Delayed birthday coffee

Due to the corona situation I have been delaying inviting guests around for my typical birthday coffee for the last 1-1½ year. As most of my friends have now been vaccinated against corona, I found the time was right to invite guests for two delayed birthday celebrations, so I invited guests for celebration of my 105 years birthday (I turned 52 years last, and 53 years this year = a total of 105 years).

As the weather was excellent we could sit outside drinking sparkling time, apple juice, coffee and tea together with various buns & cakes. 

As usual I had baked these saffron buns, which for me is a great birthday bun due to the rich flavour of saffron and high amount of butter in the dough. 

After the buns I served a partly home-made cream cake (lagkage) using ready-to-use cake buns and cake cream. On the first layer of cream I top with sliced banana, on the second layer of cream I added fresh blueberries and on the top of the whipped cream covering the cake I used fresh raspberries for decoration. You typical say, that the cream cake taste better the day after, so therefore I made the cream cake the evening before serving it.

From a local baker I had brought a big strawberry cake for 15-20 persons, so therefore my guests had no room in the stomach for eating this coffee-chocolate cake, so therefore my colleagues enjoyed this cake the day after my birthday coffee.

It was great again to have guests around for a good talk :-)

Gnocchi with meat sauce

 

During this cold Spring it is good to serve a hot oven dish, so when I found this recipe on gnocchi in the weekly magazine Søndag (issue 12/2021), I decided to make and serve it for my mother on our weekly Sunday dinner.

The only changes, which I have made, was to reduce the amount of chili from 1½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon, as my mother does not like to spicy food. The other change was to increase the amount of tomato concentrate from 2 teaspoons to the entire size of the small tin of 70 g.

Gnocchi with meat sauce: - 4 servings

• 300 g gnocchi
• 1 fresh mozzarella cheese - medium chopped
• 1 onion - medium chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic - finely choppped
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried chilii
• 250 g minced beef
• 70 g tomato concentrated
• 400 g tomato passata
• 1 dl water
• salt & pepper for seasoning
• fresh basil for topping

1. Heat up the oven to 200'C.
2. Fry the chopped onion & garlic in hot olive oil for a few minutes.
3. Add in the dried herbs, let the herbs fry for 1 minutes.
4. Add in the minced and fry it until it have changed colour.
5. Add in the tomato concentrate, tomato passata, water, salt & pepper.
6. Warm the sauce up.
7. Add the gnocchi into a baking tray, fill the meat sauce on top, and mix it well together.
8. Add the chopped fresh mozzarella on top.
9. Bake the dish at 200'C for 25 minutes.
10. Serve the dish hot together with fresh basil leaves.

Irma knit top - getting started on my first Summer knitting projects

 

As my first Summer knitting project, I have decided to knit this Irma top from Önling. As yarn I will use Önling no 14 garn, which is made from 78% cotton and 22% linen.

It will be something of a change knitting with cotton & linen yarn instead of the wool, which I have used a lot for my recent knitting projects. This cotton & linen yarn feels much hard for the fingers compared to wool.

I brought this yarn as part of a knitting box from Önling last Summer. Last Summer I started late June/beginning of July to knit some Summer projects, so my first Summer tops was first finished mid August. Therefore it has been important for me to start my Summer knitting sooner this year.

So Faded - ready for Spring time

I have finished my version of So faded by Andrea Mowry. I have knitted it in five different colours ranging from dark green, over light green, white version, lighter blue ending up with dark blue. 

To have a sweater fitting into Spring and Autumn, I have decided to knit my version with arms in half size. 

I have spend 845 DKK on the yarn for this sweater and 45 DKK to buy the sweater recipe. AA I have finished this sweater I have been able to place a cross on my Make Nine 2021 knitting project, and at the same time I am able to start on my various Summer knitting projects.

Hveder 2021

 

Today Thursday evening is this the evening before Store Bededag (Great Payer Day) (a Danish religious holiday celebrated on the 4th Friday after Easter). And it is the peak evening for enjoying roasted "hveder" - wheat buns with cardamon.

This year I have baked these "hveder" (wheat buns) using this recipe on hveder - wheat buns with cardamom as starting point with addition of freshly grounded cardamom. The second raising phase have also been modified. This year I have added in some more cardamom to have a more rich taste.

"Hveder" (wheat buns) with cardamon: - 16-20 buns

• 650 g wheat flour
• 50 g sugar
• 120 g butter
• 25 g fresh yeast
• 1 egg
• 8 g salt
• 250 g full-fat milk
• 2 teaspoons cardamom 
• 1 egg - optional for glazing of the bun surface

1. Weigh all the ingredients directly into the mixing bowl of the stand alone mixer. Keep salt & sugar away from the yeast.
2. Place the bowl on the stand-alone mixer.
3. Start knead the dough at speed 1 for 8 minutes.
4. Afterwards increase the speed to 4, knead for 2 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough. If it is not OK, when knead it at speed 4 for another 2 minutes. Again check the consistency. If needed, knead again for 1 minute and when check consistency of the dough.
5. Cover the dough in the mixing bowl with a damp tea towel.
6. Let the entire dough raise for approx 30-40 minutes under a damp cloth.
7. When you evaluate, that the dough has raise enough, divide the dough into smaller pieces with a weight of 80 g each.
8. Shape the dough pieces into bun shapes. Place the bun pieces relative close in pans covered with baking parchment. 
9. Place the pans with bun dough in the oven (fan oven at 35-40'C). 
10. Let the bun raise for second time for approx. 40 minutes inside the oven.
11. Heat up the fan oven to 180'C.
12. Bake the bun at 180'C for 20-25 minutes.
13. Serve the buns warm with butter. Or slice them into 2 and roast the buns in the fan oven at 200C until light brown in the colour.

Recipe suggestion for "Hveder" for Store Bededag

 

This evening is the evening before Store Bededag (Great Payer Day) (a Danish religious holiday celebrated on the 4th Friday after Easter). And it is the peak evening for enjoying roasted "hveder" - wheat buns with cardamom.

Having discovered the great taste of home-made "hveder", where is no turning back for commercial baked "hveder". The combination of freshly grounded cardamon covering your kitchen in wonderful flavour and eating freshly baked/roasted buns is a combination made in heaven !!!

As inspiration for you I hereby share a selection of the various "hveder", which I have been baking over the years. And tomorrow I will share the recipe of the hveder 2021, which I will be baking this year.

Happy baking

Hveder 2020

Hveder a la Søndag



hveder -wheat buns with cardamon

Hveder a la Isabellas

Hveder af purpur hvede og surdej

Hveder med inspiration from "Maden imit liv"

Hveder med marcipan

Klassike hveder

Sparkling Rose Port

 

Let's celebrate, that the week-end is here with a large glass of sparkling rose port with inspiration from Storgaard delikatesser.

Another suggestion for a drink with port wine, you could also look at this white port tonic.

Sparkling Rose Port: - 1 drink

• 6-9 cl rose port wine
• sparkling wine - dry or semi sweet
• ice cubes
• 1-2 slices of orange

1. Fill ice cubes into a large gin glass/bowl.
2. Add in 1-2 slices of orange
3. Pour in the rose port
4. Fill up with sparkling wine
5. Cheer :-)