Pönnukökuterta

Pancake cake

Not only does Petterson's little cat Findus love pancake cake for his birthday in the magical picture books by Swedish children's book author Sven Nordqvist , pancake cake is also a popular coffee specialty in Iceland. A pancake cake is also easy to prepare!


Ingredients

1 Tbsp butter
300 g wheat flour
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
500 ml milk
grated vanilla
300 g jam


Preparation

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the sugar, baking powder and salt, add half of the milk and stir everything in to form a smooth dough.

Add the eggs and mix well too.

Then add the vanilla and the remaining milk. Melt the butter and finally stir it into the dough.

Heat the pancake pan, grease it and pour the batter into it with a ladle and swirl the pan so that the batter can spread evenly and thinly in the pan.

Cook on both sides until the pancakes are appetizingly browned.

Then layer the pancake cake: Place the still warm pancake on a cake plate, spread it with jam and, if desired, a little more sugar or sugar cinnamon and place the next pancake on top. Repeat the process again and again, finally finishing with the last pancake.

Decorate the top pancake with cream and sugar cinnamon if you like.

Store the pancake cake in the refrigerator and cut into cake pieces before serving.



[Translated from here.]

Our own little Þorra-blót

At the end of the winter month of þorri, we had another "Icelandic evening" at the weekend, our own little Þorra-blót, so to speak:










In the afternoon we had pancake cake with jam and skúffukaka with licorice powder.

Dinner

Lúðusúpa (halibut soup) as a starter

Main course Plokkfískur (according to an alternative recipe).

Fjallabrauð (moss bread) and steikt fíflablöð (fried dandelion)

Dessert Lakkrísterta and blueberry ice cream with Skyr

For the children who wanted to, there was Skinkusnúðar (ham rolls) in the evening.

And for the adults who wanted, there was, in addition to licorice chocolate, Fjallagrasa snafs (moss schnapps) and Brennivín at the end.

A nice evening!



[Translated from here.]

Fjallagrasa snafs

“Icelandic moss schnapps”

This "schnapps is the magic potion of the Vikings", with extract of Icelandic moss, and there is a bit of moss floating around at the bottom of the bottle. "The Viking potion is prepared in an authentic Nordic taste that has a soothing effect" - says the original description on the packaging.

The smell is very harmless - but the taste is "very intense" and decidedly "herbaceous", according to the unanimous and rather surprised opinion of our two testers.

However, neither of them has regretted the experience of trying the moss schnapps.



[Translated from here.]

Dessert kökur

As part of the theme week "Around Liquorice" I wrote a guest article about licorice in Iceland for Becky from "Becky's Diner " for her culinary trip around the world and presented this recipe for "Desert kökur", i.e. for a dessert cake - with Lakkrískurl in it.

A sweet, sticky, delicious dessert cake is made from margarine, sugar, various muesli, dried blueberries and dates, chocolate, a fresh orange and of course a cup full of Lakkrískurl (not baked).

You can find the exact recipe here .

[Translated from here.]

Fjallabrauð

Moss bread

Despite the name, Icelandic moss (fjallagrös) is not a moss, but a type of lichen.
It is collected at the end of summer and then slowly dried in a darkened place.

Due to the bitter substances and vitamins contained in Icelandic moss, it has a slightly antibacterial effect, relieves inflammation of the mucous membranes and is said to have a strengthening and appetite-increasing effect.

With moss bread, however, the appetite-increasing effect is more likely achieved through the delicious taste.


Ingredients

500 ml concentrated milk
200 g cottage cheese (if available: Skyr)
300 ml water
5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
150 g oat bran
150 g oat flakes
1 Tbsp brown sugar
600 g wholemeal flour
2 fresh carrots
4 Tbsp Icelandic moss


Preparation

Soak the Icelandic moss in a bowl of water overnight.

The next day, squeeze out the moss and peel and grate the carrots.

Then put all the ingredients (except the moss) together in a large bowl and mix into a smooth dough, then knead in the moss.

Then fill the dough into two empty milk cartons that have been thoroughly washed with hot water and baked open at 175 °F (80 °C) upper/lower heat in the oven for about 3.5 hours.

[Translated from here.]

Steikt fíflablöð

Fried dandelions

Only young dandelions are suitable for this dish; older plants tend to taste too bitter.


Ingredients

500 g of young dandelions
120g bacon
1 clove of garlic
200 ml vegetable stock


Preparation

Wash and clean the dandelion well, then dry the individual leaves with kitchen paper and, if necessary, remove the stalk from the leaves.

Dice the bacon and heat in a large skillet until the bacon begins to ooze.

Chop the garlic clove into small pieces and fry briefly in the bacon.

Add the dandelion leaves to the pan and fry for one to two minutes.

Pour in the vegetable stock and simmer for another five minutes.

 
Serve the fried dandelion as a side dish to meat dishes.

If you don't have fresh dandelions to hand, you can also use spinach or chard leaves.




[Translated from here.]

Lakkrístrufflur

Liquorice truffles

Ingredients

200 dark chocolate ( 70%)
120 ml whipping cream
2 Tbsp licorice syrup
1 drop of aniseed oil
12 dried dates

 
Preparation

Heat the cream in a small saucepan . Then remove from the heat before the cream boils and completely dissolve the chocolate in the warm cream.

Then add the licorice syrup and a drop of aniseed oil and mix everything until smooth.

Cut the dried dates into small pieces and stir about half of the date pieces into the chocolate mixture.

Pour the finished mixture into praline molds and garnish the licorice truffles with the remaining date pieces. Then let everything cool down.

The finished mixture makes approximately 30 truffles.

Store the truffles in the refrigerator and use them within a week.



[Translated from here.]

Lakkrísterta

Liquorice tarts

"Lakkrísduft", i.e. licorice powder, is an achievement in young, modern Icelandic cuisine. So you can easily get the good, familiar, beloved licorice taste in tarts, truffles, desserts or even in gravy if you like.

In Iceland you can now easily get "Lakkrísduft" in the supermarket, but elsewhere you might have to make do with powdered licorice root, licorice syrup and a very, very small bit of aniseed oil if necessary.

Ingredients

3 pears
60 g lemon juice
150 g sugar
2 egg whites
60 g whipping cream
1 Tbsp powdered licorice root
1 Tbsp licorice syrup
1/4 tsp anise oil

200 g oatmeal cookies
2 oranges
1 Tbsp licorice syrup


Preparation

Peel the pears and puree them very finely in the blender. Then stir in the sugar and lemon juice.

Beat the egg white until stiff and mix with the pear puree.

Also whip the cream until stiff and mix with the powdered licorice root, the licorice syrup and a tiny bit of aniseed oil.

Mix the licorice cream with the egg white and pear mixture.

Finely chop the oatmeal cookies. Cut open the oranges, squeeze them and mix the orange juice with the biscuit pieces and a tablespoon of licorice syrup.

Pour the biscuit mixture into dessert glasses, press it down carefully and then spread the licorice-pear-egg white mixture on top.

Place the cakes in the freezer for at least 2 hours and then serve for dessert.

[Translated from here.]

Bláberjasalt III

Blueberry salt the third - dark purple and aromatic!

Ingredients

200 g coarse sea salt
1 tsp Bláberjachutney


Preparation

Mix the sea salt thoroughly with the Bláberjachutney...

... and then place the mixture on a baking tray lined with baking paper...

...and let it dry thoroughly in the oven at 125 °F (50 °C) for at least 5 to 6 hours. And - already done!

[Translated from here.]

Lakkrísís

Liquorice ice cream

Ingredients

5 egg yolks
130 g powdered sugar
400 g whipping cream
1 Tbsp licorice powder
1 Tbsp licorice syrup
1/2 tsp anise oil


Preparation

Mix the egg yolks together with the powdered sugar until foamy.

Then add the licorice powder, the licorice syrup and the aniseed oil (really just 1/2 teaspoon, no more!) and stir in.

Whip the cream until stiff and add it to the remaining ingredients in portions.

Pour the finished mixture into small containers and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

Serve the licorice ice cream slightly thawed.

[Translated from here.]

Vatnsdeigsbollur

Choux pastry doughnuts

In Iceland, Rose Monday is now called “bolludagur”, or “doughnut day”. The custom of traditionally baking such "balls" on Shrove Monday and eating large quantities of them was probably introduced to Iceland by Danish bakers at the end of the 19th century.


Ingredients
 
500 ml water
250g butter
250 g flour
7 Eggs
1 tsp salt

350 g whipping cream
grated vanilla
150 g red berry jam


Preparation

Place water, salt and butter in a saucepan and heat until the butter has melted.

Bring the mixture to the boil briefly, remove the pot from the heat and stir the flour into the dough with a wooden spoon.

Place the pot back on the stove and simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly until a thick dumpling forms.

Then remove the pot from the heat and let it cool down a bit. Then add eggs one at a time, stirring constantly, until the dough is smooth and shiny.

Using two teaspoons, place the dough in portions on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven at approx. 350 °F (180 °C) upper and lower heat for about 20 to 25 minutes. If possible, let the bales cool down a bit in the oven, then they usually hold their shape better.

Cut the still warm balls in half lengthwise, put a large dollop of stiffly whipped cream on the bottom half, add some jam to the cream and put the top half back on top. If you like, you can also put melted chocolate couverture on the bales.

Then serve the bales - they taste best fresh.

[Translated from here.]

Mysuostasúpa

Whey cheese soup for 2 people

Whey cheese is a solid, brown cheese that is made from whey (which is produced, for example, when making skyr).

In Norwegian this cheese is called "mysost", in Swedish "mesost" - in Icelandic the solid whey cheese that is cut with a cheese slicer is called "mysuostur". There is also “mysingur”, a popular spread. With "mysingur" the whey isn't cooked off quite as much and the cheese has roughly the color and consistency of peanut butter - but it smells and tastes very different, very intense and spicy!

The whey cheese soup can be cooked with both solid and soft Icelandic whey cheese, but with solid cheese you should increase the water content by 50% - otherwise the soup will be correspondingly thick, but it also tastes great!


Ingredients

500 ml water
50 g prunes
20g sugar
120 g soft whey cheese
4 Tbsp rice
50 ml cream
salt and pepper to taste


Preparation

Quarter the prunes with a knife.

Then slowly heat the water and the prunes on the stove in a large pot and let it simmer for about a quarter of an hour.

Add the whey cheese in thin slices in portions and let it melt in the hot liquid.

Finally add the rice and let it simmer for another 20 minutes.

Then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the finished, hot cheese soup with a dollop of cream and fresh bread.

[Translated from here.]