This is the kind of food that makes me happy. I had a moment today, which also made me happy. Long story short, I met a reader at a workshop. As in a real person who knows about and reads my blog. Best moment of the day. If you make this noodle salad, this could be the best moment of your day. High in flavor, low in fat. Who doesn’t like that?

Stay tuned for foolproof oat buttermilk pancakes…

• 1 pound / 450 gr ground beef
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 inch / 2.5 cm fresh ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 5 green onions
• 400 gr rice noodles
• 2 large carrots, grated
• 1 small English cucumber, sliced
• 2 red chilis
• A handful of fresh cilantro

1. Heat sesame oil in a wok or skillet and fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant. Then add the ground beef and fry over high heat until brown. Break up the meat as it cooks.
2. Meanwhile prepare the veggies by finely slicing the green onions, grating the carrots, slicing the cucumbers, mince the chilis and chop the cilantro.
3. Add soy sauce and green onions to the meet when browned.
4. Cook the rice noodles according to instructions.
5. Let each person assemble their own salad to their liking and dress with soy-sesame dressing.

Soy-sesame dressing

• 1/4 cup / 60 ml soy sauce
• 2 tbsps rice vinegar
• 2 tbsps neutral oil eg. canola or grapeseed
• 2 tbsps water
• 2 tbsps sugar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

1. Shake everything in a jar until the sugar is completely dissolved.

There are 3 components in this yumminess of a summer dessert. They are all easy to make and everything can be made in advance. Great treat for mother’s day – Have a happy one!

COTTAGE CHEESE CREPES

This recipe is adapted from a pamphlet from Karoline’s Koekken promoting cottage cheese. I was skeptical when I saw the amount of water in the batter, but I am very happy with the result.

• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp agave nectar or honey
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup / 2.5 dl water
• 1 cup / 150 gr  flour
• 7 oz / 200 gr cottage cheese
• Butter for frying

1. Whip eggs, sweetener and salt.
2. Add the flour and whisk until there are no lumps. Then add the cottage cheese.
3. Let the batter rest in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
4. Fry in a small skillet for about 2 minutes, then flip over and bake for no more than 1 minute. The cottage cheese cooks fast and may stick to the pan a bit if overcooked. So watch the crepes, they are so worth it.
5. Keep warm or cool and reheat later.

Yields 15 small crepes

STAR ANISE STRAWBERRIES

This is a winner. A flavor combo you will want to use again and again over ice cream, with meringue, in cakes or even for breakfast over greek yoghurt with a good home made granola.

• 1 pound / 450 gr strawberries
• 2 tbsps cane sugar
• 5 whole star anise

1. Cut the strawberries and place them in a bowl.
2. Sprinkle with cane sugar and add the whole star anise.
3. Give it a good stir and set aside until ready to use.
4. Remove the star anise before serving or leave them in because they are beautiful. Just don’t eat them.

SWEET MASCARPONE WHIP

Measurements here are only approximate. I used 1 part mascarpone and 1 part whipped cream for a thicker result. You can play with the texture and use different sweeteners as well. So creamy, so good, so versatile.

• 1/3 cup / 60 ml mascarpone
• 1/3 cup / 60 ml heavy cream
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk into creaminess.
2. You’re done.

Last week some wonderful friends came to our house with bags full of good stuff to make falafels from scracth. How lucky am I, right?! Well, we ended up with chicken in our pita breads instead, because the falafels kept falling apart in the hot oil?! I had never before attempted to make falafels at home. But after last weekend, I was determined to make it work. So here is what I learned is key: most recipes will tell you to soak the garbanzo beans for 18-24 hours, dry them well and then -without boiling them- throw the beans in a food processor or blender and pulse until coarse only. Well, I had already soaked and boiled my beans, so I dried them well, crossed my fingers and it worked I am not crazy about frying in an inch deep oil or more, but honestly these babies were so good and besides most of the oil was still in the pot when I was done frying. I will be making these again. For sure.

• 2 cups soaked, drained, uncooked garbanzo beans (or cooked and dried)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsps chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper flakes
• 1/2 ground coriander seeds
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp tahini (not all recipes include sesame paste, supposedly it acts as a binder)
• 4 tbsps flour
• Oil for frying (neutral flavor like canola)

1. Dry the beans thoroughly, if they are cooked. Drain well, if they are soaked and uncooked.
2. Blend or pulse onion, garlic, parsley and beans together only until it resembles small pebbles. The texture should be crumbly and loose.
3. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in spices, flour and tahini, then combine everything. The texture will still be crumbly.
4. Grab a spoonful, then squeeze and shape into a ball. Contiune this step and cool the falafels in the fridge while the oil is heating.
5. Use a small deep pot and pour just enough oil to cover the falafel balls.
6. To test if the oil is hot enough, stick a wooden chop stick, a wooden tooth pick or the end of a wooden spoon into the oil. Bubbles will appear around the wood when the oil is ready.
7. Fry about 5 falafels at a time. They are done when they are golden all over. It takes about 3 minutes per batch.
8. Transfer to a plate with paper towels to drain for a minute before serving.

Yields about 25

Here is a before shot to give you an idea of the texture:

Every other week, I get fresh organic fruits & veggies delivered on my door step. One day there was a large bulb of fennel and before I figured out what to do with it, it had turned bad. I hate it when that happens : (

I guess it’s the season for fennel, because the following delivery also contained a large bulb of fennel. Determined to put it to good use this time, I threw this salad together from things I found in my fridge. Usually I photograph my food before I eat, but when I tasted the salad, it turned out so incredibly delicious, that I ate a large serving before I started shooting. I’ll tell you this doesn’t look like much, but it happens to be one of those salads where all the flavors come together in harmony. Loved it. Give it a try and comment if you agree…

• 1 large or 2 small bulb(s) of fennel
• 2 large handfuls of arugula and other mixed greens
• 1 cup of croutons
• 1/3 cup feta cheese
• 2 cooked chicken breasts, sliced or 6 drumsticks, meat off the bone and chopped
• 3 tbsps olive oil
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Salt & pepper

1. Trim and slice the fennel as thin as you can. Preferably with a mandolin, but by hand will work too.
2. Grab a medium sized bowl and combine fennel with mixed greens, feta, croutons and chicken.
3. Simply drizzle the olive oil and the lemon juice over the salad. Give a good stir. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and taste. Adjust with more of the dressing, if needed.

Suggestions

I thought of replacing the chicken with white beans for a vegetarian version. I haven’t had a chance to try it out. Yet.

I went to Louisiana not too long ago. Not the state, the museum. One of the best museums in Denmark as a matter of fact. The main attraction for me and hungry husband was the German photographer Andreas Gursky. Gursky’s 99 cent photograph is one of the most expensive ever sold. According to this list of most expensive photos ever sold, Andreas Gursky holds both 1st and 3rd place. Pretty impressive! The 99 cent photography does make you dwell, but I was more impressed with his pictures from Bahrain and Tour de France. He is a master of perspective and post editing. We ate lunch at the cafe and I had a salmon mousse sandwich. Here is my version. I served it with bread, mixed greens and cucumber chunks.

Depending on the size of your salmon steaks, you may have to adjust a bit. Taste as you make it, so you get it just right. As I mentioned the other day, this salmon mousse is a great weekday dinner, equally good to wrap up and bring for lunch or serve on crunchy crackers as an appetizer.

• 2 salmon steaks
• 3 tbsps sour cream or creme fraiche
• 3 tsbps capers
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375F/175C.
2. Bake the salmon steaks for about 15 minutes and let them cool.
3. Add the remaing ingredients and give it all a good stir.
4. Taste and season until you are happy.

This is the most brilliant, creative and funny food photography, I have seen in a very long time. Above photos are just an appetizer. Please see many more amazing images here as well as at the website of photograher couple Akiko Ida and Pierre Javelle, the master minds behind these fantastic photos. What do you think about them? Are you as intrigued as I am?

Come back for a super versatile salmon mousse recipe. Good for lunch, as an appetizer or a quick and healthy weekday dinner…

I put my kids to work in the kitchen. They colored shredded coconut, they colored marzipan, shaped marzipan and ate marzipan.

While the gang was busy creating flowers, I whipped up a batch of chocolate muffins. I used my mexican chocolate muffin recipe and substituted the cinnamon with vanilla and added 1 more tbsp of cocoa powder. While the muffins were baking, I made a batch of ganache. See ganache filling recipe in chocolate macaroons (I made half a portion for 12 cupcakes). I needed some soil for my coconut grass to grow. When all was done, we put together the Easter Egg Hunt Cupcakes: Cut the tops of the muffins to make them even, smeared a good layer of chocolate ganache on top, dipped the muffin tops in green unsweetened shredded coconut and decorated with marzipan flowers and easter eggs.

Happy Easter to all!

Here is an easy, tasty alternative to an overly sweet store bought cookie. Don’t forget almonds are really good for you The recipe is inspired by this appetizing book showcasing recipes from one of Boston’s best bakeries.

Special equipment: Food processor

• 3 cups / 450 gr almonds
• 1 cup / 200 gr sugar
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml agave nectar
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/175C.
2. In a food processor, pulse the almonds until ground.
3. Add the sugar and pulse a few times just until the sugar is incorporated.
4. Then add agave nectar, egg whites, almond extract and salt.
5. Pulse just until combined.
6. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Dump rounds of batter with a large teaspoon, wet your fingers and flatten each cookie a bit. You should have 40-50 cookies depending on your size.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cookies are light golden around the edges.
9. Let the cookies cool off on the baking sheet, otherwise they will stick to the parchment paper.
10. Assemble with ganache filling and voila very nutty macaroons…

Ganache filling

• 4 oz / 115 gr dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup / 120 ml heavy cream

1. Heat the cream and take it off the heat just before boiling.
2. Pour over the chopped chocolate and stir gently until the chocolate melts.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and set a side until cool. If making the same day then refrigerate.

Store in an airtight container for 3 days or up to a week in the fridge.

Yields 20-25 nutty macaroons

The most time-consuming aspect of this dish, is measuring out all the ingredients used in the soup. If you like asian flavors, I’m pretty sure you’ll probably have most of these sauces in your kitchen already. The recipe is adapted from Noodle Comfort – Easy Japanese Cooking. Interestingly though, according to the book, the soup is served cold over hot noodles with spicy meat. I liked it, but it becomes luke warm real fast and is probably better suited for warmer climates. I really liked the flavors and made it again with hot soup and this is the version I will recommend.

• 9 oz / 250 gr chinese noodles
• 7 oz / 200 gr ground pork
• 5-6 green onions
• 1 inch / 2.5 cm ginger
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp each mirin, soy sauce and oyster sauce
• Salt, pepper and chili oil to taste

The soup

• 6 cups / 1.5 liter water
• 5 tbsps tahini
• 4 tbsps each oyster sauce and rice vinegar
• 3 tbsps yellow miso paste
• 2 tbsps each sesame oil and soy sauce
• 2 tbsps sugar
• 2-3 tbsps chili paste
• 2 tbsps roasted white sesame seeds, optional

Procedure

1. Heat sesame oil in wok over low heat. Chop ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant.
2. Add the pork, salt and pepper and stir fry the meat while breaking it apart.
3. Cook the noodles according to instructions.
4. Meanwhile boil the water for the soup and measure out all the ingredients. Add them to the hot water and stir. The soup should not boil after adding the miso.
5. When the meat is browned, add the mirin, soy sauce and oyster sauce.
6. Finely chop the green onions and add to the meat just before serving.
7. Assemble the dish by diving the noodles in four bowls, then pour the soup and top with the spicy meat. Drizzle with drops of chili oil and serve hot.

Bubble tea. Boba tea. Pearl tea. The drink recipes vary from tea to some kind of fruity juice, they can be iced or ice-blended, they all contain little chewy balls made of tapioca starch, often referred to as pearls. The pearls come in a colored and a black version. I had my first boba tea in San Francisco about 10 years ago and I was intrigued. It’s more about the chewy gummy-like texture than the flavor of the boba. The pearls themselves don’t have much flavor, but when soaked in a simple sugar syrup, they become sweet. According to wikipedia, the bubble tea trend originated from tea shops in Taiwain back in the 1980s. They have since spread and the last time I was in San Francisco’s Chinatown 1 1/2 years ago, I noticed several new bubble tea cafés on Grant Avenue, which is the heart of Chinatown. Read more about the origin of boba teas and flavors here and take a look at ready to use colored bobas just below:

My personal  favorite is smoky thai iced tea with boba. A generous thai friend gave me a big bag of original thai tea bought in Thaitown, Los Angeles just before we relocated to Denmark. Thank you, Pawena!

Preparing thai tea

See instructions in the picture above. I made 6 cups of tea and sweetened it with 4 tablespoons turbinado sugar and 1 tablespoon honey. You need a thin filter to strain the tea eg. cheese cloth. I prefer half & half as creamer. Every good thai restaurant serves their own version of thai iced tea. It’s sweet, smoky and creamy. I love it!

Cooking tapioca pearls

Tapioca pearls absorb a lot of water during cooking. So if you are preparing 1 cup /240 ml tapioca pearls, then use 5 cups / 1.2 l water. Bring the water to a boil, then add the pearls and cook for 30 minutes stirring once in a while. When done, turn off the heat and leave the bobas in the pot for another 30 minutes. Meannwhile prepare a classic simple syrup with 1 part water and 1 part sugar (or less sugar, if you prefer). Bring the water and sugar to a boil and take off the heat when the sugar is completely dissolved. You can experiment with brown and white sugars as well as honey, agave and maple syrup. Store tapioca pearls in the syrup in the fridge until ready for use.

Assembling your boba drink

Grab a tall glass and prepare your drink by adding 2 tablespoons of bobas (you only use the pearls, not the syrup), then pour in your sweetened drink, add a handful of ice cubes and finish with a splash of milk, half & half or cream and serve with a large straw:

For those of you lucky people in the LA area www.surfas.com has both tapioca pearls and large straws. I still don’t know if and where I can find them in the Copenhagen area. Anyone?

Enjoy!