Summer

Peach Galette with Pistachio Frangipane and Lavender

July 26, 2020 By linda 2 Comments

Galettes are one of my favorite things to make but I hadn’t made one in a looong time prior to this. Actually the last time was 14 months ago, during our Journey workshop in France. I remember that Ruth (if you don’t already know her you need to check out her Instagram) who is not a fan of pies, especially not rhubarb, loved the rhubarb galette I made.

I feel like this is definitely something I could have made in France too! I’m pretty sure I served it with crème fraîche whipped cream last year too and it was absolutely delicious.

I was planning to make a galette for two but it ended up being slightly bigger and I’d say it serves 4, possibly 6 if you’re doing small portions. We did manage to eat most of it though, just the two of us, so I guess it depends on your sweet tooth 🙂

PEACH GALETTE WITH PISTACHIO FRANGIPANE AND LAVENDER

with crème fraîche whipped cream

Yields one tart, 4-6 servings

Feel free to use any stone fruit in this recipe, and you can also use toasted almonds or hazelnuts in place of the pistachios! I baked it in a skillet so it would be easy to bring outside, but I do recommend baking it directly on a baking sheet as there is less risk of a soggy bottom – since I don’t pre-cook the filling here and peaches tend to be quite juicy.

INGREDIENTS

PIE CRUST

125 g (0.85 cups) all purpose flour
3/4 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. flaky salt
100 g (1 scant stick) very cold salted butter
2-3 tbsp. ice water

PISTACHIO FRANGIPANE

30 g toasted and shelled pistachios
30 g (2 tbsp.) granulated sugar
30 g (2 tbsp.) softened salted butter
1 egg white (about 30 g, save the yolk for egg wash)
1 tbsp. all purpose flour
pinch of salt

PEACH FILLING

500 g firm peaches (about 4 peaches)
zest from 1 lemon
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. amaretto (can be omitted)
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch

EGG WASH

1 egg yolk
2 tsp. water
pinch of salt
1 tsp. turbinado sugar

CRÈME FRAîCHE WHIPPED CREAM

200 ml (0.85 cup) heavy cream
60 ml (1/4 cup) crème fraîche
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
culinary lavender, to sprinkle

INSTRUCTIONS

PIE CRUST

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. If you have one, use a cheese slicer to slice the butter thinly – if not, you can dice the butter with a knife. Add the sliced or diced butter to the dry ingredients, and using your fingers or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until dough is crumbly but there are still some small visible pieces of butter.
Drizzle with ice water, 1 tbsp at a time, and mix gently with a fork until dough just comes together, do not knead the dough.
Form the dough into a ball and place it on a piece of plastic wrap. Flatten into a disc, wrap in the plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least one hour but preferably overnight.

PISTACHIO FRANGIPANE

Place the pistachios, sugar and butter in a blender or food processor and pulse until chunky.
Add the egg white, flour and salt and pulse until fairly smooth (some pistachio chunks is a good thing. Cover the bowl and set aside, place in the fridge while you prepare the peach filling.

FILLING & BAKING

Let the dough rest for a few minutes at room temperature. Roll out the dough to a large circle on a lightly floured surface, about 1/8 – 1/4 inch (3-5 mm) thick. Make sure to roll and turn the dough so it doesn’t stick to the surface.
Using the rolling pin, transfer the dough to a baking sheet covered with baking paper. If your room is warm, you may need to place the rolled out pie dough in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
Peel the peaches if desired, but it’s absolutely not necessary. Slice each peach in thin slices or wedges, place them in a medium bowl and add lemon zest, juice, amaretto if using, sugar and cornstarch. Gently toss until all ingredients are combined.
Spread the frangipane over the rolled out dough, leaving the edges free from filling.
Place the peach filling on top of the frangipane.
Fold the edges over the fruit and press gently to seal. Transfer the galette to the freezer for 15 minutes, meanwhile preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F), if you haven’t already.
Whisk together the egg yolk with a little water and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Remove the galette from the freezer, then brush the edges with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake the tart for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Let cool completely before serving. If you like eating your pie warm, reheat slices in the microwave or oven
In a medium bowl, beat cream, crème fraîche and sugar until soft peaks form. Serve the galette with the whipped cream and a sprinkle of lavender blossoms.

Blueberry Cardamom Crumble

July 18, 2020 By linda 4 Comments

Lately, I’ve noticed a resistance in me whenever I try to come up with a new recipe for the blog. I’m always looking for the next incredible thing, like a purple lattice pie or a pink layer cake with chocolate glaze, but recently I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not possible for me to always make things like that. There has to be a balance. And what do I prefer to eat? Usually quite simple things, to be honest! And anything with cardamom.

I sometimes get frustrated with making a decision, and I stop before I even get started and just thinking about what recipe to make, what props, what surfaces, which lenses should I shoot with makes me exhausted. It can get overwhelming! After telling my friend Emelie about this, we decided I would bring some props and ingredients to her house to shoot a recipe. Making something easy like a crumble, and not being able to choose from aaaaall of the props and background turned out to be exactly what I needed. In addition, she has the most incredible wooden surface right outside her door so shooting there was easy. I might steal the surface, or shoot all my future photos there. Hehe. She has the cutest cats and lives in the most picturesque area, too!

I hope we’ll make this a weekly thing because it was the most fun I had in a while! We were also working on her project which you’ll be able to see on Youtube very soon. 🙂 I hope you’ll like these less advanced recipes as much as I do! By the way, I’ve edited all these photos with the ‘Aqua’ preset from my preset collection ‘Dark Food’ which you can find HERE!

BLUEBERRY CARDAMOM CRUMBLE

Serves 4

Feel free to use any berries or fruit with this recipe! Note that if you’re using a berry that is very tart or very sweet, you may need to adjust the sugar slightly. The cardamom can also be replaced with cinnamon, or your favorite spice. If you’re using frozen blueberries, don’t thaw them before using. Here is my favorite vanilla sauce/custard recipe!

INGREDIENTS

CRUMBLE

35 g (3 tbsp) granulated sugar
90 g (2/3 cup) all purpose flour
60 g (2/3 cup) rolled oats
3/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp freshly ground cardamom
100 g (1 scant stick) cold salted butter

BERRY FILLING

250 g (400 ml/1 3/4 cups) blueberries, fresh or frozen
35 g (3 tbsp) granulated sugar
2 tsp cornstarch (or thickener of your choice)

INSTRUCTIONS

BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Combine sugar, flour, rolled oats, baking powder, salt and cardamom in a medium bowl. Stir with a spoon until mixed.
Add the butter to the mixture and rub it in using your fingers until you have a crumbly mixture.
Place the blueberries in a pie dish, then toss them with sugar and cornstarch. Spread the berries evenly in the dish. Sprinkle the crumble over the berries.
Bake the crumble for 30-35 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and the top is golden. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving, then enjoy the crumble with vanilla custard or ice cream.

A Summer Berry Pavlova + Celebrating my 10th blog birthday!

July 30, 2019 By linda 17 Comments

Can you believe it’s been TEN years already?! Well, ten years and four days to be exact. I never manage to blog on the exact day anymore and this year was no exception, but hey, at least I remembered! I was going to bake something more spectacular since after all, it is my 10th blog birthday. To be completely honest I haven’t baked in months so even making a simple pavlova like this was a bit of a struggle (and it was like, the hottest day so far this summer!).

It’s been good to take a little break from baking and social media. The past 10 years have been so much about work and constantly updating that I needed it. I’m trying to focus on real life right now and doing meaningful work, being a little healthier overall, being present and meeting friends – something I’ve neglected over the past few years. Not only because of work but also because I’m an introvert and I go into hermit mode more often than I’d like. Hehe.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love baking and blogging and goodness, I have learnt and grown so much over these years! I’ll of coursee continue to bake and post recipes here – but I might add some other things too, like my previous post about camera gear. It just feels.. right! After all, photography is a huge part of this blog. And I always want to hear what you guys think, I already got some awesome suggestions in the last post but I’d love to hear more! Let me know in the comments 🙂

SUMMER BERRY PAVLOVA

Serves 6-8

This is such a simple recipe that is easy to customize to your liking. Perhaps make an infused cream? Maybe add some jam, a curd of some sort or simply other seasonal fruits? I love it simple like this, but sometimes it’s fun to change things up.

INGREDIENTS

MERINGUE

180 g (5-6 medium eggs) egg whites
270 g (1 1/4 cup) granulated sugar
1/2 tbsp. white wine vinegar

TOPPING

350 ml (1 1/2 cups) heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, if desired
Fresh berries (I used strawberries, wild strawberries and red currants
Powdered sugar, to dust

INSTRUCTIONS

MERINGUE

Preheat the oven to 125°C (260°F). Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Place the egg whites in a large, clean mixing bowl. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then add the sugar one tablespoon at a time with a few seconds between each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat for about 5-6 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and glossy.
Add the white wine vinegar and beat for another minute. Spoon the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the lower part of the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the meringue easily lifts of the baking paper, then turn off the oven and leave the meringue to cool completely in the oven.

TOPPING

Beat the cream with the vanilla extract until thick. Place the meringue on a serving platter and top with the whipped cream, berries and powdered sugar.

Apple Hand Pies

August 27, 2018 By linda 18 Comments

A few days ago, Luise and David of Green Kitchen Stories came to my little town to film an episode for their youtube channel. I’ve been following them for as long as I can remember and I’ve met them once before, very briefly at the book fair in Gothenburg, so it was really nice to spend a whole day with them!

We went to Äppelgården (“The Apple Farm”) in Slöinge, which was actually closed for the week, but they were kind enough to let us film there anyway. I had some leftover apples and I’ve been thinking about making apple hand pies for a while. I’d totally forgotten how time consuming it is to make mini lattice tops though. Hehe.

With that said, there’s really no need to fuss with lattice tops for these pies unless you really want to. You can simply cut out lids (that is, a simple round that you place over the filling, don’t forget to make a couple of cuts or holes for the filling to seep through) or just cut out different shapes as I did for one of them. Works like a charm!

You will most likely have some leftover dough, but it’s definitely better to have too much than too little. Check out my ‘How to make a lattice pie’-video over here.

APPLE HAND PIES

Makes 8 small pies

INGREDIENTS

PIE CRUST

360 g (2 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. flaky salt
225 g (2 sticks) very cold salted butter
5-8 tbsp. ice water

FILLING & TOPPING

3 tbsp. (40 g) granulated sugar
2 tbsp. (30 g) salted butter
2 cups peeled, cored and 1 x 1 cm diced apple (about 3-4 depending on size)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. cornstarch
50 g almond paste, grated
1 egg
pinch of salt
1 tbsp. turbinado sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

PIE CRUST

Mix together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Use a cheese slicer, if you have one, to slice the butter thinly – if not, you can simply dice the butter with a knife. Add the sliced or diced butter to the dry ingredients, and using your fingers or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until dough is crumbly but there are still some small visible pieces of butter.
Drizzle with ice water, 1 tbsp at a time, and mix gently with a fork until dough just comes together, do not knead the dough.
Form the dough into two evenly sized balls. Flatten into discs, wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least one hour but preferably overnight.

FILLING

Place the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the pan over medium high heat until the sugar starts melting around the edges. Turn the heat down to low and stir gently with a wooden spoon until sugar is completely melted and golden brown. Be careful not to burn the sugar!
Add in the butter, piece by piece, stirring between each addition.
Stir in the diced apples (the caramel might harden at this point, but don’t worry, just keep cooking and it’ll melt again) and cook for about 2 minutes.
Mix lemon juice and cornstarch in a small bowl and add to the mixture. Cook for 1 minute until the mixture thickens. Let cool completely, then stir in the grated almond paste.

ASSEMBLY & BAKING

Let the dough rest for a few minutes at room temperature. Roll out one piece of the dough into a large circle about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, on a lightly floured surface. Make sure to roll and turn the dough so it doesn’t stick to the surface. Using a 9 cm (3.5 inch) cutter, cut out 8 rounds from the dough and transfer onto a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Cut out flowers or stars or whatever you want as decoration from the leftover dough, then wrap the leftover dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
Roll out the other piece of dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut out lids, strips for lattice or any other decorative pattern with cutters. Use up any leftover dough if needed.
Spoon the filling onto the dough rounds, leaving a small border free from filling. Brush the border with some water, then place cutouts, lid or lattice on top of the filling. Press gently around the edges to seal, or use a fork to seal. Transfer the pies to the freezer for 15 minutes, meanwhile preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).
Whisk together the egg with a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Brush the pies with the egg wash, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool a little, then serve with vanilla ice cream.

Points North workshop – Norway 2018

August 21, 2018 By linda 10 Comments

It’s been more than two months since the Norway workshop at Melgården with Krissy, Liv, Kati and Sam. After workshops and travel, I need a lot of time to digest before I can write about the experience. There’s just so much to take in, so many new experiences and friendships, resulting in so many memories and photos to edit.

Last time we visited Melgården was back in December. Needless to say, it looked completely different then, all covered in snow. This time, everything was lush and green (perhaps a little brown and beige too from the lack of rain) and instead, the lilacs were blooming and there was heaps of rhubarb in Live’s garden.

Our journey began in Sweden, with our van filled to the brim with food, cameras, props and fresh herbs and flowers from Liv’s garden. We had a 5-6 hour drive ahead of us so of course we took every opportunity to stop at random flea markets on the way. One of them was absolutely lovely and I found some great things, like the cake stand from my previous post.

We arrived a few days ahead of the guests to prepare everything – Bake cakes, make pie dough, pick rhubarb and flowers, set tables and make sure everything was in order. We stayed at a nearby farm hotel, Søndre løsset, which was so charming, set in the most peaceful location.

I had an unexpected challenge at this workshop, the sun was shining all the time. And I’m not talking about how the sun never really set (which is also the case), no, I mean the sun was out all day every day! That’s lovely and all, but for outside photography in the middle of the day? Not so much.

We greeted our guests Hazel, Aniek, Birgitte, Kiri, Didi, Ida, Stefania, Andreea, Eileen and Sarah with welcome drinks in the greenhouse. You could already tell that this group consisted of the most fantastic women. Really, we couldn’t have asked for a better group! Thank you to each and everyone of you.

Liv prepared the most amazing dinner as always. She has a way with food that is so special. To me, she is a true genius. It’s very interesting watching her work in the kitchen, she’s like a whirlwind. Suddenly there is the most incredibly looking AND tasting food, with an accompanied mess of course! As there should be with true geniuses. 😉

The days are a bit of a blur, in the best way possible, but to sum it up they consisted of floral demos, pie demos, blowing out candle-demos, an amazing lunch set in a nearby field prepared by Kati and Sam, picnics in the garden, lightroom demos, talks about social media, a few glasses of wine here and there and a goodbye dinner made by Krissy (with the best pea soup ever). And I’m pretty sure I forgot half of it. Oh, and there was so much cake! Hopefully we all got back home with our hearts and bellies full, our skin slightly sunburned and with a lot of mosquito bites.

A huge thank you to our partners for this workshop, it wouldn’t have been possible without you!

Tine K (Website / Instagram) – for all the wonderful flatware, vases, pitchers, baskets and serving platters. They made our table settings look fantastic!

Magic Linen (Website / Instagram) – for the beautiful linens, napkins and table cloths. The most gorgeous selection of colors too!

Matchaeologist (Website / Instagram) – for the delicious matcha for our guests. I used it for the matcha cake too and it turned out so great. The best matcha I’ve tried!

Grain & Knot (Website / Instagram) – for the beautiful hand carved spoons and utensils. We loved them so much!

Pärlans Konfektyr (Website / Instagram) – for the lovely chocolate caramel boxes for our guests. Both beautiful and delicious! Make sure to to go there if you’re ever in Stockholm.

Sinikkaharms Ceramics (Website / Instagram) – for the gorgeous ceramics you provided us with. They made everything look amazing!

Apple cinnamon bundt cake

August 9, 2018 By linda 18 Comments

Whilst it’s not a good year for blueberries, it’s definitely a good year for apples which makes me super happy since apples are amongst my favorite things to bake with. And most of all, I needed a good reason to use some of my thrift store finds in a shoot, like that bundt pan, the pretty cake stand I bought at a flea market on our way to the Norway workshop, the broderie Anglaise apron (I’m absolutely obsessed with broderie Anglaise!), that vintage bicycle basket and the new hand carved beautiful utensils from Grain and Knot.

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably recognize some of these finds from my stories and know that I’m sort of obsessed with thrift shopping. More on this soon, hehe. Anyway, this apple bundt cake reminds me a of a soft gingerbread cake. Perhaps that’s why I love it so much? I was very tempted to add some cardamom too, but I already add cardamom to basically everything I make so cinnamon had to suffice. I mean, cinnamon and cardamom are basically two of the best flavour out there. Especially together. I’m thinking of cinnamon and cardamom buns which is preeeetty much the best thing ever, right?!

APPLE CINNAMON BUNDT CAKE

Serves 8

This cake is basically a Swedish ‘sockerkaka’ which, roughly translated, means sugar cake. It’s very fluffy and quite light in texture. Feel free to add other spices, like cardamom or cloves. Or replace the lemon with orange, so good! Note that I baked this cake in a vintage cake pan which usually takes a little longer – make sure to start checking doneness around 30-35 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

100 g (1 scant stick) salted butter
100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) milk
finely grated zest from 1 lemon
180 g (1 1/4 cup) all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2-3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 apples (about 280 g)
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. all purpose flour
3 large eggs, at room temp
180 g (3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) granulated sugar
Powdered sugar, for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 175°C (350F). Grease and flour a 4 1/2 – 5 cup (about 1 – 1.2 litre) bundt or loaf pan.
In a saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the milk and lemon zest. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
Core, peel and dice the apples (to about 1 x 1 cm dices). Toss them in a bowl with lemon juice and 1 tbsp flour.
In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Sift in the flour mixture and stir gently until combined. Add the butter mixture and stir until completely smooth. Should there be lumps of flour left in the batter, beat until just combined. Stir in the diced apples.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake on the lowest rack in the oven for 40-45 minutes (start checking doneness around 30 minutes) or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Apricot blueberry galette

July 27, 2018 By linda 35 Comments

What a summer we’ve had so far. 2 1/2 months and I can only remember like.. two days of rain. Basically it’s too hot to do anything, let alone bake, but I just couldn’t resist these beautiful apricots.

I was going to pick blueberries in the forest, but turns out they’re teeny tiny. Perhaps it’s not a good summer for blueberries, or maybe I need to wait a little longer? Anyway, galettes are my absolute favorite thing to make with fruits. Pie crust makes literally everything better, and you can basically just throw in any fruit you have at home. Doesn’t need much else to be honest.

Speaking of summer, I’ve come to realize these past two years that summer is in some ways my least favorite season. Don’t get me wrong, I love some things about summer – like the produce, being able to hang out at the beach, finally getting some vitamin D, etc. But it also completely stresses me out.

I have zero inspiration and suffer from major FOMO. I feel like I should be doing fun and amazing things every day, preferably every minute of every day too, and it takes me to a point where I just want to crawl under my blanket (no wait, it’s too hot for that) and watch Netflix. Actually I’ve read a little about it and seems like I’m not alone (it’s called reverse seasonal affective disorder). Do you feel the same way or do you love summer? If not, which is your favorite season?

APRICOT BLUEBERRY GALETTE

Yields one tart, 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

PIE CRUST

180 g (1 1/4 cups) all purpose flour
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. flaky salt
150 g (about 1 + 1/3 stick) very cold salted butter
3-5 tbsp. ice water

FILLING & TOPPING

500 g (about 7-8 depending on size) apricots
125 g (about 1 cup) fresh blueberries
zest and juice from 1/2 small lemon
50-75 g (4-6 tbsp.) turbinado or granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla bean powder
1/4 tsp cardamom
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 egg
pinch of salt
1 tbsp. turbinado sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

PIE CRUST

Mix together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Use a cheese slicer, if you have one, to slice the butter thinly – if not, you can simply dice the butter with a knife. Add the sliced or diced butter to the dry ingredients, and using your fingers or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until dough is crumbly but there are still some small visible pieces of butter.
Drizzle with ice water, 1 tbsp at a time, and mix gently with a fork until dough just comes together, do not knead the dough.
Form the dough into a ball and place it on a piece of plastic wrap. Flatten into a disc, wrap in the plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least one hour but preferably overnight.

ASSEMBLY & BAKING

Let the dough rest for a few minutes at room temperature. Roll out the dough into a large circle about 1/8 – 1/4 inch (3-5 mm) thick, on a lightly floured surface. Make sure to roll and turn the dough so it doesn’t stick to the surface.
Using the rolling pin, transfer the dough to a baking sheet covered with baking paper.
Halve the apricots and remove the pits, then place the apricots in a bowl with the blueberries. Toss with the lemon zest, juice, sugar (adjust to sweetness of fruit), vanilla, cardamom and cornstarch. Arrange the fruit on top of the dough, leaving a border around the edges. Fold the dough over the fruit and press gently to seal. Transfer the galette to the freezer for 15 minutes, meanwhile preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).
Whisk together the egg with a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Brush the edges with the egg wash, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake until golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool, then serve with vanilla ice cream.

Strawberry mascarpone ice cream with lime sugar

June 26, 2018 By linda 8 Comments

It’s finally strawberry season! I decided to make this ice cream with the first strawberries I bought for the season. Alright, I actually ate some of them as well, I had to make sure they tasted ok – can you blame me?

I was inpsired by my friend My Feldt when I made this recipe. In her book there is a strawberry sorbet which she tops with lime sugar, and since trying that I’ve been obsessed with the idea. I also tried it with some of the rose sugar from my previous post, so good! This is probably my new favorite ice cream!

Strawberry mascarpone ice cream with lime sugar

Makes approximately 3/4 quart

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into a freezer container and put in the freezer. When partially frozen (after 2-3 of hours), take it out and whip it with an electric mixer to break up the ice crystals. Repeat 3-4 times during the freezing process. Freeze until firm enough to scoop. It won’t be exactly the same as when you use a machine for churning but it’ll still be delicious!

INGREDIENTS

Strawberry mascarpone ice cream

350 g strawberries, hulled
100 g (scant 1/2 cup) granulated sugar
1 tbsp. balsamico (can be omitted)
zest from 1 lime
juice from 1 lime
100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp.) heavy cream
250 g mascarpone
1 tbsp. vodka (can be omitted)

Lime sugar

zest from 1 lime
3 tbsp. granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Halve the strawberries and place them in a large bowl. Add the sugar, balsamico, lime zest and lime juice. Stir gently with a spoon and let the mixture macerate for 15 minutes until the strawberries release liquid.
Puree the strawberries using an immersion blender, then stir in the cream and mascarpone and mix with the immersion blender until smooth. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge until completely cold, about 1-2 hours. Stir in vodka if using.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to your manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately as soft serve ice cream, or transfer ice cream to a freezer container with a tight fitting lid. Smooth the top with a spatula, cover with the lid and freeze until firm, about 2-4 hours.
Place the zest from the lime in a small bowl. Add the sugar and rub until sugar is fragrant. Serve the ice cream with some sugar sprinkled on top.

Rose petal sugar

June 16, 2018 By linda 17 Comments

This recipe was supposed to be published a couple of weeks ago, but you know, life happens. I actually just got back from Norway a few days ago, from a workshop that I hosted with Krissy and Liv with the help of Sam and Kati, at Melgården which we visited back in December. It was amazing seeing Melgården in summer, but more about this in an upcoming post..

I know that the rosehip bushes are probably no longer in bloom, but I know I’ve seen other rose bushes in bloom that would be perfect to use for rose petal sugar as well.

This is sort of a non-recipe recipe, and you can totally wing it with the amount of sugar and rose petals. Do make sure to read the notes about the recipe when you scroll down though! I’m SO glad I have several ziploc bags of this stuff in my freezer now. I’m thinking, cookies? Ice cream?

Rose petal sugar

Some notes about this recipe: Don’t use roses from the florist, they’re usually sprayed and not very fragrant either. Use rose petals from wild growing rosehip bushes or from fragrant roses that grow in your garden. There is no need to pick the whole rose, simply pick the petals (the whole roses in my photos are just for the photos!) and leave the rest. I didn’t wash the petals, I placed them on a piece of kitchen paper to get rid of any bugs or dirt. If you want to, you can wash the petals – just make sure they’re dry before using them. I store the sugar in the freezer as I feel like it preserves the flavour and fragrance longer. This sugar is perfect for sprinkling on cookies, in tea, cocktails or simply use as you would use regular sugar in baking.

INGREDIENTS

200 g granulated sugar
1 cup rose petals, tightly packed

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine sugar and rose petals in a blender or food processor and pulse until the sugar is even in color. Transfer to a ziploc bag or airtight container and place in the freezer.

Carrot cake with lime cream cheese frosting & salted caramel sauce

May 29, 2018 By linda 17 Comments

After a fabulous workshop in Paris with Joann, Elise and Eva, and our amazing guests, I was happy to come home to super hot summer weather in Sweden (still going strong!). I decided to make one of my favorite cakes for the workshop, my carrot cake.

I know, I’ve posted it before but it’s just so insanely good so no harm in posting it again. This time with the addition of lime in the cream cheese frosting and a salted caramel sauce. Let me tell you, it’s so so good!? I love this combination so much.

You wanna know a little secret? The cakes came with me to Paris all the way from Sweden, in my checked bag by the way. Obviously not the assembled cake with frosting, that would be a very bad idea. But still! It’s the second time I try it and it works like a charm. I know it sounds crazy to do this as I had access to a fabulous kitchen in Paris, but I just like to be prepared and I find it difficult to bake in a new kitchen. Perhaps that should be my next blogpost, how to bring cake on a flight? 😉

CARROT CAKE WITH LIME CREAM CHEESE FROSTING & SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

Yields one cake, serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

150 g (1 1/4 stick) salted butter
3 large eggs
135 g (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
110 g (1/2 cup) light brown sugar, firmly packed
180 g (1 1/4 cup) all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. flaky salt
250 g (about 1 3/4 cups grated) carrots, finely grated
150 ml (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp.) apple sauce

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

150 g (1 1/4 stick) softened unsalted butter
110-150 g (3/4 – 1 cup) powdered sugar
200 g cream cheese
1/4 tsp. vanilla bean powder
zest from 1 organic lime

CARAMEL

110 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
50 g (3 tbsp.) salted butter, in small cubes
75 ml (1/3 cup) heavy cream
1/4 tsp. flaky salt

INSTRUCTIONS

CAKE

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour two 6-inch (15 cm) cake pans.
Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
Beat eggs and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the melted butter and stir until smooth.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, then gently stir dry mixture into the batter until just smooth. Add grated carrots and apple sauce and stir until combined. Divide batter between the two cake pans.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pans, smoothing the tops with a spatula. Bake in the lower part of the oven for about 40-43 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

FROSTING

Beat butter and powdered sugar (start with the smaller amount and add more if needed) until pale and fluffy. Add cream cheese and vanilla and beat until just smooth. Stir in the grated lime zest.
If the frosting seems soft, place the bowl in the fridge while you prepare the next steps.

CARAMEL

Place the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the pan over medium to high heat until the sugar starts melting around the edges. Turn the heat down to low and stir gently with a wooden spoon until sugar is completely melted and golden brown. Be careful not to burn the sugar! Stir in the butter, piece by piece, stirring between each addition.
Little by little and very slowly pour the cream into the saucepan with the melted sugar and butter (it will bubble up so make sure to be careful as this stuff is hot!). Add the salt and stir until smooth. Pour the caramel into a heat proof bowl and let cool completely.

ASSEMBLY

Cut both cake layers in half with a serrated knife so you get four cake layers.
Put the first cake layer on a cake board or directly onto a plate or cake stand. Spread a layer of frosting on the first layer. Repeat this until you’ve used up all layers.
Spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake. Place the cake in the fridge for a while if it seems unstable.
Pour the caramel sauce over the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Top with fresh berries if desired.