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.]

Skyrkaka með jarðarberjum

Skyr cake with strawberries

This is another "no-bake cake", although you did need a stove to melt the butter for the base, dissolve the gelatin for the filling and cook the berries. By the way, you have to prepare the cake the day before so that it can set in the fridge overnight.

However, the strawberry layer on top is quite liquid and runs down the right and left of the piece of cake - but that also makes it taste nice and fruity and refreshing!

(By the way, instead of plain oatmeal cookies, I used oatmeal cookies with chocolate pieces and dried berries; I thought they tasted a little more interesting. In any case, you can vary things up a bit.)


Ingredients

200 g oatmeal cookies (or similar)
90 g butter

500 g vanilla skyr
1 egg
250 ml whipping cream
1 env powdered gelatin
5 Tbsp water

300 g frozen strawberries
120 g sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice

fresh strawberries for decoration


Preparation

First prepare the soil:

Melt the butter.

Carefully crumble the oatmeal cookies - if available, place them in a breakfast bag and carefully crush them with a rolling pin.

Mix the melted butter with the cookie crumbs.

Line a springform pan with baking paper, pour the biscuit mixture into it and carefully press it evenly onto the base.

Now prepare the filling:

In a small pot, mix the gelatin with a little water and let it swell for about 10 minutes.

Then place the pot on the stove and heat slowly.

Meanwhile, mix the vanilla skyr with the egg and the whipping cream in a mixing bowl.

When the gelatin mixture is warm, slowly and carefully stir in the Skyr mixture, spoonful by spoonful.

Then pour the mixture onto the prepared base and let it cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours before applying the berry sauce.

Finally prepare the berry sauce:

Put the frozen strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice in a medium-sized saucepan and let it slowly get hot...

...until the mixture starts to thicken and bubbles. Let simmer for about 15 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and let the berry mixture cool slightly.

When the mixture is no longer warm, carefully pour it over the skyr cake and let it solidify in the fridge overnight.

The next day, carefully remove it from the springform pan, decorate with a few fresh strawberries and serve well chilled.

[Translated from here.]

Kaffivagninn in Reykjavík

For dinner at the old harbor

Kaffivagninn in Reykjavík's old harbor, in Grandi, has existed since 1935, making it the oldest still operating restaurant in Iceland. It has been in the current building since 1975. Breakfast is served here to hungry fishermen, workers, employees and tourists 7 days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., lunch is available from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the slightly larger evening menu is available from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

After a long day, we were looking for dinner in March in the evening and ended up at Kaffivagninn. When we came here at the weekend it was packed, but during the week it looked completely different and we were able to choose our table.

We chose a table on the street side, from which we had a nice view of the restaurant and the water. And the waitress eagerly brought us the dinner menu because we wanted a real dinner. It was also happy hour, so my husband ordered another beer while I stuck to the water, which was available in large bottles on all the tables.

The menu was relatively clear, we then decided on fish & chips ("fiskur og franskar") with salad and three different sauces (mustard sauce, cocktail sauce and remoulade)…

...and char fried in butter ("smjörseikt bleikja") with potatoes, crabs, almonds and parsley.

The fish with fries cost 2,690 ISK (the equivalent of around €20 as of March 2019), but it was a decent portion that filled you up well. The fried char with crabs was definitely very tasty, although a bit more expensive at 2,990 ISK (the equivalent of a good €22) - and the portion with the fish and the five potatoes was relatively manageable. Since we both shared portions, we were both pleasantly full!

We then paid and went back to our apartment.

Good night, Reykjavik!

[Translated from here.]