Christmas Calendar Day 13 - Christmas pickled nuts

I have found this recipe on Christmas pickled nuts in the weekly magazine Søndag (issue 51/2013). The only change, which I have found is, that I have replace the hazelnuts with almonds, as certain people have allergy towards hazelnuts.

Christmas pickled nuts: - 3 glasses

• 1 organic orange - juice and zest
• 100 g walnut kernels
• 50 almonds
• 3 dl water
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoon fluid honey
• 1 cinnamon

1. Start by preparing the storage glasses with boiling water
2. Boil the nuts in the water for 2 minutes.
3. Drain the nuts in a sieve. Shake the nuts well to get ride of excess water.
4. Pour orange juice, zest, cinnamon, white wine vinegar and honey in a small cooking pot.
5. Add the nuts into the liquid. Bring everything to the boiling, and let the nuts simmer under lid for 5 minutes.
6. Fill the nuts and liquid into the storage glasses, which is closed with lids.
7. Store these pickled nuts cold.

Christmas Calendar 2014 Day 12 - Mincemeat a la Lavender & Lovage

Mincemeat has become an important ingredient for me in connection with Christmas. And for the very first time I have decided to make my very own mincemeat using this recipe on mincemeat a la Lavender & Lovage instead of buying it. Buying it is also something of challenge, as I live in Denmark, and mincemeat is sold in UK.

Let me list some recipe, where mincemeat plays an important role:

• Christmas mince pies
• Apple and mincemeat puffs

Mincemeat a la Lavender & Lovage:

• 450 g apple juice
• 450 g soft dark brown sugar
• 450 g cooking apples - cored & chopped – no need to peel
• 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 475 g mixed dried fruits (sultanas, currants and raisins)
• 110 g chopped sucat
• 110 g almonds - medium chopped
• 1 organic orange - juice and zest
• 1 oraganic lemon - juice and zest
• 150 ml brandy or Cognac

1. Put the cider and sugar into a large saucepan & heat gently until the sugar has completely dissolved.
2. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, except the brandy/cognac and slowly bring to the boil – stirring all the time.
3. Lower the heat and cover the saucepan with a lid and gently let is simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
4. Meanwhile prepare the storage glasses with boiling water.
5. Pour in the brandy/cognac and stir it very well.
6. Fill the mincemeat into the storage glasses.
7. Store the mincemeat in cold and dry place.

Christmas Calendar 2014 Day 11 - Bagels with cinnamon and raisins

A warm bagel with melting butter is one of my favourite on the bread side. So fare I have been buying frozen bagels, which I have heated in my oven, not very ambitious having a desire about baking my way through the entire bread book called "Hjemmebagt". So when I saw this recipe on bagels med rosiner og kanel a la Maden i mit liv, I decided it was time to cook and bake my very own bagels.

One important tip, which I want to share with you, is, that the baking paper should be greased with oil, before the bagel dough is placed on the baking paper prior to the raising process. If you do this, you will be able to take the bagel off without destroying the shape after the raising process. The very first time, I did not do this, as this tip was mentioned in the original recipe, and I needed up with flat and strange looking bagels !!!

Bagels with cinnamon and raisins a la Maden i mit liv: - 12 bagels

• 250 g lukewarm water
• 25 g yeast
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 25 g syrup
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 handfuls of raisins
• 450 gr wheat flour

1. Stir the yeast into the lukewarm water.
2. Add oil, salt, syrup, cinnamon and raisins into the water.
3. Add the flour and mix the dough for 10 minutes on an electrical mixer.
4. knead the dough smooth and shiny.
5. Let the dough raise for about 15 minutes in the mixing bowl.
6. Cover a baking tray with baking paper, which is greased with a thin layer of oil.
7. Divide the dough into 80 g.
8. Insert a finger down the centre of each dough ball and make a hole. Hold your finger down on the kitchen table and move it so round, so the bun revolves around.
9. Place the bagel on the baking paper and let the bagels raise for another 30 minutes.
10. Heat up the oven to 200'C.
11. Heat up a large cooking pot with water to the boiling point
12. Cook the bagel dough for approx 1 minute on each side. It is possible to cook 2-3 bagels at a time, if you use a large cooking pot. 
13. Place the cooked bagels on the baking tray covered with baking paper.
14. Bake the cooked bagels for 20-25 minutes at 200'C in the upper part of the oven, until the bagels are golden.
15. Cool the bagels on a oven rack.

Christmas Calendar 2014 Day 10 - Bounty chocolate with marzipan

Bounty chocolate is one of my favourite chocolate with it´s great creamy coconut center and rich milk chocolate coating. So when I saw this recipe hjemmelavet bounty med marcipan a la Isabellas, I knew at once, that I NEEDED to make these home-made Bounty chocolate with marzipan for Christmas.

I decided to make a bigger portion, so I could coat half in milk chocolate and the other half in dark chocolate, as dark chocolate sometimes is bringing a good balance to a sweet core, which marzipan very easy can bring.

Bounty chocolate with marzipan a la Isabellas: - 30 pieces

• 3 pasteurized egg whites
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 150g marzipan - grated
• 300g desiccated coconut
• 100g milk chocolate
• 200 g dark chocolate
• 
  

1. Pour the egg whites in a small saucepan with the sugar. Gently warm up, while constantly stirring this mixture, until is dissolved.
2. Remove this egg-mix from the heat and stir in the grated marzipan.
3. Knead in the desiccated coconut by hand, until the mixture comes together, when you squeeze it.
4. Form 30 small rolls, cover with foil and place them cool for about 15 minutes.
5. Temp the chocolate. Dip one piece of confectionery at a time in the melted chocolate.
6. Store in air-tight container.

Christmas Calendar 2014 Day 9 - clementines in cognac

I have located this recipe on clementines in brandy a la Jamsmith, and I thaught these clementines could be used either for dessert for coming guests or as hostesse gift for up-coming Christmas events.

I decided to add star anise as extra flavour twist to the cognac syrup.

I think these clementines would be as an extra twist to ice cream.

Clementines in brandy a la Jamsmith:

• 1000 g clementines
• 600 g cognac
• 150 g sugar
• 250 g water
• 6 star anis

1. Start ny preparing the storage glasses by filling them with boiling water.
2. Peel the clementines, remove as much of the white membrane as possible. Divide each clementine into single "boat"/unit
3. Pour water, cognac, star anis and sugar into a cooking pot over low heat. Heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
4. Fill the storage glasses for water and fill them with clementine units/"boats".
5. Pour the cognac syrup over the clementines, until the glass is full. Close the glass.
6. Store the glasses cold.

Christmas Calendar 2014 Day 8 - Caramels with cashew nuts and sea salt

I am getting better and better at making caramels. However, this portion of caramels turned out to be something of a challenge for me, as the addition of the all many nuts meant, that the temperature was dropping very, very fast, so the caramels were setting, before I had pour them into these small alu-forms. So I assume it would have been better to pour the caramel mass into one big tray covered with baking paper. When the caramels are cool down to fast, they do get that shinny look, which a caramel should have.

I have the recipe from a small Australian recipe book called "Women´s Weekly - little Christmas treats", which I have received as a gift from a good colleague working down-under.

Caramels with cashew nuts and sea salt a la Women´s Weekly:

• 220 g sugar
• 250 g dairy whipping cream 38% fat
• 60 g glucose syrup
• 160 g unsalted roasted cashew nuts
• 1½ teaspoon sea salt

1. Start by roasting the cashew nuts over high heat on a frying pan.
2. Cut the roasted nuts into smaller pieces.
3. Pour sugar, glucose syrup and whipping cream into a medium cooking pot.
4. Bring the cream mass to the boil, and let the temperature reach 120'C.
5. Stir in the cashew nuts and sea salt.
6. Pour the caramel mass into alu-forms or a baking tray covered with baking paper.
7. After the caramels have set, cut the big portion into smaller caramels using a hot knife.
8. Store the caramels in an air-tight container.

Tea shopping in Amsterdam

Last week I spend four days in Amsterdam in connection with work and participation with stand duty at HiE 2014. It can be though for your feets with three days of stand duty, as you spend quiet some time standing up.

Luckily I had some time for a little sight seeing around the city centre of Amsterdam on the day of arrival, where I went by both the tulip and cheese museum. The cheese museum has a great exhibition in the cellar about cheese production as well as a photo gallery, where you could take pictures with old-style cloth and cheese models. On the ground floor of the cheese museum you can taste various Dutch Gouda cheese.

I also managed to find two tea shops (Simon Lévelt & Citea), so I could return with five bags of tea, which I will enjoy in my tea pot.

I also located a small ceramic shop JC Herman , where I brought another tea cup and bowl for my green ceramic tea set. 

Finally I was stocking up at the airport with some more Dutch specialities such as speculoos paste, caramel filled waffles and milk chocolate sprinkles for using on bread.