Party with Red currants

This week I used the last red currants in my garden. I couldn't quite decide whether to make a cake or a tarte - so we made both:)



Spiral cake with red currants
The cake is made as a spiral, so the layers become vertical. It´s fun to make – my daughter Mathilde made this one.

For 1 cake for 8-10 persons:
Berries:
1 pound red currants
3/4 cup sugar
2 TBSP potato starch or corn starch

Cake:
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
Cream:
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup Crème fraiche /sour cream 38% (or just use 2 cups whipping cream)
4 TBSP icing sugar
1/2 vanilla pod

Remove the stalks from the red currants, wash and drain. Place them in a pot. Add sugar and 3 TBSP water, bring the mixture to a boil and let it boil for about 3 minutes - stirring with a wooden spoon. Remove the pot from the heat and thicken with the potato flour stirred into 3 TBSP cold water. Let it cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until it increases in volume, stiffens slightly and becomes pale yellow, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Sift the flower, cinnamon and baking powder together.
Very carefully, fold in the sifted flour with a rubber spatula until the flour is no longer visible. Spread the batter onto 2 or 3 pans with baking parchment paper - about 1/4 inch thick.

Bake the cakes 8-10 minutes and turn them over on pans or towels dusted with sugar. Place damp towels on top of them and let them cool.

Beat cream, crème fraiche, icing sugar and vanilla seeds together until it is light and fluffy.

Remove the baking paper from the cakes and cut them in 6-9 stripes about 4 inches wide. Spread the red currants on the stripes and on top of that spread the thick vanilla cream. Roll one strip around itself and place it in the center of a round serving platter. Now, one at a time, wrap the remaining strips around the center strip until all is used. Put the cake in the fridge at least 1 hour.

Decorate with washed red currants dusted with sugar and fresh mint leaves.



Tarte with red currants and raspberries

Crust:
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 stick cold butter (1/2 cup)
1 egg yolk
1-2 TBSP cold water

Berries:
10 oz red currants
7 oz raspberries
Cream:
2 eggs
5 tbsp cane sugar
1/2 cup cream

icing sugar for decoration

Crust: Mix the dry ingredients in a food processor. Add the butter and let it run until it forms small crumbs. Add egg yolk and cold water and form the dough to a disc. Cover it with foil and let it rest in the fridge for one hour.

Roll the dough out about 1/4 inch thick (dust board with flour as needed) and press into a pie pan. Poke holes across the bottom, line with parchment paper and add pie weights or dried beans. Prebake the crust in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Take the crusts out, remove the baking weights and let it cool.

Filling: Remove the stalks from the red currants, wash and drain. Arrange red currants and raspberries on the dough. Beat eggs together with sugar and cream and pour over the berries.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool. Dust with icing sugar and enjoy!

Summer berry jam

Summer berry jam

A friend of mine taught me years ago, that the best way to harvest currants, is to cut the branches with the berries on – and then find a nice and shady place to sit and string the currants.

This summer, I have got huge amounts of both red and black currants as well as yellow and red raspberries in my garden.

I have made a lot of RØDGRØD – the favorite Danish summer pudding cooked on red berries, a little water and sugar. It is served cold with cream.

And then I made a lot jam of red currants, black currants and raspberries.

3 pounds berries (1 of each)
3/4 cup water
11/2 pound sugar
1-2 tsp pectin

Prepare 6-7 half-pint canning jars and lids. Place a small plate in your freezer.

Place the red and black currants in a large pot. Add water and bring the mixture to a hard boil and let it boil for about 3 minutes - stirring with a wooden spoon.
Add the sugar and let it boil - stirring with the wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved. Ad the raspberries and let it boil for about 3 minutes.
Add the pectin according to the package.
Test the jam by placing a small amount on the chilled plate. Allow 30 seconds to pass and then run your finger through it to see what the cooled consistency will be.
Ladle the jam into hot, sterilized canning jars. Wipe the rims of the jars clean with a dampened paper towel and seal them with the sterilized lids.
Store a cool and dark place.
Enjoy on bread, scones or in cakes or on your morning yoghurt.

Elderflower syrup

I made elderflower syrup twice this summer.
The flowers were blooming late and long this year.

Elderflower syrup

20-30 heads of elderflower
2 organic lemons in thin slices
11/4 cup sugar11/4 cup cane sugar or brown sugar
1 quart water
2 tsp citric acid

Layer the cleaned flowers with lemon slices in a big jar or bowl.
Boil sugar, cane sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved.
Take it off the heat and add citric acid.
Pour it over the flowers and lemon.
Cover the jar/bowl and put it in the fridge for 4 days.
Pour it through a sieve and into clean bottles.Keep in the fridge and serve in cold water or wine.

Use the mush in the sieve for a tasty jam.

Chop it in a food processor and pour it into a pan. Add same amount sugar and boil it rapidly for 5 minutes. Ladle the jam into clean jam jars and seal them.

Brandade

Sometimes I get this craving for salt cod – it's so GOOD – try it!

Brandade with slow-baked tomatoes and caper dressing
(Serves 4-6)

1/2 pound salt cod
1 cup milk
1 bay leaf
Fresh thyme
10 black peppercorns
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
White pepper and salt to taste

1 pound tomatoes, different kinds
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
Fresh thyme
1 pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper

1 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2-3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2-3 TBSP capers

Soak the cod in a big bowl of water for 1-2 days; change the water a couple of times.

Drain the cod and discard the soaking water. Place the cod in a saucepan with milk, bay leaf, thyme and peppercorns and bring it to a gentle simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Turn the heat of and let it rest, covered, 10 minutes.

Boil the potatoes and garlic in water until very tender – about 20 minutes. Discard the water and mash potatoes and garlic. Add the cod without skin and bones and mash again. Add the cream and beat until creamy. Add the olive oil in a slow stream and season with salt and pepper.

Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange them cut side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with thyme, sugar, salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Place the baking sheet in the oven at 125 degrees C (250 degrees F) for a couple of hours.

Whisk lemon juice, mustard end olive oil together and add capers. Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange the tomatoes on four plates and mound the Brandade in the middle. Drizzle the caper dressing over tomatoes and Brandade and serve with bread or toast.

Rosehip jam

Cleaning my freezer this week, I found a bag of last summer’s rosehip harvest – so I made a wonderful batch of

Rosehip jam with vanilla and lemon

2 pounds rinsed rosehips in half (without seeds and hairy bits)
1 organic lemon
1 cup water
1 vanilla pod
2 pounds sugar

Prepare 6-7 half-pint canning jars and lids. Place a small plate in your freezer.

Place the rose hips in a large pot. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and water. Slit the vanilla pod open lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Put the seeds and the pod into the pot.

Bring the mixture to a hard boil and let it boil for about 20 minutes - stirring with a wooden spoon.

Add the sugar to the rosehip mixture. Heat to high, stirring with the wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a rapid boil and reduce heat to medium high. Let it boil for about 20 minutes.

Test the jam by placing a small amount on the chilled plate. Allow 30 seconds to pass and then run your finger through it to check the consistency.

Ladle the jam into hot, sterilized canning jars. Wipe the rims of the jars clean with a dampened paper towel and seal them with the sterilized lids. Store a cool and dark place.

Enjoy on bread, scones or in cakes or on your morning yoghurtJ

This years Christmas present

Chocolate Panforte

A rich sweet Christmas cake filled with lots of almonds, hazelnuts and dried fruit.

(2 cakes)
150 g hazelnuts (1 heaped cup)
150 g almonds (1 heaped cup)
225 g dried figs (1/2 pound)
225 g dried apricots (1/2 pound)
150 g dried dates (1/3 pound)
90 g semolina flour (3/4 cup)
1 dl cocoa (1/2 cup)
1 orange
1 lemon
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsk ground coriander
1/4 tsk ground black pepper
200 g cane sugar (1 cup)
225 g honey (1 cup)
100 g melted dark chocolate (3 ounces)
Confectioners' sugar

Roast the hazelnuts on a pan or in the oven 10 minutes and place them in a clean cloth. Rub the skin off of with the cloth.

Soak the almonds in boiling water for 3 minutes and nip the skins of.

Cut all the dried fruit into small pieces and mix them with the nuts, the flour, the cocoa, the grated orange and lemon rind and all the spices.

Put the sugar and the honey in a pot and stir it over the heat until the sugar has melted. Cook it without stirring about 5 minutes – until it reaches 120 degree C (248 degree Fahrenheit).

Pour it into the fruit and nuts and mix it well. Ad the melted chocolate and pres the “dough” in to 2 cake pans buttered and lined with baking paper.

Put the pans in the oven at 150 degree C (300 degree Fahrenheit) for 1 hour.

Turn the cakes out of the pans and remove the paper. Dust the cakes on both sides with confectioners' (powdered/icing) sugar.

Cool the cakes and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or paper and store in a cool, dry place.
Well wrapped the cakes will keep at least 1 month.

My newest Cookbook

is on the shelves! Filled with delicious casseroles and sidedishes.
I will soon show you a "taste".
You can also see it on my website: http://www.sandra.dk/aktuelt.html