Blackberry Plum Clafoutis - Clafoutis med björnbär och plommon

BLACKBERRY PLUM CLAFOUTIS

Clafoutis med björnbär och plommon

Serves 6

Approx 14 oz plums

approx 5½ oz blackberries

1 vanilla pod

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

0.3 cup sugar

0.3 cup flour

0.8 cup heavy cream

approx 4 tablespoons flaked almonds

For serving:

vanilla ice cream, preferably flavored

with some cognac or Calvados

Heat the oven to 390F.

Remove the stones and cut the plums in wedges. Put plums and blackberries in a large oven-proof pan or 4 to 6 portion-sized pans.

Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Beat eggs, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla seeds until fluffy. Stir in the flour and the cream. Pour the batter over the plums and berries in the pan and sprinkle with flaked almonds. Bake in the middle of the oven until set, approx 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Bella

Nutella Cake - Nutellakaka

NUTELLA CAKE

Nutellakaka

1 cake, 10 pieces

3½ oz butter

3 eggs

0.8 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1.2 cup flour

0.4 cup regular milk

0.6 cup Nutella

Decoration:

Nutella

powdered sugar

edible flowers if wanted

Heat the oven to 350F.

Grease and flour a baking pan, capacity approx 6 cups. Melt the butter. Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy. Mix vanilla sugar, baking powder and flour and turn this into the batter together with melted butter and milk.

Pour 1/3 of the batter in the pan. Heat the Nutella until runny, then drizzle it over the surface. Repeat twice with cake batter and Nutella. Bake in the lower part of the oven for about 40 minutes, then remove from oven and leave the cake in the pan for about 10 minutes before unmoulding.

Decoration:

Drizzle Nutella over the surface of the cake and sift with powdered sugar. Top with edible flowers if desired.

Enjoy!

Bella

Tomato Bacon Pasta - Tomatpasta med bacon

TOMATO BACON PASTA

Tomatpasta med bacon

Serves 4

14 oz dried pasta, e.g. penne

2 pkgs streaky bacon, approx 9½ oz

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

1.1 lb crushed tomatoes

0.6 cup heavy cream

salt, pepper

1 teaspoon honey

0.4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

0.2 cup chopped fresh basil

Boil the pasta. Fry the bacon until almost crisp and drain on a paper towel. Save the fat. Peel and chop onion and garlic and fry in the bacon fat. Add the bacon to the pan, add crushed tomatoes and cream and boil it together for about 10 minutes. Flavor with salt, pepper and honey.

Mix pasta and sauce, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and chopped basil and serve.

Enjoy!

Bella

White Chocolate Cake with Strawberries - Vit chokladkaka med jordgubbar

WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES

Vit chokladkaka med jordgubbar

1 cake, 10 pieces

5½ oz butter

5½ oz white chocolate

3 eggs

0.8 cup sugar

0.6 cup flour

Decoration:

0.8 cup heavy cream

strawberries

Heat the oven to 300F.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Roughly chop the chocolate. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy, sift in the flour and stir in the chocolate mixture. Blend to a batter.

Pour in a springform pan, diameter approx 9 inches. Bake for 30 minutes, the cake should be a little sticky. Allow to cool. Decorate with whipped cream and split strawberries.

Enjoy!

Bella

Elderberry Mousse with Strawberries - Flädermousse med jordgubbar

ELDERBERRY MOUSSE WITH STRAWBERRIES

Flädermousse med jordgubbar

Serves 7

3 gelatin sheets or 1½ teaspoon 

powdered gelatin

3 egg yolks

0.4 cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla sugar

0.8 cup heavy cream

0.4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

grated zest from 1 lemon

0.2 cup concentrated elderberry drink

For serving:

fresh strawberries

Soak the gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes. Beat egg yolks, sugar and vanilla sugar until fluffy (use an electric beater). Beat the cream and stir into the mixture together with creme fraiche and lemon zest.

Heat the elderberry drink in a saucepan. Take up the gelatin, squeeze out excess water and melt them in the warm drink. Stir the drink into the other mixture.

Divide the batter in serving bowls of about 0.4 cup and leave in the fridge to set for 4 hours. Unmould and decorate with strawberries.

Enjoy!

Bella

Back of Cod with Sauce Bourguignon - Torskrygg i bourguignonsås

BACK OF COD WITH SAUCE BOURGUIGNON

Torskrygg i bourguignonsås

4 servings

1½ lbs back of cod in pieces

salt, pepper

9 oz mushrooms

12 small red onions

5½ oz smoked pork

butter for frying

Red wine sauce:

1 red onion

1 garlic clove

1 carrot

1.2 cup red wine

2 tablespoons veal fond

0.8 cup water

½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar

a couple sprigs fresh thyme

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon Maizena stirred with 2 tablespoons water

black pepper

Decoration:

chopped parsley

For serving:

mashed potatoes and/or roast root vegetables

Sauce:

Peel and chop red onion and garlic. Peel and slice the carrot. Sauté it all in a saucepan with butter until tender without coloring. Add wine and reduce until 1/3 remains. Strain the mixture and pour it back in the saucepan. Add veal fond, water, vinegar and thyme sprigs and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs and flavor to taste with pepper. Remove saucepan from heat and leave the sauce until everything is ready.

If you boil the small red onions in water for about 1 minute, they're easier to peel. Pour off the water, rinse in cold water and peel them. Cut the mushrooms in quarts and dice the pork. Flavor the fish with salt and pepper and leave for 20 minutes. 

Fry the pork until crisp in butter and then add mushrooms and small red onions. Fry while stirring until nicely colored. Bring the sauce to boiling point and then thicken with corn starch and water. Fry the fish in butter for a few minutes on each side. Put on a serving plate, spoon the pork mixture on top and then pour the sauce over it all. Decorate with chopped parsley.

Enjoy!

Bella

Cauliflower and Broccoli Mash with Lemon and Parmesan - Blomkåls- och broccolimos med citron och parmesan

CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI MASH

WITH LEMON AND PARMESAN

Blomkåls- och broccolimos med citron

och parmesan

4 servings

16 oz broccoli

16 oz cauliflower

a couple of bunches of fresh

tarragon or basil

0.6 cup creme fraiche

0.8 cup grated Parmesan cheese

zest from 1 lemon

2½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

salt, pepper

For serving:

1.7 oz pine nuts

0.2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

fresh herbs of your choice

Cut broccoli and cauliflower in florets. Remove the thickest part of the stems, but use as much of the stems as possible. Boil it all until just tender and pour off the water. Drain well and then steam off most of the remaining liquid. Put it back in the saucepan and mix with herbs, creme fraiche (you can also use mayonnaise) and Parmesan cheese. Start with 0.4 cup creme fraiche, then add more until you like the consistency. Add lemon zest and flavor to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper. The cheese is salty, but you could still need some more salt to get a really good taste.

Toast the pine nuts in a frying pan without any fat and sprinkle them over the mash with some extra Parmesan. Decorate with some fresh green herbs.

Enjoy!

Bella