Hollandiase Sauce 101

While the asparagus is still local and fresh, you will want to fancy it up now and again for Sunday dinners, or other special occasions. Nothing dresses asparagus like Hollandaise Sauce, and this recipe, which I found online at "Simply Recipes," is “Maximized,” delicious, and (perhaps more importantly) easy. What more can we ask? (I know it looks like the preparation is lengthy, but once you read through, you will see how simple it really is.) Prepare this sauce just before your meal.

Enjoy.

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
10 tablespoons butter

Preparation:
1) Melt the butter slowly in a small pot. Try not to let it boil – you want the moisture in the butter to remain there and not steam away. Once the butter melts, turn off the heat and let it cool just a little bit while you prepare the eggs.
2) Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne (if using) into your blender. Blend the egg yolk mixture at a medium to medium high speed until it lightens in color, about 20-30 seconds. The friction generated by the blender blades will heat the yolks a little. The blending action will also introduce a little air into them, making your hollandaise a bit lighter.
3) Once the yolks have lightened in color, turn the blender down to its lowest setting (if you only have one speed on your blender it will still work), and drizzle in the melted butter slowly, while the blender is going. Continue to buzz for another couple seconds after the butter is all incorporated.
4) Turn off the blender and taste the sauce. It should be buttery, lemony and very lightly salty. If it is not salty or lemony enough, you can add a little lemon juice or salt to taste. If you want a thinner consistency, add a little warm water. If you do this, pulse briefly to incorporate the ingredients one more time.
Store until needed in a warm spot, like on or next to the stovetop. Use within an hour or so.
Makes about 1 cup of sauce, good for about 4-6 servings.

Sweetcorn Frittata Recipe (Omelette recipe)

How to make a sweetcorn frittata

What is the difference between a frittata and an omelet?

A frittata is an egg dish that is cooked in a pan or oven dish with a combination of other ingredients such as vegetables, pasta or potatoes and served whole and sliced. Omelette is an egg dish that is pan cooked then folded in half, usually with a filling in the middle.

No need to worry about being technical in the kitchen, it does not matter whether you call it an omelette or a fritatta, all you need to know is that this recipe tastes amazing!

Chef cooks a very delicious sweetcorn frittata recipe that is easy to cook and packed with flavor.

Frozen sweetcorn is fried with garlic and mushrooms then topped with a tasty egg mixture and grilled with cheese and paprika under the grill to finish.

Paprika plays an important part in this delicious frittata recipe so do be generous when sprinkling the paprika in this recipe.

The great thing about this frittata recipe is that once you have cooked the mushrooms and sweetcorn there is no stirring, the frittata sits and cooks whole in the pan.

If you are a novice in the kitchen and find that you're omelette's tend to stick a lot do not worry. If you have trouble removing the frittata from the pan simply and gently slice the frittata whilst it is still in the pan and serve as individual slices.

Chefs sweetcorn frittata recipe is extremely delicious and will leave you're family and friends wanting more.

Ingredients

3 medium Eggs
2-3 Handfuls Frozen Sweetcorn
2 large Handfuls of Mushrooms (sliced)
2-3 Garlic cloves (minced)
Rice bran oil
2 tsp Grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch Salt
Small piece Mature cheddar cheese (low fat works great)
Large pinch Paprika
Pinch Parmesan cheese
Fresh Parsley for garnish

How to make a sweetcorn frittata

Using a fork whisk the eggs, 2 tsp of Parmesan cheese and a tiny pinch of salt.

Leave to the side while you cook the mushrooms.

Warm a large frying pan on a medium heat and drizzle in a little oil.

Add the sliced mushrooms, stir and cook for a minute then add the minced garlic. Once the garlic is added stir well for a minute then immediately turn down the heat so that the garlic does not burn.

Cook for a few minutes on low stirring all the time.

Add the frozen sweetcorn and stir well.

Cook for a minute then turn the heat back up again briefly, keep stirring.

Turn to low and cover for 2 minutes.

Remove lid, cook and stir until the sweetcorn is hot(and the odd few corn kernels start to caramelize).

When you pour the egg mixture into the pan do not stir! Make sure the egg spreads across the whole pan by tilting the pan a little.

It is important that you do not stir at this point.

Leave the frittata to cook on a medium/low heat for a few minutes then turn the heat down.

Once the frittata eggs start to set use a small spatula to gently release the edges of the frittata, do not try to lift the middle of the frittata.

Do not try to turn the frittata over and do try to lift the entire frittata.

Let the frittata cook some more without moving it.

The more it cooks and the more 'set' the eggs become the more you can gently lift the frittata towards the middle. There is no need to life out of the pan yet, or turn over.

Do not try to remove the frittata from the pan until it is ready to serve.

When the frittata is 'almost' cooked it is ready to go under the grill.

The bottom of the frittata should be set and cooked and there should be some raw runny eggs roughly covering the top in a thin layer.

Turn the heat off and place the pan onto a cold cooking ring. Grate the cheese over the top of the frittata (go easy on the cheese you want just enough for flavor) then sprinkle a touch of Parmesan cheese.

The most important part here is to add a good generous pinch of paprika and sprinkle it on top, the paprika makes this dish very tasty.

Take the whole pan and place it under a grill for a few minutes being sure to keep checking on it so that it doesn't burn.

The grill will finish cooking the eggs and melt the cheese.

When the eggs and cheese are cooked and melted then the sweetcorn frittata is ready to serve.

Gently try to ease the frittata out of the pan using a large spatula and let the frittat slide from the pan onto a plate.

Tear some fresh parsley leaves and sprinkle over the top and serve warm.

Enjoy Chefs sweetcorn frittata recipe.

Flatbread II - Flatbrauð II

There is already one recipe for flatbread on this blog, but I came across another one that I thought would be interesting to post for comparison. The first recipe, which is the basic, traditional recipe, is just rye flour, salt and water, but this one is more elaborate, and would most likely have been made only in richer households, since it contains three types of flour, The use of a raising agent should also mean lighter bread.

200 g whole-wheat flour
200 g bread or all-purpose flour
200 g rye flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
450-500 ml milk

Mix together all the dry ingredients. Bring the milk to the boil. Add the milk to the dry mix, stirring it in with a wooden spoon while it is too hot to touch and then knead it. When fully kneaded (smooth and even), divide into 10 pieces. Flatten and cut out into round pieces to fit the size of the skillet. Prick and bake on each side until the bread looks dry.

FROZEN KEY LIME PIE

This recipe is based on a fantastic recipe that I found in Healing Cuisine, for those of you who are following that blog. The "frozen" part is a product of necessity being the mother of invention. The recipe is delicious, and perfectly safe for Advanced Nutrition Plan eaters (especially good for a dinnertime dessert because it contains no berries or chocolate or other wonderful things that aren't so wonderful after about 3PM). I had a food critic (B.J.) taste it after it had been chilling in the refrigerator for about two hours, and he gave it an 8 out of 5 on the taste, and a 1 out of 5 on the "pie-ness" factor. (Perhaps I hadn't chilled it long enough, but it seemed more like a key lime mousse on a crust.) His suggestion? Freeze it!

My suggestion would be to freeze it, covered, and put it into the refrigerator when you begin your dinner. By the time you are ready for dessert, the Frozen Key Lime Pie should be perfection.

Enjoy.

Ingredients:

The filling

3/4 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice

the zest of at least one of those limes

5 avocados

1/4 to 1/3 cup full-fat unsweetened coconut milk (1/3 cup if your avocados are larger)

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 teaspoon liquid stevia

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

pinch of salt

The Crust

1 cup almond meal

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

3 tablespoons melted organic butter

Stevia to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon of Sweet Leaf powdered stevia. Start with less, and taste!)

Preparation:

To make the crust, combine almond meal, coconut, stevia and melted butter and press it into a glass pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Watch it. You don't want the almonds to get brown.

To make the filling, combine all the filling ingredients in a food processor, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until you have a smooth, lump-free consistency. Pour the filling over the crust.

I USE A HIGH SPEED BLENDER TO MIX THE FILLING AND IT REALLY YIELDS A SMOOTHER, CREAMIER, THICKER RESULT.

Note: If you do not want to freeze the pie, I would suggest that you chill it in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours before you plan to serve it. I also noticed that, after I froze the pie the first time, it could be left in the refrigerator without becoming too soft. This recipe is for you. Do with it as you like, and let me know how you enjoyed it.

New selection of recipes to be published.

New selection of recipes to be published.

Chef Jeena has been real busy in the kitchen.

Keep visiting.

Coconut Macaroon Cookies

These light and delicious cookies are a tribute to the recipe I found in the "Maximized Living Nutrition Plan" book.
Enjoy.

Ingredients:
6 Egg Whites
1 Package or 2 ½ cups of Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
Stevia to Sweeten (to taste)

Preparation:
Beat egg whites until peaks form. (This can be done with a wisk or an electric hand mixer. I have done it with a wisk, and, although it was a tiny bit of a workout, it is possible – and somewhat satisfying.) Add stevia to sweeten, and beat again to combine. Taste, and add more stevia if necessary. At this point, if you want to add a teaspoon of pure vanilla, feel free. Gently stir in unsweetened shredded coconut.
Drop by teaspoons-full onto parchment lined baking pan. Bake at 350º for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on parchment paper in the refrigerator until firm. Once cooled, these cookies can be dipped into melted, stevia-sweetened chocolate if you prefer. (I like the toasted coconut appearance and taste without the chocolate.)

A little message to my readers

Salting meat - Saltkjöt

Someone e-mailed me not too long ago and asked for a recipe for salting mutton. This is the recipe in my mother‘s old cookbook. I haven‘t tested it, but am relying on my grandmother‘s advice for the information that was missing, such as the minimum brining time and how long it will stay preserved.

The recipe contains saltpetre (potassium nitrate), the use of which has been mostly discontinued in Iceland due to health concerns. Saltpetre was used as an extra preservative and it also gives the food a characteristic pink hue. It may be safely left out, but the meat may not keep for quite as long as it would otherwise. The sugar tenderises the meat.

Meat may be dry salted or brined. Dry salting is best for lean meat and brining for fatty meat.


For 50 kg of meat (mutton, lamb, horse, beef, pork, etc.):

Salting mixture:
3 kg salt (coarse pickling salt works best)
250 g sugar
2 litres water
(30 g saltpetre)

The meat should be cut into in serving-sized pieces (half-cutlets, steaks, etc.). It should be clean and should preferably be brined or salted as soon as it has cooled after butchering.

Choose a clean, watertight container with a tight lid for the salting/brining (a barrel is traditional). Its size should depend on the amount of meat you want to preserve. It should always be as close to full as possible.

Method:
Dry salting:
Mix together salt, sugar and saltpetre (if using). Sprinkle a little of the mixture on the bottom of the barrel. Roll the meat pieces in the mixture and pack them tightly into the barrel in layers. Press down. Sprinkle a little salt over each layer and pour 100 ml water (2/5 cup) water over each layer. End with a solid layer of salt.

Put a lid or something that fits snugly into the barrel on top of the meat and weigh it down, e.g. with bricks. A brine will form as the juices leak out of the meat. Make sure that the meat is all under the surface of the brine (thus the weighing down). Leave the meat in the barrel for at least 3 weeks, in a cool place. Should keep for up to a year if kept cool.

Brining:
Brining is adviceable for warmer weather and fatty meat. To make the brine, mix salt, sugar and saltpetre in approximately the percentages in the recipe for the salting mixture, and dissolve in cool water until a raw potato floats in the brine. Pack the meat in layers as in the previous recipe, pouring in the brine when the barrel is almost full. Keep topping up with brine as it seeps into the meat layers, and weight down when the meat has settled and the barrel will take no more brine.

Before cooking the salted/brined meat, soak it in plenty of water as needed (overnight or longer, depending on for how long it has been in the brine, changing the water a couple of times).

This meat may be cooked and served with cooked potatoes and cabbage. The stock may be used to make pea soup.