Bibliophile's summer refersher

Here's a refreshing summer drink that has a taste reminiscent of a popular Icelandic soft drink, Mix, only not quite as sweet.

1 part pure pineapple juice
1 part Sprite Zero (or regular Sprite or 7up if you prefer it sweeter)
ice
decorations (optional): pineapple ring, paper umbrella, straw

Pour the pineapple juice into a highball glass, add the Sprite and top up with ice. Decorate and add a straw.

For a sunset effect, pour a little bit of Grenadine down the side of the glass after you pour the Sprite and allow it to settle on the bottom before you add the ice.

Crumbed fish - Steiktur fiskur í raspi

This is an old family favourite. Some variation of this dish can be had in many roadside diners thay serve more than the traditional hamburgers, sandwiches and hot dogs.

2 kg fish (cod, haddock, sole, flounder or any other white fish) – skin and bones removed
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg or egg white
a splash milk (optional)
250 g margarine/butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fish spice mix (use your favourite mix or substitute with Season-All)
a dash of pepper
1/2 medium onion, sliced

Break the egg and beat to break the yolk, add a splash of milk (if using) and mix well. Mix salt and spice with breadcrumbs. Cut the fish into pieces, across the fillet. Width of pieces can range from 2 1/2 to 5 cm (1-2 inches), depending on appetite. (Just make the pieces uniform in size.)

Set up your workplace:
First, a plate with the fish pieces, then a bowl with beaten egg, then a bowl with breadcrumbs, then the heated frying pan on the stove.

Instructions:
Melt half the margarine/butter (or use equivalent in cooking oil) in a medium hot frying pan. When the margarine stops frothing, add the onion slices to the pan and fry until they are golden. Remove from the pan and add the rest of the margarine/butter.

Now you can start frying the fish: Coat a piece of fish in egg, roll to cover in breadcrumbs, and put on the pan to fry. Continue until all the fish is on the pan. Turn when the underside of the pieces begins to brown, and fry on other side until golden brown.
Arrange the fish pieces on a serving plate, quickly heat the onions through on the pan, and pour onions and the remainder of the frying fat over the fish. If you want the fish to be less greasy, you can serve the onions and fat on the side.
The fish can also be baked if you want to avoid frying it. Should take about 30 minutes in a medium hot oven.

Serve with lemon wedges, a fresh salad and cooked potatoes.

This salad is also good with crumbed fish:

2 med. tomatoes
1/2 cucumber
1 tbs Mayonnaise

Cut tomatoes and cucumbers into 1/2 cm thick slices, then cut slices into narrow strips. Put in a bowl with the mayonnaise and stir to coat the vegetables. Also good with grilled lamb and pork.

Snake cake (rolled cake) - Slöngukaka

It's called a snake cake because the slices look like stylised coiled-up snakes.

4 eggs
150-200 g sugar
50 g flour
50 g potato starch or cornstarch

Cream the eggs and sugar together. Add the flour and potato/corn starch, little by little. Prepare a temporary baking container by putting baking paper on a baking sheet and folding in the corners to make a shallow "box". Pour in the dough and smooth with a spatula. Bake at 250°C for about 10 minutes. Set the oven to heat from below. Test for doneness by gently pressing the top of the cake with your finger - if the cake feels firm and the fingerprint quickly disappears, the cake is done. When done, turn the cake over onto a sheet of baking paper sprinkled with sugar. Put baking paper and a roasting pan or cutting board on top of the cake while it cools, to keep it smooth and prevent it from hardening.

Possible fillings:

Chocolate butter cream:
50-73 g margarine or butter, soft
50 g brown sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tbs dark cocoa
1 tsp vanilla sugar or vanilla essence

Cream together margarine/butter and brown sugar. Add the egg yolk and mix well. Add the flavouring and sifted cocoa.

White butter cream and banana filling:
50-73 g margarine or butter, soft
50 g sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla sugar or vanilla essence
2 ripe bananas, mashed

Cream together margarine/butter and brown sugar. Add the egg yolk and mix well. Add the flavouring and sifted cocoa.

When the cake is cold, smooth the butter cream over one side of it and firmly but carefully roll up the cake. If you are using bananas, smooth the mash over the icing before rolling. Slice and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Variations:
Instead of banana, you can use jam or jelly. Strawberry or raspberry jam tastes especially good with this kind of cake. I can imagine Nutella would also taste quite good (without any butter cream).

Basic recipe taken from Helga Sigurðardóttir's Matur & Drykkur, Mál og Menning, Reykjavík, 1986 (1947).

Vanilla ice-cream - Vanillurjómaís

Because it’s warm(-ish) and sunny outside, here is a lovely and fattening recipe for home-made ice-cream. My mother makes this for special occasions, like Christmas and easter. It is very rich and creamy, and absolutely delicious!

1/2 litre heavy cream or whipping cream
5 egg yolks (use the whites to make meringue drops
75 g sugar
vanilla essence to taste

Mix egg yolks, sugar and vanilla essence* and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Whip the cream until it is quite stiff and fold into yolk/sugar mixture. Pour into a mould and freeze, or use an ice-cream maker. Use the egg whites to make meringue tops to serve with the ice-cream.

*Note on vanilla use: A little goes a long way. The vanilla taste is stronger once the custard has been frozen. You can also use vanilla sugar or a vanilla bean (soak it in the milk).

Variations: Experiment with different flavourings and extras: chocolate chips, small pieces of preserved fruit, liqueurs, flavour essences.

Goes well with Crème de Menthe and Mint Chocolate liqueurs, chocolate sauce, Mars sauce (melt a large Mars bar in cream and mix well), hot fudge, hot caramel sauce, meringue drops, preserved fruit in syrup or fresh fruit, especially strawberries.

Traditional Icelandic fish balls - Fiskibollur

Fish balls are one of the many ways in which Icelanders like to cook fish, and the recipes are numerous. When I was little I loved to eat fish-balls in pink sauce (see recipe below), mostly because of the colour of the sauce.

1 large fillet white fish (cod, haddock and saithe are traditional), skinned and boneless
1 medium onion
2/3 cup flour
1/5 cup potato starch (use cornstarch if potato starch is not available)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
milk, as needed

Finely chop or grind the fish fillet and onion. Mix together in a bowl (or just throw both ingredients into a food processor and let it do the work). Add the dry ingredients, mixing well. Add the eggs and then the milk. The fish-dough should be just thick enough to stick together when you form it into balls. Form small balls with two tablespoons or use your hands. Fry in oil or butter over medium heat, until browned and cooked through. Serve with fresh salad and potatoes. Ketchup also goes well with fish-balls.

-If you must have some sauce on your fish-balls, serve with melted butter, brown gravy or cocktail sauce , or make pink sauce.

These are two ways to make pink sauce:
-1. Make basic white sauce and add ketchup until it turns pink.
-2. When the fish balls are just about done, add 250 ml. water to the pan. Take 1 1/2 tbs. flour and 100 ml. water or milk and mix into a smooth paste. When the water in the frying pan boils, add the flour paste and stir well. Add 1 tsp fish stock powder and 2 tbs. ketchup or tomato sauce. Cook for 5 minutes.

News: Skyr goes to Europe and the USA

It seems the world is finally to taste this unique Icelandic dairy product outside Iceland.

Skyr and some other Icelandic products will soon be available from the chain store Whole Foods Market in the United States.

A Danish dairy factory has started making skyr for local distribution, and skyr will soon be available in several other European countries.

If you see skyr on sale anywhere outside Iceland, please let me know.

Edit: See Rebecca's Comment for a heads up on the Whole Foods Market situation.

Ávaxtagrautur - Icelandic style compote of dried fruit

This is one of my father's favourite dishes. He likes it best with heaps of sugar and cream.
It can be served hot or cold, as a meal in itself or as a dessert.

150 g. mixed dried fruit – the usual Icelandic combination is prunes, apples, apricots, pears and peaches. Or you can use one type of dried fruit.
100 g. sugar
900 ml. water
30 g. potato flour (or cornstarch) mixed with 100 ml. cold water

Cook the fruit in the water until soft. Press through a sieve or process in a blender if you desire a finer texture. Add sugar and thicken with potato flour mix. Serve hot or cold, with cream or half & half.