Bananabrauð með súkkulaði

Banana bread

In my opinion, you can never have enough banana bread recipes... and this bread is really fluffy and delicious!

Banana bread has been very popular in Iceland since both banana plants and banana bread recipes came to the country with the US soldiers stationed here on the island during World War II. The plants thrive very well in the greenhouses in Hveragerði and the surrounding area, which are heated with geothermal energy.

Banana bread is also ideal for using up leftover bananas that have already turned a little brown.

Ingredients

240 g flour

220 g brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

4 ripe (browning) bananas

1 egg

2 - 3 Tbsp grated chocolate

Preparation

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

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Peel and puree the bananas.

Then add the egg to the banana puree...

... and then mix the wet mixture with the dry ingredients in portions.

Finally add the grated chocolate and stir in.

Grease a loaf tin or line it with baking paper, pour the dough into it...

... and bake in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) upper and lower heat for about 40 minutes (test with a toothpick!).

Then let the sweet bread cool down a bit and enjoy!

[Translated from here.]

Þrívíddargangbraut

3D zebra crossing

There are zebra crossings - and then there are 3D zebra crossings. These seemingly three-dimensional zebra crossings are an optical illusion - they are simply painted flat on the road, but the 3D appearance gives drivers the impression that they are heading towards an obstacle - and so they slow down and drive slower. At least that's the theory.

We saw the first of these seemingly "floating" zebra crossings a few years ago in Ísafjörður in the Westfjords - from the right angle I found the illusion really perfect.

Recently there has also been a 3D zebra crossing in the new city center ( miðbær ) of Selfoss.

Unfortunately, I don't think the new zebra crossing here is quite as successful as in the Ísafjörður - somehow it just doesn't seem quite the same to me, as there is already a paved crossing and the area already looks different from the rest of the street. I also find the painted "shadow" of the floating beams here - I don't know, too far forward maybe..? Especially since the road doesn't lead straight to the zebra crossing, but has a small bend.

We tried around a bit until we found the best possible viewing angle for the 3D zebra crossing in the new city center.

And - can't you really see how laboriously I'm climbing around between the high beams...?!?

[Translated from here]

AB-mjólk

A special Icelandic dairy product

Dairy products are an integral part of traditional Icelandic cuisine, including many things that are not known in other countries, such as AB-mjólk.

In Icelandic supermarkets, like here at Bónus in Selfoss, there are often separate "cold rooms" in a corner of the store. Usually in one corner there is a room for fruit and vegetables - and in another corner there is the "cold room" for dairy and meat products (" mjólkurvara og kjötvara ").

In the dairy products department you can find milk, butter, yoghurt, cream, sour cream, curds, cheese - and of course lots of Skyr, different companies and varieties. Here's a look at the corner with the milk and skyr.

Most Icelanders love dairy products - per capita consumption in Iceland is 60% higher than the average consumption of EU countries. So it's no wonder that there is such a large selection in the supermarkets!

One of the best-known Icelandic companies that specializes in the production and sale of dairy products in the country is MS (Mjólkursamsalan), an association of milk processing companies. MS no longer only produces for the Icelandic market. MS began exporting its "Ísey Skyr" to the USA as early as 2006, and the Skyr is now exported to 20 countries.

Another typically Icelandic product from MS, which you can actually only get on the island, is AB-mjólk.

What is AB-mjolk?

Basically, AB-mjólk is a thick probiotic milk made with the help of the bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus (a) and Bifidobacterium bifidum (b). Both are gram-positive bacteria that homofermentatively ferment glucose into lactic acid and do not produce any gases.

Both types of bacteria survive the journey through the human stomach quite well and can continue their "work" in the intestines, where they help to build and maintain healthy bacterial flora in the intestines. They are said to improve digestion and strengthen the body's internal defenses.

Lactobacillus acidophilus is relatively widespread and is often used in other countries for the production of probiotic yogurt. Bifidobacterium bifidum is still used in Denmark for special sour milk products. So far I have only found these two bacteria in this combination in the Icelandic AB-mjólk.

AB-mjólk tastes mild and slightly sour.

I prefer to use the AB-mjólk as a dessert with fresh fruit.

You can also have them for breakfast with muesli or use them in cooking and baking, for example for bread, rolls or sweet pastries such as skúffukaka, but you can also use them to prepare salad dressing or, for example, fish casseroles.

I think I have to introduce you to a few recipes with AB-mjólk in the near future, what do you think?

[Translated from here.]

Uppáhaldskanilsnúðar mínir

My favorite cinnamon rolls

Do you also know that some recipes change somehow over time? I've tried many different Icelandic cinnamon roll recipes in my life, but somehow I stuck with a basic recipe that I've been baking for (what feels like) 15 years at every school or kindergarten party where I have to bring something - and for family birthdays anyway. Cinnamon rolls always work!

But this basic recipe has also undergone some changes over the last 10 years, some of which I have picked up and adopted from other cinnamon roll recipes. I'm also baking vegan more and more often, especially for parties, simply because most people can eat it - and here I think the vegan version tastes perfect!

The recipe was originally made with wheat flour and milk. I quickly replaced the wheat flour with spelled flour. Instead of cow's milk, I now use soy-based vanilla milk (after first using oat milk, then almond milk and finally almond-vanilla milk). And compared to the original basic recipe, there is more melted margarine here, which makes the dough much smoother, easier to work with and also becomes wonderfully crispy when baked.

I baked these cinnamon rolls for child 4's school class this week - and they were really well received by everyone. We saved some for the rest of the family - and Child 2 and his girlfriend in particular really raved about this cinnamon roll version.

Ingredients

850 g spelled flour (type 650)

1/2 tsp salt

150 g brown sugar

1 packet of dry yeast

500 ml lukewarm vanilla soy milk

180 g melted margarine

80 g brown sugar

20 g cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom

Preparation

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the salt, brown sugar and dry yeast.

First stir in the lukewarm vanilla milk and then knead the melted margarine into the dough.

Then cover the dough and let it rise for at least half an hour.

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

In a small bowl, mix the sugar with the cinnamon and cardamom.

Then divide the yeast dough into three portions and roll each out thinly between two sheets of baking paper (rectangular, approx. 25 x 40 cm).

Spread 1/3 of the sugar-cinnamon-cardamom mixture onto the rolled out dough and then carefully roll up the dough over the long side.

Then use a sharp knife to cut the roll into slices approx. 1 cm thick.

Then place the cinnamon rolls on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) for about 10 - 15 minutes until they have turned golden brown.

Let it cool down a bit and then enjoy!

PS:

I like to bake my cinnamon rolls relatively small so that you can snack on them alongside other cakes without being completely full. Or sometimes you can eat more than one cinnamon roll. The baking time of course depends on the size - my small cinnamon rolls here need about 10 minutes in the oven, larger ones around 15 to 20 minutes or even more (of course it also depends on the oven). So it's best to start with 10 minutes of baking time and then see whether the rolls are already deliciously browned or can use a little more time in the oven.

[Translated from here.]

Berjaís

Berry ice cream

You use frozen berries for this ice cream, but you can vary it depending on your taste or use a berry mixture.

Ingredients

450 g frozen berries

100 g brown sugar

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 egg yolks

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 pinch of ground vanilla

450 g vanilla skyr

Preparation

Put the frozen berries in a saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice and cook over medium heat until a nice soft mass is formed.

Then puree the mixture and let it cool.

Mix the egg yolks with the sugar and ground vanilla until foamy.

Stir in the vanilla skyr.

Add the berry puree and mix everything well until you have a nice, uniform mixture.

Pour the ice cream into a mold (e.g. a cake pan lined with foil) and let it freeze in the freezer for at least 4 hours.

Then serve the finished berry ice cream either fresh as scoops or later cut into slices. We also had chocolate cookies and some fresh basil.

[Translated from here.]

Lax í kókóssúpu með rauðu karrí

Salmon in coconut soup with red curry

Many Icelandic chefs love to combine classic Icelandic ingredients such as salmon and cumin with foreign ingredients - and Asian influences in particular often find their way into Icelandic cooking pots, such as coconut milk and fresh coriander here.

I have often come across coriander in everyday cooking in Iceland!

Ingredients for 4 servings

600 g salmon fillets

2 Tbsp oil

1 onion

2 carrots

2 - 3 peppers

1 - 2 chili peppers

1 tsp ground cumin

250 ml coconut milk

250 g cooking cream

400 ml vegetable broth

2 Tbsp red curry paste

1 pkg sugar peas

salt and pepper

fresh coriander

Preparation

Wash, clean and chop the onion, carrot, pepper and chili pepper.

Heat the oil in a large pot.

Briefly fry the chopped vegetables in hot oil, sprinkling with the ground cumin.

Pour in the coconut milk, cooking cream and vegetable stock.

Stir in the curry paste.

Reduce the heat and let the whole thing simmer for approx. 15 - 20 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, cut the salmon into strips about 2 cm thick, brush with a little oil, salt and pepper and grill in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Add the sugar peas to the curry soup for the last 5 minutes and let them simmer.

Wash and pick the coriander and add it to the soup.

Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the grilled salmon on the soup plates, pour the soup over it and serve immediately.

[Translated from here.]