First Time in a Pop-Up Restaurant

picture borrowed from the web as I forgot my camera!



I had heard of pop-up restaurants and curiously signed up for a new one that was opening not far from my house last Saturday.

 

What is a pop-up restaurant, you ask? Well, they are an alternative to traditional dining out as they tend to be in people's private homes where you can sign up for a meal cooked and served by the hosts. Another name for it is a "Supper Club" or "Underground Restaurant". They have historically been a way for aspiring professionals to experiment and gain exposure, but they originally come from the idea of prohibition speakeasies or Cuban paladares. So, actually not a new phenomenon!

Saturday was the first time this particular Pop-Up Restaurant was launched and we were 5 guests in total (they can cater for max 6 guests). We were greeted with a glass of bubbly and lovely canapes

 

Cherry tomatoes with mozzarella & basil,

♦

Crostini with pea, mint and cannelloni beans,

♦

Savoury cracker with colton basett and homemade apple and date chutney

 

while we got aquainted with our fellow diners. What a small world - in addition to discovering that one of the couples now live in the house sold by friends of mine who moved to New Zealand a few years ago, the two men - who did not know eachother from before - had both worked for the same company about 20 years ago!

We were then invited to join the table and were treated to an amazing menue and such a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Here is what we ate:

 

Pear, Walnut & Ginger Salad with Smoked Duck

♦

Beef with Squash, Sweetcorn & Chilli, served in a small pumpkin accompanied by Courgette Muffins and Southern Cornbread and Sour Cream

♦

Mint Sorbet

♦

Fig , Hazlenut & Fennel Shortbread with a Fig and Dark Chocolate Profiterole

♦

Coffee & Biscotti

 The food was truly amazing - really fine dining. I couldn't fault it in any way! It was generous portions and delicately presented.

A real treat!

 

Wine was not included in the offer and we had been encouraged to bring our own wine. At the end of the evening we were invited to write our comments in a small visitors book and leave as a donation of what we thought the meal was worth so the chef would (at least) cover the expenses.

It was a really unique experience with an intimate feel.

It was a very different experience to traditional dining out - much more fun, more innovative, very unusual and a great way to get to know some new people!

I had a really good time and was very happy as I walked home with my little bag of complimentary biscotti!

It sure won't be the last time I try something like this!

♥

Festival of Ideas

Last night I went after work with a couple of friends to one of the talks at the Univsity's annual Festival of Ideas . You can sign up for some of the talks, but many of them are drop-in sessions. 

 

This talk focused on how linguists and regular people use analytical tricks to unlock the secrets of language: focusing on identifying a speaker's gender, race, region and age. 

 

Very interesting!

 

Even after all these years here I marvel over the privilege it is to have such offers on our doorstep.
 

Next week is half term here and there is a wealth of activities and talks - also for children!

♥

Tried and Tested: "Form" or Mac & Cheese with Fish

 

Food is so often connected to memories.

We loved 'form' (don't know where the name came from) when we were children. It was a staple dish when we came to visit my grandfather in Oslo's house.

 

 It is actually a form of mac&cheese with extra filling.

This is my version, this time with fish (this will easily feed 5-6 people):

 

Warm up (a bit warmer than luke warm) 5 dl of milk with half an onion and 5-6 peppercorns and set it aside to infuse while you

 

Boil 500 grams of macaroni till almost soft enough to eat.

Drain the macaroni and put it to the side while you

 

Make a cheese sauce with

70 grams of butter and 3-4 tablespoons of flour and the warmed milk (discard the onion and the peppercorns before adding to the sauce).

Add 200 grams of grated cheese to the sauce along with

2 teaspoons of English mustard

A good dash of Worcester sauce,

2 teaspoons of lemon juice and

a good pinch of salt

 

Add the cheese sauce to the boiled macaroni and coat the pasta well

Add 350 grams of chunks of uncooked fish to the macaroni mix. I normally use a variety pack containing salmon, haddock and smoked Alaskan pollock.

 

Pour it all into a greased heatproof oven dish and cover the top with breadcrumbs. You can also crush some garlic into the breadcrumbs, if you like for some extra flavour.

 

Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes on 200 degrees.

 

Serve with a salad

 

Such a simple comfort food on an autumnal day!

♥

 

SWEDISH Shop - I am ALMOST in Heaven!

 

I have mentioned before how the world is getting smaller

- you can ALMOST get anything anywhere!

 

This was again proved when I discovered that my grocery delivery company Ocado now have a Swedish Shop!

♥

So, no need to go to Ikea to indulge my cravings for kaviar, sild, Wasa knekkebrød, leverpostei, falukorv, fiskeboller(!), various cheeses AND grønnsåpe! They even have various forms of old familiar sweets and crips... - even Twist (although I am pretty sure that is originally Norwegian ...!). Actually, I am not too fond of Swedish chocolates and sweets - sweeter than Norwegian treats, I think, but beggars can't be choosers!

☺

No sign of a Norwegian shop, but as I grew up 10 minutes from the Swedish border,

I am almost in heaven!

Yoga - My Obsession...

nope... not me - borrowed from the web

I have now been taking weekly yoga classes for almost 3 years. It has become a real passion and a necessity for my general well being. I started to notice the benefits of the yoga practises after a few months and I am still thrilled every time I squat/bend/stretch and feel that I am more flexible and stronger than I used to be. Sitting on bent knees or squatting was something I could never do as the knees would hurt too much. That is no longer a problem. I rarely suffer from any types of back aches (I have had a bad back for many years) and I just love the feeling you get after a yoga class. I can go tired into a class, yawning and just wanting to curl up and go to sleep, but after the class I am calm, awake and refreshed. No wonder yoga means 'to join' body and mind!

 

And I know that I will sleep deeply that night waking up refreshed the next day. The breathing practise is great for focusing the mind and you feel how good it is for the body to take deep concentrated breaths as we all tend to shallow breathe too much.

 

I highly recommend yoga to anybody - no matter what size or age you are. In yoga you don't compete with anybody else - we are all differently made and just because you can't do a posture perfectly doesn't mean there is something 'wrong' with you. Perhaps your body just can't do that particular posture. A friend once lent me a DVD where this fact of different physical limitations was illustrated very clearly - simply because we are not all built the same way! But that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy yoga and benefit from it! Yoga is not about pushing through pain. If you feel pain, you are not doing it right.

 

This fall I have also signed up for some lunch time classes on Thursdays. I have to admit, I am not that good doing the practises on my own although I am getting better and I actively use the breathing practises in my day. So, Thursdays I rush from the office to get my one hour of yoga before I go back relaxed and ready to take on the rest of the day.

 

Tuesday evenings and Thursday lunchtime is

 

ME TIME

 

Do you make sure you get some YOU TIME during the week?

 

 

Weekend Summary and Welcome to the World!

doesn't happen often that we can't finish off a SHARED dessert...!

And we are back to Monday after an eventful weekend...!
 

After dropping Our Boy off at a party, the Professor and I kicked off the weekend with a visit to the restaurant in the hotel The Cross Keys in Saffron Walden on Friday evening. Lovely place (Elizabethan building going back 850 years!) with great atmosphere, amazing food and also the possibility of spending the night as they offer 6 rooms. Really worth a visit (check out the link)! Obviously a very popular place as it was packed and we were just lucky to get a table.

 

On Saturday Our Boy went to his weekend job stacking shelves in a nearby supermarket. His shift is  every Saturday evening from 5 pm till 11 pm. Fortunately, most of his social life happens on Fridays and his still manages to have a proper lie-in on both Saturday and Sunday and to finish off home-work, so win-win!

☺

I also managed to go through my wardrobe this weekend and had a much needed clean-up and packed away the summer clothes. 5 big bags of old clothes are going to the recycling bins! There was so much I had not worn for years and it became clear that I would never wear them again as I seem to have shrunk (nice bonus ☺).

 

It feels good to free up the space particularly when thinking of possibly refurbishing the bedroom this fall. No need to keep things that just take up space and is never in use!

The weekend was rounded off with a good dose of Downton Abbey. I won't spoil it for those who have not seen this episode, but I will just say my eyes were still puffy this morning from all the crying last night...
 But the biggest and brightest news of the weekend was that our new little friend was born in Zurich on Friday.

So sweet and so very, very welcome!

♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

 

Victim of Gender Stereotyping...

borrowed from the Internet

A letter arrived yesterday inviting my husband to come and see the new Honda CR-V coming out shortly. Ok, they used the wrong title calling him 'Mr.' while the correct title should be 'Professor' (VERY important these things around here...) and also misspelling our surname, but we are very used to that so I don't get upset about that anymore.

☺

We are not looking for a new car, but the invitation came from the local Honda dealer/garage I had recently taken the car for its annual service to. We used to take the car for service to the garage were we bought it, but this garage is about 45 minutes away from our house. I therefore thought it was much more efficient use of time to use the local Honda dealer's garage instead. The service was efficient and good, so we are good for another year.

 

However, the key fact relating to the letter is that I had booked and taken the car to the service. My husband was not involved in this arrangement at all...

 

But HE is the one that gets the invitation to come and view the new car (in the hope that they can tempt him to buy a new car, obviously)...

 

Now, that is assuming that the decision for a new car lies with a person they have not met nor do they know if he exists... And completely ignoring ME - their actual customer! And I watch Top Gear and everything (Ok, generally forced to when The Professor and Our Boy takes control over the remote...)

 

I would say I am a victim of gender stereotyping here!

 

And besides, how would they know whether he could choose the right colour or not...

?

☺

 

Tried and Tested: Eshkeneh - Persian Onion Soup

 

My mother-in-law has taught me most of the Iranian dishes I make, but this one I taught her!

 

I found the recipe of this favourite dish of ours in a book given to me many years ago by dear friends in Chicago. The book, "New Food of Life" by Najmieh Batmanglij is an excellent book if you are looking for an introduction to Persian cuisine. She has written many cook books, but I keep coming back to this one.

 

Eshkeneh or Persian Onion Soup is simple and easy and very tasty and perfect on a cold days!

 Here is my take on it:

 

4 large yellow onions, thinly sliced

2-3 cloves of garlic
1 cup fresh or 3 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves (Norwegian: bukkehornkløver)
3 eggs

2 tablespoons flour,

1 teaspoon turmeric (Norwegian: gurkemeie)

3-4 peeled potatoes
1.5litre water

2 dried lime or 4 tablespoons of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil

 

Saute the onions and the garlic in a large pot with some oil on medium heat until golden brown - dont' burn them!

 

Add flour, turmeric and some salt and pepper and stir and cook for a minute or two.

 

Then add the fenugreek and saute for a few minutes, stir well to mix all the ingredients.

 

Add 1.5l of water, salt and pepper to taste.

 

Add the peeled and chopped potatoes.

 

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 50 minutes on medium-low heat.

 

Break the eggs into a small bowl, stir well and add to the soup and blend well.

 

Adjust the seasoning before serving (Tip: Add a spoon of sugar if it is too sour).

Serve hot with warm bread and plain yogurt.



Making More Bling!

 

Time for autumnal activities!

Last week I attended a new class at The Beaderie.

 

Friendly and lovely Sally taught us how to make the embellished right-angle woven bracelet.

 

The classes are small - max 4 people so we get plenty of assistance if needed. Since this is my second class I felt it was quick to get my head around it.

 

Not a bad way of spending a couple of hours on a blustery autumnal mid week evening!

 



A Lovely Song...

I have found a new potential favourite song/singer

 

Melody Gardot - Baby I'm a Fool

Enjoy!

 

 

 

A New Era...

This weekend we had a farewell party for our boss who retired as director for our research group. It was a nice event where we had invited everybody we have worked with these 11 years this group has excisted. Not everybody could come, some are now as far afield as New Zealand, Australia or China, but we ended up with a good selection of people from the various years and projects. It was fun and almost a bit nostalgic seeing them all again!

 

The evening went very fast and as usual, I ended up feeling I did not get a chance to speak with all... Well, perhaps some other time, I hope!

 

So, while we wait for our new director to join us in the spring you could be mistaken for thinking those of us still here would be like the mice in the Norwegian saying:

 

Når katten er ute, så danser musene på bordet...

(When the cat is out, the mice dance on the table)

 

Surely not!

It is just a picture I used for illustrating this 'cheeky' post...

☺

 

Also, 1 October today...!

Incredibly how dark it was this morning!

It was still pitch black when I woke at 6.30am. I had to turn the lights on before I got out of bed..

 

That was a first this fall...

 

PS: we have a board to answer to... just in case anybody got worried!

Weekend....!

This way of busking out of a waste bin is a sure way to get attention...

It has been over a week since I gave any sign here on the blog...

No other excuse than a lot of work going on at the moment.

Should be getting a bit better after next week, I hope

 

In the meantime, I leave you with some pictures snapped throughout the week taken with my IPhone.

☺

I simply had to try this cake at the cafe/bakery Fitzbillies - it is called Norwegian Crisp - another version of Palmiers actually (made of puff pastry) and not particularly Norwegian as far as I could tell...

 

A snap shot taken last weekend when The Professor and I walked around the Folly at Wimpole. Just love that place!

On the return from the Folly

The weekend will be busy with more workand a retirement party for a colleague, but I hope the weather will hold and I can clock in another walk at wonderful Wimpole. Might even take a proper camera this time...!

 

Enjoy your weekend!!

♥



Sunday Evening Bliss

 

Season 3 of Downton Abbey started last Sunday.

And they did not disappoint!

♥

 

Below is a trailer with some glimpses of what is in store:

 

 

Time for Wrist Warmers/Mittens

Although it is lovely and sunny, it is getting chilly in the mornings on the bike. Not quite time for gloves yet, but wrist warmers are definitely useful. It can also be rather chilly when doing computer work (which seems to take 90% of my time) in the office as 'the mighty men in the Univeristy' have not turned on the central heating yet... !

 

 

So many creative bloggers were making wrist warmers last winter! Hard not to be inspired...! I got some lovely thin and soft Rowan yarn and with crochet hook no 3 it really is a quick job to whip up these wrist warmers. I got the idea from the very inspirational blog Hobbyuglas Hule. Click on the link to her blog for the pattern in Norwegian. She has also translated it into English and I have ruthlessly copied it in below. I kept a hole for the thumb to stick out so they are like fingerless mittens.

 

A tip - here is a link to a page with the most common crochet terms in Norwegian AND English. Handy for the likes of me who is more used to the Norwegian terminology but often find inspiration in patterns in English!
 

Yarn: Thin Alpakka from Du Store Alpakka, 25 - 50 g or Soft silk like fluffy  Rowan yarn
Hook: 3mm
Size: Smal (Medium) Large (X-large)

ch – chain

sc – single crochet
dc – double crochet
sl st – slip stitch

Crochet 44 (50) 56 (62) loose ch. (Or use hook 3.5 mm just for these ch)
1. Row: 1 ch to turn with. 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook. Crochet (1 sc in each of next 2 ch, skip 1 ch). Repeat ( ) to end of row. Finish with 1 sc in the last ch. You will now have 30 (34) 38 (42) sc on this row. Turn your piece.

2. Row: 4 ch, 1 dc in 2nd sc. Crochet (1 ch, skip 1 sc, 1 dc in next sc), repeat ( ) to end of row. You will now have 15 (17) 19 (21) ch arch. Turn your piece.

3. Row: 1 sc in first chin first ch arch, 2 ch. Crochet (2 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc in the next ch arch, 1 sc in next ch arch), repeat ( ) to end of row. You will now have 7 (8) 9 (10) fans. Turn your piece.

4. Row: 3 ch. Crochet (3 dc, 2 ch, 3 dc) in first ch arch. Repeat ( ) in each ch arch to end of row. Finish with 1 dc in the 3rd starting ch of last row. Turn your piece.

Repeat row 4 until you reach preferred length

Sew the wrist warmer together.
If you prefer you may leave a hole to the thumb and use them as mittens.

And Here is Book Number 2!

The second book of my blog has just arrived.

 

I was a bit late getting around to ordering it this time, but we now have a printed recollection of our lives in 2010 (the first book) and 2011 (the second book).

 

Really worth it, in my mind as we find ourselves time and time again trying to remember when such-and-such happened and often find clues to it in my entries in the blog. Settles many potential arguments this way... Guests also find it fun to browse through and get a different glimpse of our lives.

 

I ordered this from SharedBook or Blog2Print (think it is the same name/company). The book arrived within 2-3 weeks and I have a feeling it turned out cheaper this time, not that it is any thinner this time...

 

Ah,well! 

 

Can't complain about that!

☺

Walking With A Good Friend

We had friends from Norway visiting last weekend. I forgot the camera so the pictures are taken with my phone and not very good. I find it hard to see what I am actually taking a picture of when using the phone. Well, better than nothing!

With glorious weather and temperatures close to 30 degrees we didn't spend much time indoors.

On our way to Grantchester we stumbled across a fair.



Some medieval fighting reenactment is often part of these events...

I think one was supposed to be Scottish and one was supposed to be English...

I have no idea who won...

But we left them fighting and continued on our way down to Wimpole Hall

 

And ended up by the Folly.

One of my favourite destinations!

♥

It is not 30 degrees here anymore.

It was actually distinctly chilly this morning.

 

Might get a move one and make some fingerless mittens, I think!

Autumn is upon us!

I don't mind, actually!

☺

Lilyhammer - A Norwegian-American Series Now in the UK!

 

Last night the Norwegian-American series "Lilyhammer" aired on television here in the UK. It is not every day I get to see Norwegian series here (plenty of Swedish or Danish like Wallander and Borgen), so Our Boy and I sat down to watch with great anticipation. The series followed a documentary on the Vikings, so we were really getting our fill of Scandinavia last night!

 

"Lilyhammer" is about a NY mafia snitch - Giovanni/Johnny - (played by Little Steven from Bruce Springsteen's band) who gets relocated to Lillehammer in Norway. Apparently, he chose Lillehammer as he fell in love with it during the Olympics in 1994 (I also went to see the Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994 and I walked into Prince Albert, but that is another story).

Well, I won't reveal more from the series except there were some funny cultural misunderstandings.

 

I am however, a little concerned with the portrayal of most of the Norwegian characters as rather gullible and stupid oafs... I guess it is for comic effect, but it doesn't sit well with me fearing that this is the impression the world gets of us...

 

Oh, I also have to 'admire' Giovanni/Johnny's ability to learn Norwegian so quickly...

Yeah, right!

 

Ok, I will put these objections aside and have an open mind and look forward to the next episode next Tuesday!

Travel Report: Zurich!

Wow!

How time flies!

I can't believe it is almost 2 weeks since I came back from visiting friends in Zurich...

 

This was my first visit to Zurich and I have to say I fell in love with the town. The air is so incredibly clean. You actually feel healthy just breathing there! And I am in awe of how efficiently everything works there... That was a welcome and surprising change from the UK

☺

 

Our friends have a lovely place close to the forest above the city centre with lovely views of green trees and the soothing sound of a brook below. Although we didn't have the best sightseeing weather I loved seeing the most amazing views of the lake. We ate well and we "played hard"! "Played hard" in the sense that we were working on kitting out the nursery for a little friend due to arrive in a months time.

 

I was also pleasantly surprised to note that my rusty German managed to surface. Not that I understand a word of Swiss Deutsch, but when people switched to Hochdeutsch I actually managed quite well. Amazing what is lurking and suddenly surfaces from the corners of your brain after not really using it for 30 years...

 

I didn't find any Hausbrandt coffee, but a few other types were brought home so we are well provided for in terms of coffee. However, the chocolates, cheeses and sausages are all consumed...

 

Mmmm.... I see another Swiss trip on the cards!

☺

 

Oreo - Just For Fun...

I like Oreo cookies and use them in baking, but I really love this commercial for the cookies

(no I am not sponsored!!!).

 

That little 'madame' is really something else!

☺



Tried and Tested: Apple Sauce/Jam/Goodness











A friend of mine has a couple of apple trees in her garden and she lets me pick the apples I want. I started making apple jelly yesterday which I hope to finish today, but the quicker version was to make apple sauce/jam/ or whatever you want to call it. It is really delicious on bread, with meat, to put in a cake or mixed with fresh fruit and a dash of yogurt for a quick dessert.



1 kilo of apples

1.5 dl water

1.5 dl sugar

(add more sugar if you like it sweeter - it also depends on the apples you use)

Peel and cut the apples and bring it to a boil with the water. Cook them till they are completely soft. Mash them while warm and add the sugar. Bring it back to the boil and let it simmer away for 7-8 mins (mind that it doesn't burn).

This filled three jars (which I had cleaned and boiled beforehand). After the Professor's and Our Boy's compulsory tasting sessions and last night's dessert (fruit salad with crumbled weetabix and yogurt) we only had one jar left.

Just as well as they don't keep very long unless you freeze them.


PS: this is my contribution to September's challenge on Sota Saker

One Thing Leads to Another...

I am back again after my final two weeks of holidays for this year. Our holiday year runs from 1 October to 30 September, and I now only have one day left before our new holiday allowance starts.

I think we are very lucky - I get 33 working days off a year (plus public holidays).

A great perk!

 

So, the family holiday was spent in Venice in July and these last two weeks I have been potting around at home (love it!) and also visiting friends in Zurich.

 

One of my projects while home was to get the gate to our garden replaced. The old one was rather shabby looking and not very sturdy, so a new gate was aquired and painted while waiting for the man to install it. 

 

I was very pleased with the new gate, but once it was installed the rest of the fence looked really shabby and the color seemed faded and the algea at the bottom was really showing. So, more paint will now be bought and the rest of the fence will get a new lick of paint so it will all match.

 

Yes, that is what often happens...

you start touching one thing and it leads to more projects...

 

I Am No Expert...

I will say it right away - by no means do I claim to be a coffee expert...

I was over 30 before I started drinking this dark liquid and still today I only drink the milkiest cappucino/latte. Therefore, I never thought it mattered much what type of coffee I drank as half of the drink would be milk...

 

Let me tell you - it matters.

 

While in Venice The Professor and I got hooked on an Italian brand with the very German name Hausbrandt (apparently from Trieste in Italy). It was simply divine... even to my very limited coffee palate. Unfortunately, I don't seem to be able to get Hausbrandt here in the UK (without paying a small fortune in shipping fees). But I have a cunning plan - I am shortly off to Zurich and I hope they might have Hausbrandt in the supermarkets!

 

Oh, and we have got a new coffee machine.

☺

Again, not claiming to know much about these gadgets, we were sold this Delonghi when we were in our favourite department store. As I had a wallet full of gift vouchers, this machine cost me only £10! A bargain, if ever I saw one! I didn't want a machine that only takes one type of pods so we would be bound to buy from only one company. This one takes any brand and you can grind your own beans. I don't have a bean grinder, so I buy ready ground coffee (might be a gadget on the Christmas wish list...?). So, we are busy testing out the types of coffee available here. We have liked "Black & Beyond", and also "Illy". We didn't care much for Costa's ground coffee (too bland). I don't drink more coffee than before (max 1 or 2 cups a day and still with loads of milk), but I do like a good cup of quality coffee...

 

So, I am hoping to serve my dearest a lovely cup of Hausbrandt next week...

 

Any other suggestions out there for good coffee brands?

Come To Lido!

Summer memories from Lido Di Venezia:

Just outside Venice is the island of Lido with a lovely, looong beach. We only had a couple of days on the beach when we visited Venice, but I think I would stay in Lido if we go back to Venice. It is just a short vaporetto ride in to Venice city.

Life is slower there than Venice (and cheaper). One of the days we rented a sort of tandem bike for two people and squeezed ourselves in (the 4 mans bikes were all taken) and rode around the island.
It was mad!
3 people squeezed in: two were biking, one relaxing (guess who!) and one steering (again, guess who!). Not the most efficient bike, but it was oooooh, so fun!

I had the biggest fit of giggles while we were making the roads unsafe for the rest of the islanders... I am just glad we didn't tip over in the curves...! It felt like we were 'racing' around...

There was also a "flee market" by the beach, but that was the most expensive flee market I have ever encountered. Ridiculous prices, to be honest. But still fun to browse!

And yes, we did a bit of what you normally do on the beach, too

:-)

We fell in love with Lido, to be honest.

I can see us going back one day...



Tried and Tested: Russian Danishes

Ok, so the name comes out a bit funny in English.
Here is the background for my translation:

A 'Danish' in Norwegian is called a "wienerbrød" or directly translated "Viennese Bread", so when Tulip put the recipe for "Russiske Wienerbrød " (Russian Viennese Bread) the English translation naturally should be

Russian Danishes

Are you still with me?

Obvious, isn't it...

☺

Oh, languages can be such fun...

However, I should check with my Russian friend if this is anything she recognises...?

Anyway, here is the recipe that we tried in our house yesterday.
The Russian Danishes did not last long in our house with hungry bikers around!

This is the full recipe that Tulip (click on the link for the recipe in Norwegian) provided, but I halved it. I still got 24 Russian Danishes...

Melt 300 grams of butter and
add 9 dl of milk and bring to the boil

Add 375 gram of flour and mix it in with a mixer.

Leave the batter in the fridge to cool down completely.

Whisk 6 egg together and blend in well

Use two table spoons and drop generous dollops on a baking sheet

Bake in the oven on 180 degrees for 25-30 mins (Tulip said 30-40 mins, but mine were done after 25 mins)

Cool and drizzle over powder sugar mixed with water/lemon juice.

Very moooooreeeeish!

☺



Tried and Tested: Homemade Fresh White Cheese

I have often made yoghurt (taught by my Iranian father-in-law) in the past, but this weekend I was inspired by Lakeland to make soft white cheese. I am working my way through their recipes in the book by Gerard Baker called "How to make soft cheese - seven step-by-step recipes". Last week I made mozzarella, but found it was a lot of effort for very little outcome...
Tasted nice, though.

The Fresh White Cheese recipe gave a satisfying portion (the picture showes half of the cheese I made) out of the effort and ingredidents used. It is very mild in taste, like a nice cream cheese. We liked it a lot and I can see it go well mixed with some garlic and herbs and some nice bread or crackers.

Below is how I made it. It might sound like there are many steps to it, but it was not complicated:

Heat 2 l of full fat milk to 24 degrees (C) in a stainless steel pan. Use a digital thermometer to monitor the temperature.
Add 300 ml live yoghurt or cultured buttermilk (I used buttermilk)
Mix 1/4 rennet with 1 tablespoon boiled water and add to the milk/yoghurt base. You can buy rennet from Lakeland or in some countries from the pharmacy.
Stir briefly and then leave it at room temperature overnight (1 left it for about 7 hrs.).

Cut the curd with a sharp knife into 2 cm strips and then across again the same way making 2 cm squares.

Place a colander over a bowl and line the colander with a muslin square and ladle the curd into it. The curd should be left to drain for another 2-3 hours.

Mix some salt into the curd and pile it into a muslin-lined cheese mold (I have a plastic one with lots of holes in it to allow further drainage). I placed the cheese mold in a colander on a plate and then left it in the fridge overnight.

The cheese is now ready!
Apparently, it lasts up to 5 days in the fridge.

PS: Just to make it clear - I am not sponsored by Lakeland, I am just a great fan