Scandinavian Kitchen

Recipe of the week - The Love Cake (Kärleks Mums / Den Du Ved Nok Kage)

The Love Cake (Kärleks Mums / Den Du Ved Nok Kage)

Enough to feed 20 people for afternoon tea – you can freeze whats left, but it keeps for a week in the fridge as well.

 

Stuff you need:

 

500 grams sugar

5 eggs

400 ml milk

400 grams plain flour

4 tsp vanilla sugar (or extract, if that is what you have)

3 tbsp cocoa powder

4 tsp baking powder

300 grams butter

 

Icing:

200 grams butter

7 tbs strong coffee

2,5 tbs cocoa powder

3 tsp vanilla sugar (or extract)

150 grams of desiccated coconut

375 grams icing sugar

 

This is how you do it:

 

Whisk egg and sugar till light and fluffy.  Sift flour, vanilla, cocoa and baking powder into the mix, alternate with the milk.  Whisk well.  Add the slightly cooled, melted butter at the end and mix well.

 

Pop the batter into a large baking tin (minimum 20 x 30 cm) and bake on 180 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until just baked through (it’s done when a skewer comes out clean – this cakes goes very dry if over baked, so keep an eye on it)

 

Make the icing:  pop all ingredients into a saucepan and heat until melted through  (You can also do this bit in the microwave if you prefer).  When the cake has been out of the oven for a wee while (just cooled, does not have to be totally cold), spread over icing and chill until set. Drizzle with a bit of coconut beofre the icing set, if you wish.

Ray's wine tastings

Hello all you wine buffs

It was a fantastic wine tasting last time and we all learnt loads about how to tell the differences between grapes and stuff - and we got to taste some super fancy stuff too.  Yummy,

Just to let you know the next one is planned for 16th June - first come, first spots.  Mail iwantfood@scandikitchen.co uk to pop your name on the list.  This session will be about summer wines - you know, the ones perfect for picnics in the park.

Be there or be square.

Hardeep's warming words

It's nice when you get compliments, especially from really lovely people like Hardeep Singh Kohli, the funny Scottish TV presenter.  This is what he wrote about us in his column for Scotland on Sunday:

"There are very few cafes that you leave with a takeaway coffee and a smile. There's a wee place called the Scandinavian Kitchen in Great Titchfield Street, London W1, that does exactly that. Before you even enter the place the board outside offers a heart-warming message: "hugs help but kisses never misses". Inside the greeting is warm and welcoming – and true to its word. One of the staff offered me a free hug with my Americano. I took him up on his offer and left smiling and embraced. Scandinavia might be cold but the people aren't."

Thanks, Hardeep.  Here's the full column:

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/hardeepsinghkohli/Hardeep-Singh-Kohli-It39s-Hardeep.5297908.jp

Sebastian's small potatoes

They're here.  Well, the Swedish ones at least (the Danish ones are still a little way away). 

Farsk potatis - new Swedish potatoes.  In the shop.  Now.  Yummy.  Come and get your little bag - £2 per half kilo.  Well, we know what we're having for dinner tonight:  matjes herring, new potatoes and lashings of cremefraiche and dill dressing. 

Sebastian posing with a few new potatoes in hand.  Wearing his favourite Swedish underpants, feeling a gush of national pride.

New Scandinavian Potatoes - coming in June

We bet your Mum always told you to eat up your potatoes when you were a kid.   Ours certainly did – not that we minded, especially in the summer when the potatoes were new, fresh and from the farm down the road. 

Today, the taste of Scandinavian summer still starts with the first new potatoes of the year, boiled and dressed in melted butter and chopped parsley.   Perhaps the taste of summer to you is Midsummer’s eve, eating matjes herring with potatoes, chopped chives and crème fraiche...  Either way, it is the taste of home for most of us.  And yes, they DO taste different than English potatoes.

Either way, good news:  we’ll be stocking Scandinavian potatoes again this year.  Not in great amounts, mind you, so if you’re clever, you let us know if you are interested so we can make sure we order enough for you.  We’ll have Swedish potatoes and we’ll also stock some nice potatoes from West Zealand in Denmark (from some nice farmer down the road from Bronte’s mum and dad’s house.  They have an annoying dog that barks all the time and the farmer himself has a scary mono-brow, but man, they grow nice tatties).

They’ll come in early June, in time for Midsummer parties...  Prices depends on local seasonal prices, we’ll keep you posted.

New stuff for foodie lovers...

We've just started stocking some nice new things this week.  Next time you pop by, give these a try:

Malmo Nordic Dining: Rosehip jam, Swedish rapeseed oil, wild blueberry preserve and lovely handbaked crisp bread - all from small producers in Southern Sweden.

We also have mature prast ost cheese from Arla - a bit more of a kick than your usual prast cheese.

We've also been stocking the amazing Löfbergs Lila brand of coffee for a while now - so do give that a try when you are next in too - it is really yummy.

 

Sweden wins Eurovison Contest for toads

Last Sunday, 10th May, Sweden won the international Contest for singing toads.  The group "the Molle tenors" took the crown and over 70% of the votes with a wonderful summery rendition of a toad classic.

If you think we're kidding, click on the link and listen to the winning entries.

CLICK HERE FOR TOADS

WIN WIN WIN tickets to O'Horten special screening 17th May

Win tickets to go and see the Norwegian Film O'Horten in London

Odd Horten has driven the same train route every day for so long that the rest of his life has become a routine of comfortable rituals. But the time has come for the 67-year-old train driver to retire after forty years of dutiful service. His orderly, solitary existence is about to give way to a future of perplexing questions. How could Horten get himself in such an awkward situations when he should be celebrating his retirement?  Will Horten ever travel by plane? Will he finally sell his prized boat? How does Horten end up in a pair of women’s red high-heeled shoes? Will he survive a night time drive with a blindfolded man at the wheel? The only thing for certain is that Horten is first in line for some absurd adventures and quirky encounters. And maybe even a new dog and an old love...

Click here to see more  Download OHORTEN - SCANDI

To enter, pop by the shop and drop your business card in the bowl.  If you do not have a business card, your name and number will do.  If you want to enter but you wont make it to the shop in time to do this, send us a mail and we'll pop your name in the bowl for you.  No purchase necessary.  The judge's decision is final.  We play by fair rules and therefore no employees of Scandi Kitchen are allowed to enter this competition.  There is no cash alternative either, so don't try to exchange your ticket for a tin of soup or a loaf of bread, it will not work.  All responsibility with this competiton lies with the organisers.  Entry is only valid for 17th May for special screening only.  We'll randomly pick ten names from the bowl to find the winners. Did we forget anything?  Oh, hi Mum, no you can't enter either.

You can read the Guardian's review of the film here http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/may/07/o-horten-film-review

We need your entry by 14th in the evening latest.

Eurovision 2009 - forget Scandinavia, this is the song...

We've done the work for you to find the truly worst song of Eurovision 2009. Forget all we ever said about Sweden's Scary Lady and the zzzzz.. sorry, Danish Ronan Keating (we were dosing there for a second...).

Nope, Holland is our winner.  Both lyrically, visually and videocally (can you even say that?)

Best dance moves as well.  We're reassured to know this is one of Holland's highest selling artists.  No surprise there, then.

Enjoy.

Happy Norway

Every year on 17th May, Norwegians across the globe celebrate in unison: it's the Norwegian National Day, or Consitition Day as it is also known.  On this day, in 1814, the Norwegians voted to be independent from Sweden.  Apparently, only very few people (less than a hundred) votes against the declaration of independence (and they were probably Swedes anyway).

Traditions are rich on this day - there are parades across the country, people dress up in the National Costumes (did you know that one costume weighs over 20 kilos?  Good job it's a cold country).  Lots of sing songs take place and people eat traditional foods such as lefse, lutefisk and Grandiosa.

We'll be celebrating 17th May this year - except we're doing it on 16th May at the shop.  Pop by and feel a bit Norwegian and sample some nice Norwegian food.  

Shiny, happy people celebrating in Norway

The National Costume from Drammen.  We're imagining that this is how our Elisabeth will look on Sunday, probably with a beer or two in her hand.  We miss ya, Elisabeth!  Hope Norway is funner than London!

Ray's wine tasting: 20th May 2009 at 18:30

There are spaces on our next wine tasting event on 20th May 2009 at 18:30.  As per usual, Ray the Wine Expert will come along and teach us about his chosen wines - this time, with a twist, though:  we will blind taste them.  So, it will not be based on any possible pretence of "yes, I know St Emillion Grand Cru is good and therefore I'm going to say I like it" but purely on "I like this wine because..."

Ray has promised to put in some wonderful wines - and a few ones to catch us out.  The reason we're doing a tasting like this is because quite an overwhelming majority from the last session thought it could be really good fun to try tasting wines this way to find out what we really like in a wine and how we judge them.

Price per head £18 - this includes all your wine (usually around 8 kinds) and snacks/canapes. 

Please note we're all levels and backgrounds - from Scandiland and UK, some are novices and some of us have been drowing out noses in Bordeaux for years.  All are welcome.  We have a limited 15 spaces, so be quick as many are already reserved.

Ray O'Connor is an educated wine teacher and expert and was Young Wine Writer of the Year last year.  He's worked as a head sommelier for Gordon Ramseys and has worked for Decanter magazine as well as the International Wine Challenge.   Basically, he knows his stuff.

To get a space, mail iwantfood@scandikitchen.co.uk

Danish St Bededag tomorrow, Friday 8th May

Back in the day, three weks before Whitsun was always the big day of prayer. Even the baker wasn't allowed to work on this day, so tradition had it that the evening before, everyone would go and buy warm wheat buns and eat them.  These buns are called "Hveder" - and many Danes still bake/buy/eat these nowadays.

Here's a recipe (Danish only) for these buns if you feel like getting baking later today:

http://www.arla.dk/Karolines-Kokken/Opskrifter/varme-hveder/

 

We love it when two good things find each other...

Certain things belong together.  Cinnamon and buns.  Hot and dogs.  Egg and Kalles Kaviar.

We were very pleased this week when we heard that two of our "Little shops we like" have started working together, namely the most excellent Scandinavian children's shop in Kensal Rise KIDSEN and the lovely brand called "Nothin' but a muffin".

You can now find the Nothin But a Muffin stuff in KIDSEN - from their bibs to towels and sleeping bags.

KIDSEN is here (on Chamberlayne Road - just across from Kensal Rise station) and Nothin' but a Muffin is here

Scandinavian Kitchen catering

Did you know we also do catering?  Indeed, we serve lots of fantastic companies across the capital with Scandinavian food - from traditional open sandwiches to lighter snack lunches to canapes and breakfast meetings. 

It is not only Scandinavian companies that use our services - we've catered for hundreds of different companies, from the BBC to film production companies and banks such as Goldman Sachs - and big events like "the International Wine Challenge".  We count all the Scandinavian Embassies and Chambers of Commerce amongst our customers - as well as big companies such as Bang & Olufson, Kvadrat, Handelsbanken and many, many others.  On top of that we have lots of regular private customers who use our services catering for big family events and parties.

In a recent survey to our customers, 100% said they would use us again.  (Parp, parp, that was our trumpet blowing.)

If you fancy chatting to us about our catering, give us a ring or send a mail to iwantfood@scandikitchen.co.uk and we'll get back to you promptly. 

Party catering can be bespoke - as is breakfast meetings and buffets.  Here's a taster of our lovely open sandwiches and canapes (again, we can amend to suit your particular event):

For canape suggestions click here  and for open sandwiches click here

'I used the Scandinavian kitchen delivery for an important presentation to clients and everyone absolutely loved it! The food was great quality and the presentation prefect! We are a Danish company so it was complete package! Thanks again, Julie at www.egecarpet.com"Excellent canapes. Good service from staff prior to event and canapes delivered on time.

"Excellent canapes. Good service from staff prior to event and canapes delivered on time."

"The food was excellent and there was only a couple of pieces leftover.  Everyone said how good it was.  We will definitely use you again. 
Sally at DnB NOR Bank ASA"

 
tags: danish, food, catering, swedish, norwegian, london, corporate

Eurovision and being on the Graham Norton show...

Last year, our very own Sebastian went on the Graham Norton show to sing the old Herrey's song "Diggiloo Diggiley".  Yes, really - the man has guts and we were all very proud of him.

This year they are looking for someone Danish to take part - and neither Bronte nor Signe are keen singers.  So, over to you: are you Danish and fancy being on the Graham Norton show?  The contact them on mail below asap.

And yes, the clip of Sebastian is below.  Fast forward 6 minutes and 26 seconds...

"BBC ENTERTAINMENT NEEDS YOUR HELP
BBC entertainment show is looking for Danish people who live in the UK (pref London) to take part in a segment of the show on Wednesday 13^th May.

There will be loads of people taking part and it will be lots of fun. We are recording in the evening and it will take no longer then 3 hours.

If you and/or your mates fancy a laugh and you would like more information then please get in touch as soon as possible.

Email lizb@sotelevision.co.uk preferably attaching a photo and including a contact telephone number.
DEADLINE THURSDAY 7^TH MAY"

Addicted to SMASH and Nugatti

Our Norwegian delivery just came in this lunch time and we're busy putting all the stuff away and re-filling shelves.  We've got a few new things in this time - one of them has proved to be an immediate hit amongst all of us here at Scandi Kitchen:  it's called SMASH and is a chocolate covered corn snack.  We know, it sounds strange, but it is SO good.  And it has nothing to do with powdered mashed potatoes at all, nor aliens.

We've also finally got NUGATTI in stock - it's like Nutella, but loads better.

Note that we're closed on Bank Holiday Monday but we're open today Friday and Saturday as per usual, so pop by and stock up for the weekend.

We'd be quick on those SMASH crisps, though, as Bronte has declared "this is my new craving" and she can get through a lot of stuff now that she's pregnant.  In fact, the rest of us hardly get a look in now a days.