Apple & Calvados Crépes

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

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

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

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

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.

Potato & Chorizo Omelette

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

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

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.