Summer Watermelon Salad

Sometimes the most quick and simple salads are the most rewarding in flavor. This simple summer salad has no lettuce, while the base is base from fresh watermelon and rich feta cheese. It is perfect on hot days and gives you enough salt that you crave for during the heat. We made this dish at the summer place a couple of times and most often enjoyed it by the lake. I love to set the table here and after lunch it’s great to dip those toes into the water when it gets too hot.

Watermelon Feta & Egg salad

• 1 watermelon, roughly sliced

• 1 packet rich feta, roughly sliced

• 3 small Spring onions

• 3 boiled eggs, roughly chopped

• 1 packet Crispy bacon

• Handful Roasted cashews

• Pinch of Salt/pepper

• Pinch of Fresh Thyme

• 1 tablespoon Olive oil Lemon

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

This salad is extremely easy to make that literally requires a little bit of chopping and merging all the flavors together. Begin by cooking the bacon (I placed them into an oven for a good 20 minutes until crispy) and boiling the eggs. Simultaneously, you can roast the cashews on a dry pan with a bit of salt, until they receive a bit of color for a few minutes. Once ready remove to the side to cool.

Meanwhile roughly chop the melon, feta and finely dice the spring onions. Take a big bowl or platter and add all the ingredients together. Once the bacon and eggs are ready, roughly mush them into the mixture. Squeeze some lemon juice on top along with good quality olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper, the cashews and thyme twigs in the end. This makes a wonderful simple summer salad that is light, yet rich with flavor.

Blackberry Cocktail & Beetroot Tartar

In the enchanting embrace of this festive season, where craftiness, late-night culinary adventures, and the soft glow of dark candle-lit evenings converge to create a haven of warmth and coziness at home, my husband and I have already immersed ourselves in the charm of a few yuletide films. As we eagerly prepare to embark on the delightful tradition of selecting our Christmas tree, we find solace in staying one step ahead of the bustling holiday calendar, savoring the days leading up to the 24th. Elevate your festive tablescape with a symphony of flavors and vibrant hues. Indulge in the enchanting fusion of a Winter Blackberry & Rosemary Cocktail, where velvety blackberries meet the aromatic dance of rosemary in a champagne elixir. Complement this libation with the exquisite sophistication of Beetroot Tartare, a culinary masterpiece that marries earthy sweetness and zesty freshness, ensuring your holiday table is adorned with culinary delights that captivate both the palate and the eye.

Let not the Christmas rush consume you; instead, relish the anticipation that envelops these moments, for it is in the sweet expectancy of it all that the magic truly unfolds. Today, I am delighted to share with you a captivating cocktail and appetizer recipe, a harmonious prelude to the festive symphony that awaits. May it ignite inspiration for your Christmas table and infuse a dash of holiday spirit into your home.

Winter's Embrace: Blackberry Elixir with a Rosemary Symphony

Embark on a journey into the heart of winter with our enchanting Blackberry and Rosemary Champagne Cocktail – a masterpiece that sets the stage for any elegant evening. The velvety, deep burgundy hue serves as a sophisticated backdrop, casting a spell of allure over December gatherings or providing a delightful escape for those seeking a touch of luxury in the midst of the ordinary.

Elevating the art of preparation, our blackberry syrup can be meticulously crafted in advance, ensuring a seamless orchestration of flavors when the time comes. The versatility of this libation extends beyond expectation; feel free to dance between berries, transforming the symphony with a switch to your favorite variation. Picture the aromatic dance of thyme gracefully replacing rosemary, adding a unique twist to your sensory experience.

The crowning touch lies in presenting this elixir in 1920s-inspired crystal glasses, each with its own distinctive style, creating a vintage champagne boat that whispers of opulence with delicate, thin edges. Allow the Winter Blackberry & Rosemary Cocktail to be your portal to an evening of refined indulgence and timeless charm.

Cocktail Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh blackberries

• ½-1 cup sugar

• 1 cup water

• 1 twig of rosemary

• Butter & brown sugar for rimming the edges of the glasses

• Sparkling wine/champagne

• Garnish: long rosemary twig with fresh blackberries poked through stem

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients (water, sugar, blackberries, rosemary twig) to make the syrup. Bring to boil and reduce heat and cook for under 10minutes so the blackberries start to mush. Stir occasionally and let the mixture intensify into a red colour. Remove from heat, strain and allow to cool. Once cooled, place the syrup into an airtight maison jar and store in the fridge for up to a few weeks.

Rim each champagne glass with a bit of butter between your fingers. Then place some brown sugar onto a plate and press each glass rim into the sugar so it coats all around.

To make the cocktail; add some blackberry syrup to the glass, some ice and pour over some champagne or sparking wine. Give a little mix. Garnish each glass with a bare rosemary branch (except for the ends for visual impact) and pierce a few fresh berries through it. Allow it to gently rest on top of the glass. Enjoy.

Beetroot Tartar

Beetroot is a fantastic earthy compliment to a winter menu that is rich in flavour and colour. This winter root does not need much to be classic, simply paired as a salad with blue cheese, figs and walnuts is all you need to make it refined. However, a layered beetroot tartar is an exciting dish to serve at a dinner party, as it tastes wonderful. The filling is basically made from a beetroot puree and cream cheese that has some blackberries and spinach in between. You could defiantly incorporate slices of cured salmon and play around with the dimensions of flavours. For this recipe, I made the beetroot puree from scratch, but I suppose you could store by this as well.

Beetroot puree

• 5 large roasted beets (place in an oven dish, with oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven (200c) for an hour until soft)

• 1 sweet potato roasted (place into same oven dish with beetroots to roast)

• 2 garlic cloves grated

• Butter for cooking

• About 1 dl cream

Directions

Begin by roasting the beetroot and sweet potato. Once ready, peel the skin off and roughly chop into smaller pieces.

In a large saucepan, add a generous dollop of butter and grated garlic. Stir and add in the chopped beetroot and sweet potato. Cook for about 7minutes and add in a splash of cream. This part can be left out if you prefer not to use cream, but it does a lovely taste. Let it gently cook so the cream reduces. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and pulse with a handheld blender into a puree. It does not need to be silky smooth, as it needs to be thick to hold its shape. Place into a bowl and leave it to cool. Refrigerate the puree for an hour before using so it becomes denser.

Nordic style Savoury Skagen Cake

The Nordic voileipä kakku, or sandwich cake, stands as a culinary emblem of joy and celebration in the Nordic countries, a savory masterpiece that graces festive occasions with its distinct charm. For Scandinavians, it carries the weight of a cherished tradition, a vessel of summer nostalgia that adds a layer of sentimental richness to each bite.

Comprising layers of delicate white bread, this gastronomic delight is a canvas for a symphony of flavors, with a skagen mass (nordic shrimp mixture with mayonnaise, dill and shrimp) taking center stage, its velvety richness harmonizing with layers of sumptuous cream cheese. The marriage of textures and tastes unfolds in each slice, offering a blend of creamy indulgence and the briny allure of the ocean.

Ingredients 

(cake tin 16cm Ø –I specifically wanted to use a smaller but taller one as I feel this looks visually more appealing)

Base

• 500g wheat toast

• ½ dl lemon juice

• 1/2dl water

• Pinch of salt 

Filling

• 3 gelatin leaves (soaked in cold water)

• 300g good quality shrimps 

• 1 red onion

• 1 bunch of dill

• 2 jars (150g each) of crème fraiche

• 1 packet (200g) cream cheese (can be herb flavored or natural)

• Black pepper

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Garnish

• Herbs of choice (thyme, dill)

• Lamb’s lettuce or any type of delicate micro leaves 

• About 100g cream cheese

• 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

Begin by placing a parchment paper on the bottom base of your cake tin and it does not matter if the paper is a bit too large from the sides. Cut the edges into a rough frame of your base. 

Trim the edges away from your toast. On a plate, add the water/lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Dip the bread slice into the liquid and press the bread into the base of your cake tin. Repeat this process so the base is covered with toast. The bread is easily shaped by pressing it down so it covers all the surface area. 

Place the gelatin leaves into a cold bowl of water while you cook the filling. 

Meanwhile, create the filling: In a large bowl, add the shrimps (note: self-peeled shrimps are always more flavorful than ready peeled ones), finely chopped red onion and the chopped dill. 

In another bowl, add in the créme fraiche and cream cheese (I used a herb flavored version) and whisk until frothy. Pour this bowl with the shrimps and mix well. Add in the lemon zest, and a generous amount of black pepper. 

In a small pot, heat up the tablespoon of lemon juice. Squeeze the excess water away from the gelatin leaves and place into the heated lemon juice. Immediately stir with a wooden spoon, turn of the heat and allow the gelatin leaves to dissolve. Pour this into the filling and mix well. 

Now you are ready to layer the cake: Add a few large scoops of shrimp filling on top of the bread. Then gently dip the toast into the water/lemon liquid and create another layer. Add a round of filling. Add another layer of bread. Repeat the process until the filling and bread runs out. Once ready, place some kitchen foil on the cake tin and leave into the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or even overnight. 

Ready to serve: After four hours, gently remove the cake tin. Add a bit of “frosting” to the side by whisking crème cheese with a bit of lemon juice to thin it out. Depends on what type of look you are going for with the cake, but I like that not all sides are covered, just like with a semi-naked layer cake. With the help of a knife, spread some of the cream cheese on top and to the sides, to smoothen the surface. Garnish with microleaves (such as lamb’s lettuce) and fresh herbs like dill and thyme. I love to use the flowers from the thyme as well. 

Overall, the beauty of this sandwich cake is that it can be modified to your liking with many different ingredients and it is easy to make, even if you are a beginner at cooking. Not only does it look impressive, but it can also be a delightful first to many, while for Scandinavians it holds a long history of summer memories. The comforting sandwich cake is a visual statement that lures you in with its delightful fresh flavors.