Grilled Peaches – with Vanilla Mascarpone

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Coleslaw

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.