Probably not Icelandic in origin, but we have certainly made it our own. Although we call it Christmas Cake, we actually enjoy it all through the year. My mother usually bakes up a big batch of these cakes in one go. They freeze well, and are always popular with guests.
This versatile recipe is also good for making tea buns, and, with minor changes, Marble Cake, Lemon Cake, Sand Cake, Fruitcake and Spice Cake. Christmas cake is traditionally made with raisins, but as neither I or my mother like raisins in cakes, we usually substitute them with chocolate chips.
Ingredients:
150 g margarine, soft
150 g sugar
1 egg
250 g flour
2 tsp baking powder
150 ml milk
100 ml raisins or chocolate chips or 50/50 of both (optional)
1/2 tsp lemon, cardamom or vanilla essence
Margarine, milk and eggs should all be at room temperature.
Beat together sugar and margarine until it takes on a pale, almost white, colour. Add the egg and continue beating until light and fluffy looking. Add flavouring essence and mix well. Sift together flour and baking powder and add, small portions at a time, alternating with small doses of milk. Mix well in-between. Stir as little as possible after all the flour has been added, as over-stirring will make the cake dry and tough. Fold in the raisins/choc-chips (if using), by hand. Dust them lightly with flour before mixing - it will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the bowl.
To make Christmas cake:
Pour into a loaf pan, filling it 2/3 to the top. Bake at 175-200 C, on the lowest rack in the oven. Use more heat under the cake than on top. Baking time is approx. 45-60 minutes. The cake is ready when it shrinks from the edges of the pan, but test with a pin just in case. It should be well and evenly browned on all sides, with a peak down the middle. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan. Cool on a rack - if you can resist eating it while it is still warm!
To make Marble cake:
Use vanilla essence for flavouring. When the dough is fully mixed, divide in half and add melted chocolate (65 g) or sifted dark cocoa (2 tbs + 1 tbs sugar) to one half. The marbling is done by layering the dark and white dough. The amount of marbling depends on how many layers you use. Pour the dough in the baking tin in layers, beginning and ending with white dough. Drag a knife or spoon down the middle of the dough to marbleize. Bake as instructed.
To make Tea buns:
Drop by the teaspoonful on a baking sheet and bake in the middle of the oven until golden in colour.
To make Lemon Cake:
Use lemon juice (1 1/2 - 2 tsp) or lemon essence (1 tsp) and grated lemon peel (from 1/2 a lemon) to flavor the cake. Spread with lemon flavored icing if desired.
This lovely recipe and it's variations comes from the book Nýja Matreiðslubókin by Halldóra Eggertsdóttir and Sólveig Benediktsdóttir.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Icelandic blueberry/bilberry soup - Bláberjasúpa
It's almost blueberry season in Iceland, so here is a recipe to try.
What we call bláber (blueberries) in Iceland are actually the related bilberries. Either bilberries or blueberries can be used in this recipe.
Bilberries in the wild:
250 g blueberries or bilberries, fresh or frozen
1 + 3/4 litre water
approx. 150 g sugar
30 g potato starch or cornflour
100 m cold water
Drop the berries into boiling water and cook on low until they burst, 3-5 minutes. Mix together potato starch/cornflour and cold water into a smooth paste. Add sugar to the soup and stir until melted. Thicken with potato starch/cornflour mix. Serve and enjoy.
-Use more thickening mixture to make a blueberry pudding. Pour into a bowl before it stiffens and sprinkle sugar on top. Serve warm or cold with milk or cream (or half and half).
What we call bláber (blueberries) in Iceland are actually the related bilberries. Either bilberries or blueberries can be used in this recipe.
Bilberries in the wild:
250 g blueberries or bilberries, fresh or frozen
1 + 3/4 litre water
approx. 150 g sugar
30 g potato starch or cornflour
100 m cold water
Drop the berries into boiling water and cook on low until they burst, 3-5 minutes. Mix together potato starch/cornflour and cold water into a smooth paste. Add sugar to the soup and stir until melted. Thicken with potato starch/cornflour mix. Serve and enjoy.
-Use more thickening mixture to make a blueberry pudding. Pour into a bowl before it stiffens and sprinkle sugar on top. Serve warm or cold with milk or cream (or half and half).
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Coconut Drops & coconut cake - Kókostoppar og kókoskaka
Coconut drops
These little drop cookies are more like sweets that cookies, especially if you dip them in melted chocolate. This recipe makes about 20-25 cookies.
2 eggs
150 g sugar
225 g desiccated coconut
Whip together the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Fold in the desiccated coconut. Drop by the teaspoonful on a greased cookie sheet, and bake at 200°C until light golden brown (approx 10-12 minutes). Serve as is, or dip the bottom half of cooled cookies in melted chocolate.
Coconut cake
This cake is delicious by itself (especially when made with chocolate chips), or you can layer it with jam/jelly and decorate with whipped cream.
200 g margarine or butter
200 g sugar
2 eggs
200 g flour
180 g dessicated coconut
1 tsp baking powder
chocolate chips to taste (optional)
Beat together softened margarine and sugar, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one and mix well. Mix together flour, coconut and baking powder, and chocolate chips (if using). Add to sugar-egg-margarine mixture. Dough will be very thick. Spread into 3 round cake tins and bake at 180°C, until done (coconut will take on a light golden colour).
Layer with fruit jam or preserved fruit and cream.
These little drop cookies are more like sweets that cookies, especially if you dip them in melted chocolate. This recipe makes about 20-25 cookies.
2 eggs
150 g sugar
225 g desiccated coconut
Whip together the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Fold in the desiccated coconut. Drop by the teaspoonful on a greased cookie sheet, and bake at 200°C until light golden brown (approx 10-12 minutes). Serve as is, or dip the bottom half of cooled cookies in melted chocolate.
Coconut cake
This cake is delicious by itself (especially when made with chocolate chips), or you can layer it with jam/jelly and decorate with whipped cream.
200 g margarine or butter
200 g sugar
2 eggs
200 g flour
180 g dessicated coconut
1 tsp baking powder
chocolate chips to taste (optional)
Beat together softened margarine and sugar, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one and mix well. Mix together flour, coconut and baking powder, and chocolate chips (if using). Add to sugar-egg-margarine mixture. Dough will be very thick. Spread into 3 round cake tins and bake at 180°C, until done (coconut will take on a light golden colour).
Layer with fruit jam or preserved fruit and cream.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Chocolate "Snake cake" - Súkkulaði-slöngukaka
A chocolate version of the delicious snake cake. Plain version
3 eggs
125 g sugar
50 g potato starch or cornflour
2 tbs dark cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
Cream together the eggs and sugar. Add the dry ingredients (sift them first) and mix carefully. Bake like the other snake cake. When done, turn over onto a sheet of baking paper sprinkled with sugar. Roll up with the paper to store. When you want to serve the cake, gently unroll and smear one side with fruit jam, and top with whipped cream (about 150 ml is suitable). Slice and serve.
Variations:
-Instead of cream and jam, use vanilla buttercream or cream with mashed fruit. Banana is especially good.
-Smooth half-frozen ice-cream custard on the cake, roll up and freeze before serving.
Recipe taken from Helga Sigurðardóttir's "Matur & Drykkur", Mál og Menning, Reykjavík, 1986 (1947).
3 eggs
125 g sugar
50 g potato starch or cornflour
2 tbs dark cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
Cream together the eggs and sugar. Add the dry ingredients (sift them first) and mix carefully. Bake like the other snake cake. When done, turn over onto a sheet of baking paper sprinkled with sugar. Roll up with the paper to store. When you want to serve the cake, gently unroll and smear one side with fruit jam, and top with whipped cream (about 150 ml is suitable). Slice and serve.
Variations:
-Instead of cream and jam, use vanilla buttercream or cream with mashed fruit. Banana is especially good.
-Smooth half-frozen ice-cream custard on the cake, roll up and freeze before serving.
Recipe taken from Helga Sigurðardóttir's "Matur & Drykkur", Mál og Menning, Reykjavík, 1986 (1947).
Bibliophile's Pepperoni sauce for chicken, fish and pasta
This is a flavourful sauce that I use for chicken, fish and pasta. This makes a meal for two.
1/2 onion, chopped
50-100 g mushrooms (less for chicken and fish, more for pasta), sliced
10-15 slices of pepperoni, quartered (from the smaller kind of pepperoni sausage. If you have the big slices where one is enough to top a slice of bread, halve the amount and cut into more pieces), OR equal amount of bacon (will be less flavourful)
1 tbs tomato purée
150 ml cream
garlic to taste
salt, if needed
200 g chicken (breasts or thigh meat) or white fish, cubed
1 cup of rice (or more if you simply love rice or need to make the meal bigger)
salt, pepper and your favourite chicken or fish spice blend
Additional for fish:
½ cup flour
cheese, grated or sliced
OR
enough pasta (farfalle or rotini) for two people
Heat oven to 180°C (170°C if you have a convection oven like I do). While the oven is heating up, cut the chicken or fish into bite-sized cubes and prepare the onions, mushrooms and pepperoni. If using fish, mix salt, pepper and spice blend with flour and roll the fish pieces in the flour. Brown chicken or fish pieces on all sides in a hot frying pan. Put into a deep oven-proof dish.
Put the mushrooms, onions and pepperoni in the pan and fry over medium-hight heat until the onions and mushrooms are soft. Add the tomato purée, garlic and cream and mix well. Taste the sauce to see if it needs salt. Pour the sauce into the oven-proof dish and if you're using fish, top with cheese. Put in the oven and cook fish for about 15 minutes, chicken 25-30 minutes. Cook the rice in salted water according to packet instructions while the pepperoni dish is in the oven.
Serve with rice and a fresh salad.
For pasta:
Start the pasta cooking and while it cooks, prepare the sauce according to instructions, letting it boil down a bit in the pan to thicken before serving over hot pasta.
1/2 onion, chopped
50-100 g mushrooms (less for chicken and fish, more for pasta), sliced
10-15 slices of pepperoni, quartered (from the smaller kind of pepperoni sausage. If you have the big slices where one is enough to top a slice of bread, halve the amount and cut into more pieces), OR equal amount of bacon (will be less flavourful)
1 tbs tomato purée
150 ml cream
garlic to taste
salt, if needed
200 g chicken (breasts or thigh meat) or white fish, cubed
1 cup of rice (or more if you simply love rice or need to make the meal bigger)
salt, pepper and your favourite chicken or fish spice blend
Additional for fish:
½ cup flour
cheese, grated or sliced
OR
enough pasta (farfalle or rotini) for two people
Heat oven to 180°C (170°C if you have a convection oven like I do). While the oven is heating up, cut the chicken or fish into bite-sized cubes and prepare the onions, mushrooms and pepperoni. If using fish, mix salt, pepper and spice blend with flour and roll the fish pieces in the flour. Brown chicken or fish pieces on all sides in a hot frying pan. Put into a deep oven-proof dish.
Put the mushrooms, onions and pepperoni in the pan and fry over medium-hight heat until the onions and mushrooms are soft. Add the tomato purée, garlic and cream and mix well. Taste the sauce to see if it needs salt. Pour the sauce into the oven-proof dish and if you're using fish, top with cheese. Put in the oven and cook fish for about 15 minutes, chicken 25-30 minutes. Cook the rice in salted water according to packet instructions while the pepperoni dish is in the oven.
Serve with rice and a fresh salad.
For pasta:
Start the pasta cooking and while it cooks, prepare the sauce according to instructions, letting it boil down a bit in the pan to thicken before serving over hot pasta.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Fried rock ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) - Steiktar Rjúpur
This is THE Christmas dish in many Icelandic homes, although not in mine. I must admit that I have never tasted ptarmigan, but this is such a typical Icelandic Christmas dish that I had to include it here. Some of my friends claim that there wouldn't be any Christmas in their homes without it. For some, it has to be birds shot by their father, brother or uncle, but these days more and more people don't feel like going through the whole process of shooting, hanging, plucking and cleaning the birds. They people simply go to the next supermarket and buy the birds ready to cook.
3 rock ptarmigans, plucked, cleaned and ready for cooking
75 g fatty bacon
90 g butter/margarine
450 ml boiling water
450 ml boiling milk
2 tsp salt
300 ml cream
2 tbs flour
caramel colouring for the sauce - optional
Cut slits into the bird's chests and lard with strips of bacon fat (this is to ensure that the flesh will not be too dry). Truss the birds. Melt the butter in a cooking pot and brown the birds on all sides in the fat. Miw water and milk, heat to boiling and pour over the birds. Add the salt and cook for 1-1 1/2 hours. Remove the birds and strain the cooking liquid. Thicken with a mixture of cold water and flour. Add the cream and adjust the flavouring to taste. Divide up the birds and serve with mixed vegetables, pickled red cabbage, redcurrant jam and caramelized potatoes.
Optional: add a little redcurrant jam to the sauce for extra flavour.
3 rock ptarmigans, plucked, cleaned and ready for cooking
75 g fatty bacon
90 g butter/margarine
450 ml boiling water
450 ml boiling milk
2 tsp salt
300 ml cream
2 tbs flour
caramel colouring for the sauce - optional
Cut slits into the bird's chests and lard with strips of bacon fat (this is to ensure that the flesh will not be too dry). Truss the birds. Melt the butter in a cooking pot and brown the birds on all sides in the fat. Miw water and milk, heat to boiling and pour over the birds. Add the salt and cook for 1-1 1/2 hours. Remove the birds and strain the cooking liquid. Thicken with a mixture of cold water and flour. Add the cream and adjust the flavouring to taste. Divide up the birds and serve with mixed vegetables, pickled red cabbage, redcurrant jam and caramelized potatoes.
Optional: add a little redcurrant jam to the sauce for extra flavour.
News: Icelandic foods in the USA
29 shops in the Whole Foods Market chain in the Mid-Atlantic states are now offering Icelandic skyr (vanilla and blueberry flavors, with strawberry and unflavoured coming soon), cheeses and lamb. Icelandic chocolate (Síríus Konsúm) will be available soon, and fresh Icelandic fish will be available in the fall.
The Icelandic exporter expects to start selling the same products in Whole Foods Markets in the North-east USA, including Boston and New York, in September.
Source: Morgunblaðið
The Icelandic exporter expects to start selling the same products in Whole Foods Markets in the North-east USA, including Boston and New York, in September.
Source: Morgunblaðið
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