Food for the gods

This week I had invited my parents over for dinner, because they always complain that they never get to visit me after I left Copenhagen. So there I was, with the dilemma of what to cook for them. I ended up serving them salmon with water cress and avocado, boef stroganoff and the most divine dessert ever.

Seriously, I've never made anything that tasted this good. It was divine (and I can thank food goddess, minx and ruler of food porn miss Nigella Lawson for the recipe). Oh, and braving a copyright infringement lawsuit, you can cook it too.



125 gram soft unsalted butter
300 gram dark chocolate (at least 70%) broken up into smallish pieces
3 tablespoons of the light coloured syrup
200 gram Digestive biscuits
100 gram mini marshmellows (I could only find large ones, so I cut mine into smaller pieces
2 tablespoons of icing sugar
1 fan to keep cool during the ordeal

1. melt butter, chocolate and syrup in a pot

2. save 1 1/4 deciliter of the mixture for later

3. put biscuits in a bag and bash them with a rolling pin - leave some small and other larger chunks of biscuit

4. mix biscuits and marshmellows into the chocolate mixture

5. pour the mixture into an appropriate container and smooth it with a hot knife or other cooking tool.

6. cool it for at least 2 hours, or preferably over night in the fridge

7. cut the "cake" into small pieces - the recipe says 24 but I doubt I got that many out of it.

8. dust cake with icing sugar. (I forgot that)



Even my mother who is *so* not a marshmellow person loved them.

That said, I had pasta tonight, and the only novelty pasta I've seen has been penis shaped ones. Never bought that, but I found this the other day


Looney Toons pasta! YAY!



It was actually not bad. I never really liked Bugs Bunny, so I took great pleasure in biting off his head.

Christmas: Attack of the sugar

Christmas came and went, and tomorrow it's back to the salt mines for 3 days while we stress about what we are doing for New Years Eve. Mine has been planned but as of a few days ago I'm trying to weasel myself out of them. Frankly, I don't want to be bored to tears on the last evening of the year. Especially since, so far (let's not jinx it), 2009 has been pretty darn great. Let's see what's going to happen. Until then, let's look back at a night I'll be remembering for years to come. Christmas Eve.

I spent the day on the sofa, lounging about, drinking wine and eating chocolates while watching movies and the Disney Christmas Show at 4pm. A major tradition not to be missed. Frankly, it isn't Christmas without the Disney Christmas Show with the snowball fight, Mickey Mouse, the Chipmunks and Pluto and the fabulous clip from Lady and the Tramp. Oh how I adore those.

It wasn't all lounging about with chocolates and Italian wine. Work was involved as I had to put dinner on the table. Before dinner got on the table though, I had to set it.



Then the real work began as I prepared the duck (not a whole duck, mind) and put it in the oven.



Then as the duck was nearing the time to get out, I had to make the candied potatoes (brune kartofler in Danish) - a dish not to be missed out. Here is how it's done.



The recipe I've been told by a colleague calls for

100 gram of sugar
100 gram of butter
1 glass of potatoes

I used a tiny bit more sugar and less butter. Some make it etirely without the butter which I suppose gives a different consistency to the caramelly goodness that sticks to the potatoes.

One



Put sugar into pan, and set thermostat to maximum heat. Full steam ahead! Of course, you must watch the pan at all times.

Two



Once the sugar has melted and become a bit caramelly, you add the sugar and stir. Mix the sugary butter goodness until it's come together as a thick'ish caramelly lovelieness.

Three



Add the potatoes, and stir a lot. Make sure that all the potatoes are covered in the sugary butter goodness. You should now turn down the heat a few notches. How many I don't know - see step Five.

Four



Keep stirring, and turn the heat up a notch or two. Make sure to be by the pan at all times, as you don't want it burning and you don't want this

Five



Full heat is too much. Boiling sugar is dangerous - potato or no patato. It exploded all over the place and I had melted boiling sugar and buttery goodness in my face, hair, over my arms and all over my kitchen. Including my lovely (not quite a Smeg) fridge. Quite shocking to be honest, but I managed with some cold water and baby oil. Although my face does have a bit of evidence of the evening of wine and candied potatoes.

Food was set on the table, as While You Were Sleeping started on TV. Oh how I love that movie.



I loaded my plate with food, and then remembered that I forgot to make the sauce. Oh dear.



What can you do? I decided to skip the sauce, as I rarely eat sauce anyway.

After consuming enough food to feed a small African nation, it was time for the dessert. The Cheesecake. Mmmmmmm.



Ah, the lovelieness!

Then on to wine and chocolates



And presents!



Oh yes, let's see the loot!



I finished another few movies, polished off the chocolates and another bottle of wine and went to bed.



How was your Christmas m'dearies?

It's cooking time!

I love cooking, and the sophisticated way of baking, you know, the kind where you don't get your hands dirty. Just pop stuff into a bowl and mix it up, and into the oven. Et voíla, fabulous baked goods! Christmas is a good time for that.

First of I just want to show you my fabulous marcipan treats, that I'm giving to my parents because I made the mistake of adding fruit flavoured stuff to it, and I simply can't keep it down.



It's just one of the jollies you get around the holidays.

Now on to what's really the matter. In Denmark we celebrate Christmas on the 24th because, we all know that's the correct day. We eat candy and other goodies all day long, watch TV, stress about the duck slowly roasting in the oven and guests start invading your home. The dinner at my parents house was the traditional roast duck, pork roast with cracklings, white potatoes, brown (or candied) potatoes and red cabbage. For dessert we always had ris a la mande or rice pudding with almonds topped with warm cherry sauce on top. Nobody can make that but your own mother. That's what they say, and my mothers is famous far and wide for being the best.

Why tamper with perfection? I won't be getting into that, when I'm celebrating Christmas in my own home this year. My parents are celebrating with evil bro and his spawn of satan this year. I like doing it alone, which is why I started my own traditions. This year I'm making Christmas cheesecake. How about that! There isn't much Christmas about it except it will be consumed at Christmas. This is how you do it - it's fairly easy!



You need what you see above

½ liter of cream (for whipping not beating, because it's eggs you beat)
200 gram of Digestive biscuits
125 gram of butter
200 gram of cream cheese (no added flavours or garlic cheesecake anyone?)
1 deciliter of icing sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla sugar

One



Melt butter, and while that happens you bash the Digestive biscuits. I like to put them in a bag and bash them with a rolling pin while yelling "why are you home so late?" and "were you out having fun with the guys, I'll give you FUN!". You could also mix it up, or if you don't have a rolling pin, put them in a bag and slam it against the cupboards repeatedly while yelling "go back to that tramp again, you two-timing bastard!". Or you could go diva and scream "No wire hangers EVER!". I like that last one combined with the rolling pin.

Two



Mix the bashed Digestive biscuit into the butter and stir (simply just stir it Una) into the melted butter

Three



Put the bashed Digestive (now with the added glory of the butter) into one of those springform pans (the ones where the sides are detachable) and store in cool place until later

Four



Mix the cream cheese, vanilla sugar and icing sugar in a bowl. Come on everyone, say it with me - Your gravy is lumpy Pam, then simply just stir it Una! No lumps for us.

Five

Whip the cream - where's Indy when you need him! Unlike melting butter, I'm sure you all know how to make whipped cream. You cannot use the crap from the cans.

Six



Mix a bit of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Just whisk away, this is no time to be gentle. I'm from the Nigella style of cooking where we aren't too careful about licking or whipping.

Six - continued



Fold the rest of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, first not so gentle, but then be more and more gentle as you add the rest. We want it to be light and airy. Like my brain when I see tinsel.

Uuuuuh! Tinsel!!

Um, where was I?

Oh yes!

Seven



Bring out the springform pan with the Digestive biscuit crust. It's cooled down a bit now. The task is now to add the cream cheesy whipped cream filling into the pan. Don't be too fussy about the look of it. It's not meant to be all neat. Make it rustic if you like.

Eight



Wrap it up, and put it in the fridge until tomorrow.

Ok, because I know you are curious, this is the rest of my fridge



Tomorrow before you consume it, you can decorate it. In the original recipe it says to add black currant jam and chopped pistachios. I however, have had much success adding French unsweetened black cherry jam on top.

My response to whatever you add?

Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. I prefer it the way it was, without all the extras.