Tag Archives: Johanna Kindvall

Elderflower Gravlax with Ingela’s Lemon Sauce

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flader

I know I just shared another gravlax recipe, but I can’t help myself. This Elderflower flavored Gravlax on homemade “knäckebröd“, topped with my dear friend Ingela’s Lemon Sauce was an absolutely fabulous start to our Midsummer party! (Its the season for elderflower here in Sweden, at least in my neighbor’s horse-field.)

for the salmon

1 kilo (2 lb) salmon fillet
1 teaspoon crushed pepper
4 tablespoons salt
4 tablespoons sugar
8-10 clusters of elderflower

The salmon should be frozen at least 24 hours before you start (just in case there are parasites in the fish). Clean the salmon fillets of any bones but keep the skin. Wash the elder flowers and separate the tiny flowers from the stalk by using a fork or a pair of scissors. Mix together the salt, pepper and sugar. Rub the fillet with some of the mixture. Divide the rest of the mixture on top and add the cleaned elderflower. If you have two fillets, place them together, meat against meat with flowers in between. Place the fillet in a plastic freezer bag and close it carefully. Let the fillets rest in the fridge for 2 days and turn them now and again. (Thinner fillets can be done in 24 hours but thicker pieces need 48 hours to be ready to serve).
After 2 days, unwrap and clean the fillets. Start to slice the gravlax into thin diagonal slivers using a fillet knife (or any other sharp knife that you have in hand) starting at the small end of the fish. Gravlax can be stored in the fridge for nearly a week or longer in the freezer.

As a starter for my midsummer party I used about half of the fish, we were 7.

Ingela’s Lemon Sauce

At midsummer’s eve I asked Ingela (who is an excellent home chef) if she would like to make the sauce for the gravlax . I thought that a traditional mustard sauce might be too strong. Ingela agreed and did something like this…

first step

one teaspoon brown mustard seeds
4 whole black peppercorns
some salt
one tablespoon honey
fresh-cut oregano or other herb that gives character and freshness to the dressing

Crush mustard seeds, peppercorns and salt in a mortar. Stir in honey and the freshly cut oregano. Set aside.

mayonnaise

one egg yolk
1-2 teaspoons of a good white vinegar
50-100 ml (¼-½ cup)  rapeseed oil or other neutral oil
Whip the egg and at the same time drip the oil drop by drop into the egg mixture.
Now you have a mayonnaise…

and here is the ending twist…

Blend together the honey mustard mixture to the mayonnaise. Add some Greek yogurt, sour cream or cream fresh and season with lemon and maybe some salt and pepper.

Depending on what you are going to serve the sauce with, Ingela suggests that you can reduce the honey and instead use a small amount of Elderflower cordial or even Apple juice to create a fruitier sweetness.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Poppies

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In our summerhouse garden we eat breakfast on a hill of poppies. Unfortunately I can’t use these poppies to top this rich and flourless chocolate cake…

¼ lb (115 g) dark unsweetened chocolate
3 oz (90 gram) butter
1 cup (250 ml) sucanat
½ cup (125 ml)  almonds, ground or finely chopped
3 eggs
1-2 tablespoons brandy or rum
poppy seeds, for the topping (optional)

Start by grinding the almonds. Melt the chocolate on low heat in a double boiler (I don’t have one myself so I use a stainless steel bowl on top of a saucepan of water) on low heat and stir occasionally. When the chocolate is melted add the butter, sugar and brandy. Stir over low heat. When the butter is almost melted add the almonds and stir until mixture is well blended. Turn off the heat and set aside. Crack the eggs and separate the yolks from the whites. Start to beat the egg yolks well before stirring them into the chocolate mixture. Whip the whites stiff and fold them lightly into the rich chocolate. Butter a 7-8 inches (18-20 cm) tart tin with a removable base or any cake dish you would prefer to serve it in. Spread the mixture and sprinkle a single layer of poppy seeds on top (this will give a slightly flavored crust on the top of the cake).

Bake the cake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes @ 290ºF (140ºC). It should be a little sticky when its done. Let the cake cool and serve it with whipped cream. This cake can easily be made a day before serving.

I will serve this cake for my Swedish midsummer celebration with fresh strawberries and bubbly wine. It will of course happen on top of my poppy seed hill. Happy midsummer!

This recipe is based on Elizabeth David’s chocolate cake, Gâteau Au Chocolat et aux Amanes from the book French Provincial Cooking. Elizabeth didn’t use poppy seeds and flavored her cake with both coffee and brandy.

Knäckebröd (Swedish Crisp Bread)

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knackebrod
One of my food memories from school was when one guy threw a slice of ”knäckebröd” (Swedish crisp bread) up in the air. The sandwich got stuck with its buttered side up on the ceiling, and I mean really stuck. No one seemed to pay any attention or tried to get the bread down. In fact it would have been a project by itself as the dining room was like a ball room with very high ceiling. Hm, I wonder if it still up there!

This recipe is by Alice at Brax on Food (freely translated by me).

twelve crisp breads
25 gram yeast (I used  ½  package of ¼ oz Active Dry Yeast)
1 tablespoon honey
200 ml (almost 1 cup) yogurt
400 ml (1 2/3 cup) water
600 ml (2 ½ cup) rye wholegrain flour
600 ml (2 ½ cup) wholewheat flour
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
2 teaspoons salt
and
100-200 ml ( ½ – 1 cup) regular flour for rolling the breads

Prepare the yeast depending on which yeast you are using. When the yeast is ready, blend it with honey, yogurt, water, rye and the wholewheat flour. Cover the bowl and keep at room temperature in a non-drafty area for at least 6 hours.
Roast the caraway seeds in a dry pan and crush them finely in a mortar. Blend in the salt and wholewheat flour. When the dough is ready, work in the wholewheat flour/caraway mixture. Add some of the regular flour to make a smooth dough. Divide the dough in 12 equal parts and roll them into balls. Preheat the oven to 225°C (435°F). Use a rolling pin and some regular flour to roll out every ball of dough into a thin round cake, approximately 1/8” (3 mm) thick. Place as many as you can fit on a baking tin and nibble the breads with a fork (or you can use a special rolling pin with small knobs). If you want to, you can make a hole in the middle with a small ”snaps” glass. Bake the breads immediately for about 8-10 minutes in the middle of the oven.  When finished let the breads cool down on an oven rack. Keep uneaten ”knäckebröd” in a sealed container. (Hanging on a broom stick will make them dusty).

See also my recipe for Rosemary and Seasalt Crackers

Gravlax Juniper

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dalek dancing

I just became a Resident Alien. This I celebrated by making gravlax…

1 kilo (2 lb) salmon fillet
1 teaspoon crushed pepper
4 tablespoons salt
4 tablespoons sucanat or regular sugar
40 crushed juniper berries
lots of fresh dill

If you use fresh salmon you should  freeze it for at least 24 hours, to make sure that there are no parasites in the fish. Clean the salmon fillets of any bones but keep the skin. The skin makes it easier later on when you are going to slice it up. Crush the junipers in a mortar. Mix together with salt, pepper and sucanat. Rub the fillet with some of the mixture. Divide the rest of the mixture on top and add the dill. If you have two fillets, place them together, meat against meat with dill in between. Place the fillet in a plastic freezer bag and close it carefully. Let the fillets rest in the fridge for 1-2 days and turn them now and again. Thinner fillets can be done in 24 hours but thicker pieces need 48 hours to be ready to serve. Unwrap and clean the fillets. Start to slice the gravlax into thin diagonal slivers by using a fillet knife starting at the small end of the fish. Gravlax can be stored in the fridge for nearly a week or longer in the freezer.
This type of Gravlax I prefer to serve on a small piece of home made “knäckebröd” topped with Sabine’s lingonberry cream and decorated with new fresh dill.

See also my previous recipe on Gravlax…

M’s Herring for Easter

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kiss fishkiss fishkiss fish

Polish herring is a little different from the sweeter Swedish herring that I am used to.  The herring M grew up with is fresh and salty.  His specialty herring dish is simply served on lettuce, topped with sour cream and apple. Superb and excellent for an Easter buffet!

for the herring you need

1/2 lb (250 gr) matjes in oil or plain cured herring (most often German brands in NYC)
one butterhead lettuce
2/3 cup (150 ml) sour cream (or equal parts Greek yogurt and sour cream)
half an apple

Drain the herring and if necessary cut the herring into bite size pieces. Wash the lettuce and divide the leaves on a serving plate and place the herring neatly on top. Cut the apple in small pieces and mix them with sour cream. Spoon the sour cream mixture over the herrings. Serve with Swedish “knäckebröd” or dark bread.

* OK, this recipe have nothing to do with eggs, but you can have painted eggs with something else. Happy Easter!

eggs