Mushroom Soup

Mushroom soup.

With a bit of a chill in the weather, there is nothing like a bowl of hot soup. This is my take on a tasty cream of mushroom soup. And its way better than any canned soup you can buy in grocery stores. I got a bunch of mixed mushrooms to build a more complexed flavor. One of the best things about a blended soup is that you can sneak in different kinds of root vegetables for some added fiber, just keep in mind not to use vegetables with overpowering flavors and colors.

The addition of cream is optional, because most blended soups seems creamy without it.

Serves 4 as an entrée or 6 as an appetizer. 

Ingredients:

Soup:

• 1 red large onion, or 2 small, diced

• 1 large carrot, diced

• 500 g mixed mushrooms, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 small sprig rosemary, leaves only

• 3 sprigs thyme, leaves only

• 100 ml white wine

• 800 ml chicken stock

• 150 ml heavy whipping cream

• lemon juice, to taste

• salt & pepper, to taste

Topping:

• 150 g bacon, diced and crispy

• parsley oil (Italian parsley + olive oil blended and drained)

Directions:

Fry the diced bacon crispy in a large pot. Put the crispy bacon bits on some kitchen towel to drain any excess fat. 

Cook the onion and carrot in the leftover bacon fat. When the onions are translucent, add all the mushrooms, and let them cook and caramelize. Add thyme and rosemary. When the mushrooms has got some color and lost its liquid, deglaze the pot with the white wine.  Pour in the chicken stock, and let the soup simmer for about 25 minutes. Let the whipping cream simmer in the soup for the last 5-10 minutes. 

Blend the soup, with an immersion blender or in a regular blender.* 

Season the soup with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Serve the soup with the topping. 

Enjoy!

* Be careful when working with hot soup in a blender.  If you need a new blender, consider a Vitamix. They are expensive, but they are worth all the money. They can liquefy almost anything and makes soup and margaritas so smooth and creamy. But the best part, you can blend hot soups without having to clean the soup of all your kitchen cabinets afterwards. Just saying. ;)

Marieboller - Fastelavnsboller

Marieboller or marie buns is a fastelavn bun filled with vanilla custard. Fastelavn buns can come in many shapes and sizes. Some are baked with remounce and custard, some are filled with a a cream custard like this marie bun.

Fastelavn is a similar tradition as the American Halloween if you add some kind of piñata in the form of  barrel.  Children get dressed up, and go a kinda trick and treating in the early afternoon. You can read more about the Danish fastelavns traditions here.

Ingredients:

Vanilla custard:

• 3 egg yolks

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• 2,5 dl milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste

• heavy whipping cream, whippe

Pastry (piecrust): 

• 150 g cold butter, salted

• 250 g all-purpose flour

• 75 g confectionary sugar (powdered sugar)

• 1 egg

Cream puff (choux dough):

• 300 ml water

• 150 g butter, salted

• 175 g all-purpose flour

• 1 pinch salt

• 1 pinch baking powder

• 4 eggs

Sprinkles:

• confectionary sugar (powdered sugar)

Directions:

Vanilla custard:

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale in color. Whisk in the cornstarch and vanilla paste.

Heat the milk to a slow boil, set aside. 

While whisking vigorously drizzle the warm milk into the egg yolk mixture, just a tiny bit at a time at first. Once you’ve added about ¼ of the milk, you can add the rest in a thin steady stream, whisking constantly.

Pour the mixture back in the saucepan and reheat it over medium heat. Whisk constantly until it starts to boil and is thickened. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl.  Sprinkle with sugar or press some plastic wrap against the custard so it won't form a pudding skin. Chill the custard completely in the refrigerator.

When the custard is cold, whip the heavy whipping cream. Fold the whipped cream in the custard a little at a time till you get the desired taste and texture. 

Pastry (piecrust): 

Mix the butter in the flour and sugar in a stand mixer. Add the egg and mix just until the dough starts to lump together. Form the dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Divide the dough in two, and roll each in a rectangle 8¼ x 11 inch (21x28 cm). Cut the rectangles into 12 squares each.

Cream puff (choux dough):

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Put water and butter in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. In a bowl sift flour, baking powder and salt. When the butter is all melted add all the flour at once, and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon. Lower the heat and keep stirring until a dough is formed and it pulls away from the sides of the pan and is slightly shiny. 

Keep beating the dough with the wooden spoon until slightly cooled, about 2 minutes.  

Beat all the eggs in a bowl. Add a little of the beaten eggs, incorporating it thoroughly before adding more. Add the egg in small amounts until you have a thick paste but not runny at all.

Scoop the 24 dough ball onto 2 parchment paper lined baking sheet. If you have small tips on the puffs anyway, dab the tops of each puff with a fingertip dipped in water to smoothen the tops.

Brush the cream puffs with some egg whites, and place one of the pastry squares on top, pressing the corners onto the parchment paper. 

Bake the puffs for 18-20 minutes, until they are puffed up and golden brown.

DO NOT open the oven while baking cream puffs, it will cause them to deflate.

Let the puffs cool on a wire rack.

Cut the buns in half and fill it with prepared vanilla custard. Sprinkle with confectionary sugar and serve with a nice cup of coffee or tea. 

Enjoy!

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

I know the picture isn't perfect, but the taste is so so good. My brother was the one that told me about this mustard glazed salmon. In my mind this glaze is used to glaze a ham. And the caramelized pearl onions is a traditional side for roast beef. But as it turned out, the glaze worked perfect with the salmon. It added a mild smokey flavor to the juicy salmon. This dish will be on our meal plan in the near future again. Especially because I plan to add more fish to the table this year, and salmon being my husbands favorite fish. 

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 3 pieces salmon, or 1 larger piece
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon grainy mustard (I used Maille Old style whole grain dijon mustard)
• 5 tablespoons brown sugar
• 200 g (about half a bag) frozen pearl onions

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Brush an ovenproof dish with oil, and set aside.

Remove skin and bones from the salmon. Place it in the ovenproof dish, skin-side down. 

Mix mustards and sugar till you have a paste, this will be the glaze. Brush the salmon with the glaze. Place the pearl onions all around the salmon and pour the rest of the glaze over the onions. Bake the salmon for 20-30 minutes until its done, and the glaze is somewhat caramelized. Serve the salmon with boiled potatoes and creamed spinach.

Enjoy!

Kaffebrød - Coffee Bread

Kaffebrød - Coffee Bread

Kaffebrød or coffee bread might be a forgotten cake. It might not get as mush recognition as a lot of other Danish cakes. But I really like them. The crispy bread with a sweet slightly chewy topping, is really good with a cup of tea or coffee. 

Makes 12-15.

Ingredients:

Bread:

• 25 g live yeast (2 teaspoons dry active yeast)
• 250 ml milk
• 500 g all-purpose flour
• 50 g butter, salted
• 50 g sugar 
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cardamom 
• 1 egg

Topping:

• 300 g marzipan
• 300 g sugar
• 3 egg whites 
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
• ½ teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste 

Directions:

Bread:

Heat the milk till a little more than finger warm. Let the butter melt in the warm milk.

Mix the sugar with the yeast, the mixture turns liquid. If using dry yeast, dissolve it in the milk.

Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer. Knead the dough for about 7 minutes. 

Let the dough rise for about 40 minutes. Divide the dough in two, and roll each part Into a large flat bread using a rolling pin. Let the breads rise on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Bake he bread for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown.

Let the breads cool before slicing in 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick slices. Place the slices cut-side up on a baking sheet. Toast the slices for 5-7 minutes until light golden brown. 

Topping:

Mix marzipan, sugar, vanilla and egg whites in a stand mixer till you have a soft paste. Mix in flour and baking powder. Now you should have a thick paste, that won't run off the bread slices. Put the paste into a piping bag, and cut off so you have a large hole, so you just need one fat line of topping to cover the bread slices. Pipe one line on top of the toasted bread slices. Bake the slices for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Let the coffee bread cool before serving.

Enjoy!

French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup

French onion soup is a worldwide classic and a big favorite in my house. The deep, somewhat sweet and umami flavors with the saltiness from the gruyere is a party in my mouth. I like to serve  some extra crispy slices of cheesy bread slices, to add some extra texture. French onion soup is normally an appetizer, but somehow it always transforms itself to a main course, when I make it at home. Perfect for a meatless Monday or any other day. 

Serves 6 as an appetizer 

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter, salted
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 onions, thinly sliced
• 4-5 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leave
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 cup (2½ dl) white wine
• 1 liter (4 cups) beef broth

Topping:

• 1 baguette, sliced
• ½ pound gruyere cheese

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, onions, and thyme, and cook until the onions are soft and caramelized, this will take about 25 minutes. You want to get a good caramelizing on the onions, this will make the flavors more deep and more complex. Add the wine, broth, garlic and bay leave. Bring the soup to simmer. Let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes. Season to taste. Discard thyme sprigs, garlic and bay leave.

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃). Spread the baguette slices on a baking sheet, sprinkle with some olive oil. Toast the bread for about 10 minutes until golden and crispy. 

Preheat the boiler.

Pour the soup into ovenproof cups or bowls. Place 1-2 bread slices on top, and sprinkle a good amount cheese on top. Place the soup under the boiler and heat until the cheese has melted and turned golden and bubbly. 

Serve the soup immediately.

Enjoy!