entertaining – Page 4

Gløgg: Scandinavian Spiced Mulled Wine

November 26, 2010September 29, 2014by Lynda Balslev7 Comments

It’s nearly December which means one thing: It’s time for Gløgg. Gløgg is the Scandinavian version of spiced mulled wine. From a corner of the world where winters are defined by brief grey days and long dark nights, fire and warmth are woven into the Nordic lifestyle and winter celebrations. Candles provide cosiness and light, adorning windows, tables and the holiday tree. Pelts and fur soften cold surfaces and soothe the skin. Socializing and rituals enliven the home and brighten the spirit. And hearty meals with fortified drinks warm the belly and feed the soul.

From now until Christmas, gløgg is prolific in Scandinavia. Hot, spiced and boosted with wine and spirits, this liquid pick-me-up is an elixir worthy of the vikings. Served in cafes and restaurants, from city street carts and at social gatherings, it’s the season’s antidote to the cold and dark. Most home cooks will make their own brew, whether enabled by a mix or from scratch. This recipe is my version of gløgg from scratch, and I encourage you to try this method. It avoids the cloying sweetness often found with mixes and is easy to prepare. As it simmers, the aromas of wine and spice will fill your home hinting at Christmas to come. Never mind any inclement weather outdoors. Inside it will be warm and cosy – a perfect complement to the winter day.

Gløgg

Makes 8-10 servings

For the garnish:
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup Cointreau or rum
1/2 cup whole almonds

For the gløgg:
1 – 1/2 cups Port wine
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup Cointreau or Gran Marnier
1/3 cup brown sugar
zest of 2 oranges, cut in strips
10 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 bottles inexpensive dry red wine

Fresh orange slices

Prepare the garnish:
Combine the raisins and Cointreau in a small bowl. Let sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours. (Raisins can be prepared up to one week in advance. Cover and refrigerate until use.)
Toast the almonds in a dry skillet on the stove. Remove from heat and coarsely chop in large pieces.

Prepare the gløgg:
Combine all of the ingredients except the 2 bottles of red wine in a heavy large pot with a lid. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered until reduced to 2 cups, 12-15 minutes.
Add red wine and warm over low heat with the lid on the pot. Do not boil.
Add a spoonful each of raisins and almonds to a glass or mug. Strain gløgg into glass. Garnish with fresh orange slices.

Appetizers, Autumn, Fall, Crostini, entertaining, Fruit, Summer, Vegetarian

Roasted Fig Crostini

August 14, 2010August 7, 2014by Lynda Balslev7 Comments

Oh, how I want to love figs. I am attracted to their shape and color, perfectly plump little bulbs, striated in violets and yellows, or hued in light green and dark purple. Soft and sensual to the touch and mildly aromatic, perhaps it’s their mildness that confounds me. Faintly sweet, yet nutty and vegetal, I find the fig elusive in flavor, its softness shrouding it like a mysterious woman in a cloak. I know there is more to the fig, and I want to discover it. I want to love it.

So, I found a ploy, or really a method, to reveal its secrets. By roasting figs in the oven, their taste and texture take on a whole new dimension. The fruit is coaxed from its shroud of vagueness, its natural sugars oozing and caramelizing, while its plumpness is reduced to a crispy intensity that bursts with flavor. There is no coyness or ambiguity with a roasted fig. It’s sweetness and articulated flavor is a perfect match with other ingredients, such as goat cheese and basil. Try it, you’ll like it. In fact, you will love it.

Roasted Fig Crostini

Makes 8

Extra-virgin olive oil
4 figs, sliced lengthwise, 1/4-inch thick
8 slices of baguette, cut on the diagonal, 1/2-inch thick
6 ounces soft mild goat cheese
Runny honey
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 whole basil leaves

Preheat oven to 400 F. (200 C.)
Lightly oil baking tray. Arrange fig slices in one layer. Lightly brush tops with olive oil. Bake in oven until bubbly and beginning to caramelize, about 20 minutes. While figs are roasting, brush baguette slices with olive oil. Arrange on another baking tray in one layer. Bake in same oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. To assemble crostini, spread baguette slices with goat cheese. Arrange 1-2 figs over cheese in one layer. Lightly drizzle with honey. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with a basil leaf. Serve immediately.

Appetizers, Curing, Denmark, Fish and Shellfish, holiday

Gravlax and Christmas

December 26, 2009July 31, 2014by Lynda Balslev4 Comments

The Danish Christmas season would not be complete without many Christmas Lunches. Christmas Lunch is the ubiquitous term for a multi-coursed feast punctuated by multiple toasts with schnaps, beer and wine. The season for these festive lunches spans the weeks of advent to several days following Christmas day. “Lunch” is actually a misnomer, since these smorgasbords can take place either during the day or evening.

A traditional Danish Christmas Lunch begins with a fish course, followed by meat, cheese and dessert. To me, the fish course sums up the beauty of nordic cuisine: Fresh, minimalist and refined. Herring, fjord shrimp and salmon are served open-faced on various breads (smørrebrød) with garnishes. There are many herring preparations: marinated with dill, folded in curried cream, spiced with wine and cloves. Every family has their own recipe which they think is best. Fjord shrimp are another Nordic delicacy: tiny shrimp the size of a fingernail, painstakingly peeled and artfully arranged in a towering piles on soft white french bread, and crowned with a dollop of creme fraiche and a squeeze of lemon.

My favorite fish is gravlax. It’s preparation and presentation are the essence of Nordic cuisine in simplicity and taste.Salmon is cured over days until it is meltingly soft with a clean taste of the sea. It’s edges are flecked with pepper and dill and tinged with salt, adding a restrained flavor that doesn’t overpower the fish.

Every Christmas I make my own Gravlax which we enjoy on Christmas day or New Years Eve. It’s very easy to prepare. Pay attention to the quality of the fish: It must be very fresh with a good consistency, not too mushy and preferably an Atlantic fish, such as Loch Duart Salmon. To serve, fold a slice of Gravlax on toasted brioche bread. Squeeze a few drops of fresh lemon juice and smear a spoonful of Honey Dill Mustard on the fish. Garnish with a dill sprigs.

Gravlax

Gravlax (gravlaks in Danish and Norwegian or gravad lax in Swedish) literally means salmon in a grave or hole. During the middle ages fisherman would salt salmon and let it ferment by burying it in a hole above high-tide line. Nowadays (unelss you wish to connect with your inner-viking) it’s not necessary to bury salmon in sand, but, rather in salt and sugar and let it sit in the refrigerator. The salmon will cure over several days, during which the salt and sugar will turn into liquid, creating a brine.

Serves a party

One side of salmon, about 3 lbs. (1.5 kg.), with skin, pin bones removed
1 tablespoon white peppercorns
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
10 oz. (350 g.) sea salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup fresh dill sprigs
1/4 cup Akavit or vodka

Finely grind peppercorns with a mortar and pestle. Mix pepper, salt, and sugars together in a medium bowl. Rub fish all over with salt mixture. Line a long baking pan or dish with plastic wrap. Place half the dill sprigs over plastic wrap. Arrange salmon, skin-side down on dill. Sprinkle Akavit over salmon. Top with remaining dill. Cover with additional plastic wrap, sealing the fish. Place a heavy pan or tray on fish. Weigh down pan with cans or bottles. Refrigerate for 3 days.

To serve, remove fish from refrigerate. Remove plastic wrap. Pour off collected juices and wipe off excess brine and dill. Slice diagonally from one corner of the salmon towards the center of the fillet. Serve with french bread or toasted brioche. Garnish with fresh dill sprigs and honey dill mustard.

Honey Dill Mustard

1/4 cup honey mustard
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup chopped dill sprigs
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk mustard and vinegar together in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in oil to emulsify. Stir in dill, pepper and salt.

Appetizers, entertaining, Fish and Shellfish, Parties

More Easy Holiday Party Food: Smoked Salmon Tartare

December 18, 2009July 31, 2014by Lynda Balslev2 Comments

Smoked salmon tartare is another easy holiday recipe for entertaining. Finely diced smoked salmon is tumbled with rich crème fraîche and moistened with fresh citrus juice. Red onion adds sweetness and crunch while chopped dill and chives brighten and freshen the tartare. If you are feeling extra-fancy, garnish the tartare with salmon roe and serve with champagne, and watch how this easy appetizer morphs into an elegant black-tie hors-d’oeuvre.

Smoked Salmon Tartare

Try to resist the urge to use a food processor for the salmon. The salmon should be small individual pieces rather than a puréed mixture.

Makes about 2 cups

1 pound smoked salmon
2 tablespoons finely minced red onion
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon crème fraîche or sour cream
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill sprigs
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chive ends
Baguette slices
Endive leaves
Fresh dill

Finely chop the smoked salmon in 1/8 inch dice and transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Add red onion, lemon and lime juice, lemon zest and black pepper. Fold in crème fraîche. (The tartare should be moist, but not soupy.)
Tartare may be made up to 8 hours in advance to this point. Cover and refrigerate.
Before serving, gently stir in chopped dill and chives.
Serve tartare with baguette slices or endive leaves. Garnish with snipped dill sprigs.

Appetizers, entertaining, Fish and Shellfish, holiday, Parties

Easy Holiday Party Food: Smoked Trout Mousse Canapées

December 16, 2009July 31, 2014by Lynda Balslev5 Comments

This is another figurative little black dress in the holiday recipe department. Smoked trout mousse canapées are the perfect addition to your repertoire of go-to recipes for easy entertaining. They are effortless to make, delcious to eat and elegant to serve. The results are addictively good: Salty, smoky trout lightened with cream cheese and brightened with fresh lemon juice. Toasted almonds and fresh dill add final crunchy freshness and tip these hors d’oervres into the sublime category. Just like a little black dress, this recipe is classic, popular and unfailingly dependable during the festive party season.

Smoked Trout Mousse

The ingredients keep well in the refrigerator, so they can be purchased in advance and kept on hand for an upcoming party dish or unexpected holiday visitors.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

8 ounces (250 g.) smoked trout (or bluefish), skin and any bones removed
4 ounces (125 g. ) cream cheese, room temperature
1 small onion, grated with juices
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of Tabasco

1/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted almonds
thinly sliced pumpernickel squares or sliced baguette

Garnish:
Dill sprigs
Fresh lemon slices, quartered

Combine all the ingredients except the almonds in bowl of food processor. Process until consistency is light and smooth. (If too thick, add additional lemon juice.) Transfer to serving bowl. Sprinkle with toasted almonds. Serve with thinly sliced pumpernickel squares or sliced baguette. Garnish with additional almonds, lemon slice and dill sprigs.

Appetizers

Prosciutto, Fig, Arugula and Goat Cheese Roll-ups with Honey

November 9, 2009June 8, 2014by Lynda Balslev

It’s November and there are baskets of figs for sale in our market. As a transplant from northern Europe, I find this positively decadent. I was shopping yesterday for an autumn dinner, thinking of apples, braising meat, a turnip or two. I rounded the corner in the produce department, and there they were: baskets and baskets of plump purpley-green tinged figs And they didn’t even look sad or weary from lengthy storage or intercontinental jet travel. These were the real ripe deal – all perky, fresh and plump. So, of course, I had to have them.

And this is what I made with what I had at home in my refrigerator:

Prosciutto, Fig, Arugula and Goat Cheese Roll-ups with Honey
Makes 16

8 slices prosciutto, cut in half horizontally
8 small figs, halved or 4 large figs, quartered
2 cups arugula leaves, washed and dried
1/3 cup soft mild goat cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Runny honey

Lay prosciutto slice on work surface. Arrange 1-2 fresh arugula leaves at one end. Place fig on top of arugula. Spoon one teaspoon goat cheese over fig and arugula. Sprinkle with a pinch of pepper. Roll up prosciutto from end with fig. Arrange on serving plate. Repeat with remaining ingredients. (Roll-ups can be prepared 3 hours ahead of serving. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.) Lightly drizzle honey over roll-ups before serving.