Hønsesalat - Chicken Salad

Hønsesalat - Chicken Salad

This chicken salad is an old classic served at most lunch restaurants or smørrebrøds shops. Smørrebrød is the open-faced sandwiches, mostly served on Danish rye bread. Originally you would boil the a whole chicken with onions, carrots and bay leaves. And then use the chilled chicken in the salad, but I had some leftover rotisserie chicken, so why not use this for the salad, and it worked perfectly.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

Dressing:

• 200 g sour cream
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons madras curry
• salt & pepper

Filling:

• ½ rotisserie chicken, cooled
• 250 g mushrooms, fried and cooled
• 6-8 slices of bacon

Directions:

Mix the dressing and season with salt and pepper to taste. Chop the chicken meat up into smal cubes and mix it in the dressing together with the mushrooms. 

Serve the chicken salad on a slice of Danish rye bread or in a croissant, with a slice of crisp bacon on top. 

Enjoy!

Sommersalat - Summer Salad with Smoked Cheese

Sommersalat - Summer Salad with Smoked Cheese

This salad is summer. My mom made this fresh and crispy salad when the first radishes were big enough to harvest in our vegetable garden. Summer salad is made with a speciality cheese from the island of Funen, a smoked fresh cheese. Summer salad has a mild smoked flavor and is filled with fresh chrispy vegetables. 

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

Dressing:

• 100-150 g rygeost Danish smoked cheese 
• 100 g creme fraiche or sour cream
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• salt & pepper to taste

Filling:

• 10-12 medium radishes, quartered and sliced thinly
• ½ english cucumber, quartered and sliced thinly
• a good handful finely chopped chives

Directions:

Mix the dressing, seasoning it with salt, pepper and sugar. I like a mild dressing, with a distinctive smoke flavor. Add all the vegetables and serve the salad on a slice of Danish rye bread. Sprinkle with a little extra chives.

Enjoy!

Rygeost - Danish Smoked Cheese

Rygeost - Danish Smoked Cheese

Rygeost, Danish smoked cheese is a local tradition from the island of Funen or Fyn as it is called in Denmark. Rygeost is a smoked fresh cheese, so it is a soft, and fairly spreadable cheese. You can use the cheese on pizza, in mayonnaise based salads or with seafood. But more traditionally you will eat it as an open-faced sandwich on a slice of rye bread, with sliced radishes and chives on top.

Ingredients:

• 1 quart (1 L) organic whole milk, I used Saint Benoît Organic Whole Jersey Milk
• ¼ cup (1 dl) organic butter milk
• 3 drops rennet, I used Animal Rennet from New England Cheesemaking Supply Co.
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds

Equipment for smoking:

• 1 charcoal starter (chimney)
• 2-3 handfuls dry straw (if you have straws from oat or wheat, you will get the best favor)

Directions:

In a large pot heat whole milk and buttermilk to 26℃/79℉. Pour the mixture into a scalded plastic container, mix in the rennet and put a lid on. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 21-24 hours.

After 21-24 hours, cut the coagulated milk (cheese curds) with a knife in small cubes, this will help releasing the whey from the curds.

Scoop the cheese curds into a strainer/colander lined with cheesecloth. Let the cheese drain for 2 hours before adding the salt. Let the cheese drain for another 5-7 hours. The fresh cheese will hold for 3-4 days in the refrigerator without adding anything else. The whey (liquid) can be used for baking bread.

Smoking:

Place the cheese in a strainer or on some kind of grate. Place the grate on top of a charcoal starter (chimney) filled with dry straws/hay. Light the hay from the bottom of the starter, and smoke the cheese for just about 60 seconds. The cheese is quickly flashed with the hay smoke to produce the unique flavor. Place the cheese upside-down on a plate with the smoke-lines up. Sprinkle with caraway seeds.

Serve the smoked cheese on a slice of Danish rye bread with sliced radishes and chives.

Enjoy!

Oysters Rockefeller

Oysters Rockefeller

It took me 40 years to build up the nerve to try to eat an oyster. After the first bite, I was hooked. We just went back to Hog Island Oyster Farm, for yet another oyster fix. I love the down to earth feeling, when sitting at wooden picnic tables eating the scrumptious grilled oysters, while enjoying the beautiful Tomales Bay and the hills of Point Reyes. 

Like last time we brought some oysters back home, so we could try to make our own Oyster Rockefeller. 

Next time I might use less breadcrumbs and a little more cheese. But over all the oysters was so so good, I love Pernod's, anise taste.

This is my version inspired by Florence Tyler's recipe.

1 dozen (12 oysters)

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 1 garlic cloves, minced

• ca 20 g (¼ cup) bread crumbs, I used Panko

• 1 shallots, chopped

• 225-250 g (1 cup) chopped fresh spinach

• 30 ml (1 fl oz) Pernod or dry white wine

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 1 tablespoons olive oil

• 25 g (¼ cup) grated gruyere cheese

• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

• 1 dozen oysters, on the half shell

• Rock salt

• Lemon wedges & hot sauce, for garnish

Directions:

Melt butter in a skillet over low heat. Infuse the butter with garlic by letting the garlic sauté in the butter for about 1 minute, remove from heat. Don’t let the garlic brown, and burn, his will make the garlic bitter. Place the bread crumbs in a bowl and mix in half of the garlic butter, olive oil, gruyere, parsley and season with salt and pepper, set aside. 

Add shallots and spinach to the remaining garlic butter. Cook until the spinach wilts and the shallots get translucent. Deglaze the pan with Pernod. Let the mixture cook down for a few minutes then season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, at let sit to cool.

Preheat the oven to 450 ℉ (230℃). Sprinkle a baking pan with a good amount of salt. Arrange the shucked oysters in the salt to steady them. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of the spinach mixture on each oyster followed by a spoonful of the bread crumb mixture.  Bake oysters for about 10-15 minutes until golden. Serve with lemon wedges and hot sauce.

I grilled my Oyster on the BBQ at about 450℉ for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Heirloom Tomato Tart

Heirloom Tomato Tart

I have always had a love love relationship with tomatoes. Tomatoes are one of my favorite healthy snacks. The sweetness and tanginess pairs perfect with most foods. Here late summer the colorful heirloom tomatoes are everywhere, and they are begging us to join them at our dinner table.

I mixed different colors and sizes for my Heirloom tomato tart, and I wished I had taken a photo before I baked it. The tart was so pretty with all the vibrant colors.

Makes 1 large tart.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 150 g all-purpose flour

• 30 g whole wheat flour

• 30 g dark rye flour

• 160 g butter, cold, salted and in small cubes

• 1 egg

• 2-3 tablespoons cold water

• ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leave

Filling:

• 3 eggs

• ⅓ cup (80 ml) cream or milk

• 5-8 scallions, sliced

• ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 3-7 heirloom tomatoes, depending on size

• 4 oz (113 g) goat cheese, crumbled

• fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200 ℃).

Dough:

Mix the flours and thyme with the butter until the mixture has a crumbly wet sand-like texture. Add the eggs and 2 tablespoons cold water, and mix the dough until it just comes together. If the dough wont come together easily, add the additional tablespoon of ice water. 

Roll the dough out, or press the dough into the tart pan, all the way up the sides. I used a 10-inch pan. Place pan with dough in the refrigerator until ready for filling.

Filling:

Whisk eggs, cream, scallions, thyme and salt together and set aside.

Slice the tomatoes, and crumble the cheese. Pour the egg mixture in the tart, place the tomatoes on top, and sprinkle the cheese and fresh ground pepper on top. 

Bake the tart for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and baked through.

Serve the tart with a mixed salad. The tart is also good at room temperature.

Enjoy!