Uncategorized

Salad and I….let’s just say that our relationship has been strained over the years and largely because of a few early misconceptions on my part. Growing up in the Midwest in the 1980’s, salads meant iceberg lettuce, stale croutons from a box and gloppy dressing from a bottle. I’m sure some of you know what I’m talking about. And then there were the salad bars at my high school and the college dorm cafeteria. Both of these experiences make me think of cottage cheese and bacon bits for some reason. Hopefully that’s not all I ate, but I can’t promise anything. In those days it was easy to fill your plate with a bunch of very non-green foods while still feeling virtuous because you chose the salad bar. When I was out on my own, I gave up on salad for awhile. There were several years in my 20’s when I subsisted largely on blueberry bagels and strawberry cream cheese and Golden Grahams….not a green leaf in sight. It’s a wonder I’m still here.

Thankfully things change. I’ve become a curious (and better) cook and eater over the past 20 years. The selection of lettuce options available in the grocery store today is vast, almost overwhelming. Farmer’s markets offering freshly picked greens abound. Oh, and as it turns out, you can put all sorts of different things into a salad! Bulk them up with hearty grains, add some roasted or sautéed vegetables, sprinkle nuts, seeds or cheese on top, make a quick and delicious homemade vinaigrette…honestly, we are only limited by our imagination. Salad, I feel that I’ve misjudged you. I think it’s time to breathe new life into this relationship.

Which brings us to this delicious combination. Hearty pearl barley, bright asparagus, red bell pepper and spinach are a far cry from iceberg lettuce and croutons. I first began making a version of this salad, minus the pearl barley, several years ago when I came across it in an issue of Cook’s Illustrated magazine (a.k.a. my cooking bible from 1990-2005). It made a lovely first course then, and it makes an even lovelier main course salad now with the addition of barley and a sprinkling of toasted almonds. There are a few things that really make this salad special: thin, tender spears of seasonal asparagus, creamy goat cheese crumbles and a sherry vinaigrette that is incredibly simple and just what you need to pull everything together. The salad is tossed in two bowls and while it does require the tiniest bit of extra dishwashing, your efforts will be rewarded. Keeping the baby spinach separate from the asparagus and barley mixture really helps maintain the integrity of the ingredients and prevents bruising the delicate greens.

Don’t let those early years of not loving salad hold you back. You were just a kid! Now you know better. You can turn things around. This delicious combination is just the thing to remind you of how interesting and satisfying a good salad can be.

Springtime Barley Salad with Asparagus, Red Pepper and Spinach

A delicious and hearty spring salad with sautéed asparagus, red pepper, spinach and pearl barley

• Author: Kristi
• Prep Time: 20 minutes + 30 minutes to cook the pearl barley
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 2–3 large salads, 4 side salads 1x
• Category: salad
• Method: sauté
• Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar, divided

1 garlic clove, minced

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 red bell pepper, cut into a medium dice

8 ounces thin asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium shallot, sliced thin

1 ½ cups cooked pearl barley, cooled (see note below)

4-5 cups baby spinach

¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted

Soft goat cheese for crumbling over the top

Instructions

1. Combine vinegar and garlic together in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat.  Add red pepper and cook until lightly browned and beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add asparagus and cook until nearly tender, about 2 minutes.  Add shallot and cook until softened, about 1 more minute. Remove from heat and add remaining teaspoon of sherry vinegar. Stir in cooled barley. Set aside to cool while you make the vinaigrette.

3. Whisk remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil into garlic and sherry vinegar mixture.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Toss spinach with 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette in a large bowl.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Add asparagus and barley mixture to the medium bowl with the remaining vinaigrette.  Toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. To serve, create a bed of spinach on the bottom of each plate.  Arrange the asparagus and barley mixture over the top. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and crumbled goat cheese.

Notes

To cook pearl barley: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat.  Season with salt. Add 1 cup pearl barley. Cook until tender, about 25-30 minutes.  Drain and set aside to cool. If you want to expedite the cooling process, spread the cooked barley out on a sheet pan and place it in the refrigerator.  1 cup of dry pearl barley makes approximately 3 cups cooked so you will have more than you need. (Barley can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container).

Adapted from the May/June 2003 issue of Cook’s Illustrated magazine.

Keywords: spring, salad, asparagus, spinach, red pepper, goat cheese

The Tosca cake is one of the most popular cakes in Sweden for good reason. It is the delicious coming together of opposites: A rich, crispy layer of caramel and toasted almonds and a moist, delicate sponge cake underneath. I’ve made this cake a few times in the past, but as I set out to perfect it for the blog I had a few criteria that I wanted to achieve. First and foremost, I wanted the cake itself to be moist and tender….no one wants a dry, crumbly cake and yet there are plenty of them out there. Second, I wanted the topping to be chock full of toasty almonds to provide that satisfying crunch to contrast the softness of the interior. Finally, I wanted this cake to be unfussy and easy to put together. Not too much to ask, right?

I began researching recipes and found that the cakes themselves were very similar, relying on a combination of eggs, sugar, milk, butter, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla extract. I decided right away that I wanted to substitute almond flour for a portion of the all-purpose flour. Almond flour is known for its ability to create an exceptionally moist and tender cake, but I also didn’t want to overdo it. Almond flour is essentially ground almonds and can create a cake that is over-the-top rich, dense and even greasy in texture. The right amount of almond flour would be key. I began by swapping out 1/3 of the all-purpose flour for almond flour. This cake was delicious and extremely moist, but also a little heavy and sunken in the middle. I did a little more research and came across an article at the King Arthur Flour blog that suggested that 25% almond flour /75% all-purpose flour was a nice mix for producing a tender crumb without compromising the light texture of the sponge cake. This ratio produced the moist and tender cake I had imagined without a hint of heaviness or greasiness.

Now that I had the cake down, I turned my attention to the topping. My research revealed two different methods of working with the caramel and almonds: Some recipes called for removing the cake from the oven about 10 minutes before it was done, adding the topping and then letting it continue to bake from there. Others called for fully baking the cake, adding the topping and then slipping it under the broiler for a minute or two to caramelize it. I liked this second option as I really wanted to ensure that my caramel and almonds were nicely browned and crispy. I also didn’t like the idea of fussing with a partially baked cake and risk compromising the crumb by taking it out of the oven and adding a topping two-thirds of the way through the baking time. The broiling method worked beautifully (keep a close eye on it!) producing a golden brown, crisp topping, but it still seemed like something was missing…like the sweetness of the cake was one dimensional. On a whim, I sprinkled sea salt flakes over the top of the caramelized cake to see if that would add the little extra something I was looking for. Success! The crunchy salt crystals provided that delightful sweet/salty combination (think salted caramel) that perfected my version of the Tosca cake.

Tosca Cake

A simple, moist yellow cake topped with a layer of crispy caramel and almonds.

• Author: Kristi
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 10-12 slices
• Category: baking, fika
• Method: baking
• Cuisine: Nordic, Swedish, Scandinavian

Ingredients

For the Cake:

¾ cup unsalted butter

¼ cup whole milk

1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons almond flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon fine salt

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

For the Topping:

¼ cup unsalted butter

¾  cup sliced almonds

⅛ teaspoon fine salt

½ cup sugar

½ cup heavy whipping cream

Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling (optional)

 

Whipped cream for serving, optional

Instructions

1. Warm butter in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave until the butter is melted.  Add milk. Stir and set aside to cool.

2. Set oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 9 inch springform pan and set aside.

3. Whisk flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until fully combined.  Set aside.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed until light in texture and pale yellow in color, about 2-3 minutes.  Reduce speed to low and add vanilla.

5. Leave mixer speed on low and add ⅓ of the cooled butter and milk mixture followed by ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.  Repeat this process two more times ending with final ⅓ of the flour mixture.

6. Transfer cake batter to prepared springform pan.  Bake until golden brown and a tester poked into the center of the cake comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.  Set cake aside to cool slightly.

7. While the cake is cooling, make the topping.  Set the oven to broil and make sure the oven rack is in the middle position.  Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add almonds and fine salt and sauté until the almonds are just beginning to brown.  Add the sugar and cream.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil until the mixture is slightly darker tan in color and is starting to thicken, about 2-3 minutes.

8. Pour the topping over the cake and broil until topping is nicely browned and bubbly.  Keep a very close eye on it! This will happen in only a minute or so. I leave the oven door propped open so I can make sure it doesn’t get too dark.  Remove from the oven. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired.  Allow cake to cool in the pan.

9. Before serving, run a knife in between the cake and the edge of the pan to make sure that it is not sticking before you remove the sides of the springform pan.  Cut into wedges and serve with whipped cream if desired.

Keywords: Tosca, cake, almonds, caramel, fika, Swedish

Finally! The day we’ve been waiting for. The last half of the final season of Game of Thrones begins. So many questions remain, and I’m not going to spoil any of it for you if you haven’t watched it yet. But let’s get down to the real question….what are you drinking tomorrow night?

Allow me to suggest the Dragon’s Toe. A refreshing bourbon drink infused with fresh ginger and cucumber, this cocktail will help you take on any never-ending winter (not that unreal for some of us) or army of the dead (hopefully unreal for all of us) that is headed your way. This has been my Game of Thrones go-to beverage for several years now after coming across it on www.thecocktailproject.com sometime around the beginning of Season 3 (was that really six years ago!?). Since then I’ve made several adjustments….none of the simple syrup that the original recipe calls for (too sweet for my taste) and the addition of a refreshing (and easy) cucumber ginger infusion. The result? A fantastically fresh cocktail to celebrate the beginning of the end of one of my favorite shows of all time.

Dragon’s Toe

A refreshing bourbon cocktail infused with fresh ginger and cucumber.

• Author: Kristi
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 2 cocktails 1x
• Category: drinks

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the Cucumber Ginger Infusion:

1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

6 slices of fresh cucumber (no need to peel)

1/4 cup water

For the Cocktail:

4 ounces Maker’s Mark Bourbon

2 tablespoons Cucumber Ginger Infusion

1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Ginger ale

Cucumber slices, for garnish

Instructions

1.  Make the Cucumber Ginger Infusion:  Combine the ginger, cucumber and water in a blender.  Blend on high speed until relatively smooth, 1-2 minutes.  Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container.

2.  Make the Cocktail:  Combine all ingredients except ginger ale and cucumber slices in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice.  Shake vigorously.  Strain equal amounts into two low ball glasses filled with ice.  Top with ginger ale.  Stir gently and garnish with a cucumber slice.  Serve immediately. 

Keywords: Game of Thrones, cocktail, ginger, cucumber, Maker’s Mark, bourbon, whiskey

I am an idealist by nature. Someone once told me after I had taken a personality test that my particular type liked the idea of something better than the thing itself. YES. Exactly. What does this have to do with Swedish Cinnamon Buns, you might ask? Well, as my personality might suggest, I have a very romantic notion about what a good cinnamon bun should be. The icon of fika treats, the perfect cinnamon bun should be billowy soft on the inside and laced with a touch of cardamom and a decadent swirl of cinnamon and sugar. It should be twisty and golden brown on the outside, showered generously with crunchy pearl sugar. Oh, and did I mention they should be relatively straightforward and easy to make? This is meant to be a simple homemade fika treat, not a two day bakery-style affair.

I’ve made several cinnamon bun recipes at home over the years and to be honest, none of them have really come close to what I really longed for them to be. Sure, they weren’t bad straight out of the oven, but they were never as tender as I had hoped and quickly became tough and stale as they cooled. And then there is the matter of the heavy-handed cardamom. I know some of you can’t get enough of the stuff, and many of the recipes I tried called for up to two full teaspoons of cardamom in the dough itself AND additional cardamom in the filling along with the cinnamon. Personally, I just want a hint of it. Just enough to let me know it’s there.

Fortunately for you, I decided to channel my idealistic tendencies and demanding nature into something constructive and downright delicious: Creating MY ideal Swedish Cinnamon Bun. I began by researching several of the basic recipes out there. I found them to be very similar in nature…melted butter, milk, maybe an egg, yeast, flour, a bit of sugar (not too much, these are not meant to be overly sweet), salt and cardamom and a filling of butter, cinnamon and sugar that may or may not contain additional cardamom. There were a couple of recipes that swapped out buttermilk for the milk. I decided to start there, hoping that the acidic buttermilk would result in a more tender bun. This batch wasn’t bad, but they were by no means “billowy” and they aged quickly becoming dry within the first 12 hours of baking. Back to the drawing board.

I thought about playing around with the kind of flour I was using, maybe adding a portion of oat or pastry flour to reduce the amount of gluten in the dough which I thought might bring about a more tender result. But this was defeating the idea of simplicity. I liked that these buns were made with ingredients that I was likely to just have around the kitchen on any given day. I wanted to avoid speciality flours and overcomplicating the ingredient list.

I went back to my research and found a recipe from King Arthur Flour for Soft Cinnamon Rolls. Promising! This particular recipe used a Japanese bread-making method called tangzhong which they claimed would result in exceptionally soft cinnamon rolls that would STAY soft for a couple of days. Yes, please. I began researching the technique itself. Basically, a small amount of the flour and liquid (water, milk or a combination of the two) is cooked on the stove for a very short period of time creating a roux-like mixture. This process gelatinizes the starches in the flour allowing them to absorb more liquid and results in a higher rise (hello billowy buns!) and a more tender, moist bun that stays that way for a longer period of time.

I practically ran to the kitchen with my original recipe in hand. I ditched the buttermilk idea. I cooked a modest amount of water, milk and flour on the stove until it thickened like a roux and set it aside to cool while I assembled the remaining ingredients. With a few more minor adjustments to accommodate for the additional liquid, I mixed the dough adding the cooled roux. The dough itself was silky and smooth, a dream to work with. I folded in my filling, twisted my buns into a pretty shape and slid them hopefully into the oven. 12 minutes later, the most AMAZING cinnamon buns emerged. I could hardly believe it was nearly the same recipe with the simple addition of the tangzhong. Seriously friends, this technique is a game-changer. The rolls were just as I had imagined them….soft, tender and billowy with the golden brown crust of my dreams and just the right amount of cardamom. Sometimes being an idealist has its advantages. And now I have the perfect Swedish Cinnamon Bun recipe to prove it.

This is old-school smørrebrød at its best: a creamy, mustardy salad studded with carrots, peas and asparagus and a bit of savory ham along side. So very simple and straightforward. So simple and straightforward, in fact, that I have flipped by it in recipe books for months passing it over because it just didn’t seem very exciting. But in the spirit of tackling some of the more classic Nordic open sandwiches, I decided to give it a try. I’m so glad I did. This is a serious lunch upgrade from your standard ham sandwich and just a little work to make the Italian Salad which is obviously what makes this smørrebrød so special.

Why is it called Italian Salad? Some say it because the colors are reminiscent of the Italian flag. Others say that is in reference to the European tradition of combining mayonnaise and vegetables. Either way it’s delicious. Maybe keep this recipe in mind if you are making a ham for Easter. It would be an excellent way to use up those leftovers!

Italian Salad and Ham Smørrebrød

A classic smørrebrød comprised of a creamy, mustardy vegetable salad and savory ham alongside.

• Author: Kristi
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 open sandwiches 1x
• Category: smørrebrød
• Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian, Danish

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the Smørrebrød:

4 thin slices of dense rye bread

Butter for spreading

Baby arugula or other small salad greens

4 slices of thinly sliced ham

Italian Salad, recipe follows

Chopped chives for serving

For the Italian Salad:

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

½ cup frozen peas

2-3 small to medium size carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes (about ½ cup)

6-8 thin asparagus spears, chopped into 1 inch lengths

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Instructions

1. Combine cold water and several ice cubes in a bowl.  Set aside. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add a good sprinkle of salt.  Add carrots to the boiling water and cook for 4-5 minutes or until just tender. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.  Add asparagus to the boiling water. Cook 2-3 minutes or until just tender (if all you can find is thick asparagus spears, this will take more time). Transfer to the ice bath with the carrots.  Add the peas to the boiling water. Cook 1 minute and transfer to the icy water. Drain vegetables.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream and mustard.  Add vegetables and gently mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste (you may not need any).

3. Transfer bread slices to a work surface.  Spread with butter and top with lettuce greens.  Add a slice of ham and a generous dollop of the Italian Salad.  Garnish with chopped chives (parsley or dill would also be nice).  Serve.

Keywords: smørrebrød, ham, Italian Salad, asparagus, carrots, peas, open sandwich, Danish

What is a creamy vegetable soup without something toasty and cheesy to go with it? This sandwich is as delicious as it is easy to prepare and makes an excellent companion to a bowl of Creamy Asparagus Soup on a cool April evening. Briny olives, tangy sun-dried tomatoes and mild goat cheese come together to bring a little unexpected pizazz to an easy weeknight soup and sandwich supper. Add a chilled glass of white wine and maybe some strawberries for dessert and you’ve got yourself some serious spring hygge.

Toasted Goat Cheese Sandwich with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Olives

An easy but flavor-packed companion to a bowl of Creamy Asparagus Soup.  

• Author: Kristi
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 sandwiches 1x
• Category: sandwich
• Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

8 slices of country or sourdough bread

1 4-ounce package of herbed goat cheese

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped

A good handful of olives (I used a mix of green and black greek olives), pitted if necessary

Butter for spreading

Instructions

1. Spread goat cheese liberally onto 4 slices of the bread.
2. Sprinkle sun-dried tomatoes and olives over goat cheese.
3. Cover with a second slice of bread.
4. Butter the sides of the bread that are facing the outside.
5. Heat large skillet over medium heat.  Add sandwiches and cook until they are toasty brown and cheese is warm and melted, flipping occasionally and pressing down with the back of a spatula to ensure that the buttered bread is making contact with the skillet. 

Keywords: spring, goat cheese, sandwich, olives, sun-dried tomatoes