Sunday, November 15, 2020

Húsfreyjuterta

Housewife cake

I got to know this "housewife's cake" through an Icelandic friend in the Westfjords - to be honest, I have no idea why it's called "housewife's cake". I've now come up with a few variations, with different cake bases, but what they all have in common is the cream filling and the caramel icing on the cake.

This version is a dessert cake for about 6 people.

Ingredients

4 eggs

160 g sugar

60 g flour

60 g potato flour

1 tsp baking powder

100 g grated chocolate

500 ml whipping cream

2 Tbsp maple syrup

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp butter

1 pinch of ground vanilla

Preparation

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

Beat the eggs and sugar until frothy.

Add flour and baking powder and work into a smooth dough.

Finally, stir in the grated chocolate.

Then put the dough into two springform pans (20 cm) lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) upper/lower heat for about 20 minutes (test with a toothpick!).

Then let the baked cake bases cool thoroughly.

Beat approx. 300 g of whipping cream until stiff.

Carefully remove one cake base from the baking paper, turn it over and place it on a cake plate or similar.

Then spread the whipped cream on the bottom layer and place the second layer (also upside down) on top. (Tip: Set aside some of the whipped cream to decorate the top layer!)

For the caramel cream, slowly heat the remaining cream with the maple syrup and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and then simmer, stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens nicely.

Finally add the butter and ground vanilla and stir.

Then let the cream cool thoroughly and then spread it on the cake.

Decorate with a little cream to taste

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I also spread salt caramel pieces on top of the cream, partly for the look and partly because my daughter loves salt caramel so much - and it really fits here!

Then serve the cake well chilled.

Bon appetit!

[Translated from here.]

Monday, November 9, 2020

Saltari

Salt fish with vegetables

In Iceland you can get saltfish in practically every supermarket. If you're lucky, you can get fresh saltfish, otherwise you can get frozen fish. The salt fish is usually cod marinated in salt. You don't need any additional salt to prepare dishes with salted fish, the fish is definitely salty enough.

If you can't get salt fish, use fresh cod instead. You then skip the watering process, but you have to cook the fish in salt water.

Ingredients for 2 servings

500 g salt fish
1 Tbsp oil
50 g spicy cheese
100 ml cream

1 stalk of leek
2 tomatoes
2 carrots
3 Tbsp fish stock (from cooking)
3 Tbsp olive oil

Preparation

Soak the fish in a little cold water for about half an hour to desalinate it.

Then put it in a pot of boiling water, close the lid and let the fish simmer for about 10 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and let stand for about 5 minutes.

Then place the fish in a fireproof dish, brush with oil, ...

...grate the cheese and sprinkle on top...

...and pour cream over the whole thing.

Bake in the oven at approx. 350 °F (180 °C) upper and lower heat for another 10 minutes until the cheese has melted nicely and the cream has set.

Meanwhile, wash, clean and chop the vegetables.

Braise the leek in a pan with the chopped tomatoes and carrots, the tomato paste and the fish stock from cooking, as well as a little olive oil.

Then serve the finished fish on top of the vegetables.

[Translated from here.]

My new Lopapeysa is finished!

Yay, I finally managed to finish my third Lopi project in time for the fall break!

Lopapeysa are those classic wool sweaters made from Icelandic wool. My first attempt at this was a bit too big, actually, a bit very, very big. The second attempt, which I knitted for my husband, was considerably better. So I decided to try again for myself...

In the summer, I went to the Álafoss factory outlet specifically to get new wool for my third attempt at knitting Lopi, after I had accidentally been careless and picked up balls of yarn in two different shades of red.

With everyday family life in Germany, I don't get much time to knit, so I'm all the happier that I managed to finish my third attempt before my trip to Iceland at the end of September. (Even though I missed the buttonholes and finished the last threads here in Iceland.)

I'm still miles away from being a professional knitter, but I'm already really enjoying it! Here you can see my beautiful piece in all its glory:

And here again model 2 (my husband's one) and model 3 (my hoodie):

I'm happy - and I'm looking forward to long, dark winter evenings when I'll hopefully have enough time to continue knitting!

PS: The "fake" red yarn has now found its way into my fourth lopapeysa, which I finished in just two weeks during my stay in Iceland—ah, I'm getting faster! The sweater is a bit less "traditional," but above all, it's a Christmas present, so I can't share any photos yet.

[Translated from here.]

Friday, November 6, 2020

Kryddbrauð

Spice bread

In autumn and winter, when it gets cold and wet and dark and uncomfortable outside, there is hardly anything better than making yourself comfortable in the warm room with a piece of warm spiced bread, nicely spread with good butter, and a hot drink Plus - perfect "huggulegur", as the Icelanders say, really cozy.

Many Icelandic families bake their spiced bread according to a special family recipe that their mother or grandmother baked. Then the memories come back with the smells...

Ingredients

80 g butter
200 g concentrated milk
2 eggs
200 g brown sugar
240 g flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Preparation

Melt the butter.

Mix the curdled milk and eggs with the melted butter.

Then add the flour, baking powder and spices.

Then put all the ingredients into a well-greased king cake mold lined with baking paper...

...and bake in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) upper and lower heat for about 45 minutes (test with a toothpick!).

Take the spiced bread out of the oven, let it cool a little and then carefully remove it from the tin.

It tastes particularly good while still warm, even with butter or whipped cream on the side. But even cold it is definitely a spicy, autumnal and Christmas treat!

[Translated from here.]

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Hveitikex

Flour cookies

This cookie recipe comes from an old cookbook that was on the shelf in a kitchen at the Árbær open-air museum - I was immediately blown away!

Ingredients

250 g flour

65 g potato flour

90 g margarine

30 g sugar

1 egg

3 Tbsp water

Preparation

Sift the flour and potato flour into a bowl.

Add the margarine in small flakes.

Add the sugar to the bowl.

Add the egg and water...

...and knead thoroughly.

Then roll out the dough.

Either cut out diamond shapes or cut out round cookies with a glass.

Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) for about 15 to 20 minutes until the cookies are golden brown.

Let the cookies cool a little and then serve - just the thing on a lazy Sunday afternoon!

[Translated from here.]

Friday, October 23, 2020

Oreo brúnkur

Oreo brownies

The Icelanders often love really sweet cakes - and they also love confectionery and use Oreo, Daim, licorice balls and the like. often when preparing desserts, cakes or tarts.

We had a little leftover yesterday - but tonight Child3 was at the fridge...

Ingredients