Poached Pear and Marzipan Mille-feuille

150g ready-made white marzipan
A little icing sugar, for rolling and sweetening
200g granulated sugar
1 small lemon (juice, optional)
Bunch fresh basil, about 50g
4 large fairly firm pears, halved and stoned
Crème fraiche
1 lime, zest only
1 lemon, zest and juice
1-2 tbsp Grand Marnier

flaked almonds to sprinkle

1. Dust the worktop lightly with sifted icing sugar and roll the marzipan out to the thickness of a 10kr coin. Cut out eight circles using a 10 or 11cm cutter , re-rolling the marzipan trimmings if necessary.

2. Using a blowtorch, brown each marzipan disc evenly until it turns a caramel colour. Set aside.

3. Heat the sugar and 500ml water slowly in a saucepan until the sugar starts to dissolve, stirring once or twice. Meanwhile, peel 3 or 4 strips of zest from the lemon using a swivel peeler, and drop into the sugar and water. When the sugar has dissolved, bring the mixture to the boil, then boil for about 5 minutes so you have a medium-strength syrup. Pick out a good handful of small basil leaves and reserve for the crème fraiche. Put the rest of the basil leaves and stalks into the hot syrup.

4. Slip the halved pears into the syrup. Poach on a low heat for 5 - 6 minutes. Remove from stock. When cool enough to handle, peel the skin off each pear and the stone should fall out. Place in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and drizzle the Grand Marnier over, then sprinkle with icing sugar. Transfer to the oven and bake for 6-7 mins.

5. Mix the crème fraiche with the lemon and lime zest. Roll the remaining basil leaves together, slice finely and mix into the crème fraiche.

6. To serve, spoon a little crème fraiche onto the plates and use it to 'fix' the marzipan discs to the plates so they don't slide around. Spoon more crème fraiche on top of the discs. Arrange a pear half, cut side up, on top of the crème fraiche and sit another half, cut side down on top - so you now have a whole pear. Repeat for the remaining plates. Finally sprinkle over the flaked toasted almonds.

Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding – with Bailey´s

Bread and butter pudding is one of those classic old English recipes. The addition of marmalade brushed over the bread makes it fantastically crisp, with a zingy orangey bitterness that just makes the whole thing superb. I also include baileys wich I love but if you don´t like it....leave it out. This is another dessert that you don’t want to overcook because you want to have the soft insides contrasting with the crispiness on top.

350g white bread, at least 24 hours old

5 tbsp orange marmalade

3 large eggs and

1 egg yolk

250ml full fat milk
250ml double cream
1dl bailey´s liquor
2 tbsp sugar

few drops of vanilla extract

sugar and cinnamon to sprinkle

1. Set the oven at 180˚C. You will also need a deep ovenproof dish, very lightly buttered.

2. Slice the bread and trim the edges off.

3. Melt the marmalade in a small saucepan. Put half of the bread slices in the oven proof dish. Spoon half of the marmalade over the bread. Heat the milk, cream, vanilla extract, baileys and sugar in a pot and bring to the boil. Take of the heat and beat in the eggs. Pour half the egg and milk mixture over the bread. Add the remaining slices, the rest of the marmalade and the rest of egg and milk mixture. Push the bead down so it soaked with the sweet liquid. Sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar on top.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until it is puffed and golden. Shake it gently, it should wobble but show no sign of uncooked custard. Serve warm, and if you wish, with a dollop of whipped cream.

Coleslaw

Coleslaw is something most of us have grown up eating, but most of the time it´s store bought which is the worst thing in the world.......who likes that crap anyway???!!! With this in mind, I want to bring it back with a vengeance.
I’ve used 50-50 creame fraise and mayonnaise to bind the vegetables because it not only tastes better, in my opinion, but it’s also healthier.

3 carrots
3-4 radishes
400g white cabbage, outer leaves removed
1/2 red onion, peeled
1 shallot, peeled
1 lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
A handful of fresh parsley, leaves picked and chopped
2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tbsp creame fraise
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Shred the carrots with a grater and slice the radishes on a mandoline.

2. Put the veg into a mixing bowl. Slice the cabbage, onion and shallot as finely as you can and add to the bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix half the lemon juice, a glug of extra virgin olive oil, the chopped parsley, mayonnaise, creame fraise and mustard.
4. Pour this dressing over the veg and mix well to coat everything. Season to taste with salt and pepper and the rest of the lemon juice if you like.

Big-G Borgari

Stundum vill maður bara hamborgara og franskar og þá er þessi borgari algjör snilld. Þessi uppskrift verður í komandi bók okkar bræðra sem kemur vonandi út jólin 2010. Hlynur Pálmason er algjör meistari með myndavélina og lætur einfaldan hamborgara og franskar líta út eins og málverk eftir Monet......:) Vonandi á þessi borgari eftir að njóta sín á grillum íslendinga í sumar.

Gerir 6 stóra borgara

1 kg nautahakk
1 laukur, fínt saxaður
1 msk dijon sinnep

½ tsk kúmin

1 msk kóriander fræ
salt og pipar rósmarín, eftir smekk
1 lúka parmesan ostur, rifin
1 egg
120 g brauðmylsnur

Franskar

2kg kartöflur

ólívuolía

rifin börkur af 1 sítrónu

100g maldon salt

rósmarín, eftir smekk

1. Byrja á að steikja laukin í smá olivuoliu á meðal hita þar til gylltur og taka svo til hliðar. Settu hakkið í skál og settu laukin saman við. Settu kúminfræin og kórianderfræin í mortel ásamt salti og pipar, og mala í gróft duft. Settu kryddblönduna við kjötið ásamt sinnepi, eggi og parmesan osti og blandaðu vel saman með höndunum. Ef þú villt ekki nota hendurnar getur þú sett þetta allt saman í matvinnslu vél. Bættu síðan við brauðmylsnunum saman við og vinna vel saman. Ef kjötið er of klístrað þá bara bæta við brauðmylsnum. Móta síðan borgarana með höndunum.

2. Hálftíma áður en þú villt steikja hamborgarana, kveiktu þá á ofninum og stilltu á 230˚C. Skerðu kartöflurnar í littla franskar og settu í sjóðandi vatn í 10 min. Taktu þær svo úr vatninu og settu á ofnplötu. Settu sítrónubörkin, saltið og rósmarín í mortel og malaðu það saman í fínt salt. Stráðu því síðan yfir kartöflunar ásamt skvettu af olivuolíu og veltu þeim vel saman við saltið og olíuna. Skelltu þeim síðan inn í ofn og bakaðu þær í 20 – 25 min. Kartöflunar verða stökkar en mjúkar í miðjuni.

exams

Hello friends

This will be my last entry until the beginning of june. I am studying for my chiropractic pre-clinik exams and that will take all my time and energi. Wish me luck......

Guðmundur Birkir Pálmason

Rhubarb Soufflé – with vanilla custard

400g rhubarb, cut into 2.5cm chunks

100g caster sugar 25g softened butter

6 gingersnap biscuits

150g readymade custard, plus extra for serving

1 large egg yolk, plus 4 egg whites
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp plain flour
sea salt

6 servings

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and put in a baking tray to heat up. Put the rhubarb into a saucepan with the 100g of sugar. Put a lid on the pan and simmer gently for about 10 minutes, until the rhubarb is soft. Put to one side and leave to cool completely. Get yourself six ramekin dishes and rub their insides with the butter. Put the gingersnap biscuits into a sandwich bag, tie a knot in the top and smash the biscuits with a rolling pin or the bottom of a pan to make quite fine crumbs. Dust the insides of the buttered ramekins with the smashed biscuits, then shake out any excess crumbs.

2. Blob a tablespoon of the cooled stewed rhubarb into each ramekin dish. Mix the rest of the rhubarb with the custard, the egg yolk and the flour. In a large bowl, using an electric whisk, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until you have soft peaks. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and whisk on a high speed until the whites are very stiff – this should take about 3 minutes.

3. Working very gently, fold 2 spoonfuls of the stiff egg whites into the rhubarb mixture. Tip this into the bowl containing the remaining egg whites and fold together very carefully. Divide the mixture between the ramekins and level the tops. Remove the hot baking tray from the oven and place the ramekins on it. Put back into the preheated oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the soufflés are a lovely golden colour and have risen nicely. Make a hole in the middle of the soufflé with a spoon and dollop two or three tsp of vanilla custard into the hole. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve immediately.

Baklava with Vanilla-Mascarpone

This delicious mini pastry comes somewhere from the middle-east.....turkey or something (it´s all the same to me). It is unbelievably sweet and you get quite enough after a few bites but those bites are worth the effort of making these. I urge you not to be scared of making these but you must follow the method really well because the filo pastry is really fragile and it can dry up really quickly. Good luck :)

Makes 20 baklavas

Pastry
378g filo pastry, one packet
180g butter, melted
2tsp water

filling
150g walnuts
150gpistachios
60g sugar
1tsp cinnamon

honey syrup
375g honey
165g sugar
250ml water
1 lemon, zest and juice

Preheat oven to 180°C To make the filling, spread the walnuts on a baking tray and lightly toast in the preheated oven for 5-8 minutes or until aromatic. Cool.

Combine walnuts, pistachios, sugar and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor and process using the pulse button until they are finely chopped.

Remove the filo pastry from its packet and lie flat on the work bench. Cover with a dry tea towel and then a damp tea towel. (This will keep the filo from drying out while making the baklava.)

Brush a shallow 18 x 28cm cake tin with some of the butter. Take 1/3 of the sheets of filo. Brush the top sheet generously with butter and fold into thirds to make a rectangle the size of the tin.

Place in the base of the buttered tin and brush surface with butter.
Continue layering with the left over 1/3 of pastry. Spread 1/2 of the nut filling over the filo to cover. Layer 1/2 of the remaining filo sheets as before. Spread left over nut filling over filo and top with the remaining layered buttered filo sheets. Lightly brush top with remaining butter.

Using a sharp knife, cut a diamond pattern into the top layer of filo and sprinkle with the water.


Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes longer or until the filo layers are cooked through.

Meanwhile, to make the honey syrup, combine honey, sugar, water, lemon rind and juice in a saucepan and stir over high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and maintain over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the syrup has thickened slightly.


Remove from heat and allow to cool. When cooked, remove baklava from the oven and immediately pour the cooled syrup evenly over the surface. Stand to cool completely. Cover with foil and store at room temperature in the tin for up to 2 weeks.

Cut into diamond shapes to serve with espresso coffee or as a dessert with whipped cream.