Whoope Pies, attempt 1

I've had a, rather reluctant, love affair with macarons for a while now. This is not something I'm proud of. Everything having to do with macarons is so ridiculous. They are ridiculously coloured, ridiculously pricey and ridiculously hip. But still, with a black cup of coffee, a sweet little something to go with it, I can't think of anything better than a macaron.

I've been considering making them at home, but since everybody says they are so hard to get right, I haven't bothered. But then I heard of Whoopies. A distant American relative of the macarons.  Two soft cookies slammed together with a generous slab of creamy goodness in between. Bigger and not with the same level of sophistication (the way a lot American relatives tend come across) but more easygoing and great tasting nonetheless.

So I got Sara Billingsley and Amy Treadwells book "Whoopie Pies" to get myself aquinted to the subject. It's an inspiring little book.  There are 21 recipes for different cookies to use and 29 recipes for fillings. They are all listed separately, with some good combos listed, but mostly the user is encouraged to mix and match on her own. I really like that. The only objection I have is that the fillings are way too sweet for me, I think that's another Europe/American thing. But, hey, it the filling gets too sweet, just add more of everything else :)

The recipe we tried were lemon whoopies with chocolate buttercream filling. Not that I thought it would make the best combo, the choice was solely based on my sons whims at the time. But it worked out fine in the end. The cookies are a bit bigger and chunkier than intended (compare with the cover of the book above), while juggling two kids and baking at the same time I tend to take whatever short cuts there are... I'll definitely be refining the recipes to get something that works for European palates as well, cutting the sugar and adding more of whatever flavouring that seems like a good idea to use.

My X-mas present to myself - Cookbooks

I recently discovered that the Swedish webshop Bokus carries most of Amazon US titles. The books themselves are a little bit pricier than in the US, but when you throw in no tax, free shipping and predictable shipping times you suddenly have a bargain.

I decided that I needed a little something for X-mas for myself as well, so I have ordered the following:

• Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley
• Asian Dumplings by Andrea Nguyen
• Home Sausage Making by Susan Mahnke Peery
• Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll
• Thai Street Food: Authentic Recipes, Vibrant T... by David Thompson
• Enklare bröd : recept på knådfria bröd med och... by Martin Johansson

Should be 3 more days now until they arrive...

Black X-mas Pork

There is this flavour that I've been missing since I moved from Thailand. It's sometimes found in dark sauces served over pork on rice in tiny market stalls. And it's similar to the flavour of the broth usually served with duck noodles. It's not to far from Hoi Sin sauce and it's related to "5-spice" spice mix, but I've never been able to pin it down or find out what it's made from. Until now, that is.

Last Sunday my local Swedish newspaper had this feature on "X-mas dishes with an Asian touch" and there was this recipe named "Black X-mas Pork" that I decided to try out. I didn't follow it to closely, that just wouldn't have been me, but when I was done I nearly fainted. It was THAT TASTE. I had recreated it without having a clue in the world what was going on.

Black X-mas pork, picture is from www.dn.se

So here is the, improved by me, recipe:

Black X-mas pork

1/2 kg meaty pork ribs 
3 dl soy sauce
1 dl sugar
10 cm ginger, sliced into 1,5 cm slices
10-15 schezuan peppercorns
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and bruised
3 stars of anise
1 cinnamon stick
A generous splash of chinese black vinegar
Spring onions for decoration, cut into small pieces

Cut the meat into serving sized pieces.

Put meat along with all other ingredients, except the spring onions, in a pot.

Boil for about half an hour or until the meat is done.

Serve with rice and sprinkle the spring onions on top.

Clearing out the freezer

About a month ago I set out to clear out all those freezer jars full of leftovers. I'm all for reusing food. One days tortilla stuffing meat will make a grand contribution to next days chilli. But some stuff just doesn't get picked. Like those kids that are not very good at sports at gym classes. It just sits there at the back of the freezer, looking sadder and sadder every day.

So, I decided that I should try to make an effort to clear out all of them to make room for the upcoming X-mas leftovers, preferably by eating them. But the strange thing is, even though I thought, several times, "Ok, now I've cleared them all out", new (or actually older) jars seemed to appear the next time I opened the freezer door. Why I hadn't seen them before I do not know, probably something Freudian, but there they sat, staring at me with their sad, cold imaginary eyes.

This isn't a new phenomena for me, I remember thinking I had something like 3 freezer bags of rhubarb, but somehow, with me making rhubarb ice cream and cakes nearly every weekend, they lasted for about half a year. I remember thinking about Jesus and the fishes, but I really don't think there was anything like that involved.

But now, finally, I REALLY have cleared out my freezer. There is just lots of space, waiting for something new to happen. I'm so much looking forward to cook new fresh food again, not just coming up with ways to make unidentifiable brown mush with ice crystals on it seem appealing. YAY!!!

Black Currant Liquorice Ice Cream

I've been wondering why there is plenty of black currant sorbet to go around but hardly any ice cream made with milk or cream. This is a mystery that just wouldn't leave me alone so I decided to make a batch of whole fat, creamy black currant ice cream to try out.

Included in this post is the recipe I used. I found that the dairy somewhat took the edge off the black currant flavour, but nonetheless, this turned out into a great ice cream. Black currants can be very dominating, so having them a bit mellowed down is not a problem for me.

And about the liquorice. After having mixed all ingredients for the regular black currant ice cream I started thinking, it tasted great, but maybe a bit predictable. Black currant and liquorice are two flavours that often come together in wines, especially in some very good  Australian Cabernets I've had. How would they work out in an ice cream?

They were spectacular! At first, putting the ice cream into my mouth I just felt the black currant fruitiness, but after a second or so the liquorice caught up. After swallowing, there was a lovely mix of sweet, tart and a little bit salt lingering in my mouth. This is defenetely a flavour combo I'll be working on.

Black Currant Liquorice Ice Cream

Serves 4 as a dessert.

250 gr. black currants
1/2 dl water
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 dl sugar
2 dl milk
1 tablespoon liquorice powder
2 dl heavy cream

Boil the blackcurrants in the water until mushy. Should take about 10 minutes.

Stir the egg yolks and the sugar in a bowl until foamy.

Heat the milk in a pot until it simmers.

Slowly pour the milk into the egg mixture, stirring meanwhile.

Pour the eggs and milk back into the pot. Heat carefully, stirring constantly, until "custard thickness" is reached. The eggs must not be overheated, as that will make them scramble, ruining the "smooth custard thing" we're trying to accomplice.

Pour the custard back into the bowl.

Add the berries by straining them through a sieve. Use the back of a spoon to press out all the juice.

Add the cream.

Stir in the liquorice powder.

Chill until "refrigerator temperature" is reached.

Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the instructions.

Cocoa Nib Chilli Ice Cream

This ice cream I made for a dinner party yesterday. At first it tastes all innocently sweet and chocolatey, but when the ice cream goes down the throat the cool is replaced with a hot, slightly burning, sensation from the chillies. I love the way the hot and cold play off each others.

Cocoa Nib Chilli Ice Cream

3 dl heavy cream
3 dl milk
1 dl sugar
1/3 dl Santa Maria Cocoa Chilli Mix (or if unavailable where you live, see approximation below)
Pinch of salt
Cocoa nibs for decoration

Put everything except the decoration nibs in a pot and bring to boil.

Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 20 minutes.

Put the mixture through a strainer, removing the solids, into a bowl.

Let the mixture cool down in the refrigerator until  througoutly chilled.

Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.


Santa Maria Cocoa Chilli Mix approximation

1,5 tablespoons cocoa nibs
0,5 tablespoons ancho chilli flakes
0,5 teaspoon cassia cinnamon (or regular cinnamon with a splash of vanilla extract)

Stir everything together, use in cocoa nib chilli ice cream.

Crazy Asian Beverages - Basil Seed Drink with Apple

Where I come from (Europe that is), beverages tend to be liquid. The exceptions I can think of is orange juice with small pieces of orange membranes in them, or a few chunks of fruit floating around in a punch bowl. In Asia however, things are different.

I'll never forget my first sip of grass jelly drink. A cloyingly sweet, black liquid, faintly tasting of ink, with black pieces of jelly floating around in it. Or pearl tea, I've no idea why it's called tea, the first one I had more resembled artificially fruit flavoured drinking yoghurt with big slimy balls of tapioca, nearly choking me.

But I have this personal trait, stuff I don't understand I tend to get a bit obsessed with. I get this urge trying to find reason where there does not seem to be any. And weird tasting stuff makes me happy. That might be a sight of mental instability, but it does. So I've decided, whenever I see an Asian beverage that I've not yet tasted, I HAVE to try it out.  This decision has given me some of my worst experiences ever drinkwise, but also I few nice ones.

Today I tried out this one, "Basil Seed Drink with Apple".

Look: Colour is amber, heading towards peach. The most striking feature are the basil seeds, closely resembling frog eggs. They are evenly dispersed through the liquid, looking like they've never heard of gravity.

Smell: Strong artificial apple aroma, almost nauseating in it's sweet artificialness.

Taste: Not as bad as one might assume from the smell. Tastes like sweet tea, with an addition of apple aroma. Not as sweet as these kind of drinks often are. Surprisingly enjoyable.

Mouthfeel: The seeds feel like raspberry seeds coated in slime. They kind of slide around in the mouth and whenever I manage to crush one between my teeth there is a satisfying little crunch.

Would you drink this?

Pot Roasts - continued

So, why this obsession with pot roasts. First, everyone in my family likes them. Second, you can eat it for days and have varied meals every time. The first day you eat it like a classical pot roast with gratineed/mashed/baked/whatever potatoes, gravy, pickles and gelée. The next days you make super thin slices and eat them on bread, making steak sandwiches.

My favourites are made with thin slices of meat on Philadelphia cheese and a liberal sprinkling of flaky sea salt on top. My husband likes to eat them with mayo, fresh tomatoes and avocado. And there is the classic, with pickled cucumber and roasted onions. If there is any meat left then (hasn't happened to us yet) I suppose it would work great to chop it up and use it in woks, soups, pasta sauces etc. The sky is the limit.

Well, pot roasts are theoretically easy to make, but not fool proof as you could read about in my last post. Here are some pointers for success:

• Good quality meat! If the meat isn't top notch, it's just not worth trying in the first place.

• An oven thermometer! It's impossible to know how warm the meat is inside just by watching the surface. Here are some temperature guidelines, my ideal is 58°C.

          55°C: rare
          60°C: medium rare
          70°C: medium
          75°C: well done

• Salt! As pot roasts are big chunks of meat, the main flavourings will be stuck on the outside. When sliced up and put on a plate every slice will need some salt, either in the guise of just plain table salt or in a gravy to taste interesting.

Pot Roasts - Working Towards Perfection

Usually in my household my husband goes away to the big grocery store every weekend to do the shopping for the week. My assignment is to do the shopping list, so I usually keep a list in the kitchen that I fill with what we need to get during the week.

Some weeks are busier than other, about a month ago I had hardly managed to jot down anything onto the list. My husband said something like, I'll walk around the store and see what I find. Ok, I said. This strategy doesn't normally work for us, but I didn't have any better ideas myself at the moment. Guess if I was surprised when he showed up with this big lump of beef, saying, I figured it would be really nice to do a pot roast!

Now, we haven't ever done a pot roast before, so I consulted my cookbooks. Julia Childs "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" had a recipe that looked good. It said the meat should be marinated with (among other things) lots of wine, booze and olive oil for about a day. Can't go wrong with that, we thought. But it didn't turn out as good as we'd imagined. The meat just didn't taste very much in itself, dragging the dish down along with it. And we had yet to understand that a digital oven thermometer really is a must, so the meat was sadly overdone.

First attempt of pot roast, served with classic Swedish condiments of pickled cucumbers and gelées

Next week we had a new try, using elk meat this time. We used a recipe that called for marinating the meat with beer, veggies and spices. This time the meat was ok but the marinade turned out very bland. We tried to use it to make gravy but the whole thing just tasted wrong.

As we are very stubborn, or just do not know when to take a hint, the next week we were at it again. This time I had ordered grass-fed speciality beef from Gröna Gårdar, supposed to be especially suitable for making pot roasts.

First we made a type of pot roast that in Swedish is called Rostbiff. It's very easy, you just rub the meat in salt and pepper and braise it in 125°C until a thermometer inserted into the meat shows  60°C (or a bit more or less depending if you like your meat bloody or not). Now we were going places, this one was awesome. We served it as a part of a French themed dinner party along with French potato salad (potatoes and spring onions with a mustard vinaigrette) and baked tomatoes.

Marinating

Then, earlier this week, I made a pot roast that I'm finally very happy with. It's a bastardization of a type of pot roast that is called "Slottsstek" in Swedish and the French type using lots of wine :) Here goes the recipe:

Bastard Pot Roast

1 kg rump steak piece (fransyska in Swedish)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter

Marinade:
0,5 litre of red wine
1/4 pice of celery root in small pieces
2 onions in small pieces
3 carrots in small pieces
10 white peppercorns
5 allspice berries
3 bay leaves
5 anchovies fillets, mashed
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Gravy:
Used marinade from above
Heavy cream
Butter
Salt and pepper

Make the marinade by mixing all marinade ingredients in a big baking pan.

Rub the meat in salt and pepper and dump it into the marinade.

Let the meat soak in the marinade for about half a day.

Heat the oven to 175°C. 

Brown the meat quickly on all sides in a frying pan.

Put the meat back into the marinade.

Insert an oven thermometer into the meat and put the baking pan with meat and marinade into the oven and let it bake until the thermometer shows 58°C (or more or less depending on your preferences).

Remove the meat and let it set for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make some gravy by spooning the "used" marinade into a pan (only the liquid, not the veggies). Add some cream, butter, alt and pepper until it tastes really good.

Serve the meat with the gravy.

Mmmmm, meat, with blood, my favourite

Blog remake

To be honest I'm getting a little bored with the cookbook reviewing theme I've been running. I very seldom follow a recipe accurately anyway, I like to do my own thing. So from now on I'm going to focus more on my own creations and maybe I'll throw in a review or two when I feel like it. This way I can freely print any recipes I like and I think that will make the blog a lot more interesting.