February 22nd, 2011
Schokokuss - cut
On a recent trip to Solvang we had a chance to try the Danish version of this treat known by many different names. This treat is hard to describe. It’s a light creamy puff covered with chocolate sitting on a little waffle/wafer.
I decided to try to make these at home. So I looked around the internet for recipes. There are numerous versions around. Here is what I ended up using:
Filling:
200ml (6 3/4 oz) water
300 gr (10 1/2 oz) sugar
Make a syrup by boiling the cold water while dissolving the sugar in it and set aside.
~20g (2/3 oz) gelatin
100 ml (3 1/3 oz) boiling water
1 package (~2 tsp) vanilla sugar (they have this in European grocery stores, if not available just add a little vanilla extract).
Mix the gelatin with the boiling water to dissolve it and add the vanilla sugar.
Now combine the syrup and gelatin mixture and let it cool completely to room temperature.
Once cool beat the mixture until it is really stiff, this may take some time (10-15min). I used an ice cream scoop to form the little “balls” and placed them on a greased parchment sheet (see picture below). Let the “ball” rest for about 30 min.
Schokokuss without chocolate
Coating:
150 g ( 5 oz ) double chocolate bittersweet chocolate chips
90 g ( 3 oz ) coconut butter
Melt the chocolate and add the coconut butter. Dip the little “balls” in the chocolate handling them with two spoons or forks. Then place them on individual waffles/wafers a thin cookie will also work in a pinch. For a topping I sprinkled grated coconut or ground pistachio nuts on the still wet chocolate (see picture below).
This recipe makes quite a few of these treats, depending on size.
Schokokuss with Pistachio and Coconut topping
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April 4th, 2010
While visiting the Asian grocery store I saw some nice pieces of Filet Mignon and suddenly got hungry :). I also wanted to try out the roasted cauliflower puree I had seen somewhere recently.
Beef: I cut the filet mignon into some nice 1.5 inch thick slices and wrapped them with bacon securing the bacon with a tooth pick. After adding a little salt & pepper I seared the assemblies in a pan and then put them in the oven for about 15 minutes at 400 F.
Sauce: While the beef was in the oven I sauteed some Bunapi (White Beech) mushrooms with some butter and salt/pepper. Then I poured some water into the pan I had used for the beef and used this as the base for the sauce. Now I combined the content of the two pans to make the sauce.
Puree: I cut up a head of cauliflower into florets and a tart apple into medium sized cubes. I placed everything on a baking pan, drizzled some olive oil over it and sprinkled salt & pepper over it. First I placed the pan for 20-25 minutes in the oven at 400F. Then I added half a can of chicken broth and put it back into the oven until the liquid was evaporated. Finally I put it all into the food processor and pureed it.
For plating I made some nice, round bases from the puree, placed a piece of filet mignon on top, added some sauce and topped it off with some chopped parsley from the yard.
We enjoyed this meal with a nice glass of wine!
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February 27th, 2010
T-bone steak with grilled vegetables (Click image to enlarge)
There was some T-bone on sale, so I brought some home and put it on the grill. In fact I did the whole meal on the BBQ on the patio.
I put the beef and slightly oiled (olive) vegetables (onion, bell pepper, king oyster mushrooms) on the grill.
While waiting I prepared some Chimichurri sauce: fresh cilantro, fresh Italian parsley, some olive oil, a clove of garlic, a little red wine vinegar, a little water, crushed pepper, some salt. For a hint of sweetness I added a tiny bit of agave sweetener.
When the vegetables were soft I took them off the BBQ and cut them. Once the beef was ready I plated and we enjoyed a good meal. What looks like sour cream in the picture is actually kefir cheese.
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February 23rd, 2010
Vietnamese Style Salad with Pork (Click image to enlarge)
A nice little summer salad.
Topping: Slice some onions lengthwise and fry until soft. Add about a pound of ground pork [I ground this myself to have better control over the fat content] and fry until it’s done. Add a tablespoon of curry powder, a tea spoon of sugar, some fish sauce.
Salad: Prepare a bowl with some shredded (thin slices) romaine lettuce, sliced carrots, sliced cucumber, celantro or whatever vegetables you have available.
Sauce: As a base I used 1/4 cup “Sweet Chili Sauce for Chicken” ( you can find this in an oriental grocery or even your regular supermarket; here is an example) to which I added juice of half a lime.
To serve put salad mix in a bowl, add some of the topping, pour sauce over it. A Vietnamese salad would be topped with crushed peanuts, I didn’t have any so I used some almonds.
Posted in Pork, Salads | No Comments »
