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Archive for June, 2015

Sweet Mørdej – Shortcrust

Posted in Danish, Pastry, Quick and Easy, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 29, 2015| 3 Comments »

Mørdej - Shortcrust

Mørdej – Shortcrust

Shortcrust dough is very quick and easy to make and it’s used for both sweet and savory dishes (pies, tarts and quiches). This particular dough has sugar in it, so I would reserve it for a sweet dish. The process I describe here is using a food processor, but if you don’t have a food processor, the dough can also be made simply by using your hands. If you choose this method, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs, working as quickly as possible to prevent the butter from heating up. Then add the egg to bring the dough together, careful not to over-work the dough. Hint: when I roll out the dough, I roll it out on a piece of cling wrap. It makes for easy lifting and moving of the rolled out dough.

Making Mørdej

Making Mørdej

Ingredients: (makes enough dough for a 9 or 11 inch pan – 23 or 28 cm)

300 grams all-purpose flour (10.5 oz)

175 grams butter, cold (6 oz)

75 grams confectioners sugar (2.6 0z)

1 egg

Directions:

Place flour, butter and confectioners sugar into a food processor and process until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add egg and pulse only until dough starts to come together, careful not to over-work dough. Place dough onto your work surface and press dough into a flattened disc. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Once ready to use, roll dough out to the desired thickness. Spray pan with baking spray and fit the dough against the bottom and sides of pan. Trim the dough even with the top of pan or fold dough into a border. Re-refrigerate dough for another 10-15 minutes before baking.

Baking time and temperature will depend on what you are filling the pie/tart with. Follow your recipe for baking time and temperature.

If you want to blind bake (pre-bake) the dough before filling it, preheat oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F). Place parchment paper or foil over dough, fill with rice, beans or pie weights to prevent dough from bubbling up. Bake for 20 minutes, remove paper and weights and bake for another 3-5 minutes or until golden. Cool crust before filling.

Source: adapted from Kager til Kaffen

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Strawberry Plum Jam

Posted in Canning, tagged , , , , on June 15, 2015| 2 Comments »

Strawberry Plum Jam

Strawberry Plum Jam

Strawberries! The berry that signifies the beginning of Summer. Here is a strawberry and plum jam which I made over the weekend. It is sweet and delicious but I couldn’t really appreciate the plum flavor. The strawberries turned out to be the star of this jam and I don’t mind that at all. This is Spring in a jar, which will carry me well into Fall.

How to peel a plum: cut and X, pour boiling water over and let sit 30-40 seconds, drop plums into icewater, lift peel off from the corner of the X

How to peel a plum: cut and X, pour boiling water over and let sit 30-40 seconds, drop plums into ice water, lift peel off from the corner of the X

Strawberry Plum Jam makes 6, 8 oz jars or 1/2 pint jars

Ingredients: 

650 grams fresh strawberries, cut into large dice (23 oz or 4 cups diced)

400 grams fresh red plums, large dice (6 plums)

59 milliliter fresh lemon juice (2 fl oz or 1/4 cup, approx. 1 large juicy lemon)

1000 grams sugar (35 oz)

15 grams fruit pectin (2 tablespoons)

Directions:

Prepare strawberries but removing to leafy top and cut into a large dice. Peel skin off plums by first cutting an X in the top of each plum, then pour boiling water over plums, let sit for 40 seconds. Place plums into ice water, let sit for another 30 seconds or so, then using a small knife, simply pull peel off starting at the X. Cut plum meat away from the pit and cut into large dice. Set fruit aside.

Wash mason jars and lids in hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly.

To sterilize jars you can use a canning pot which comes with a wire rack, or if you don’t have a canning pot, you can use a large stock pot and place a trivet or a folded up clean towel in the bottom of the pot. Fill the pot with hot water and place clean jars upright into the water making sure they are covered by 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water. Bring water to a rolling boil over high heat. Boil for 10 minutes, then turn off heat and let jars sit in the hot water until ready to use. Note: jars must be hot when the hot jam is filled into them. Place lids and rings into a heatproof dish making sure to spread them out so they don’t clump together. Fill dish with hot water and let the lids sit in water until ready to use.

In a large cooking pot, combine strawberries, plums, lemon juice and fruit pectin. Bring fruit to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Add sugar, return to a boil and continue cooking, while stirring constantly, for another 10 minutes. Remove fruit from heat and skim off the foam thoroughly (it makes for a pretty, clear jam). Ladle hot jam into sterilized hot jars, leaving no more that 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims clean with a moist paper towel and put on lids.

Place jars back into the hot water, which was used to sterilize jars. Bring water back up to a boil and process filled jars for another 10 minutes. Transfer them to a clean towel-lined surface where they can sit undisturbed 12 to 24 hours. Lids may make a popping sound as the jars cool, this is a sign of an airtight seal. Test the seals 24 hours after heat processing by pressing down on the center of each lid with your finger. If the lid does not move or pop, the jar is sealed. Label and store in a cool, dark place and refrigerate after opening.

Source: My Danish Kitchen

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Peachy White Wine Sangria

Posted in Drinks, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 1, 2015| 4 Comments »

Peachy White Wine Sangria

Peachy White Wine Sangria

Although summer has not officially arrived yet, it sure feels like it. And for those hot days it’s nice to lounge with a glass of cold Sangria. I prefer white wine and here is a Sangria with a little peach schnapps and elderflower concentrate. I made this with a single glass serving in mind, since it can be difficult to scale down from a pitcher size recipe. The type of wine of course will alter the taste. Use the type of wine you like but keep in mind that you may have to use less elderflower concentrate, the sweeter the wine is. I hope you enjoy your lazy summer days to its fullest.

Ingredients: makes 1 glass

3/4 cup Chardonnay, chilled (180 ml)

2 teaspoons peach schnapps

3 teaspoons elderflower concentrate

orange slice

lime slice

ice cubes

a splash of seltzer water, optional

Directions:

Toss all ingredients into a glass, plant yourself in a comfortable lounge chair and enjoy. Cheers

Source: My Danish Kitchen

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