Category Archives: the finale touch

rubus chamacmorus ….. wellies and -40c; cloudberry crème brûlé

Posted on by

0

Can be picked in all the Nordic countries (except Denmark), Alaska, Canada, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Russia, Maine, Long Island, New York and Scotland plus you can buy them at IKEA all over the world – as jam on a glass jar for about $6.00. They grow on wet grounds … grows like a strawberry, looks like a raspberry – but yellow. Absolutely delicious and bursting with C vitamins, but they don’t come cheap.
This wonderful little berry has many names; clouldberry, hjorton, applebake, lakka, knotberry, mylta, knoutberry, aveinan and evon.
This little plant can survive temperatures down to -40C, but not when in bloom.
You need wellies and a good back to pick them.

For a quick dessert, I just buy a jar of “hjorton” jam – heat it up and serve it over ice cream. A more upscale dinner will demand something more – I often serve this little dessert. So easy and can be done in advance.

Cloudberry Crème Brûlé, 4 portions

250gr defrosted cloudberries
15ml (1tbsp) clear honey
1250ml milk
1250ml whipping cream
4 egg yolks
15ml (1tbsp) of each caster and raw sugar, mixed

1. Defrost cloudberries in a colander – then turn cloudberries in a honey. Put them on the bottom of the glass and place in the fridge for a a coupe of hours before you boil the cream.
2. Boil the milk and cream. Whisk together the egg yolks until fluffy. Pour the hot milk mixture over the yolks
3. Set back on stove and simmer gently until the custard thickness, stirring constantly. Ensure that the mixture doesn’t begin to cook – then the eggs coagulate.
Let cool down a bit – then pour brulés mixture of cloudberries and put back in fridge for preferably over night
4. Serving: Sprinkle mixed sugars on top of cream and burnt by the torch.
Garnish with some cloudberries and a crisp leaves of fresh mint.

                             

 Over here in Sweden we also use “hjorton” – cloudberries – for beer, wine, vinegar, cosmetic crèmes and in Finland they make a fantastic liqueur by name “Lakka”

Photos provided by; maion.com / ikea.com / jumpstartyourhealth.net / karinkonstgrepp.se / björn lindberg

about 3000 caloriers; white chocolate and whiskey croissant pudding

Posted on by

1

This recipe I found a magazine, ”New Woman” for about 10 years ago .. and with a bit of coup against one my colleagues I manage to get this dessert on our cooperate menu (we toke the decision while he was on the gents) and I think it became one of the most memorable dishes we ever did, both for guest and staff  (reasons vary). Still do it for my friends and it’s a winner with everybody … be careful with all the leftover bits – they really fill you up.

Have tried to do this in indv. dishes .. but it became to dry for my taste.

6 croissants, day’s old
400 ml standard milk
400 double cream
200 gr sugar
1 vanilla pod – cut lengthways
6 egg yolks
3 whole egg
30 gr sultanas
20 gr butter – melted
150 gr white chocolate, in pieces
45 ml whiskey

Pre-heat oven 180C degrees, baking time 40 min, 6 portions

1. Slice the croissants in 3 slice – place them in a greased baking tin – overlapping. It has to look bulky.
2. Sprinkle the sultanas over the croissants and drizzle the melted butter over.
3. Whisk to together eggs, egg yolks and sugar.
4. Pour the milk and cream to a pan with the vanilla pod with a lengthways cut – gradually bring to the boil for 5 min. Remove from the heat to cool down a bit.
5. Pick up the vanilla pod, place on a grease proof paper (so the vanilla is easier to be transferred back to the milk/cream mixture) – open up and scrape the vanilla out and put back to milk/cream.
6. Stir in the egg mixture into the milk/cream and add the chocolate – stir until all the chocolate has dissolved. Add whiskey.
7. Strain the mixture over the croissants through a chinos – the mixture have to be above the croissants. Cover with folio.
8. Bake for 25 min, until almost se then remove the folio for the last 10 min .. to get the crust without burning.
9. Has to be cold when being cut out. I use a special high pastry cutter – a high coffee mug will work too. Dip it in cold water between every portion cutout.

When it comes to serving I cheat – buy ready made custard that I mix with ready made chocolate sauce. Use that as the base under the “pudding” and on top of the pudding I place a ball of high quality vanilla ice cream.

As one our guest that said .. .. – it’s better then the sex I had last night!

photo provided by: fickr.com