Berjaskyr

Berry skyr

If you don't really like the blueberry skyr that you can now buy in coutries outside of Iceland, you might be able to help yourself with fresh berries and pure skyr.



Ingredients

450g pure Skyr
250 ml whipping cream
140g sugar
250g blueberries



Preparation

Whip the cream until stiff and mix with the sugar. Set aside about 1/3 of the mixture and mix the other 2/3 with the skyr.

Wash the blueberries, puree them and pass them through a sieve.

Add the pureed blueberries to the skyr-cream mixture and stir everything thoroughly until smooth.

Pour into a glass bowl, top with the reserved cream and serve fresh.

[Translated from here.]

Lakkrísbollakökur

Licorice cupcakes

Ingredients  

- for the cupcakes

225g sugar
225g flour
225g soft margarine
4 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp ground vanilla
1/2 tsp licorice syrup per cupcake


- for the cream  

125 g pure cream cheese
90 g margarine
1 tsp vanilla
250g powdered sugar
Liquorice powder



Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C) upper/lower heat.

For the dough, place the sugar, flour, margarine, eggs, baking powder, cardamom and vanilla in a mixing bowl and mix well.

Then pour the dough into the baking molds, filling the molds to a maximum of 2/3 full - be careful, the dough will rise a lot when baking!

Using a teaspoon, add about 1/2 teaspoon of licorice syrup to the dough in the molds and carefully "marble" it with a toothpick. (It's not about the look, it's just about ensuring that the syrup doesn't stick to the bottom of the cupcake in a big lump after baking.)

Then bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until they are golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool.

For the cream , mix the cream cheese with the margarine, vanilla and powdered sugar.

Then use a syringe with an appropriate attachment to add the cream to the cupcakes.

Very carefully use a sieve to spread a tiny bit of licorice powder onto the cupcake cream.

The recipe makes about 16 to 18 licorice cupcakes.

[Translated from here.]

Beðjubygg

Chard barley

Barley is a type of grain that also grows comparatively well in Iceland and is sometimes even called " hrísgrjón norðursins", i.e. "rice of the north", because here it is occasionally served as a side dish instead of rice or potatoes, in addition to soups and groats.

The barley grains are then de-husked, meaning the cover leaves are removed from the ears, the grain is polished or ground - and can then be used as barley.


Ingredients for 4 persons


240 g barley pearls
750 ml water
2 Tbsp nut oil
1 large onion
1 - 2 cloves of garlic
800 g chard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp lemon juice
3 tsp honey


Preparation

Let the pearl barley boil with the water in a large pot for about half an hour, then let it simmer until the barley has absorbed all the water (approx. 10 - 20 minutes).

Melt the oil in a large pan. Peel and chop the onion and add it to the oil to fry until translucent. Chop the garlic and fry it too.

Wash the chard, cut the leaves from the stem, cut them into strips about the thickness of a finger and fry them in the pan until they are soft.

Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice and honey. You can also use daisy syrup instead of honey!

Arrange the cooked barley on a plate, top with the fried chard and serve immediately.

[Translated from here.]

Brúnterta

We first bought this cake in the supermarket as "Kryddbiti", i.e. as a "spice bite", during our Iceland holiday and later came across it again in the museum café in Glaumbær as "Brúnterta" (quasi "edge cake"). Then I went looking for corresponding recipes!


Ingredients

250 g margarine
2 eggs
380 g brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp grated lemon peel
400 g flour
100 ml water
 
For the cream
 
150 gr margarine
350 g powdered sugar
1 tsp ground vanilla


Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C) upper/lower heat.

For the dough, mix the margarine, eggs and sugar.

Then add the remaining ingredients and stir. Then pour in enough water and work it in until the dough has a smooth consistency (approx. 100 ml, a little more if necessary).

Spread the dough on a large baking tray lined with baking paper and bake at 350 °F (180 °C) for about 20 minutes.

 
Then cut the base into 3 strips of equal width and let cool.

Mix margarine, powdered sugar and vanilla until the cream is as smooth as possible.

Spread half of the cream on the first layer, place the second layer on top and spread the rest of the cream on the second layer. Finally, place the third layer on top of the cake.

Let the cake rest in the fridge for at least 24 hours before serving.
 
Store the finished cake in a cool place.

[Translated from here.]

Sveppasúpa

Mushroom soup

Ingredients

50 g margarine
4 Tbsp wheat flour
700 ml milk
225 g mushrooms
2 tsp meat broth (concentrate)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper


Preparation

Melt 2/3 of the margarine in a saucepan. Dust over the flour and mix everything into a smooth mixture. Pour in the milk in small portions and stir until smooth so that a uniform sauce/soup is created.

Wash and cut the mushrooms and fry them in a large pan with the remaining margarine.

Season with salt, pepper and the meat broth concentrate.

Pour the roux over the fried mushrooms and if necessary...

...extend with a little milk until the consistency of the soup is nice and creamy.

[Translated from here.]

Steinseljasúpa

Parsley soup

Ingredients

100 g fresh parsley
1.5 l meat broth
2 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper


Preparation

Wash the parsley. Then cook half of the parsley in the meat stock for 15 minutes.

Then pour through a sieve and collect the liquid.

Melt the margarine in a second pot and mix with the flour until a uniform dough dumpling is formed. Then pour in the filtered broth in small portions and stir again and again.

Finally, pick and chop the remaining parsley...

  ...and add it to the soup.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with fresh bread and butter.

[Translated from here.]

Horn með kanelsmjöri

Croissants with cinnamon butter - 32 pieces

Ingredients

For the cinnamon butter

150 g homemade butter
100 g sugar
3 tsp cinnamon

For the dough

600g flour
125g butter
3 tsp baking powder
80g sugar
1 egg
200 ml milk

 
Preparation

For the cinnamon butter, stir 100 g of homemade, lightly salted butter (alternatively: butter or margarine) until it is soft. Add sugar and cinnamon and mix everything carefully.

To make the croissant dough, first stir the margarine and sugar until fluffy.

Add flour and baking powder and fold in. Pour in the egg and milk...

...and knead everything until you have a smooth dough that is as crack-free as possible.

Divide the dough into four equal parts.

Form each portion into a ball and roll out into a circle (about the size of a springform pan). Then spread the cinnamon butter on the dough and cut it into 8 “cake pieces” that are as large as possible.

Then roll up the pieces from the wide side and shape them into croissants.

Then place (with enough space) on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) for about 20 minutes until golden brown .

Allow the finished croissants to cool slightly and then serve with the remaining cinnamon butter!

[Translated from here.]

Kanelsmjör

Cinnamon butter

Ingredients

150 g homemade/salted butter
100 g sugar
3 tsp cinnamon


Preparation

For the cinnamon butter, process about 500 ml of whipping cream according to the recipe into about 150 g of homemade, lightly salted butter. (Alternatively, you can of course also use other butter!)

Mix the just-made butter (or the butter you bought at room temperature for a while so that it becomes nice and soft) with the sugar and cinnamon before it solidifies...

...and then let it solidify in a suitable container, in small silicone molds or something similar in the refrigerator.
 

Be sure to keep it refrigerated as the cinnamon butter softens quite quickly when warm!



[Translated from here.]

Kartöfluuppstúfur

Potatoes in white sauce

Ingredients for 4 persons

1.4kg potatoes
1 tsp salt for the cooking water
4 Tbsp margarine
5 tsp flour
750 ml milk
1/2 salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 tsp sugar


Preparation

Wash the potatoes and boil them in salted water until they are soft. Then let it cool down a little and peel. If the potatoes are too big, cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Melt the margarine in a large pot, sprinkle the flour over it and stir gently until a thick lump forms.

Pour in the milk in small portions and stir again and again until a creamy sauce is formed. Bring to the boil briefly. If necessary, add a little more milk until the consistency is nice and creamy!

Season the sauce with salt, white pepper, nutmeg and sugar.

Add the potatoes to the sauce and simmer until everything is well warmed.

Kartöfluuppstúfur is the typical accompaniment to smoked or cured meat in Icelandic cuisine. Cooked vegetables are often also served with this white sauce.

We had the classic green peas and cold Hamborgarhryggur (a type of smoked cheese).

[Translated from here.]

Heitt kartöflusalat

Warm potato salad

Ingredients

1.4kg potatoes  
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp margarine
1 large red onion
2 different colored peppers
3 Tbsp vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp dill
 

Preparation

Wash the potatoes, peel them, cut them into bite-sized pieces and boil them in salted water until soft.

Melt the margarine in a large pan.  

Chop and dice the onion and peppers.

First fry the onion pieces in the margarine over medium heat, then add the pepper pieces and finally the cooked potato pieces and let everything get hot.

Remove the pan from the heat, let it cool slightly, then season with the vinegar, sugar and dill.

 
Then serve the potato salad warm.

The warm potato salad is a typical Icelandic side dish, especially with fish dishes (like Fiskíbollur here).

[Translated from here.]