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Archive for May, 2010

Strawberry Sorbet

Posted in Dessert, Frozen Dessert, tagged , , , on May 30, 2010| 4 Comments »

Strawberry Sorbet

Strawberry Sorbet

Memorial Day – it marks the beginning of summer, the end of school and a time of remembrance and observance. Strawberries are in season and the weather is turning hot, so what better time for a delicious cold Strawberry Sorbet.

Strawberry Sorbet

Strawberry Sorbet

Ingredients: 

1 pound fresh strawberries

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon raspberry liqueur (optional)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon

pinch of salt

Directions:

Rinse, hull out and slice strawberries. Place in medium bowl with sugar and raspberry liqueur (if using), stirring until sugar begins to dissolve. Cover and place in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Place strawberries in a blender with their liquid, lemon juice and salt and blend until smooth. Press mixture through a strainer to remove seeds. Chill mixture for an additional hour, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacture’s directions.

Serve frozen with a big dollop of Whipped Cream. Delicious!

Source: adapted from Annie’s Eats originally from The Perfect Scoop

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Teriyaki Chicken

Posted in Chicken, Main course, tagged , , on May 27, 2010|

Teriyaki Chicken

Teriyaki Chicken

These Chicken Nuggets have a wonderful Teriyaki flavor and a very thin breaded coating. If you don’t have the seafood breader, flour with do perfectly fine. I do not add any additional salt to this recipe since the Teriyaki has plenty of salt in it. The Nuggets are quick and easy to make after a long day at work. Served with a green salad or a side dish of Orzo makes it a light and tasty meal.

Ingredients:

3 pieces chicken breasts, skinless, boneless

1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce

3/4 cup seafood breader (House Autry), or Flour

2 tbsp water, cold

Cooking spray

Directions:

Cut chicken breasts up into 1 1/2 – 2 inch pieces. Place in bowl, add teriyaki sauce and let marinate for 10 minutes. Drain off excess liquid and coat with seafood breader. Shake off excess breader. Spray pan with cooking spray. Cook chicken nuggets uncovered over medium heat, turning to brown all sides. Then add 2 tablespoons cold water to the pan and immediately cover the pan with a lid. Continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy.

Source: My Danish Kitchen

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Orzo with Grape Tomatoes and Feta Cheese

Posted in pasta, Side dish, tagged , , , , , on May 27, 2010|

Orzo with Grape Tomatoes and Feta Cheese

I just love Orzo! I serve it with everything, even things Orzo should not be served with. Orzo is so versatile and the combinations for what you can add to these tiny little pastas are endless. I saw this recipe on TV somewhere but I don’t recall which TV show it was on, so I am not able to give proper credit. 

And so, the other day my son came home from College. After a semester of cafeteria food he seems really happy to finally get some home cooked meals. I served this Orzo with my Teriyaki Chicken Nuggets and it got the official “head nod” stamp of approval. I was delighted! This Orzo dish is light, delicious and so easy to make that even a college student could make it.  🙂 

Ingredients: 

1 cup Orzo pasta 

5 oz. grape tomatoes 

3-4 tbsp feta cheese 

1 tbsp butter 

1 large sprig Basil 

Directions: 

Start by cutting grape tomatoes into halves. Fill a small cooking pot with water and season with salt. Once water is boiling add Orzo and cook for 9 minutes. Drain pasta and place back into cooking pot. Add butter, tomatoes, feta cheese and basil. Stir and serve. 

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Kiksekage (Chocolate Biscuit Cake)

Posted in Danish, Dessert, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 23, 2010| 8 Comments »

Kiksekage

Kiksekage

This is another cake from my childhood. I actually don’t think I’ve had this cake more than a few times but it definitely made an impression on me. It’s creamy, chocolaty and a very rich dessert. Serve it with a dollop of Amaretto Whipped Cream and it’s like a piece of heaven. It’s typically made with a type of Crisco and egg which doesn’t sound too good to me, considering it’s a no bake cake, but then I came across this recipe and I’m so glad I tried it. It’s just like I remember it!  This was one of the desserts I served for my Danish Tea Party and also for my Mother In-law Mary Helen for Mother’s Day and just about the entire cake disappeared. Trust me on this one, it is delicious.

Making Kiksekage

Making Kiksekage

Kiksekage

Ingredients for Kiksekage:

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (227 grams)

1 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (10 oz. or 295 ml)

3/4 cup confectioners sugar (3 oz. or 85 grams)

7 tbsp butter (3.5 oz. or 100 grams)

7 oz butter biscuits (ex. Leibniz)

Ingredients for Amaretto Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tbsp powdered sugar

2 tbsp Amaretto liqueur

Directions:

Line a 9 x 5  in. loaf pan with parchment paper by placing one big piece of paper across bottom and long sides and cut two smaller pieces of paper for the ends of the pan. Chop chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl. Pour whipping cream and confectioners sugar in to a small cooking pot, stirring occasionally bring to a simmer. Slowly pour the hot cream mixture over the chopped chocolate. Stir the mixture until shiny and smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes. Cut butter into small pieces and add to chocolate mix, stir until completely melted. Place mixture in refrigerator for 15 minutes to cool. Cover bottom of loaf pan with chocolate, then place a layer of biscuits, repeat chocolate, biscuit, ending with a layer of chocolate. Cover the top of chocolate with cling wrap and place in refrigerator overnight. The following day gently and slowly lift the cake out of the form. Invert cake onto a plate and slowly peel off parchment paper. Decorate the top of cake with your choice of topping, serve with Amaretto whipped creme, if desired.

Making Amaretto whipped creme: In a small bowl combine whipping cream, powdered sugar and Amaretto. Whisk until desired consistency. Serve with Kiksekage.

Source: madgal.dk

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Chicken Enchilada

Posted in Chicken, Main course, Mexican, tagged , , , on May 19, 2010| 2 Comments »

Chicken Enchilada

Chicken Enchilada

So what did you make for Cinco de Mayo? I know I know, that was like a month ago  😦  but better late than never. I made these yummy Chicken Enchiladas and the real flavor in this dish, is in the sauce. So if you have leftover sauce make sure to serve it at the table. This is an adapted recipe and I made quite a few changes. I love the subtle lime flavor which pairs really well with the banana peppers. Tart!

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 – 3/4 inch pieces

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2/3 green bell pepper, chopped

3 large button mushrooms, sliced

10 banana pepper rings, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp sugar

8 oz tomato sauce

8 oz water

1 large tomato, seeded and diced

1 lime, juiced

1 cup feta cheese

1 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup fresh minced cilantro

8 (6-inch) soft tortillas

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine oil, onion, green pepper and mushrooms in a large pan. Heat over medium heat until softened, 8-10 minutes. Add banana peppers, garlic, chili, cumin, sugar and salt, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, water, diced tomato and lime juice. Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes.  Add diced raw chicken to tomato sauce and simmer covered until chicken is cooked through, about 10-20 minutes. (Chicken can be pre-cooked in a separate pan if desired).

Strain sauce into a small bowl and reserve chicken mixture. Add feta cheese, 1/4 cup sauce and cilantro to chicken mix, stir to combine. Place tortilla on a flat surface and fill with 1/3 cup chicken mix. Roll tightly and place seam-side down in greased baking dish. Pour sauce over rolled up enchiladas and top with cheddar cheese. Place  in oven uncovered for 7 minutes, then cover with foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until heated through.

Source: adapted from Pink Parsley

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Cooking Class – Spagetthi al Pomodoro al Forno

Posted in Italien, Main course, Sauce, tagged , , , , , , on May 18, 2010|

Spagetthi al Pomodoreo al Forno

Spagetthi al Pomodoreo al Forno

I decided it would be fun to go to a cooking class at the Kitchen Barn. The class was hosted by Janie Jacobson and it turned out to be a really good class with lots of good information and some very delicious food. I was hoping for a little hands-on, but the class turned out to be an instructional class only. So what was on the menu you ask me, here it is:

  • Spaghetti al Pomodoro al Forno (Spaghetti in Sauce with Baked Tomatoes)
  • Black-eyed Pea Salad with Goat Cheese and Sun-dried Tomato Dressing
  • Tiramisu

I kept debating back and forth which dish I liked better and the Spaghetti won……I think….or was it the Pea Salad? I guess that means I’ll just have to make them myself and test taste them again. In any case, I wanted to share with you the Spaghetti al Pomodoro al Forno dish. It’s made with anchovies and fresh tomatoes which are baked in the oven. Now, I have never cooked with anchovies before and let me just say this. They are wonderful, however, I found it difficult to use real anchovies with their tiny little translucent bones. I know they simply just melt into the sauce but I think I’ll use anchovy paste next time. The anchovies do give a nice subtle background flavor that makes you go hmm what is that? Delicious. Note: the original recipe suggested 10 anchovy fillets, I used only approx 5 anchovy fillets.

Roasting tomatoes and anchovies

Roasting tomatoes and anchovies

Ingredients:

1 lb Spaghetti

2 lb fresh tomatoes

5 anchovy fillets in oil, drained

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

pinch of red pepper flakes

3/4 cup olive oil

15 sprigs of fresh parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To prepare the sauce slice the tomatoes horizontally into thick slices. Cover the bottom of an oven proof baking dish with a layer of the sliced tomatoes. Place the anchovies on top of tomato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Pour olive oil over tomatoes. Place baking dish with tomatoes in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Coarsely chop parsley and set aside until needed. Bring a pot of cold water to a boil. Season water generously with salt and cook spaghetti until desired consistency, drain and set aside. Once done, remove tomatoes from oven and pour over spaghetti. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and toss well before serving.

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Chinese Dumplings: Boiled Pork and Cabbage

Posted in Asian, Main course, Pork, tagged , , , on May 14, 2010|

Chinese Dumplings

Chinese Dumplings

The first time I had Chinese Dumplings was many years ago when my husband Joe and I were visiting my brother-in-law Michael in Manhattan, NY. Michael was the one who ordered dumplings and I tried one of his. Turns out these soft little pockets are packed full of flavor and the dipping sauces you can use are endless. The ingredient list is not as  complicated as one might think and making the filling is easy. However, it is a little time-consuming assembling the dumplings but it’s well worth the effort and it can be done ahead of time.

Making Chinese Dumplings

Making Chinese Dumplings

Ingredients:

8 oz cabbage, roughly chopped

1 tsp kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt)

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1/4 cup chopped green onions

2/3 lb ground pork

a pinch of pepper

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

2 tsp sesame oil

1 package wonton wrappers

for the slurry: 1 tbsp cornstarch + 1/2 cup water

Directions:

Place the cabbage in a food processor and process until finely minced. Remove the cabbage to a bowl, sprinkle with salt and let sit for 10 minutes. In the meantime, add ginger, green onions, pork, pepper, soy sauce, sherry and sesame oil. Pulse 4-5 times to mix ingredients. Set aside.

Place the cabbage on a clean towel or cheese cloth and wring out excess liquid. Place cabbage back into bowl and add the pork mixture. Gently stir to blend cabbage and pork.

Mix together the slurry. Place a wonton wrapper on a dry surface and paint edges with slurry mixture. Place a generous teaspoonful of pork mixture in center of wonton wrap and fold up all four edges to a point making sure all edges are sealed tightly. Place on a baking sheet and keep covered with moist paper towels while making the rest of the dumplings. Make sure dumplings do not touch each other on the baking sheet.

When all dumplings area assembled, cook immediately or cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for up to several hours. To cook, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. When boiling, gently add 1/3 of dumplings and simmer for 6-8 minutes. Remove dumplings with a slotted spoon and repeat with remaining dumplings. Serve with hot chili sauce or potsticker dipping sauce. If freezing dumplings, freeze raw dumplings after assembling them. Freeze as-is on a plate or on the baking sheet. Once frozen, place in a freezer bag.

Source: adapted from Steamy Kitchen, originally from Asian Dumplings by Andrea Nguyen

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Meringue Cookies – Kyskager

Posted in Danish, Dessert, tagged , , , , , on May 11, 2010| 1 Comment »

Kyskager - Meringue Cookies

Kyskager – Meringue Cookies

Who doesn’t love Meringue cookies. Light, fluffy, crunchy and oh so sweet little tasty treats and good for you and they contain no fat what so ever 🙂 Meringue cookies are called Kyskager in Danish and they are always a popular cookie on the coffee table, especially with the children.

These cookies are really fun to make. Yeah you get all sticky, at least I did, but the piping is awesome. Helpful hints: it’s easier to separate the egg whites from the yolks when the eggs are cold. Once separated make sure egg whites are brought up to room temperature before making the meringue. Make sure your bowl and beaters are very clean. If there is grease on your equipment it will prevent the egg whites from expanding. Store meringue cookies in a dry airtight container.

Kyskager - Meringue Cookies

Kyskager – Meringue Cookies

Ingredients:

 4 whole egg whites, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

10 drops food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Beat egg whites in a large bowl with an electrical mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Increase speed to medium-high. Add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form. Beat in extract and food color until blended. Spoon meringue into pastry bag and pipe out cookies onto parchment paper about 1 inch apart. If you don’t have a pastry bag with tip attachments, you can use a ziplock bag by snipping off one corner of the bag or you can simply drop the meringue onto the parchment paper by the teaspoon full. The meringue cookies will fill up 2 large baking sheets. Bake both sheets of cookies at the same time for 45 minutes. Turn the oven off. Let the meringues stay in the oven for 1 hour or until cool.

Source: Tasty Kitchen

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Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)

Posted in Danish, Main course, Pork, tagged , , on May 8, 2010| 2 Comments »

Frikadeller

Frikadeller

And then there’s Frikadeller, a wonderful traditional Danish dish.  I practically grew up on these delicious little Danish meatballs and so I carried on the tradition by feeding them to my son and husband, and they love them as well. They freeze well, are easy to make  and they are great as cold leftovers. My mother uses flour in her recipe, as do most everybody, but I once upon a time tried using House Autry Seafood Breader instead of flour and it worked out great. The seafood breader is basically just a seasoned type of flour and it does not taste like seafood. 🙂 I hope you enjoy these little treasures.

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground pork

2 eggs

3/4 to 1 tsp salt (to taste)

1/2 tsp pepper

1 shallot, minced

5 tbsp flour

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. Spray a pan with olive oil. Form 1 1/2 inch rounded meatballs using a tablespoon and the palm of your hand. Brown meatballs on all sides over medium heat. This may be done in batches. Finish baking meatballs in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes to ensure they are cooked all the way through.

Source: My Danish Kitchen

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Napoleonshatte – Napoleon Hats

Posted in Danish, Dessert, Pastry, tagged , , , , , , on May 5, 2010| 6 Comments »

Danish Napoleonshat

Danish Napoleonshat

These delicious little Danish cookies are called Napoleon Hats (remember Napoleon Bonaparte, the French dude with the funny hat). Napoleon Hats were some of my favorite cookies growing up, still is. Whenever we go home to visit I always pick up some of these cookies at the local Bakery, along with a lot of other Danish pastries. These cookies are really easy and fun to make, oh and did I mention that they’re delicious.

Napoleonshat dipped in chocolate

Napoleonshat dipped in chocolate

Ingredients:

7 oz Marzipan (Odense)

1 3/4 cup flour

1 stick + 1 tbsp. butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 egg yolk

1/2 stick vanilla bean

5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

Directions:

Break up butter into flour and place in a food processor. Pulse to blend. Slice open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Add powdered sugar, egg yolk and vanilla seeds to flour mixture. Blend until a smooth powdery mix. Remove mixture from food processor and press it together to form a dough ball. Place dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes to cool. Place dough in between two pieces of cling wrap and roll out to 3 mm thickness. Cut out circles using a glass approximate 2 1/4 inch in size. Roll a small ball of marzipan and place in center of round dough. Lift up dough circle and marzipan ball and gently squeeze edges closed using your thumbs and index fingers to form three points (like a Napoleon Hat). Place on parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet.

Melt 5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate over a water bath. Once cookies are cooled, dip each corner and bottom of cookie in the melted chocolate. Place on baking rack or parchment paper to let chocolate set.

Making Napoleonshat

Making Napoleonshat

Source: My Danish Kitchen

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