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3 x digestive biscuit toppings

Monday, November 1st, 2010

I’m participating in a blog competition. Göteborgs Kex has newly launched mini digestive biscuits and is arranging a competition where food bloggers are encouraged to make up a maximum of three recipes. The only rules are that the recipes need to contain mini digestive biscuits and cheese. Below are my recipes, in both English and Swedish.

The first recipe that I came up with was mini cheesecakes. A delicious ricotta topping with blueberries, lime and vanilla; a real treat!

    Mini cheesecakes with blueberries, lime and vanilla

    250 gram ricotta
    0.5 vanilla pod, the interior
    4 tsp sugar
    1 organic lime (zest from the whole lime, juice from half the lime)
    100 ml blueberries
    100 ml whipping cream
    2 tsp instant gelatine for cold mixtures
    fresh raspberries for decoration
    25 small digestive biscuits (“utvalda små digestive”)

    On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat ricotta, vanilla, sugar, lime and blueberries for 1 minute or two until smooth. In a separate bowl lightly whip the cream, add the gelatine and whip until fluffy. Carefully combine everything and pipe the mixture on the digestive biscuits. Decorate with fresh raspberries.

    Mini-cheesecake med blåbär, lime och vanilj

    250 gram ricotta
    0.5 vaniljstång, urskrapad
    4 tsk socker
    1 ekologisk lime (finrivet skal från hela limen, saft från halva limen)
    1 dl blåbär
    1 dl vispgrädde
    2 tsk gelatin för kalla desserter
    färska hallon att dekorera med
    25 Utvalda Små Digestive

    Vispa ricotta, vanilj, socker, lime och blåbär i 1-2 minuter tills smeten blir slät. Vispa grädden lätt i en separat skål, tillsätt gelatinet och fortsätt vispa tills grädden är färdigvispad. Rör ihop allt försiktigt och spritsa ut ricottablandningen på digestivekexen. Dekorera med färska hallon.

    ~~*~~

The second recipe is the absolutely most scrumptious one. Wonderful warm feta cheese with a balsamic lime and thyme vinaigrette. During summer I often fry feta cheese as a starter and pour the divine vinaigrette on top. The recipe is inspired by a dish that I had at a Greek restaurant and once at home I tried to re-create it. Since then it’s one of my favourites. For the competition I decided to combine my recipe with digestive biscuits, which turned out delicious!

    Digestive biscuits with ovenbaked feta and balsamic lime and thyme vinaigrette

    150 gram feta cheese
    16 small digestive biscuits
    3 tbsp honey
    3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    1.5 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
    1 tbsp lime juice
    1 tsp organic lime zest
    2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped

    Cut the cheese into 16 pieces and place on the small digestive biscuits. Bake in 175 degrees C for 10 minutes. Keep an eye so the cheese and biscuits won’t burn. In the mean time combine the vinegreitte ingredients. Take out the biscuits from the oven and pour the vinegraitte over them. Serve immediately.

    Små digestive med ugnsbakad fetaost samt balsamvinägrett med lime och timjan

    150 gram fetaost
    16 Utvalda Små Digestive
    3 msk honung
    3 msk extra virgin olivolja
    1.5 msk vit balsamvinäger
    1 msk limejuice
    1 tsk ekologisk limeskal, finrivet
    2 tsk färsk timjan, finhackad

    Dela fetaosten i 16 lika stora delar. Fördela ostbitarna på digestivekexen och baka i 10 minuter i 175 grader C. Se till att kexen och osten inte blir brända. Blanda under tiden ihop vinägrettingredienserna. Ta ut kexen ur ugnen och ringla vinägretten över. Servera omedelbart.

    ~~*~~

    I love blue cheese and I love bacon, so the third recipe is a simple but yummy blue cheese and bacon topping.

    Digestive biscuits with bluecheese and bacon
    120 gram extra smoked bacon rashers
    100 gram blue cheese
    100 ml crème fraîche
    black pepper
    chives, chopped
    approx. 20 small digestive biscuits

    Fry the bacon rashers until crispy and let cool on a paper kitchen towel. Crush the bacon into small pieces with your fingers (reserve 1-2 bacon rashers for decoration), combine with grated blue cheese, crème fraîche and black pepper. Pipe the mixture on digestive biscuits. Sprinkle the remaining bacon and chives on top of each digestive biscuit.

    Små digestive med blåmögel-och bacontopping
    120 gram extrarökt skivad bacon
    100 gram blåmögelost
    1 dl crème fraîche
    svartpeppar
    gräslök, hackad
    ca 20 Utvalda Små Digestive

    Stek baconskivorna tills de är krispiga. Låt svalna på hushållspapper. Smula sönder baconet i små bitar (lägg undan 1-2 skivor för dekoration), blanda ihop med riven blåmögelost, crème fraîche och svartpeppar. Spritsa ut blandningen på kexen. Strö över resterande bacon och gräslök på kexen.

    ~~*~~

*Recipes: FINGERFOOD & SANDWICHES | Comments (15)

Daring Bakers: Lavash crackers

Sunday, September 28th, 2008

Crackers with fresh rosemary and sea salt.

Ooops, I see a trend… Once again I’m one day late with making and posting the Daring Bakers challenge. This month’s challenge was to bake lavash crackers and make a vegan dip of our own choice. The recipe was choosen by Nathalie and Shel.

The recipe for the crackers was very easy to do. We could choose to make it gluten free, but I used spelt flour which contains gluten (however a much smaller amount than normal flour). I used 5 different toppings for the crackers:

-fresh rosemary and sea salt
-smoked sea salt
-taco spice
-chili and sea salt
-zhug (a spice that contains garlic, cardamon, coriander, lemon and chili)

For dipping sauce I used the left overs from a vegan South African barbaque sauce that I made the other day, I’ll post that in a separate post. We both liked the crackers a lot, they were easy to bake and eat :-) It’s important to roll out the dough as thin as possible so they get really crunchy.

Don’t be fooled by Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Chip and Dale. They are sprinkled with chili and sea salt.

Clock wise: Crackers with taco spice, zhug, smoked sea salt and last but not least rosemary and sea salt. In the center a vegan South African barbecue sauce


    Lavash crackers

    RECIPE – Recipe Reference: The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering The Art of Extraordinary Bread, by Peter Reinhart. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA. Copyright 2001. ISBN-10: 1-58008-268-8, ISBN-13: 978-158008-268-6.

    Here’s a simple formula for making snappy Armenian-style crackers, perfect for breadbaskets, company and kids…It is similar to the many other Middle Eastern and Northern African flatbreads known by different names, such as mankoush or mannaeesh (Lebanese), barbari (Iranian), khoubiz or khobz (Arabian), aiysh (Egyptian), kesret and mella (Tunisian), pide or pita (Turkish), and pideh (Armenian). The main difference between these breads is either how thick or thin the dough is rolled out, or the type of oven in which they are baked (or on which they are baked, as many of these breads are cooked on stones or red-hot pans with a convex surface)…

    The key to a crisp lavash,…is to roll out the dough paper-thin. The sheet can be cut into crackers in advance or snapped into shards after baking. The shards make a nice presentation when arranged in baskets.

    Makes 1 sheet pan of crackers

    * 1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz) unbleached bread flour or gluten free flour blend (If you use a blend without xanthan gum, add 1 tsp xanthan or guar gum to the recipe)
    * 1/2 tsp (.13 oz) salt
    * 1/2 tsp (.055 oz) instant yeast
    * 1 Tb (.75 oz) agave syrup or sugar
    * 1 Tb (.5 oz) vegetable oil
    * 1/3 to 1/2 cup + 2 Tb (3 to 4 oz) water, at room temperature
    * Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or kosher salt for toppings

    1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt yeast, agave, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup + 2 Tb of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

    2. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should pass the windowpane test (see http://www.wikihow.com/Determine-if-Bre … ong-Enough for a discription of this) and register 77 degrees to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

    or

    2. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), and slightly tacky. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

    3. Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).

    4. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.

    or

    4. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Lay out two sheets of parchment paper. Divide the cracker dough in half and then sandwich the dough between the two sheets of parchment. Roll out the dough until it is a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. Slowly peel away the top layer of parchment paper. Then set the bottom layer of parchment paper with the cracker dough on it onto a baking sheet.

    5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds or spices on the dough (such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, kosher or pretzel salt, etc.) Be careful with spices and salt – a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

    5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).

    6. When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.

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Bacon wrapped corncobs

Thursday, September 25th, 2008

The barbecue season is coming to an end with autumn knocking on the door. But there is still time for that last barbecue dinner. Even if you’ve cleanead the terrace and stowed your grill in the garage, you should definitly consider to take it out again and make these lovely bacon wrapped corncobs. The recipe is from my colleague F and I can’t thank him enough for it. Bacon and corn, two of my favourite ingredients, are a heavenly combination.

Take one fresh corncob per person. Remove corn husks from corncobs and boil in salted water for 10 minutes. Remove from water and let cool. Wrap each corncob in 3-4 rashes of bacon (or pancetta), secure with tooth picks. Grill on a barbecue until the bacon is crispy and nicely coloured. Be careful not to burn, make sure to turn regularely. Eat while still warm, don’t forget to remove the toothpicks!

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Excellent starter: pea purée with horseradish

Monday, July 28th, 2008

Although it’s season for peas I must admit that I didn’t grow any this year. I was too busy with all other plants to even think about these beautiful green pearls. I found this recipe in the Swedish magazine “Mat och Vänner” and I served it as a starter when my parents were here. I piped the pea purée on Chinese soup spoons rather than in small glasses as the recipe suggested. Add horseradish to taste, depending on how stingy you want the purée to be.

    Pea purée with horseradish
    (source: Mat och Vänner. Recipe halfed and just a tiny bit adapted. Serves 5 as a starter)

    300 ml green peas
    100 ml water
    0.5 tbsp concentrated instant chicken stock
    0.5 small onion
    1 tbsp grated horseradish + some for decoration
    1 tbsp Olive oil
    Maldon sea salt
    Black pepper

    Peel and finely chop the onion. Put peas, water, chicken stock and onion in a sauce pan and bring to boil. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Mix with a standing mixer or food processor until smooth. Add half of the horseradish, taste and add more if wanted. Add olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
    Pipe the purée in glasses or on spoons. Decorate with grated horseradish.

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Charcoal grilled chicken sandwich

Thursday, July 3rd, 2008


There’s an ongoing bus strike in Stockholm since Tuesday. So I’m basicially stuck at home, which isn’t a problem since I can work remotely. There are a lot of advantages when working from home. The first thing is obviously that I can work in my pyjama :-) If the weather is nice I can sit outside for lunch, another great thing is that the cats make me company and another important thing is that I get disturbed less by other peoples phones and talking. The best thing is that I get decent lunch, instead of those repetetive everyday lunches: so-so curry, so-so Italian or OK sushi. Today’s lunch was a bit local: bread from the local bakery and salad and parsley from my garden. On top of the sandwich freshly charcoal grilled chicken, red onion, mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. Lovely, quick and makes the working day so much easier.

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Mom’s smoked salmon rolls

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

Smoked salmon is a must on every buffet table in our family regardless of the occasion. Christmas, birthdays or Easter, smoked salmon is always one of the dishes that we eat. Due to this I’ve become a bit bored of it. It’s good, but I prefer the other dishes on the buffet table or at least prefered until my mother made these salmon rolls. Now I’ll definitly eat salmon at our next family buffet, as long it’s in shape of these delicious salmon rolls filled with creamy and biting mixture.

    Mom’s smoked salmon rolls

    400 gram smoked salmon, cut in thin slices
    200 gram cream cheese
    2 tbsp grated horseradish
    salt and pepper to taste
    chopped fresh chives for decoration.

    Mix cream cheese, horseradish, salt and pepper in a bowl.

    Cover your counter with plastic wrap. Overlap the salmon slices on the plastic wrap, creating a rectangle. Spread the mixture evenly on the salmon.
    Roll the salmon, starting at the long side until you have a roll. It can be a bit messy so just do it slowly and use the plastic wrap to help you. Put the salmon roll in the fridge for at least two hours, or over night.

    Take out the salmon roll and cut it into pieces with a sharp knife. If the roll is too soft to cut, then put the salmon in the freezer for a while.

    Arrange the salmon rolls on a serving plate with the cut side up. Decorate with chopped chives.

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Mini pizzas with mozzarella and kabanos

Thursday, May 1st, 2008

Kabanos is the most wonderful Polish sausage. The smoky sausage is thin and long and it’s best when really dried. After I’ve bought some I usually let it hang in the kitchen to dry even more. Normally we just eat it as a snack to wine or beer, but I love to use it when making these lovely mini pizzas.

Mini pizzas with mozzarella and kabanos
Makes 10

Pizza dough:
250 gram flour (I’ve done this with both normal flour and tipo 00, both works fine)
200 ml luke warm water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch of Maldon sea salt
25 gram yeast

Topping:
around 200-250 gram mozzarella, sliced
3-4 kabanos sausages, sliced
10 cherry tomatoes
1 small red onion, sliced
0.5 jar of ready made pasta sauce with tomatoes and chili (for example Barilla or Zeta)

In the bowl of your mixer (like a Kenwood or KitchenAid), combine water and yeast with the dough hook. Make sure the yeast is completely dissolved and then at a low speed, add salt, olive oil and the flour. Let the machine knead the dough for 5-7 minutes until smooth. If needed add more flour. Remove the dough hook, cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 30 minutes.

Put baking paper on two baking sheets. Divide the dough in half and make 5 small pizzas of each part. As they are so small I just sprinkle some flour on them and flatten them directly on the baking sheet.

Spread 2 tsp of pasta sauce on each pizza. Divide the cheese equally over all pizzas, then the sliced sausages, onion and at last the tomatoes. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, 220 degrees C (convection oven). Sprinkle Maldon sea salt and serve directly.

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Nectarines with ricotta and Pata Negra

Sunday, February 17th, 2008

This is an uncomplicated appetizer, perfect in summer or when you’re longing for the warm and light Swedish summer evenings. Just make sure that you have ripe nectarines and not tasteless ones, like the ones I bougth yesterday. The idea is from Swedish chef Leila Lindholm, but I’m not writing down the quantites as it’s not really necessary.

    Ricotta filled nectarines wrapped in Pata Negra

    Pata Negra, a couple of slices
    Ricotta cheese
    Nectarines

    Cut each nectarine in half. Remove the pit and cut the halves into wedges. Spread some ricotta on each wedge. Wrap each wedge in a piece of Pata Negra and fix with a tooth pick.

*Recipes: FINGERFOOD & SANDWICHES | Comments (22)

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