Bakaður lax

Baked salmon

Sometimes it's the simple recipes that are so impressively simple and delicious!


Ingredients for 2 people

4 small salmon fillets
1 pinch of ground pepper
1 pinch of coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp butter


Preparation

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

Place the salmon fillets in a tin lined with aluminum foil.

Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the dried.

Drizzle with the oil and lemon juice.

Spread the butter in small flakes over the salmon.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) upper and lower heat for about 15 minutes.

[Translated from here.]

Karríkartöflusalat

Curry potato salad

Whether you have to peel the boiled potatoes for this dish depends on the potatoes: In Iceland there are usually very small potatoes with thin skins that you don't have to peel. You don't necessarily have to peel new potatoes, but you should use peeled potatoes for large, thick-skinned potatoes.

PS: This salad was an absolute success, especially with my husband, and I'll definitely be making it again soon, but the salad with the onion and curry powder is a bit spicy!


Ingredients for 4 persons

600 g boiled potatoes
1 cucumber
1 red onion
3 Tbsp sour cream
2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 pinch of salt


Preparation

If necessary, cut the cooked and cold potatoes into bite-sized pieces, depending on their size.

Peel the cucumber, core it in the middle and grate it.

Also peel and chop the onion.

In a large bowl, mix the sour cream with the mustard, the curry powder and the salt.

Add the potatoes, cucumber and onion pieces...

...mix thoroughly...

...and let it steep briefly (approx. 30 minutes).

Then serve immediately.

[Translated from here.]

Skyrís

Skyr ice cream

This article contains advertising / links to other blogs - Volker from the food blog "Volker mampft" is the organizer of the food blogger campaign " Culinary World Tour ", and this month the trip stops in Iceland of all places - exactly the topic that is close to my heart!

So of course I didn't miss the opportunity to take part in this travel stop and contribute a typical Icelandic recipe.

Iceland was settled over 1,000 years ago by Norwegian Vikings, who settled here with their families, their servants and slaves, their pets, horses, sheep, cows, chickens and pigs. They brought their recipes with them from their old homeland, including the traditional recipe for Skyr.

Skyr is actually (technically) cream cheese, given the bacterial strains used, the addition of rennet and the corresponding whey formation. Pure skyr tastes quite sour, which is why Icelanders always eat it with milk or cream. Skyr basically has a nice, creamy consistency and can therefore be processed wonderfully.

In the past, each farm made its own Skyr and stored it in large wooden Skyr barrels - these days, however, most Icelanders buy their Skyr quite simply in the supermarket, where there is a very large selection.

Sure, there are many different recipes for Skyr ice cream, even here on my blog, but this is one of my absolute favorite recipes!



Ingredients

4 egg yolks
200 g brown sugar
450 g blueberry skyr
200 ml whipping cream


Preparation

Mix the egg yolks thoroughly with the sugar.

Add the blueberry skyr to the egg yolk and sugar mixture and mix vigorously.

Beat the cream separately...

...and carefully fold into the skyr mixture.

Then put the mixture into a suitable mold, if available a king cake mold lined with cling film...

...and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours until the ice cream is frozen.

Then cut the ice cream into slices and serve with fresh blueberries.
Well then - bon appetit!

[Translated from here.]

Hjónabandssæla frá Litlibæ

Photo: Litlibær in autumn 2016

Happy Marriage from Litlibær

This typical Icelandic cake is called "Hjónabandssæla", which means "happy marriage". There are several explanations for the name of the cake - perhaps because it is easy to make and gets better the longer you let it sit. Or maybe because there are as many different recipes and variations for this cake as there are recipes for a “real happy marriage”.

I got this recipe for "happy marriage" during our stay in Iceland in July 2018 from Sigríður Hafliðadóttir, who runs the old Litlibær peat house with her husband Kritsján and her family in the summer and provides guests there with really delicious waffles, cakes, jams and drinks spoiled.

I translated the recipe as literally as possible. However, I had to wait until I got rhubarb again to try it out so that I could make rhubarb jam for a Happy Marriage cake according to Sigríður's recipe.

When baking, however, I didn't completely follow Sigríður's recipe; I replaced the oat flour with soft oat flakes because I simply can't find oat flour in the usual grocery stores here. And I didn't grease the mold with butter, but lined it with baking paper. Oh, I used 3 to 4 large tablespoons of rhubarb jam, just based on how I felt.


Ingredients

200 g brown sugar
280 g flour
150 g oat flour
1 tsp baking soda
240 g margarine
1 egg

Butter for greasing the baking pan

Rhubarb jam


Preparation

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

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, oatmeal and baking soda.

Then crumble the margarine into small pieces and add the egg...

...and knead everything thoroughly.

Then divide the dough into three parts - knead the first two parts again and place them in a well-greased springform pan.

Spread with the rhubarb jam.

Then roll out the last third of the dough and cut it into approx. 1.5 cm wide strips...

...and place the strips on the jam.

Then bake the cake in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) upper and lower heat for about 45 minutes.

Bon appetit!

[Translated from here.]

Rabarbarasulta frá Litlibæ

Rhubarb jam from Litlibær

The old peat house in Litlibær is run in summer by Sigríður Hafliðaðóttir, her husband Kristján Kristjánsson and their family and I have been there several times to enjoy their delicious waffles with homemade rhubarb and blueberry jam.

Sigríður gave me the recipe for her jam!


Ingredients

1 kg rhubarb
700 g sugar


Preparation

Wash and clean the rhubarb and cut it into very small pieces.

Put it in a large pot with the sugar and then let it simmer for 4 hours.

It is important to give the jam this time so that it cooks down properly and has the right consistency!

Then pour the jam into clean jars that have been rinsed with boiling water and close tightly.

[Translated from here.]

Lambakótilettur með sveppasósu

Lamb chops with mushroom sauce

Lamb chops are really a typical Icelandic dish, and they are often seared and cooked in the oven in Icelandic cuisine. Sometimes breaded, or with sauce - like here with mushroom sauce with rhubarb jam.

Ingredients for 4 persons

8 - 12 lamb chops
2 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper
fresh thyme

400 g fresh mushrooms
1 onion
2 Tbsp butter
200 ml meat broth
150 ml cream
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1 pinch of black pepper
2 Tbsp rhubarb jam


Preparation

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

Fry the lamb chops in the pan with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Place the chops in an ovenproof dish, sprinkle with the thyme and cook (preferably covered) at 350 °F (180 °C) upper/lower heat for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the mushroom sauce:

Heat the butter in the pan in which the chops were fried.

Peel the onion and chop it finely.

Wash, clean and quarter the mushrooms.

Slowly fry the onion and mushrooms over low heat until they are nice and golden brown.

Pour in the meat broth and cream...

...and let it simmer until the sauce thickens and the desired consistency is reached.

Then season the sauce with salt, pepper and, if available, a little fresh thyme and stir in the rhubarb jam.

Then serve the lamb chops with the mushroom sauce - traditionally with caramelized potatoes and a dollop of rhubarb jam.

[Translated from here.]

Jarðarberja skyrís

Strawberry Skyr Ice Cream

Elsewhere you would call it "frozen yogurt", but for me it's just strawberry skyr ice cream. And delicious too!

Ingredients

350 g vanilla skyr
150 g whipping cream
300 g fresh strawberries
80 g powdered sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice


Preparation

Wash, clean and halve/quarter the strawberries.

Add all ingredients to the blender and puree thoroughly.

Then put the ice cream mixture into a suitable mold and, covered, let it solidify in the freezer for about 3 hours. Alternatively, you can of course also let the mixture freeze in the ice cream maker for a good hour.

If you want, you can garnish the strawberry Skyr ice cream with fresh strawberries.

Bon appetit!

[Translated from here.]