Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd is a sweet, tart, soft and velvety spread. Traditionally it is used as a spread for scones for the afternoon tea. But it is a perfect filling in cakes. I've always looked at lemon curd as a thing you buy in a jar in the store. But having the most wonderful lemons in my yard, I had to try to make it myself. Wow, what a flavor!! I will never buy lemon curd ever again. The homemade version is like a party in your mouth. If you know Danish lemon mousse/citronfromage, it's like that, with lemon-steroids. YUM YUM YUM.

Makes about a cup (2-3 dl).

Ingredients:

• 115 g (1 stick) butter, I use lightly salted butter
• 170 g sugar
• 1¼ dl (½ cup) lemon juice, about 3-4 lemons
• 4 lemons, the zest from
• 6 egg yolks

Directions:

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan, be careful not to let it brown. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the sugar, lemon juice and zest. Then whisk in the egg yolks until smooth.

Place saucepan over low-medium heat and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it thickens. You are looking for the curd to leave a path on the back of a spoon, when a finger is drawn across it. Be careful NOT to let the curd boil, this will cause the egg to curdle.  

Immediately pour the lemon curd into a bowl, to stop the heating. Let the lemon curd cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Keep the lemon curd covered and refrigerated until ready to serve.

TIP: Lemon curd keeps for about a month in the refrigerator, not that it has survived this long in my house.

Teboller - Buttermilk Buns

Teboller - Buttermilk Buns

These buttermilk bun is my take on the traditional teboller/buns you can buy a baker's shops in Denmark. They are sweet and soft, and pairs perfect with a cup of hot chocolate on a cold and windy fall afternoon. Normally you can buy them with or without raisins or chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

• 200 ml water, finger-warm

• 40 g live yeast (or 3 teaspoons dry yeast)

• 4 tablespoons sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 100 ml buttermilk

• 525 g all-purpose flour

• 50 g butter, room-temperature 

• 1 handful raisins or chocolate chips (optional)

 Topping:

• egg-wash, here a beaten egg

• nuts & raw sugar (optional)

Directions:

In the bowl of the stand mixer, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water. Add milk, flour, salt, egg and knead the dough for 5-8 minutes on medium, (8-10 minutes if kneaded by hand), until smooth and elastic. Add the butter a little at a time (and raisins or chocolate chips), and mix until fully incorporated. 

Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes until doubled in size.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using dough scraper, divide dough into 12-15 equal parts. Gently roll each into a ball and arrange 2 to 3 inches apart on baking sheet. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let buns rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Brush the on top of buns, sprinkle with toppings. Bake the buns for 8-12 minutes until deep golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

3-Grain Bread - Trekornsbrød

3-Grain Bread - Trekornsbrød

3-Grain bread is yet another Danish classic bread, from the start of "the health era."  This is still a white bread but with added healthy seeds and grains, (flaxseeds, wheat and rye). I have always liked 3-grain bread. The distinct taste of roasted sesame seeds with the nice baked crisp crust is really nice. And of cause the texture of the seeds and grains, this always makes my mouth happy.

Makes 2 big loafs.

Ingredients:

• 50 g compressed yeast (or 4 tablespoons dry yeast)
• 900 ml water
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 100 ml yoghurt
• 200 g whole wheat flour
• 75 g rolled rye
• 75 g wheat flakes 
• 150 g flax seeds
• 2½ teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, I used Bornholmsk rapskimolie (rapeseed oil)
• 1000 g all-purpose flour

Topping:

• egg wash, here a beaten egg
• sesame seeds

Directions:

Crumble the yeast into the water and stir to dissolve. Mix the rest of the ingredients, and knead the dough for 8-10 minutes on a stand mixer. Let the dough rise for 40 minutes, covered with a clean kitchen towel.

Pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead it lightly to deflate a bit. Divide the dough in 2, and form them into balls creating a taut smooth surface. 

Flip dough ball over so you have the seam on top. Fold the top ⅔ over, pressing the dough to adhere. Repeat a few times to make a log with good surface tension. Roll the log to the size of the baking sheet. Place the log/loaf on a parchment lined baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat with the second loaf. Let the breads rise, covered for another 30-40 minutes. 

Preheat the oven for 450℉ (235℃).

Brush the breads with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and score the breads a few times across the bread, to help with the oven spring.

Place the breads in the oven, and just before closing the oven door, splash ¼ cup water in the bottom of the oven, and quickly close the door.

Bake the breads for 40-45 minutes until deep golden brown. 

Let the breads cool before slicing.

Enjoy! 

Rundstykker version II

Rundstykker

Rundstykker is a classic breakfast roll sold at all baker's shops in Denmark. In my family we had rundstykker on Saturday or Sunday morning. We would walk or bike to our local baker's shop down the street. Most weekends there would be a long line of people waiting in line for the breakfast rolls and newspaper. The last 10-12 years the baker's shops are more rare. Most grocery stores and gas stations sell cheap bake-off bread. (Bake-off bread: Half baked bread from big bread producers, finished off in the small stores.) People will still line up for good quality bread from the good baker's shops. 

I finally got the crumb right for these rundstykker. The crust is almost right, if you eat the bread not yet cooled completely, you'll have a nice crisp crust, like it should be. In my family we do like the warm rolls, and it is hard to resist the smell of freshly baked bread. 

Makes 8 rolls.

Ingredients:

• 3 g live yeast, or 1 g dry yeast

• 300 ml water, finger warm

• 25 ml milk

• 10 g salt

• 450 g all-purpose flour

• poppy seeds for sprinkling

Directions:

Dissolve the yeast in the water in  a large plastic bowl. I used a dough-rising bucket. 

Mix the rest of the ingredients in. You just have to mix the dough until all the flour is wet. Let the dough ferment in the bucket, lid on, on the kitchen counter over night or 7-10 hours.

Gently pour the dough onto a well floured surface. Fold the somewhat wet dough into it self until the surface is firmed up, and the surface got a good tension. Divide the dough in 8 (about 100 g pr roll), roll the dough into a round ball, brush the dough with water and dip it in poppy seeds. Place the rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Let the rolls rise for 30-60 minutes, loosely covered with plastic wrap. I raised my rolls in my oven on the proof-setting.

Preheat the oven to 450℉ (230℃).

Place the rolls on the lower rack in the oven. Splash about ¼ cup of water in the bottom of the oven, and close the oven quickly. You need the steam to get the best oven spring and crust. Bake the rolls for about 22 minutes, until golden.

Let the rolls/rundstykker cool before serving.

Enjoy!

Red Velvet Latte

Red Velvet Latte

The first time I tasted a red velvet latte was at Bitter+Sweet, a small but very good cafe in Cupertino. My friends and I keep going back to this place, because the coffee is that good. So if you're ever in the neighborhood, do stop by, you won't regret it.

I have been wanting to create the same latte at home, and finally I found the right mix to create the same perfect red velvet latte. I could do some reverse engineering and figure out what goes into the red velvet mix, but for now I'm happy with buying it. Sometimes you need an easy way out.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons Cappuccine Red Velvet Frappe mix 
• 1-2 espresso shots
• steamed milk (whole milk gives the best texture)

Directions

Heat the cup with some really hot water.

Whisk the red velvet mix with some steamed milk in the heated cup. Add the espresso shot(s) to the mix. Finally add more steamed milk and some milk foam.

Enjoy!