Summer

Overnight Oats with Skyr and Cardamom Blueberry Compote

May 22, 2020 by Kristi 2 Comments

Say hello to your new favorite make ahead breakfast! These Overnight Oats with Skyr and Blueberry Cardamom Compote are SO satisfying and delicious, and a very nutritious and Nordic way to begin the day. Think of overnight oats as a refreshing warm weather version of porridge that is served chilled. It’s a welcome summertime change from the traditional bowl of warm porridge.

The History Behind Overnight Oats

Overnight oats are essentially a modernized version of muesli, a Swiss oatmeal dish that is traditionally served cold. The recipe was developed by a Swiss doctor, Maximilian Bircher-Benner, in the early twentieth century as a “health food” to serve to his patients as part of their strict vegetarian diet regimen. The original version contained diced apple, nuts, rolled oats that had been soaked for 12 hours, lemon juice and either milk or cream. Interestingly, muesli was originally served as an appetizer course before dinner and not as a breakfast food.

rolled oats, chia seeds, cinnamon and salt

How Overnight Oats Differ from Traditional Oatmeal

As I mentioned above, overnight oats are not cooked. Instead, they are soaked overnight in a mixture of milk (regular or plant-based), possibly some yogurt or skyr (Icelandic yogurt), sweetener (usually pure maple syrup or honey) and chia seeds which help thicken the mixture and give it a hearty, substantial texture. They are almost always made with old-fashioned rolled oats as opposed to quick-cooking or steel cut. Quick-cooking or instant oats create an overly mushy texture to the final product, and steel cut oats don’t soften enough during the soaking process to be pleasantly edible. But not to worry! All oats, regardless of their processing, contain the same amount of desirable nutrients, including fiber, thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, selenium, and iron.

How to Make and Store Overnight Oats

Making overnight oats couldn’t be simpler. No need to turn on the stove or even pop anything into the microwave! Simply combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Allow the oats to soak for at least 3 hours or overnight in the fridge and top as desired. DONE! I will often portion mine into individual servings in small glass jars prior to placing them into the refrigerator. This saves me a step in the morning…all I have to do is top my oats and enjoy! Overnight oats will keep for 4 days covered tightly in the fridge. Almost a week’s worth of nourishing breakfasts at your fingertips!

Topping Ideas

My recipe here calls for Blueberry Cardamom Compote and a little granola for crunch. This is a heavenly combination and you MUST try it. BUT there are MANY options for topping your overnight oats! Here are a few ideas for when you are ready to branch out from the original:

Fresh berries
Stirred Lingonberries or Lingonberry Jam (serious Scandi vibes!)
Sliced banana
Chopped apple, mango or pineapple
Coconut flakes
Shaved dark chocolate or cacao nibs
Nuts and seeds of all kinds
Granola
Nut butter (roasted almond butter and diced apple are wonderful together)
Shredded carrots and warm spices (think carrot cake vibes)
Any seasonal compote (Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Compote, Roasted Pear Compote with Cardamom, Vanilla and Fresh Ginger, or Roasted Peach Ginger Compote are all AMAZING!)

I hope you give these Overnight Oats with Blueberry Cardamom Compote a try! Please drop me a line or leave a comment below and let me know if you do. And I’d love to hear how you mix it up with your own topping combinations!

Overnight Oats with Skyr and Cardamom Blueberry Compote

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

An easy and nutritious make-ahead breakfast with oats, skyr (Icelandic yogurt), almond milk and chia seeds. Topped with a simple Blueberry Cardamom Compote, these overnight oats are a very delicious and Nordic way start to your day!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes + at least 3 hours soaking time
Yield: 4 servings
Category: Breakfast
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

For the Oats:

1 ⅓ cup old-fashioned rolled oats

¼ cup chia seeds

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 ⅓ cup plain skyr (Icelandic yogurt) or Greek yogurt

1 ⅓ cup milk of choice (I like unsweetened almond)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ cup pure maple syrup

Blueberry Cardamom Compote and Nordic Morning Granola (or store bought) for topping

Optional Toppings:

Toasted nuts

Coconut flakes

Additional maple syrup or honey

Additional skyr or yogurt

Additional milk

A dollop of nut butter (I like roasted almond butter with mine)

Instructions

Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Cover and transfer to the fridge. Let sit overnight or for at least 3 hours. If you want to store the oats in individual portions, simply divide the mixture between 4 small jars and cover. Overnight oats will keep well-covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
When you are ready to serve, top each portion of oats with a generous dollop of Blueberry Cardamom Compote and Granola and any optional toppings as desired. Enjoy!

Keywords: oats, oatmeal, overnight oats, muesli, skyr, blueberries, cardamom, make-ahead, easy, simple

Blueberry Cardamom Compote

May 20, 2020 by Kristi Leave a Comment

I developed this Blueberry Cardamom Compote as part of a recipe for overnight oats (coming Friday!), but loved it so much that I thought it deserved its own billing. Because as it turns out, not only is this Blueberry Cardamom Compote good on overnight oats, it is also delicious on toast, on cream cheese-smeared crispbread, on steel cut oat porridge, on ice cream (YES!), mixed into skyr or yogurt and topped with granola or STRAIGHT FROM THE JAR. Seriously, we can’t get enough of this stuff around here!

One of the very best things about this Blueberry Cardamom Compote is that frozen wild blueberries work really well in this recipe. In fact, I like them better here than fresh blueberries from produce section. That means that if you get in the habit of picking up one of those giant bags of frozen blueberries on your weekly Costco run, you can make this compote on a moment’s notice and at any time of the year. That’s right! No need to forage the forest floor in late summer for your blueberries Scandinavian style (although that does sound delightful, doesn’t it?). A quick trip to the store and you’ll be all stocked up and ready for blueberry cardamom goodness whenever the mood strikes.

There isn’t much to say to ensure your success with this Blueberry Cardamom Compote….it couldn’t be easier and only requires a stir now and then to keep it from sticking to the pan. My only word of advice (as always) is to use freshly ground cardamom if you can. It is SO much better than the cardamom that is already ground for you. I have a mortar and pestle that works really well for this. It’s a little extra effort but well worth it in terms of flavor!

This Blueberry Cardamom Compote will keep for at least a week in the fridge. Ours never lasts more than a day or two though….too many delicious ways to put it to use! For longer storage, you could easily keep it the freezer for a couple of months.

I hope you give this Blueberry Cardamom Compote a try! It is simply delicious and a fun thing to have on hand to perk up your breakfast, afternoon snack or dessert. Looking for more delicious seasonal compotes to try? I’ve got several here on the blog:

Blueberry Cardamom Compote

A simple and delicious fruit compote made with frozen blueberries, ground cardamom and pure maple syrup. The perfect way to perk up your breakfast, afternoon snack or late night bowl of ice cream!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2 cups 1x
Category: compote
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian
Diet: Vegan

Scale

Ingredients

4 cups frozen wild blueberries, no need to defrost (fresh blueberries will also work)

1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom

¼ cup pure maple syrup (more to taste)

Pinch of fine sea salt

1 teaspoon of freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium low stirring frequently until berries get syrupy and begin to break down, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in lemon juice. Once berries have cooled, transfer them to a jar and store in the fridge until ready to use (berries will keep in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer for a couple of months).

Keywords: blueberry, compote, cardamom, maple syrup, easy, simple, make ahead, vegan, vegetarian

Simple Roasted Salmon with Cucumber-Radish Relish

May 15, 2020 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Roasted Salmon and Cucumber-Radish Relish

This Simple Roasted Salmon with Cucumber-Radish Relish is just the thing to help us ease our way from spring into summer. Cucumbers, radishes and scallions are tossed with a bit of prepared horseradish to create a delicious and easy relish to serve alongside roasted salmon filets. Seriously elegant and it comes together in less than thirty minutes. That’s my kind of meal!

Cucumber, radishes and scallions on a white table

This recipe is adapted from one that I clipped from an issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine back in 2012. Eight years ago! Normally recipes that I save for that long without trying them would be more likely to get tossed than made. But there was something so delightfully Nordic about this recipe, not to mention it’s simplicity and lovely presentation, I kept it thinking I would eventually get around to making it “someday”.

Last weekend that “someday” finally arrived, and I’m so glad it did! What a lovely salmon supper this is. I’ve made very few changes to the original recipe when adapting it for the blog, but I did double the amount of relish. It is SO fresh and tasty with the salmon, you are not going to want to skimp!

I highly recommend serving this Roasted Salmon with Cucumber-Radish Relish alongside this Warm Barley Salad with Fresh Garden Herbs. They are a perfect match for one another. Add some roasted asparagus and you’ve got a simply elegant meal that is doable any night of the week.

Salmon supper with salmon filets, Cucumber-Radish Relish and barley salad

I hope you’ll add this Roasted Salmon with Cucumber-Radish Relish to your meal rotation sometime soon! I know you’ll be glad you did. If you give it a try, please let me know in the comments below. I always love hearing from you!

Simple Roasted Salmon with Cucumber-Radish Relish

An easy roasted salmon supper with a zesty, fresh relish featuring cucumbers, radishes, scallions and prepared horseradish.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: Dinner
Method: Roasting
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Scale

Ingredients

4 6-ounce skin-on salmon filets (skinned salmon filets work just fine, too)

1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup diced, peeled and seeded cucumber

½ cup diced radishes

¼ cup thinly sliced scallions

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place salmon on a rimmed baking sheet covered with foil or parchment paper. Brush salmon with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until salmon is just cooked through, about 10-13 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine radishes, cucumber and scallions together in a medium bowl. Stir in horseradish and remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove salmon from the baking sheet using a thin spatula, leaving the skin behind. Serve immediately with Cucumber-Radish Relish.

Notes

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living magazine, April 2012

Keywords: easy, simple, roasted, salmon, cucumber, radish, horseradish, relish, Nordic, Scandinavian

Warm Barley Salad with Fresh Garden Herbs

May 12, 2020 by Kristi 4 Comments

Warm Barley Salad with Garden Fresh Herbs

This Warm Barley Salad with Fresh Garden Herbs is destined to be your new favorite side dish for the coming months. It’s so simple and delicious and uses all the tender, green herbs that are just coming in to season. If you have an herb garden of your own, you could easily have everything you need to make this on a moment’s notice all summer long.

Barley in Scandinavia

Barley has been an important crop in the Nordic region since the stone age. It was ground into flour to make bread, cooked to make porridge and malted to be used in the beer making process. It was (and still is) commonly used as food for livestock. Barley contains more essential amino acids than both wheat and rye and is higher in fiber (8 grams per ¼ cup). Although its popularity as a bread flour waned as wheat became more available, barley is currently enjoying a bit of a renaissance. The New Nordic Cuisine movement has brought a fresh perspective to this ancient grain, highlighting its healthful properties and various culinary uses.

Note that this recipe calls for pearl barley (sometimes labeled medium barley at the grocery store). When pearl barley is processed, the bran of the grain is removed which shortens the cooking time. If you are using hulled barley, which is more minimally processed, it will take significantly longer to cook.

A few suggestions for making a perfect barley salad every time:

Start with the right kind of barley. As I mentioned above, the difference in cooking time between pearl barley and hulled barley is significant. There is nothing wrong with using hulled barley in this recipe, just expect it to take much longer to cook.
Give your barley a quick rinse before cooking. This removes any dust or unwanted fine particles prior to cooking.
Use the pasta method to cook the barley. I find this to be the easiest and most forgiving way to cook barley. Simply boil a large pot of water on the stove like you would if you were making pasta. Add the barley and some salt and continue to cook over medium/medium-high heat until the barley is tender, about 35-40 minutes. Once it is done, simply drain and enjoy! It couldn’t be easier, and if your barley needs a little more time to cook, there is no concern about the barley becoming too dry and scorching on the bottom of the pot.
Taste the barley to see if it is tender. Don’t rely entirely on my estimation of how long it will take to cook your barley. I’ve made this dish with barley from several different stores, and the amount of time it take for the barley to become tender can vary. Start checking at 30 minutes. If it’s not tender enough, give it 5 more minutes and then check again. Continue checking every 5 minutes until the texture of the barley is to your liking.
Drain thoroughly. This will help the salad from becoming waterlogged.
Dress the salad while the barley is warm and season to taste with salt, pepper and additional lemon juice as necessary. Warm barley will more readily soak up the flavors of the dressing than cool or even room temperature barley. And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: most people don’t season their food properly. Give your salad a taste and keep adding salt, pepper and/or an additional squeeze of lemon juice until your salad is just how you like it.

Feel free to switch out the herbs depending on what’s available to you. Nearly any combination of soft green herbs would be nice here….basil, dill, parsley, cilantro, tarragon and/or chives. Work with what you have!

I do hope you give this Warm Barley Salad with Fresh Garden Herbs a try! It would be very much at home next to a simple grilled chicken breast or a tender filet of roasted salmon. Keeping things vegetarian? I recommend roasted asparagus with a fried egg on top (optional but SO yummy). This dish is so versatile and delicious I’m sure you’ll find countless ways to vary it over the coming months! Need more barley ideas? Here are a few blog favorites for using pearl barley:

Warm Barley Salad with Fresh Garden Herbs

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

A versatile and delicious warm pearl barley salad with mustard, lemon juice and fresh garden herbs.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: salads, side dishes
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian
Diet: Vegan

Scale

Ingredients

1 cup pearl barley, rinsed in a fine mesh strainer

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons minced shallot

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons lemon juice, more to taste

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup thinly sliced scallion greens or chives

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add barley and 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook until barley is tender, about 35-40 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, whisk shallot, mustard, lemon juice and olive oil together in the bottom of a serving bowl. Add the warm barley and herbs and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and additional lemon juice. Serve warm.

Notes

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, April 2012

Keywords: warm, barley, salad, dill, parsley, scallions, chives, herbs, easy, simple, side dish

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

September 13, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

The high temperature in Omaha yesterday was 91 degrees. 91! It’s September, for goodness sake! Where are those cool, crisp fall days I ordered? I guess it’s not technically fall for a couple more weeks yet so maybe I can’t officially complain until then. This in-between-seasons time can be difficult. What do I wear? Is it too early to get out my fall decorations? What about setting pumpkins on the porch?

And most importantly, what do I eat? Fortunately THAT is one question I can answer. The farm stand near my house is still brimming with ripe beefsteak tomatoes. Roasted with red bell peppers and aromatics, they make a fantastic end-of-summer soup. Pair a bowl of this with a grilled cheese sandwich and you’ve got yourself an easy weeknight meal.

This simple recipe was inspired by a roasted vegetable soup that I’ve been making for years and originally found in Martha Stewart’s now defunct Everyday Food magazine (the best food publication EVER in my opinion…don’t get me started). I’ve switched it up a bit by swapping red onion for leeks and red peppers for carrots, but the basic idea is the same: place six beefsteak tomatoes that have been cored and cut in half in a roasting pan with the rest of the vegetables. Toss with olive oil. Roast for an hour. Remove tomato skins with tongs (they slip off quite easily at this point). Purée in a blender. Add broth. Done. Easy, nutritious and delicious! Oh, and it’s just as good if you make it a few days ahead of time so go ahead and prepare the soup on Sunday afternoon and serve it on a busy Tuesday evening when cooking from scratch seems out of the question. It even freezes well for long term storage.

When my kids were small and wanted nothing to do with vegetables, puréed soups like this one were one the few ways that I would be able to sneak them in. No one had any idea that this creamy, delicious soup was chock full of healthy goodness! It also happens to be vegan (if you make it with vegetable broth), gluten-free and dairy-free.

For the record, I did set out my fall decorations last week and a few small pumpkins indoors. The cozy sweaters, however, will remain in storage until this heatwave passes. Whatever the weather is like where you are, give this soup a try! It’s just the thing for this in between time.

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

An easy and delicious roasted vegetable soup with tomatoes, red bell peppers and aromatics. Vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Category: soup
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Scale

Ingredients

6 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, cut in half and core removed

2 red bell peppers, cut into ¾ inch pieces

1 small red onion, sliced thin

4 cloves of garlic, smashed

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1-2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1-2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar

To Serve:

Chopped fresh basil

Extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place tomato halves cut size down in a roasting pan. Add peppers, onions and garlic. Toss vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper Transfer pan to oven and roast for an hour.
Remove pan from the oven and allow the vegetables to cool slightly. Using tongs, slip the skins off of the tomatoes. Transfer half the vegetables and any accumulated juices to a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan. Repeat with remaining vegetables.
Add enough broth to give the soup a nice, creamy consistency. Bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you think the soup needs a little more zing, add the second teaspoon of vinegar. Serve topped with basil and a drizzle of olive oil.

Notes

Can be made up to three days ahead. This soup also freezes well.

Adapted from Everyday Food Magazine.

Keywords: soup, red pepper, tomato, summer, roasted, vegetable, vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, creamy

Grilled Summer Squash Salad with Rye Berries and Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

September 3, 2019 by Kristi 4 Comments

grilled summer squash salad wit rye berries and sun-dried tomato vinaigrette — *Grilled Summer Squash Salad with Rye Berries and Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette*

I can’t believe it’s September already! This might go down on record as the fastest summer in history…gone in the blink of an eye. But before I get ahead of myself trading in tomatoes and zucchini for butternut squash, I’ve got a delicious grilled vegetable salad for these late summer days. Zucchini, yellow summer squash, red onions and rye berries drizzled in a tangy, flavorful sun-dried tomato vinaigrette….so easy and filling enough to be a meal in and of itself.

I am a big fan of whole grain salads like this one. Just a handful of rye berries (or barley, wheat berries or farro) brings welcome texture and heartiness that turns this otherwise side dish into an easy vegetarian main. It would also make a nice accompaniment to grilled chicken or addition to the neighborhood potluck. The choice is yours!

This recipe comes together quickly with the exception of the cooked grains. If you plan to use rye berries I definitely recommend soaking them overnight. They will cook more quickly and evenly that way. I made this a few times over the last week and tried cooking the rye berries without soaking them first and they took well over an hour to become tender. With an overnight soak it was more like 50 minutes of cooking time. If you really want to get a jump on things I would suggest making the cooked grains the day before you plan to serve the salad. They will happily wait in the refrigerator for you until you are ready to use them.

Before the season for cozy sweaters, football games and ALL things pumpkin spice begins in earnest, make the most of that late summer produce. Give this salad a try!

Grilled Summer Squash Salad with Rye Berries and Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

A hearty grilled vegetable salad with zucchini, summer squash, red onions and rye berries.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: salad
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Scale

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups cooked rye berries (see below)

1 large red onion, peeled and cut into ½ inch thick rounds

3 medium zucchini and/or yellow summer squash cut on the bias into ½ inch thick slices

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing vegetables

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

⅓ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

2 tablespoons chopped kalamata olives

¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus whole basil leaves for garnish

¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted

Instructions

Combine garlic and vinegar together in medium bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Add sun-dried tomatoes, olives and basil and combine. Add 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette to the cooked rye berries and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Heat the grill. Place the onion rounds, zucchini and summer squash on a baking sheet in a single layer. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
When grill is heated, clean and oil the grates. Place vegetables on the grill and cook until grill marks appear and vegetables are tender, about 3-4 minutes per side.
To assemble salads, place a few slices of summer squash on the bottom of the plate and spoon on a little vinaigrette. Follow with a spoonful of rye berries. Add a few more grilled vegetables on top. Drizzle with a little more vinaigrette. Sprinkle almonds on top, garnish with basil leaves if desired and serve.

Notes

To cook rye berries: Place 1/2 cup rye berries in a bowl with plenty of cold water. Cover and soak overnight at room temperature. Drain and rinse. Bring a medium size pot of water to a boil. Add salt. Add rye berries. Simmer vigorously until grains are pleasantly tender but still have a little bite to them, about 50-60 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.

*Feel free to substitute farro, barley or wheat berries for the rye berries if you can’t find them. Cooking times will vary.

Keywords: zucchini, summer squash, grill, salad,

Rustic Tomato Tart with Rye Crust

August 26, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Every summer when tomatoes are plentiful, I think about making a tomato tart. There is something very appealing about the idea of ripe, juicy tomatoes encased in a flaky, buttery crust. Add a salad and a glass of wine and you have a simple, elegant dinner. I’ve tried a few of these tarts over the years, and while they are almost always pleasing to the eye with their golden brown crust and concentric circles of ripe red tomatoes, there is always the issue of keeping the crust from becoming soggy. Tomatoes are, after all, 90% water.

Imagine my delight when I came across a recipe for a Rustic Tomato Tart in the August/September issue of Cook’s Country magazine that claimed to have solved the soggy crust dilemma! I had to give it a try for myself. Indeed, this was the best tomato tart I have made to date thanks to a few tricks designed to keep the crust crisp and flaky:

Brush the surface of the crust with dijon mustard prior to adding then filling. This creates a moisture barrier between the tomatoes and the crust and imparts a little extra flavor to the finished product.
Use a dry cheese. Some of the tomato tart recipes that I’ve made in the past have called for a soft cheese like mozzarella which has a comparably high moisture content. The original version of this recipe called for Gruyère which is drier in texture but still melts well. I used an aged Danish Havarti for my version.
Put the tomatoes on top of the cheese layer. The cheese adds yet another layer between the wet tomato filling and the crust which again helps keep things crisp.
Salt and drain your tomatoes prior to baking them. This helps draw moisture out of the fruit and ultimately leads to a drier filling and a crisper crust.

One of the other things I love about this recipe is its charming rustic appearance…no tart pan required! Simply leave a border around the edge of the tart and fold it up and over the filling, folding pleats into the dough as you go. So easy and no special equipment.

In the interest of bringing my own Nordic vibe to this recipe, I replaced some of the all-purpose flour from the original recipe with dark rye flour and loved the results….just a hint of that slightly sour, earthy flavor of rye really added to the tart’s rustic nature. As I mentioned above, I also used an aged Danish Havarti for the cheese rather than the Gruyére that was originally called for.

If you are looking to put those late summer tomatoes to use in something really lovely and delicious, I highly recommend giving this stunning tart a try.

Rustic Tomato Tart with Rye Crust

An easy rustic tomato tart with a rye crust. A stunning way to use up those end-of-summer tomatoes!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 45 minutes + 1 hour and 15 minutes chilling time
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours and 50 minutes
Yield: 1 9-inch tart 1x
Category: tomatoes, summer
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Scale

Ingredients

For the Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup dark rye flour

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch squares

6 tablespoons ice water

For the Filling:

1 ½ pounds garden tomatoes (a mix of any variety is fine), cored and sliced into ¼ inch thick rounds

1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt, divided

1 medium shallot, sliced thin

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1 garlic clove, minced

Freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 ounces aged Danish Havarti cheese (or Gruyère if you can’t find it), about 1 cup shredded

2 tablespoon finely grated parmesan cheese

To Assemble and Serve:

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Instructions

Make the Crust: Combine flours and salt in the work bowl of a food processor and process to combine. Scatter butter cubes over the top of the flour mixture and pulse until mixture resembles coarse sand with a few pea-sized pieces of butter here and there, about 10 pulses. Add ice water, 2 tablespoons at a time and continue to pulse until dough just comes together, about 8-10 additional pulses.
Transfer dough to a piece of plastic wrap. Gather into a ball and press into a disk, about 5 inches in diameter. Chill for at least one hour or up to two days before rolling.
Make the Filling: Using your hands, gently toss tomato slices in a large colander with 1 teaspoon salt. Set over a sink to drain for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Transfer dough round to a piece of parchment paper. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and roll dough in between the two layers of parchment paper into a 12 inch circle. Transfer to a baking sheet leaving parchment paper in place. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or so to firm up slightly.
Meanwhile, shake colander to get rid of any accumulated water. Combine tomatoes, shallot, oil, thyme, garlic and few grinds of freshly ground pepper and ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Remove dough round from the refrigerator. Peel off top layer of parchment. Spread mustard over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1 ½ inch border around the edges. Sprinkle Havarti cheese in an even layer over the mustard.
Using your hands, arrange tomato mixture on the bottom of the tart in concentric circles, continuing to leave a 1 ½ inch border around the edge. Leave any accumulated juices behind in the bowl. Sprinkle with parmesan.
Fold the border of the dough inward over the tomato mixture so that it covers the filling by about 1 inch, overlapping the dough every couple of inches. Gently press dough so that it adheres. Brush with beaten egg.
Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 50 minutes. Transfer baking pan to a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with basil. Cut into wedges and serve.

Notes

Adapted from the August/September 2019 issue of Cook’s Country magazine

Keywords: tomatoes, rustic, tart, rye, summer

Zucchini Barley Cakes with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Ricotta

August 23, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

The zucchini gets a bad rap sometimes, largely because of its prolific nature. If you plant zucchini in your vegetable garden, you know what I mean. They tend to come in fast and furious, getting larger by the minute. The next thing you know, they are taking up precious counter space in your kitchen demanding to be cooked or baked into something delicious. Even if you don’t personally grow zucchini, chances are you’ve been “gifted” a bag or two by someone who does. It is nearly impossible (or desirable for that matter) to eat one’s entire harvest of zucchini alone. Some of it must be shared. Know that you are doing a great service to your zucchini-growing friends when you graciously accept their home grown offering. You’ve taken a bit of the burden of preparing and consuming these bountiful summer squash off of their shoulders and they are grateful for it.

If you are currently experiencing your own glut of zucchini, either as a gardener or as the recipient of a well-meant gift, I encourage you to spare one or two for a batch of these Zucchini Barley Cakes. They make a fantastic vegetarian dinner served alongside a simple sauce of summery Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with olive oil, garlic and basil and a dollop of creamy ricotta cheese.

Salt Your Zucchini

shredded zucchini in a colander — *Salt your zucchini!*

One important thing to know about zucchini…they are about 95% water. So when you want to make something crispy from a zucchini it is wise to salt it beforehand in order to draw some of the moisture out of the vegetable prior to cooking it. This is easily done by tossing the shredded zucchini with coarse salt and letting it drain in a colander for 10 minutes or so. Transfer the salted zucchini to a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much moisture as you can before continuing with the recipe. What looked like 4 cups of zucchini when you started will shrink down to about 1 cup after salting and wringing it out thoroughly. Know that I am, deep down, a lazy cook. I would not ask you to take this step of salting and wringing if it weren’t absolutely necessary. Believe me, I’ve tried. You will end up with soggy cakes that don’t hold together well if you skip this step.

Chill

Your Zucchini Barley Cakes will greatly benefit from a quick chill time in the fridge, just 20-30 minutes will do. This helps the mixture hold together as you transfer the cakes into the skillet. Better yet, do your future self a favor and make a batch of these the day before you want to cook them. Cover them with plastic wrap and pop them in the fridge. Won’t you feel clever and prepared when dinner is practically done tomorrow night!

When you’ve had it with zucchini bread and are ready for something new, pull a zucchini or two from that pile on the counter and give these a try. Let me know how they turn out in the comments!

Zucchini Barley Cakes with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Ricotta

Delicious and hearty cakes made with pearl barley, zucchini and fresh herbs served alongside roasted cherry tomatoes and fresh ricotta cheese. A delicious late summer vegetarian dinner!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 1 hour (including chilling time)
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 12 cakes
Category: vegetarian
Cuisine: Scandinavian, Nordic

Ingredients

For the Zucchini Barley Cakes:

1 pound zucchini

1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt, divided, plus more for sprinkling

2 cups cooked and cooled pearl barley (see note below)

3 large eggs

3 scallions, minced (Both white and green parts)

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup panko bread crumbs

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

For the Roasted Cherry Tomatoes:

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes

3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thin

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon coarse salt

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Whole milk ricotta cheese for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Shred zucchini on the large holes of box grater. Transfer to a colander and toss with 1 teaspoon salt. Allow zucchini to sit for about ten minutes and then transfer it to a clean cotton kitchen towel and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Set aside.
In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add zucchini and remaining ingredients except oil. Combine thoroughly.
Using a large ice cream scoop or a metal measuring cup, transfer a ¼ cup portion of the mixture to a baking sheet. Press down and shape gently to create a cake that is about ¾ inch thick and 3 inches wide. Repeat with remaining mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to a day. You should have about 12 cakes.
While cakes are chilling, make the Roasted Cherry Tomatoes. Combine all ingredients except vinegar and basil in a 9 x13 baking dish. Stir to combine. Transfer to the oven and roast until tomatoes are soft and beginning to burst, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and add vinegar and basil.
Add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to a large nonstick skillet. Heat over medium heat until just shimmering. Using a thin spatula to help you, carefully add 6 cakes to the skillet (they may be a little fragile). Cook until golden brown on the first side, about 3-4 minutes. Flip each cake over and continue to cook until golden brown on the opposite side and cooked through, about 3 more minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Sprinkle with additional coarse salt. Carefully wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and add remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Repeat with remaining cakes. Serve with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and a generous dollop of ricotta cheese.

Notes

To cook pearl barley: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add 1 cup pearl barley. Cook over medium-high heat until tender, about 30-35 minutes. Drain and chill. (If you are in a hurry and want the barley to cool quickly, spread it out on a baking sheet and transfer to the refrigerator.) This makes about 3 cups of cooked pearl barley which is a little more than you will need for this recipe.

Adapted from Megan Gordon’s Whole Grain Mornings

Keywords: barley, zucchini, cakes, vegetarian, summer, cherry tomatoes

Easy Garden Tomato Smørrebrød

August 19, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

It is both a wonderful and anxiety-producing time of the year. The tomato vines are bursting with fruit and everything is ready at once. Tomatoes begin to pile up on the kitchen counter. Something must be done and quickly. These perfectly ripe, luscious garden tomatoes are something we wait for all year long. Not a morsel should go to waste.

The solution to this glorious dilemma in my own kitchen is multi-fold. Some of these tomatoes will find their way into a tomato sauce, soup or pasta, maybe sliced thin atop a pizza crust slathered with basil pesto. But some must be eaten in sandwich form. Because there is possibly no better way to celebrate the harvest season than with a garden-fresh tomato sandwich. BLTs are a given and probably make a weekly appearance on our table during July, August and early September. But this is a Nordic food blog. What are the options for turning these rare summer beauties into an irresistible open sandwich situation?

Thankfully we have many delicious options to choose from, each one easy and doable for a quick August lunch or dinner. I’ve put together three simple favorites here for your late summer consumption. A tomato sandwich should never be complicated, but simple does not have to mean boring. Each of these sandwiches has a little something special to help elevate it to extraordinary status:

Avocado, Tomato and Cucumber Skyr Sauce (pictured at the top): Buttered Danish rye topped with sliced avocado, tomatoes and a deliciously simple cucumber sauce made with Icelandic yogurt (skyr) and fresh dill. Greek yogurt can always stand in for the skyr if you can’t find it.
Basil Mayonnaise and Tomato (pictured to the left): The easiest of the three….Danish rye spread with an herby mayo (equal parts chopped fresh basil and prepared mayonnaise) and topped with sliced tomatoes. Simple summer perfection.
Egg, Tomato and Basil Pesto (pictured at the bottom): Buttered Danish rye topped with a little baby arugula, a sliced hard-boiled egg, chopped tomatoes and a generous dollop of basil pesto (prepared or homemade). By the way, I just bought this egg slicer and I can’t believe I lived without it. A serious game changer for gorgeous egg slices on your smørrebrød.

I hope these sandwich ideas help make a delicious dent in your tomato supply. September is just around the corner and it is our right, our obligation even, to see that we are sick of tomatoes by the time fall rolls around.

Easy Garden Tomato Smørrebrød

Three easy ideas for delicious Nordic open sandwiches starring the garden fresh tomato!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 open sandwiches 1x
Category: smørrebrød
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian, Danish

Scale

Ingredients

For the Tomato, Avocado and Cucumber Skyr Sauce:

½ medium cucumber

½ cup plain Icelandic skyr or greek yogurt, preferably whole milk

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

4 thin slices of dense rye bread

Salted butter for spreading

1 avocado, sliced thin

Sliced ripe garden tomatoes

Chopped fresh chives or dill for sprinkling (optional)

For the Basil Mayo and Tomato:

½ cup prepared mayonnaise

½ chopped fresh basil

4 thin slices of dense rye bread

Sliced ripe garden tomatoes

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

For The Egg, Tomato and Pesto:

4 thin slices of dense rye bread

Salted butter for spreading

A handful or two of baby arugula or other baby lettuces

4 hard boiled eggs, sliced

Ripe garden tomatoes, chopped medium

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

½ cup homemade or prepared basil pesto

Instructions

For the Tomato, Avocado and Cucumber Skyr Sauce: Shred cucumber on the large holes of a box grater. Transfer to a medium bowl. Combine with skyr, olive oil, dill, garlic and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill until ready to use (can be made up to 1 day in advance). Arrange slices of bread on a clean work surface. Spread butter on bread. Artfully arrange avocado and tomato slices on top. Top with a generous spoonful of Cucumber Skyr Sauce. Sprinkle with fresh chives or dill and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.
For the Basil Mayo and Tomato: Combine mayo and basil together in a small bowl. Arrange slices of bread on a clean work surface. Spread basil mayo on bread. Top with sliced tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.
For the Egg, Tomato and Pesto: Arrange slices of bread on a clean work surface. Spread butter on bread. Top with a handful of arugula leaves. Attractively fan out a sliced hard boiled egg on top of the arugula. Top with chopped tomatoes and a generous dollop of pesto. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

Notes

Adapted from Trine Heinemann’s Open Sandwiches

Keywords: Nordic, open sandwich, smørrebrød, smorgås, Danish, tomato, summer, basil, easy, simple, lunch

Roasted Peach Ginger Ice Cream

August 16, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Making homemade ice cream feels nostalgic to me, like something from a bygone era. I picture kids on a front porch cranking the handle of one of those wooden ice cream makers that required large quantities of rock salt in order to make it work. And the truth is, in our modern world complete with a dizzying array of pre-packaged ice creams available in the freezer section of the grocer store, making your own ice cream at home is hardly necessary. But perhaps this is exactly why we should bother to undertake the activity. Sometimes something slow, a kitchen project that takes a little time and planning, is just what we need to help us shift gears from our faced-paced, on-the-go 24/7 lives.

You will need an ice cream maker for this project, and thankfully they’ve come a long way since the days of hand cranks and rock salt. Simply push a button and the machine does the work for you. Consider it a worthwhile investment, a promise of countless batches of cold creamy goodness for years to come. I’ve had my ice cream maker for over 20 years and it’s still going strong!

On Wednesday I wrote about the joys of having a jar of fruit compote in the fridge. This Roasted Peach Ginger Ice Cream is just one more delicious idea for putting that compote to good use. The ice cream itself is simply a classic custard base made with cream, milk and egg yolks. Add your Roasted Peach Ginger Compote towards the end of churning and boom! Peach ginger ice cream. Couldn’t be easier.

Tips and Tricks for Smooth and Creamy Ice Cream

Ice cream is incredibly straightforward and simple to make, but it is a process, and there are definitely a few tips and tricks for ensuring that it’s creamy and delicious every time:

Remember to freeze the work bowl of the ice cream machine in advance. Ice cream making is not for the impulsive, the impatient or the spontaneous. It’s an activity that rewards planning and preparation. The work bowl of your ice cream maker must be thoroughly chilled prior to successfully churning ice cream. See the manufacturer’s instructions for specific details for your particular model, but this may take anywhere from 24-48 hours. During the summer months, I just keep the work bowl in the freezer so that when I’m ready to make a batch of ice cream it’s ready to go.
Temper the egg yolks prior to adding them to the milk and cream mixture. There is a very good reason that the recipe asks you to SLOWLY mixing about a cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks prior to adding them back to the pan. This process is called tempering and it helps ensure that your eggs don’t solidify once they hit the shocking heat of the cream mixture. We want creamy custard here, not scrambled eggs.
Strain the custard base once it has finished cooking. Some recipes will skip this step, but if you don’t strain the mixture, you run the risk of having little bits of cooked egg in your finished project. Not good. Better to be on the safe side and strain.
Cool the mixture COMPLETELY before putting it into the fridge. Ice crystals are the enemy of smooth and creamy ice cream. One of the reasons we use an ice bath to cool the custard base down quickly and completely is so that condensation doesn’t form after you cover the mixture and cause additional water to find it’s way back into the custard (water that will eventually freeze and become icy). I will let my custard sit in the ice bath until it is cool to the touch and then cover and transfer it to the refrigerator.
Don’t skimp on the cooling time prior to churning. To prevent ice crystal formation, it’s important to make sure that the mixture is good and cold before it goes into the ice cream maker. I almost always make my custard base one day and churn it the next.
Add a little vodka to the fruit compote. This is a little trick I picked up from the good people at America’s Test Kitchen. The freezing point of vodka is lower than that of water, so adding a little to your fruit helps keep it from freezing to the point that it becomes hard and icy.

Maybe ice cream making is just the thing to put on your to-do list this weekend to help you slow down and squeeze every ounce of goodness from these waning days of summer. If you are a krumkake baker, whip up a batch of those as well to use as ice cream cones….they are darling and the perfect light and crispy compliment to the peach ice cream. By Sunday night you’ll be sitting on the porch basking in the warm glow of an August evening, ice cream cone in hand, fully appreciating the slow rhythm of the season.

Roasted Peach Ginger Ice Cream

Easy and creamy homemade peach ginger ice cream

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 15 minutes + at least 3 hours chilling time
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours
Yield: 4 cups
Category: dessert
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Ingredients

1 ½ cups heavy cream

1 ½ cups whole milk

¾ cup sugar

Pinch of fine sea salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 egg yolks

1 generous cup Roasted Peach Ginger Compote

2 tablespoons vodka

Krumkake for serving, optional

Special Equipment Needed:

Ice Cream Maker

Instructions

Place a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl that is set inside a larger bowl containing ice and water.
Whisk egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar together in a separate medium bowl. Set aside.
Heat cream, milk, remaining ½ cup sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming and just below a simmer.
Slowly and pouring in a steady stream, ladle about 1 cup of the warm cream mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly. Transfer the cream and egg mixture back to the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and is just beginning to bubble.
Immediately strain custard through the prepared fine mesh strainer and add the vanilla. Allow it to cool in the bowl over the ice bath, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has come to room temperature. Cover and transfer the custard to the refrigerator to cool completely, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
Transfer custard to an ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer’s directions. Meanwhile, add the vodka to the Roasted Peach Ginger Compote and stir to combine. Add compote mixture to the ice cream during the last few minutes of churning, making sure that it is distributed thoroughly. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until ready to use. Serve in krumkake cones if desired.