg yolks
150g sugar
1 cup baileys liquor

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until fluffy. Whip the double cream until it firms soft peaks. Fold the baileys liquor into the egg mixture and then fold in the whipped cream. Pour into an ice cream-maker and let it work for 30 minutes. If you don´t have the ice cream maker you can just pour it into a plastic box, place it in the freezer and stir it with a fork every 2 hours 2 or 3 times.

Line the inside of the ramekins with clinge film and scoop the ice cream into the moulds, the ice cream needs to be soft. Cover with more clinge film and freeze until you need to serve.
The Meringue
3 egg whites
180g sugar
a few drops of lemon juice

Whisk the egg whites, sugar and lemon juice until it makes soft peaks.
To Assemble the Baked Alaska

Use a ring cutter or a large glass to cut 6 individual cakes. Then slice each in the middle in half and drizzle some Kahlúa liquor on each halve. Place one cake halve on the bottom. Remove the ice cream from the freezer and warm each ramekin with your hands to release the ice cream. Place the ice cream on top of the cake halve and top it with the other cake halve. Then spread each one with the white meringue with a small palate knife. Use a fork to make rough shapes in the meringue. Finish with the blowtorch to make the baked look. Cut in half to show off the inside

Icelandic Cheesecake

2009-01-23T05:21:00.000-08:00

I don´t know why I call it an Icelandic cheesecake....maybe becouse its my recipe and i´m from iceland. I should have added some icelandic brennivin or rotten shark essens to the cake but that would probably have rouined it. It´s a very smooth and simple cake and the cinnamon base goes really well with the fresh lemony and cheesy filling. You could try to add some hazelnuts to the base which would work really well too, or do a merangue topping with passionfruit, or, or, or....you think of something.

12 st digestive biscuits

100g butter, melted

11 tsp cinnamon

250g cream cheese
250g mascarpone cheese

1/2 dl caster sugar

1 tbsp vanilla sugar

2 large eggs

1 tbsp flour

zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Add the biscuits to a foodprosessor and blitz. Pour in the melted butter and cinnamon and blits again until a sandy texture.

Press the biscuit base down onto a pie dish with your hands. Bake the base in the oven for 10 – 12 minutes.

Beat together the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, sugar, vanilla sugar, zest and juice of the lemon in a bowl. Beat in the eggs. Then shift in the flower and mix well.

Pour into the pie dish and bake for 30 minutes on the lowest rack, so the top does not burn.
Shift some icing sugar on top and run a blowtorch over to make the crust

Leek and Lobster Terrine

2009-01-17T02:17:00.000-08:00

I love to sit and watch the Michelin Star chefs at work on youtube. I was waching Marco Pierre White when he was just 28 or 29 years old and he made this lobster terrine and I just could not resist to try it my self. It did not look as good as Marco´s Terrine but I am pretty proud of myself. It has a fresh and clean leek and lobster taste which goes really well with the vinegrette. The secret is to pack the loaf tin well down to make neat slices when the terrine is turned out. When buying the leeks you should buy 3kg af leeks in the store becouse you throw away the trimmed ends and peel off the first layer.

2kg leeks, washed, peeled and ends trimmed
25g butter
200g lobster
good squeeze of lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp brandy

The Vinegrette, per slice

1tbsp champagne vinigar
salt and pepper
3-4tbsp oliveoil
squeeze of lemon juice

Wrap the insid of a 450g loaf tin with cling film. Poach the leeks in lightly salted boiling water for 10 - 15 minutes, until just tender. Drain and set aside until cooled.

Melt butter in a pan. Add the lobster tails, lemon juice, salt and pepper and brandy. Toss for 30seconds and take off the pan. Drain and set aside to cool.

Place leeks lengthwise in a single layer at the base of the loaf tin and season lightly with salt and pepper. Add another layer and season lightly again. Press down well with your fingers to ceep it well compacked. Place lobster in the centre and top up with remaining leeks. Press again well down with your fingers. Cover and place a weight on top and chill for 2 hours.

To make the vinegrette, just add all the ingrediants in a small bowl and whisk together

Turn over on to a cutting board and slice to serve. Serve with the vinegrette and some caviar on top

Chocolate Balls

2009-01-11T10:32:00.000-08:00

This is a typical Swedish creation which really works well with a cup of coffee. You feel a bit better eating one of these instead of something like a cinnamon roll or a doughnut, becouse these a full of oatmeal which is probably one of the healthiest foods there is. I actually used to eat one of these 30 minutes before going to the gym and I was really exploding with energy. I wouldnt recommend doing that every day on top of everything else you stuff in you mouth, becouse then you would look like a typical American......and you wouldn´t whant that??!!

The Recipe.............

200g butter, room temperature
2dl sugar
6dl oatmeal
2 tsp vanilla sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
4 tbsp espresso coffee, cooled
dessicated coconut for garnish

Put all the ingredients, leaving out the dessicated coconut in a bowl. Mix well together into a dough. Make small balls with your hands and roll in the dessicated coconut.

The chocolate balls are best served cold with a hot espresso coffee.

Doughnut Bread with Strawberry Jam

2009-01-05T11:33:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just whant a soft and greasy doughnut with a tall glass of cold milk. Why not make one at home that tastes just as good or even better and takes no time at all to make. I saw Nigella make this once on her show........(who else would think of something like this) and I just could not resist trying this right away. I kid you not, it tastes just like a fresh baked doughnut with jelly in the middle. It is best to make this with some 24 hour old bread so it will soak the milk better, if the bread is too fresh, it will just brake into bits. I can´t say that I would make this every day, or even not once a month but once in a while as I said earlier, you just whant a doughnut!!

4 thick slices white bread, cut in halves
1 egg
2 tbsp full fat milk
2 tbsp vanilla extract
caster sugar to roll the bread in

Strawberry Jam
125g strawberries
4 tbsp icing sugar
squeeze of lemon juice

Whisk the egg, milk and vanilla together. Drench the white bread in the egg mixture and fry on a hot pan in some butter. Roll in sugar when done.

To make the strawberry jam, put the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a blender and pulse until jammy.

The Girdle Buster Pie

2008-12-31T00:47:00.000-08:00

This is an American classic called the girdle buster, meaning you don´t get any slimmer eating a slice of this one. This is so ridiculously easy to do, becouse you dont have to bake or whisk anything really, you just make the base in a foodprossessor, spread the softened ice cream over and pour the fudge on top. You can flavor and change this pie however you like and the possibilities are endless. You can use whatever flavor ice cream you like for example coffie, chocolate, strawberry, caramell......you get the idea . And you can flavor the fudge with cardomom or brandy or espresso coffie or or.......or or or.... It´s allways nice to have a pie ready in the freezer when friend or family comes around. Cover the pie with clingfilm film and a double layer of foil and the pie will hold for 6 months in the freezer.

The Recipe

375g digestive biscuits
75g soft unsalted butter
50g dark chocolate
50g milk chocolate

1 1/2 L vanilla ice cream

300g golden syrup
100g light muscovado sugar
¼ teaspoon Maldon salt or pinch of table salt
75g butter
½ dl kahlúa liquor
125ml double cream

Process the biscuits with the butter and chocolate until it forms a damp but still crumb-like clump. Press into a 23cm pie plate or flan dish. Form a lip of biscuit a little higher than the plate or dish if you can. This process takes patience as you need ideally to form a smooth even layer….. Sorry. Freeze this biscuit-lined layer for about an hour so it gets really hard.
In the meantime, let your ice cream soften, just enough to be scooped, in the fridge. Spread the ice cream into the hard-biscuit-lined dish to form a layer. Then cover in clingfilm and replace in the freezer.

When ready to serve, remove from the freezer, take the whole pie out of its dish and cut into slices.

Oysters with Grapefruit Granita

2008-12-25T03:49:00.000-08:00

I know oysters are not the traditional feast over christmas, but I think you can get a little tired of the salty pork meat and the big desserts. Off course you don´t change the classics but in between the big meals you can endulge in something a bit lighter and healthy....like seafood. I got these oysters from the market in downtown stockholm. The oysters are from Normandy in France and are a real delicatesse. If you are not a big fan of oysters you can add a bit of grapefruit granita to take away the intense salty sea flavor, but I actually like the fresh flavor from the sea.

10 oysters

For the Grapefruit Granita

1 cup grapefruit juice
½ tbsp vodka
½ tbsp sugar
3tbsp champagne vinigar or white wine vinigar

Mix the ingrediants together and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Freeze for 1 hour. Then rake the frosted grapefruit into kristals with a fork and freeze again for 1 hour. Do the same thing once again and freeze until serving. The frozen grapefruit should be small kristals.

Christmas Gift Ideas

2008-12-16T03:17:00.000-08:00

I like giving food for christmas and here are some of my ideas. Who wouldn´t whant to get some of these instead of a pair of socks??!! These recipes are as always on my web page, dead simple to make and can be made days in advance, but keep them in the refridgerator.
Chocolate Bars

500g dark chocolate 55%
1tbsp instant coffie
2dl mixed nuts, almonds and hazelnuts
1dl dried fruit, blueberries or raisins
1dl dessicated coconut

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. Stir in the instant coffie.

Roast the nuts in the oven for 10 minutes at 180˚C.

Add the nuts, coconut and dried fruit to the melted chocolate and pour over a baking tray lined with baking paper. Spread evenly with a spatula and let coll in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Christmas Caramels

2dl sugar
2dl double cream
2dl syrup
1 tbsp butter
½ dl chopped almonds

Mix the cream, sugar and syrup in a pan. Bring to the boil, then turnd down the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the caramel is ready, mix the chopped almonds and stir in the butter. You can see when the caramel is ready you drop a little into a glass of cold water and if the caramel holds it´s shape and doesn´t dissolve, then it is ready.

Pour into little paper forms.

Red wine Chocolate Truffles

110ml double cream

225g semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

50ml red wine

1 tbsp kahlúa coffie liqueur

cocoa powder to dust

Pour the chopped chocolate into a medium-sized bowl. Bring the cream to a soft boil (lightly rolling bubbles) in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, and pour the hot cream into the chocolate. With a spatula, immediately stir together until smooth. Then stir in the red wine and liqueur until smooth. Refrigerate chocolate for about one hour, until firm.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, and fill a small bowl with cocoa powder. One by one, with a spoon, scoop out some chocolate and form into one inch balls. This should make about 35 truffles. One by one, drop into the cocoa powder and roll around until covered, then drop onto the sheet. Refrigerate again for at least a half hour, or up to three days.

Christmas Florentines

2008-12-13T01:56:00.000-08:00

Why not give something you made yourself for christmas this year, like these christmas florentines. I think it´s always a special thing when you get something from someone that has put in some effort and creativity into a present. You could make some homemade vanilla sugar like i gave my mom and dad last cristmas where you pulse 4 vanillapods with 1kg of sugar in a foodprocessor, some red wine chocolate truffles which I will do this christmas or saffran pears in a jar where you add 1g of saffran to 1 can of pears and put it in a nice jar wich everybody would like to eat with some vanilla ice cream.

My Birthday Vanilla & Mascarpone Cheesecake

2008-12-10T01:28:00.000-08:00

Yes it´s my birthday today...28 years old...... and I mean ooooold. A simple non-bake vanilla cheesecake will brighten up my day. I made 6 individual cheesecakes out of the recipe but you can just as well make 1 big one and serve 6 - 8 people.

16 digestive biscuits
50g butter, melted
250g cream cheese
250g mascarpone cheese
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
2 eggs
1 ½ dl sugar
3 gelatin sheets, soaked in cold water
1dl double cream, whipped

the berry jelly
1dl frozen strawberries
1dl frozen raspberries
1dl frozen blueberries
1dl sugar
3 tbsp whiskey

Crush the digestive biscuits and stir in the melted butter. Line a baking tray with baking paper and push the biscuit crust down with your fingers to make the base. Chill in the fridge for 30 min.

Add the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese and vanilla seeds to a bowl and whisk together.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until fluffy.

Melt the gelatin sheets in a small pot with a tbsp of the cream cheese mixture and then pour back into the cheese mixture bowl and whisk together. Add the egg mixture to the cheese and fold together. Then fold in the whipped cream.

Pour into the cake tray and set aside.

To make the berry jelly, add the berries and sugar to a hot pan and toss. Add the brandy and let sugar dissolve. Add the gelatin sheets and let cool for 5 minutes. Pour over cheese cake and chill over night.

Poached Pear & Marzipan Pudding

2008-12-07T01:26:00.000-08:00

I was very pleased with this one, becouse it was such a dead simple pudding to make and absolutely effortless. The combination of the smoothness of the poached pear, the sweeteness of the marzipan and the crunchy dough on top just works very well. And to top it all off.... serve with some cool vanilla mascarpone or some vanilla icecream.

Makes 4
2 pears, halved, peeled and the core removed
4 tbsp caster sugar
4 dl water
1 vanilla pod, cut length wise and seeds removed
50g marzipan
150g butter, room temperature
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
100g flour
flaked almonds, for sprinkling

Add pears sugar, vanilla pod, vanilla seeds and water in a small pot and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and poach gently on low heat for 10 – 15 minutes.

Work the butter and sugar together in a bowl with a spatula. Add the eggs and continue working together. Add the flour and work to a dough.

Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Put ½ a pear and poaching syrup in each individual ramekin dish. Scatter some marzipan over and scoop a heaped tbsp of dough on top. Sprinkle some toasted almonds on top and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with some ice cream or vanilla mascarpone.

Chocolate Truffle Pot – with Meringue Topping

2008-12-03T11:38:00.000-08:00

2 ½ dl double cream
200g dark chocolate
3 egg yolks
50g butter
zest from 1 orange
½ dl whiskey or cognac
1 vanilla pod, halved and seeds scraped out
3 egg whites
2 tbsp granulated sugar
pinch of salt

6 servings

1. Put the double cream, vanilla seeds and vanilla pod into a pot and bring it to the boil. Add the chockolate and butter and let it melt into the cream. Take off the heat and stir the egg yolks in one by one. Add the whiskey and orange zest to the chocolate and stir. Pour into small serving glasses and cool for 30 minutes.

2. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Then add the sugar and continue to whisk until the sugar has dissolved. But the meringue on top of each glass and run a blow tourch or a brulée burner over to give a baked effect. If you don´t have a blow tourch you could put under a hot grill in the oven for 2 minutes.

Red Wine Spaghetti

2008-11-30T00:11:00.000-08:00

This is a great recipe to use when you have some leftover red wine in a bottle from the dinner party the night before like i did. I saw a similar recipe on an italian cooking show once but they didn´t use mushrooms, red peppers, schallots or bacon, but I just threw whatever i had in the fridge in there and it came out very nice. You don´t have to use exactly what I did and you can add whatever you like , but the star is the red wine which gives this amazing taste and color to the spaghetti.

450g Spaghetti
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 shallot onions, chopped
3-4 anchovy fillets
200g mushrooms, sliced
½ red pepper, sliced thinly
100g bacon, cubed
500ml red wine
handful fresh basil
handful fresh parsley
100g freshly grated pecorino cheese

Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water for about 7-8 minutes, until nearly cooked. The spaghetti should still be a little firm in the middle because it will continue cooking in the red wine.
Fry the garlic, shallots, anchovy fillets, mushrooms, red pepper and bacon in a hot pan. Cook for 4 minutes.

Drain the spaghetti and add to the pan and toss well. Add the red wine and let it simmer for 6 min. The wine should reduce and the pasta will be fully cooked. Add the fresh herbs and grated pecorino cheese and toss well together. Take off the heat and serve.

The Dinner Party

2008-11-27T11:38:00.000-08:00

Me and Rakel held a pretty unusual dinner party the other day for my classmates at the chiropractor collage. It all started when someone at class suggested that I should cook dinner for all of my friends and they would pinch in for the cost...........and I say´d " sure why not". It is my hobby to roam around in the kitchen to find new and exciting ideas for recipes and future dinner parties, so it would be absolutely perfect for me. I had 2 weeks to come up with a menu and I landed on a 6 course dinner. As some of my friends know, I tend to go a bit overboard when it comes to dinner parties, so the day before I finaly decited on a 10 course dinner with wine and everything.....úffff. We started with the first course at 8:00 in the evening and the last course was served at 2:00 at night.......and I didn´t sit down the entire time. It was fun decorating every plate as we served our 10 guests, but I will probably never do a 10 course dinner party ever again......too much work for one day. But it was all worth it becouse the guests where so happy with everything, even the icelandic rotten shark meat and the brennivín snaps that they also got to try . I really have to thank my dear friend and classmate Marius Johannesson who took all the beautiful photos of the food that night and also thank all my friends and classmates who came and where brave enough to be apart of that special evening.

1. Cauliflower Panna Cotta with Vodka Jelly and Caviar served with a Grapefruit Granita

2. Saffran Arancini with Parmesan Chips 3. Halloumi Salad with Parmaham and Balsamic Strawberries

4. Truffle Stuffed Bresaola tied with Black Spaghetti

5. Truffle infused Onion Soup 6. Pear and Blue cheese Stuffed Endive with Walnut and Honey 7. Monkfish with Pepper Sauce with Cauliflower purré 8. Stuffed Rack of Lamb with Cumin & Beef Wellington served with mashed potato, creamy portobello mushrooms and red wine chocolate sauce

9. Lemon Marangue Tart
10. Inspired by Coffie (Chocholate espresso truffles - Tiramisu - Chocolate espresso Mousse - Espresso Granita with Kahlúa)

The Sunday Morning Blueberry Pancakes

2008-11-23T00:21:00.000-08:00

These pancakes are great on a sunday morning, becouse they have no sugar added to the dough and are full of fiber. I use whole wheat flour instead of plain white flour to ensure I get as much good carbs as possible. These are not your regular thin pancakes, they are wondrfully thick and fluffy ......and really fill you up before you know it. Becouse of the high fiber and protein content you don´t eat as much as you would regular pancakes. You can decide your self what you serve them with, I think a little icing sugar and cinnamon goes a long way and to top it of a bit of blueberry butter really hits the spot.

Serves 8

8dl milk
2eggs
3dl oatmeal
2dl flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g frozen blueberries

Add the dry ingredients in a bowl and blend together.

Add the wet ingredients to the bowl and whisk together. Add the frozen blueberries and stir into the dough, do NOT over mix because the dough will turn blue. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Pour 1dl of the dough on a hot non-stick pan and bake on each side. You can use a little butter on the pan if you need to.

Serve with some icing sugar, cinnamon and blueberry butter.

For The Blueberry Butter:
200g unsalted butter
150g blueberries
2 tbsp icing sugar

Pulse the blueberries and butter in a food processor, adding the icing sugar 1 tbsp at a time until combined. Spoon onto a sheet of clingfilm and roll into a sausage. Twist the ends to enclose and freeze until you need to use it.

Super Healthy Chickpea Pasta

2008-11-20T00:48:00.000-08:00

1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
250g mushrooms, sliced into quarters
2 carrots, sliced into 1cm chunks
fresh rosemary
olive oil
1 glass white wine
2 cans chickpeas
5dl chicken stock
100g pasta tortiglioni
fresh basil
fresh parsley
salt & pepper

Sweat the vegetables in some olive oil and fresh rosemary. Add the white wine and reduce the liquid.

Add the chick peas and chicken stock and let simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.

While it simmers, cook the pasta in salted water.

Remove half the chickpeas from the pan and set aside. Blitz the rest in a blender or with a staf-mixer until creamy and smooth. Then add the chickpeas and cooked pasta back to the pan. If the sauce is too thick add some of the pasta water to the pan.

Add some fresh basil and parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some bread and white wine.

A simple and healthy Pear & Apple Cake

2008-11-17T02:18:00.000-08:00

This is my new favorite, and a big dollop of whipped cream or even better some cold vanilla custard makes this cake even better. I used both apple and pear becouse i had some that where soon to be going bad but you can use what ever fruit you like. I also used walnuts in this one but if you are not into walnuts then use pekans or hazelnuts if you like.

Try it out......... I know you are going to love it.

1 apple, peeled, core removed and diced into small pieces
1 pear, peeled, core removed and diced into small pieces
400g whole wheat flour
100g oatmeal
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
100g brown sugar
100g walnuts
½ tsp salt
2 large eggs
300ml low fat yogurt
75g butter, melted
1 handful flaked almonds

Preheat oven to 180˚C and butter a regular cake or bread mould.

Place chopped apple and pear in a bowl of cold water and juice of 1 lemon.

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, nuts and salt in a large bowl and blend well together.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt and melted butter. Pour the whet mixture over the dry mixture and stir until barely combined---do not over mix. Drain the fruit and fold into mixture.

Spoon the dough into the mould and push towards the edges. Sprinkle the almonds on top and bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

Beef Stew - that melts in your mouth

2008-11-08T00:25:00.000-08:00

This is a excelent comfort food on these cold and wet autumn days. The great thing about this stew is that it gets put together very quickly, and while it cooks in the oven you can do something else with your time. You can off course add or remove any root vegetables you like and you could also use red wine instead of white, which makes for a deeper and richer flavor that goes really well with the cinnamon.

1kg stewing beef meat (nautagúllas)
1 red onion, chopped
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
200g mushrooms, cut into quarters
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp flour
salt and pepper
2 tins chopped tomatoes
½ bottle white wine
1tbsp fresh rosemary
oliveoil

a knob of butter

Preheat your oven to 180C. In a thick bottomed ovenproof pot, heat a splash of oliveoil and gently fry the onions, carrots, garlic, rosemary, mushrooms amd cinnamon for 5 minutes until softened. Meanwhile toss the pieses of beef in a little seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. Add the meat to the pot and stir everything together. Then add the tomatoes, whine and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover with a double-thickness piece of tinfoil and a lid on top, and place in the preheated oven and leave to cook for 3 1/2 hours. When cooked the beef will be so tender that it can be broken up with a spoon. Remove the cinnamon stick and serve with some potato mash.

Nutella & Banana Crépes

2008-11-03T04:58:00.000-08:00

1 cup flour

1 egg

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

a pinch of salt

350ml milk

nutella, as much as you like

2-3 bananas, sliced

icing sugar to dust

4 servings

1. In a bowl, combine flour, egg, olive oil, salt and half the milk. Whisk the batter well, adding the remaining milk, a little at a time, until the batter is silky smooth in consistency.

2. Add a ladle of batter to a hot non-stick skillet. Evenly smooth out the batter. Cook until the batter sets and the underside is lightly browned. Run a spatula underneath the crepe and flip over. Cook until the other side is lightly browned. Remove from heat.

3. Smear nutella over the crepe and add the bananas to one side. Then fold over the crepe and sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve immediately with some vanilla ice cream.

4. Repeat the above process, to make the additional servings.

Gummi´s Bistro

2008-10-31T13:12:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends

I held a dinner party for my mother in law and Rakels grandma who were visiting from Iceland. My little princess Lilja Marin turned 3 years old yesterday and they flew over from Iceland to be here for the birthday party. I am sorry about the quality of the pictures, it was late at night.

le amuse-bouche

Chickpea salad with feta cheese on spicy flatbread

L´entrée

Cauliflower panna cotta with caviar and vodka jelly

le plat pricipal

Lemon sole poached in red wine with potato mash and confit tomatoes topped with scallops

le dessert

Pear tarte tatin with vanilla ice cream

Concertina Squid with balsamic butter, parsley and chilli

2008-10-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

This is a really cool way of preparing squid. It looks great and it allows the squid to take on flavors and seasoning in an interesting way.

Serves 4

1kg medium-sized squid, skinned and gutted
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

125g butter
2 garlic cloves
1 red chilly, deseeded and finely sliced
5 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ lemon, juiced
salt and white pepper

Take the squid and place a large cook´s knife or wooden spatula into its tube. Using another cook´s knife, slice the squid along its length at 1 cm intervals. As the second knife cuts down on to the knife the retains its ahape but also opens up in a fantastic way. Do the same to the remaining squid.

Add a little olive oil to a hot pan and fry the squid for about 2 minutes on each side and season with salt and pepper.

Take the squid off the pan and set aside. Add the butter to the pan and sweat the garlic, chilli, parsley with the balsamic vinegar. Season with white pepper, salt and lemon juice. Arrange the squid on each plate and pour the butter over. Serve with some boiled potatoes and green salad.

Milky Cardamom Macaroni porridge

2008-10-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

I remember that my mom used to make this milk and macaroni porridge when I was little and I just loved it. It has followed me trough the years and now I make it for my little one….funny how these things work. The other day I just wanted to posh it up a bit and I added some ground cardamom seeds and it worked really well. If you don’t have cardamom pods you can always add some cardamom extract (kardamommu dropa) instead.

1L milk
5dl macaroni
2tbsp sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cardamom
½ tsp nutmeg

Pour the milk into a pot and turn the heat to high. Add the macaroni and stir so the macaroni does not stick. Bash the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortal, remove the skins and bash the seeds until they are fine powder. Add the sugar, vanilla, cardamom and nutmeg to the pot and stir together. Bring it to the boil while stirring well. Turn the heat down and keep stirring until the macaroni is cooked (approx. 10-12 minutes) and the milk has thickened.

Serve with some sugar and cinnamon.

Spinach and Avocado Salad with Feta cheese

2008-10-23T03:49:00.000-07:00

Nice and simple salat which goes well with chicken or fish and a glass of white wine, like Gustave Lorentz Riesling Réserve.

200g spinach
150g runner beans
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 avocados, halved and the stone removed
150g feta cheese
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper

Mix the spinach, beans, onion together in a bowl. Scoop the avocado out with the spoon and mix together with the salad. Dress the salad with some olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the feta cheese on top and serve.

Oatmeal & Rhubarb Scones

2008-10-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

This is a great sunday morning treat for the whole family and this particular recipe lends itself to endless possibilities of combinations. I used rhubarb because I had it in the fridge, but you can use whatever you like, for example blueberry jam, raspberry jam or apricot.

500g whole wheat flour
3 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
200g butter, chilled and cut into little cubes
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk, full fat (nýmjólk)
200g oatmeal
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
zest from 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Line a baking tray with some baking paper (bökunarpappír)

Combine the flour, oatmeal, baking powder and salt in a food processor. Cut the butter into the flour mixture and pulse together until it resembles a sandy flour. Pulse in the sugar. Now add the milk, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Pulse together until the dough just comes together and if the dough is too dry just add some milk.

Turn out onto a floured surface. Divide into two equal sized pieces and start rolling one at a time into a square 1cm thick. You want to keep the dough from sticking to the surface so sprinkle with some more flour if needed.

Slather the dough with the jam and fold the left side of the dough in toward the center and then the right side. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Both pieces will fit on one baking tray but give them a few centimeters between each other so they don´t bake into each other. Brush with a bit of cream or a beaten egg and bake for 25 minutes or until golden.

While the scones are baking, prepare the glaze. Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a small bowl. Stir until well combined and set aside. When the scones come out of the oven brush them generously with the glaze and let cool. Slice into pieces as big or small as you like.

Asparagus and Gorgonzola Potato Quiche

2008-10-17T05:18:00.000-07:00

Once you try this one it is going to be a classic that you do regularly. This quiche goes really well with some fresh salad dressed with some olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper……bon appetit.

500g fresh asparagus
5 sheets filo pastry
50g melted butter
600g potato, peeled
100g cheddar cheese
100g gryere cheese
100g gorgonzola cheese
300ml double cream
3 eggs
handful fresh sage, chopped
½ tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper

Turn on the oven to 190˚C. Start boiling the potatoes in some salted water. Brush the filo pastry with the melted butter and layer into an oven-proof dish (work quickly so the filo pastry doesn´t dry).

When the potatoes are ready, pour off the water and add the cheese to the potatoes in a bowl and mash together. Add the cream, nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Add the eggs and work together with the potato.

Put the asparagus in some boiling salted water for a few minutes until half-cooked and then take them out of the water.

Pour the potato-cheese mix into the oven-proof dish, layer the asparagus over and scatter the sage on top. Brush everything with some melted butter and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Lemon Meringue Pudding

2008-10-12T04:31:00.000-07:00

This is a really easy pudding to make.…and cheap, which comes in good hand if you look at what is going on in Iceland with the financial crisis. I am not sure the Icelandic people are going to have the money for deserts for the next few years….so you better learn to love this one :-) . But all jokes aside , this pudding goes really well with ice cream or some whipped cream and a large ice cold glass of milk….yummy.

60g butter
1 ½ dl sugar
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 eggs , separated
1 dl flour
1tsp baking powder
3dl milk

for the meringue:
2 egg whites
40g unrefined sugar (hrásykur)

Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Wisp the yolks, sugar and lemon zest together until fluffy and smooth. Add the milk and lemon juice and whisk together.

Whisk the egg whites in another bowl until stiff and gently fold them together with the lemon mixture. Grease an ovenproof dish with some butter and pour in the mixture, then place it in a deep oven rack and fill in ½ of the way with water and bake for 45 minutes.

When the pudding is ready, make the meringue topping while the pudding cools down a bit. Whisk the egg whites with a little pinch of salt until it forms peaks, then add the sugar and continue to whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Spread the merang on top and run a brulée burner or a little blowtorch over to get the “baked-effect”. Serve with some ice cream, whipped cream or vanilla mascarpone (seeds from 1 vanilla pod and 250g mascarpone cheese)

Lemon Brulée Tart

2008-10-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

A little sneak peak from a new project I am working on with my friend, class-mate and very talented photographer Marius Johannessen (www.marius.chiro.no). As all my friends know by now, I am working on a cookbook with my brother (Hlynur Pálmason-the amazing artist-www.hpalmason.com) which is taking a long time......maybe becouse I live in Sweden and he lives in Iceland!! ...but good things come to those who wait. This new project is all about desserts....my favorite, and I will keep you posted on how things are going and when it will be available.....hopefully next summer.

Sweet Pastry:
250g plain flour
125g butter
100g sugar
1 egg

Lemon Filling:
200ml double cream
180g sugar
6 eggs, (2 whole and 4 yolks only)
3 lemons, juiced
icing sugar – to dust

1. To make the pastry, put the butter and sugar in a food processor and whizz until combined. Add the egg and whizz for 30 seconds. Add the flour and process for a few seconds until the dough just comes together. Add a tbsp of milk if the dough seems too dry. Knead lightly on a flour dusted surface, then shape into flat disc, wrap with plastic foil and chill for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 190C/fan 170C. Roll out the pastry evenly and line a 20 cm loose-based tart ring. Leave the excess pastry hanging over the edge. Line the pastry with tin foil or baking parchment and put a smaller oven-proof dish or some baking beans into the base, this will stop the bottom crust to rise. Bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and oven-proof dish or beans and bake for another 5 minutes or until the base is cooked and lightly golden brown.

3. whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar together in a bowl until fluffy. Stir in the cream. Finally add the lemon juce, this will thicken the cream.

4. Pour the filling in to the pastry case and place onto the bottom oven shelf. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the filling is almost set. It should be slightly wobbly in the center. Trim the pastry and leave it to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar and run a blowtorch or brulée-burner over the surface to give a brulée effect.

Ice cold Mango Smoothie

2008-10-05T03:18:00.000-07:00

This is a real treat to get you going in the morning and if you are a gym-rat like me, you can add a scoop of vanilla protein powder to your smoothie. You can even try different flavors by adding some cardamom seeds or some ground cinnamon.

Serves 4

300g frozen mango
2dl yoghurt
2dl milk
4tbsp fructose, or regular sugar

Put all the ingredients in a blender and pulse for 30 seconds until smooth. Serve ice cold. Holds in the fridge for 24 hours.

Oven-baked Spaghetti with mushrooms

2008-10-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

My brother.....the artist who never has any money (as he says) commented that my recipes are too expensive to make, so now I have done one that is not so expensive....well maby a little if you live in Iceland!! But this recipe is really simple to make and can feed a lot of people. The combination af chicken, mushrooms and cream with some fresh basil and sage never fails and if you have the dry porchini mushrooms and the white wine......use it!!!, becouse it makes all the difference. Serve with a fresh salat (from Hollt og Gott off course!!) and garlic bread.

Serves 4-6

20g dry porchini mushrooms, (optional)
4 chicken breasts, cut into pieces
300g fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2tbsp olive oil
2dl white wine, (or chicken stock)
5dl cream, (or sour-cream)
400g spaghetti
200g fresh parmesan cheese, grated
fresh basil, chopped
fresh sage, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200˚C.

Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl and pour 1dl of boiling water over, let in cool down for about 10 minutes.

Put the spaghetti in some boiling salted water.

Put some olive oil into a hot pan and fry the chicken until brown. Take the porchini mushrooms out of the water (but save the water) and add to the chicken along with the red onion, garlic and fresh mushrooms. Stir together.

Add the white wine and porchini water to the pan, lower the heat to medium and let it simmer for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked and the wine has reduced a little. Add the cream and let it simmer for another 2 minutes.

Pour the water off the spaghetti when it´s "al-dente" and add it to the chicken. Add ¾ of the parmesan cheese and all the fresh herbs and stir together. Grate the rest of the parmesan cheese over and bake in the oven in an oven-proof dish or the same pan (if it has a steel handle) until bubbly and golden (approx. 10-12 min)

Lobster Risotto with Butternut-squash

2008-09-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

Ok…enough of the seafood!!... you can really see what I bought at the supermarket last week…..seafood, butternut squash, chillies and some fresh herbs. I went on a seafood rampage after my friend Bjarni Ásgeirsson invited me and Rakel to a really good seafood restaurant the other week here in stockholm called "Pontus by the sea",but I promise that my next recipe is going to be either chicken or red meat!! This recipe is so nice, really well balanced with the butternut squash, lobster and garlic. When you learn the basics in making risotto you can really make anything with it…that’s why I love it so much. ½ butternut squash, peeled and diced
3tbsp olive oil
300g lobster, taken out of shell
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
125g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3,25dl Arborio rice
1dl white wine
1L chicken stock
150g grana padano, grated
salt and pepper, to season

Turn on the oven to 225˚C. Put the squash into a oven proof dish, drizzle some olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes until soft and golden.

Toss the lobster in some butter and garlic in a hot deep-pan for 2-3 minutes. Take the lobster out of the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, heat some oil and 50g of butter. Fry the onion and garlic while stirring for 2 minutes, add the rice and keep stirring well for another 2 minutes. Add the white whine to the rice and stir until the rice have absorbed all the wine then add a ladleful of stock and stir while well. Lower the heat to medium and keep adding one ladleful of stock and stirring until the rice is cooked – be careful not to overcook the rice – check it throughout cooking to make sure it´s a pleasure to eat. It should hold its shape but be soft, creamy and oozing. Add the butternut squash, lobster, grana padano cheese and the rest of the butter to the risotto. Stirr well, put the lock on and let it rest for 1 minute. Shave some grana padano cheese over and serve immediately.

Creamy Mussel Soup

2008-09-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

1kg mussels

1tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

400ml white wine

1 red chilli, seeds removed and chopped

1 spring onion, thinly sliced

250ml full fat cream

lemon zest and lemon juce

salt and pepper

fresh dill, chopped

fresh parsley, chopped

Rinse the mussels in cold vater and discard the open ones. Sweat the onion, garlic, carrot in the olive oil then add the white wine and bring to boil. Add the mussels and sprinkle the chilli and spring onion over. Cook for 5 minutes with the lock on, the mussels are ready when they open up....it´s a beautiful thing.

Take out the mussels and carrot and add the cream. Season well with salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice and let it simmer for 6-8 minutes on medium heat.

Arrange mussels on deep plates and pour the soup over. Sprinkle over some chopped dill and parsley. Serve with some fresh bread and white wine.

Suggested wine: Pewsey Vale Riesling, australia

Grilled Scallops with Butternutsquash Sauce

2008-09-27T04:47:00.000-07:00

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 banana schalotte, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 glas white wine

100ml chicken stock

100ml cream, (full fat)

butter and oil

salt and pepper to season

300g mixed mushrooms

butter and oil

salt and pepper

8-12 scallops

butter and oil

lemon juce

For the mushrooms, add some butter and oil to another pan and cook the mushrooms for 2 -3 minutes and season with salt and pepper.

For the scallops, season well and cook for 1 min on each side on a hot grill with some butter and oil. When done, squeeze some lemon juce to give them a extra kick. Decorate with parmesan shavings and whatercress.