Sérstök afmælisgjöf: Matreiðsla með Sabrínu

A special birthday gift: Cooking with Sabrina

This year, I celebrated a milestone birthday - a "stórafmæli", as they say in Icelandic - I turned 50 in March. For this special occasion, my husband wanted to give me an equally special gift. After some thought, he came up with the idea of asking Sabrina from Bitesized Iceland if she was available for a private cooking event...

We had met Sabrina the previous summer during her food tour at Reykjavík’s Old Harbor - and we were absolutely thrilled. Not only by the tour itself, but also by Sabrina’s infectious passion for Icelandic food culture.

Source: Bitesized Iceland

Sabrina is originally from the U.S. and has been married to an Icelander for over 20 years. For many years, they lived in Denmark with their children, and now they've been living in Iceland for several years.

As an immigrant herself, Sabrina brings a fresh perspective to life and food in Iceland - one that differs from those who grew up on fermented shark, sheep’s head, and licorice-filled chocolate. But thanks to her Icelandic family, especially her mother-in-law, she also has a deep, personal connection to traditional Icelandic cuisine. Sabrina’s genuine enthusiasm and curiosity for Icelandic food shines through - she truly is the perfect person to introduce Icelandic cuisine to visitors through her company, Bitesized Iceland.

And yes - she was willing to offer us a cooking event. Yay!

My husband arranged for Sabrina to come to our cottage one afternoon and to cook together with us. In advance, she sent us a few menu suggestions, and together we chose the following:

Appetizer: A small brauðterta ("bread cake") with smoked salmon and egg

Main course: Foal fillet from Kjötkompaní with mushroom sauce, oven-roasted potatoes and carrots, and red cabbage salad with blueberries and feta

Dessert: Skyr mousse with ginger biscuits and blueberry sauce

Sabrina arrived around 4 p.m., as planned, fully equipped with all the groceries we'd need - and a big bag of kitchen tools, just in case our cottage wasn’t well-stocked.

And then came a very special highlight:

Since we were cooking together for my 50th birthday,  she brought her finest dishes to make everything feel extra beautiful and festive. It was such a lovely gesture - I was overjoyed!

She even brought along a selection of Christmas spoons from her mother-in-law - especially for me, the spoon from 1975, the year I was born. How cute and loving is that?!?

After unpacking the groceries, cookbooks she had brought with her, as well as the list of ingredients for our cooking session, she tied on her apron, I tied on mine - and off we went!

Sabrina then unpacked all the groceries and the cookbooks she had brought with her, as well as the list of ingredients for our cooking session - and then she tied on her apron and I tied on my apron and then we cooked together!

We had so much fun!

We started with the brauðterta so it could chill in the fridge. 

Then we prepared the skyr mousse: pure skyr, sugar, grated lemon zest, a generous pinch of cardamom, whipped cream, and white chocolate - all blended together and set to chill in the fridge. It was divine. I've been making it regularly ever since, always with fresh lemon zest and cardamom - I just love it.

Next, we got the side dishes ready, like the oven-roasted potatoes.

Then came the star of the evening: the foal fillet, which Sabrina seared in a pan. The marinated meat - from Kjötkompaní, of course - had been infused with truffle and wild garlic. Sabrina had introduced us to their branch in Grandi during last year's food tour. Their meat is absolutely top quality, albeit pricey - about €80 resp. $90 per kilo at the time. But perfect for a special occasion like this! It's definitely worth the money – but definitely not something you'd treat yourself to on a daily basis.

Sabrina used a meat thermometer to make sure the foal was cooked to perfection. And it absolutely was.

When dinner was ready, Sabrina lovingly set the table with her beautiful dishes, and we sat down to eat together.

Here's a photo of our appetizer:

A small brauðterta (bread cake) layered with smoked salmon, hard-boiled eggs, fresh herbs and a creamy blend of mayonnaise, Miracle Whip and sour cream for the perfect texture and flavor.

After chilling in the fridge, then Sabrina and I had such fun decorating it - ​​with eggs, green asparagus, fresh chives, and caviar. Doesn’t it look like a little path into a Hobbit house?

This photo really captures what the evening meant to me - just how happy and grateful I was. It was a truly special experience. I had a wonderful evening!

This is how the meal began!

Next came the main course - a large platter of oven-roasted potatoes and carrots, topped with the perfectly cooked foal fillet. A rich mushroom sauce served in a matching gravy boat, and a vibrant red cabbage salad with blueberries and feta rounded out the meal.

It tasted incredible!!!

And finally - the dessert. The skyr mousse was creamy and light, topped with crunchy ginger biscuit crumbs and a sweet blueberry sauce. We even ate it with those lovely Christmas spoons. Just perfect. I’m in love with that mousse!

After dinner, we relaxed on the sofa and chatted with Sabrina until 9:30 p.m. We had so much in common - from Icelandic food, to learning the language, to life on the island.

It was truly a perfect evening - cooking, eating, and talking. For me it was the perfect birthday gift.

Thank you so much, Sabrina.
Takk fyrir!

[Translated from here.]