Tag Archives: food illustration

Matcha Pistachio Chocolate Cake

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matcha
I while ago I had a Pistachio cake from a neighborhood bakery. It was very buttery and creamy. The butter cream was flavored with matcha (Japanese green tea). I thought the pistachio and the green tea was a great combination so I decided to do my own version that ended up totally different…

butter cream with matcha

100 ml (½ cup) sucanat
20 ml (0.125 cup) water
1 egg
100 g (a little less than 1 stick) butter
about 1 tablespoon matcha (green tea powder)

Heat up the water with the sucanat. Let it cook, stirring constantly, until you can form soft balls. In the mean time beat the eggs in an electric mixer. When the sucanat mixture is done, add it very slowly to the eggs to avoid scrambled eggs in the butter cream. When the mixture is cooler carefully add the softened butter. Use low speed and add the butter carefully. It’s very easy to make the mixture coagulate. If that happens take new butter and add the coagulated mixture carefully into the new mixed butter. At last you add the matcha carefully. Take more matcha for a stronger tea taste.

pistachios layer

50 ml (0.60 cup) almonds
50 ml (0.75 cup) pistachios
20 ml (½ cup) flour
300 ml (1.2 cup) sucanat
2 eggs
50 g (0.11 lbs) butter

Mill the almonds and pistachios and blend with the flour and the sucanat. Beat the eggs and add the nut mixture. At last add the melted butter. Spread the nut mixture into two round cakes, about 20 cm (8 inches) diameter and 2 mm (1/8”) thick, on buttered baking paper. Bake in the oven 200°C (392 F) for 8-10 minutes until they are darker or more golden brown if you use regular white sugar.

(I had only salty pistachio at home. It worked out fine as a nice contrast to the sweeter almonds.)

glazing

80 g (0.18 lbs) bittersweet dark chocolate
100 ml (0.4 cup) cream
some sucanat

Melt the chocolate with the cream. I added some sucanat to make it a little sweeter.

Spread the butter cream over one pistachio cake. Place the other cake layer above the butter cream. Lastly spread the chocolate on top of everything. Let it cool before serving.

I took the cake with me on a barbeque and everybody thought it was really delicious. The cake looked a little bit funny as I had some problems – it was a hot summer day. I had to put the cake in the freezer so it didn’t melt totally. Even if I was satisfied I will try to improve the recipe next time. I will do that when the autumn comes.

Jansson’s Temptation

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jansson

This is a popular traditional dish in Sweden. Often people serve it as ‘night food’ at big parties, as no one should go home hungry. This dish is also common on a Swedish traditional Smörgårdsbord (smorgasbord).

8 big potatoes
1-2 yellow onions
one (or maybe two) small can of anchovy fillets
300 ml (1.2 cup) cream or half and half
a little salt (be careful as the anchovies can be very salty)
bread crumbs
butter

Peel the potatoes and cut them in thin strips. Slice the onion thinly. Saute the onion in a little butter until they soften. Layer the potatoes and the onions in a baking dish. Open the tins of anchovies and poor the juice over the potatoes. If you want the anchovies in smaller pieces cut them into halves and divide them over the potatoes. Pour half of the cream over. Sprinkle some bread crumbs and divide small lumps of butter over the dish. Bake in the oven at 225°C (440F) for about 45 min. Just before its finished baking poor over the rest of the cream.

In Sweden they serve it with beer and vodka. Children drink milk!


Pesto

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In my pesto I use walnuts instead of pine nuts because it has a stronger taste. I have also done this with parsley instead of basil.

pesto

a bunch of basil leaves
2-3 cloves of garlic
ca 125 ml (½ cup) walnuts
ca 125 ml (½ cup) fresh grated parmesan
olive oil
salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients in a blender, starting with the basil leaves, garlic and some olive oil. Add the walnuts and for last the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. If necessary add more olive oil.

Serve with fresh pasta or egg pasta and a simple tomato salad. Great with red wine or a bubbly prosecco.

Almond Trout with Cous Cous Salad

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Yesterday I walked by the local fish shop again. This time I bought some lovely trout filets. In the winter I often buy the whole trout and bake it in the oven. Now in the summer heat I wanted something that I could fry quickly so I didn’t have to stand by the hot stove so long. Well, this was so delicious that I was very close to going back there again for some more!

trout

trout fillets
milled almonds ( I do that in our coffee grinder)
salt and pepper
butter
lemon

Mix the milled almonds together with some salt and pepper on a plate. Turn the fillets in the mix before you sauté them with a big spoon off butter.

We had them with lemon and a simple cous cous salad.

cous cous
lettuce
carrots

vinaigrette
3 parts olive oil
1 part balcamic vinegar
mustard
1 glove of garlic
thyme
salt and pepper

It was great!

Fresh Shrimps with Lime

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shrimp

Some days ago we went into our favorite fish shop. We were actually supposed to have beetroots with goat cheese but as we are afraid our fish shop will close down we just had to support them. Oh well… we found some nice raw shrimps and some organic shampoo (as they have other things too) and went home.

Years ago I had a similar dish together with my cousin in Spain. Then we were sitting outside and fried the shrimps directly on a table cooker. Instead of lime we used lemon. This was not bad at all. Either then or now!

raw shrimps
olive oil
garlic
chili pepper
fresh lime

Heat up the olive oil and add chopped garlic and the chili pepper. When the garlic starts to get golden brown add the shrimps. Fry them quickly and serve them with finger salt and a slice of lime.

The shrimps are great as a starter with some cold white wine. They are also great with fresh pasta. Use the fry-juice from the shrimps together with cream. Add some salt and pepper, white wine and fresh herbs (such as dill, thyme). When the sauce start to boil, lower the temperature and add some Parmesan or other similar cheese. Poor the sauce over the shrimps and serve it with pasta and lime.

See also Grilled Spicy Shrimps