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Apple Cupcakes with Candied Violets for Mothers day.

Posted in Baking, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on May 12, 2013 | 1 Comment »

This sunday is the American Mother’s day. In Sweden it is not until the last sunday of May.

At mother’s day, the lilacs are usually in full bloom at home. One of my favorite flowers. At my old country house we had a whole path way lined with Lilac trees and at the very end of the property, there was this one large white Lilac tree. It will always stay in my memory and I think I need to always have at least one little tree planted somewhere.

The same way that I love lilacs I also love Violets and Lily of the Valley. Beautiful flowers with strong wonderful scents.

Some of the first plants I planted in our current garden were a few Lilac trees. It took a while for them to bloom but this year they are absolutely fantastic. My dad came for a visit last year and was trimming all the trees. I wish I could have said it was my love and care but I know better. It was due to my dads green fingers that they are giving me the best spring experience ever.

I transplanted some violets from my old house. They are now taking over. Spreading like crazy. This year I FINALLY made Candied Violets.

It happens that I would like to use some Candied Violets. And every time I go on a big hunt for the, Every time I have come home empty-handed. It is really easy to make so why haven’t I made them before??? Beats me… I used to make candied fruits when I was younger. It is fun and the result is great. You just need to be a little detail oriented and have good tolerance the day you make them. This because the egg whites and all the sugar gets very sticky. Also note that since the Violets need to dry you have to make them ahead of time.

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Apple Cupcakes with Candied Violets.

Makes about 8-10 cupcakes.

1 stick of butter (125 gr.) melted.

1 c. of granulated sugar.

1 1/2 c. of flour.

2 tsp. baking powder.

2 eggs, whisked.

1 c. apple juice or apple cider.

For decoration;

Candied Violets or grated chocolate.

Whipped Heavy cream or your favorite kind of frosting.

Directions;

Whisk the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Melt the butter. Add the flour and baking powder into a sieve. Sift into the bowl of butter and sugar and mix carefully. Add the eggs and pour in the apple juice. Again, mix carefully.

Pour into muffin pans.

Bake in a 350 F degree (175 C) for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool down. Decorate with the frosting or whipped cream. Finish off with the Candied Violets or some grated chocolate.

Enjoy!

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Candied Violets.

Egg white.

Very fine granulated sugar (I make it very fine by using my mortar and pestle.

Pick the flowers with a little bit of the steam still on it.

Spray gently with a water bottle. Let dry on some paper towel.

Brush some egg white on both sides of the Violets.

Sprinkle on the sugar.

Let dry on a piece of wax paper for at least 24 hours.

Store in an airtight container in one layer.

It takes some time but it is so much fun to have your own home made Candied Violets. Try it. You will be so happy to have them.

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Homemade Mojito Ice-cream…

Posted in Desserts, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 18, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Homemade Mojito Ice cream… Now doesn’t that sound like a summer nights dream???

Since I love both Mojito’s and Ice cream I figured one should be able to combine the two. We got ourselves an Ice cream maker not so long ago. I am now ready to have the freezer full of healthier versions of my favorite Häagen-Dazs… I am trying to come up with some healthy alternatives. But one needs to also do some “real” Ice cream. For god sake, you can’t have an Ice cream maker and only do frozen yoghurt!! That would be a crime. So let the try-outs begin. One of my favorites right now is a Mojito ice cream. It is made from a custard base. Oh my, it is so fantastic. The first time I made it, it ended up a little too sweet in my taste, but I was the only one that thought so. Family & friends has loved all versions. No complaints of it being too sweet.

It is such an easy task to make Ice cream with this handy little machine. Gone are the days I made it by hand. I used to use the attachment to my Kitchen Aid, but it always gave me problems. It never really worked well, so I did it by hand. Now I finally don’t have to. It is so nice.

You can make so many versions of Ice cream. I think it is great to just experiment. First you need to just master the basics. Make a plain vanilla Ice cream, use a custard base. It is creamy, smooth and silky. From there you can start building up your repertoire. Use simple syrups, fruits, berries, herbs….or whatever your favorite taste is. I am thinking the wilder the better. It is easy to make “cocktail” Ice cream versions. Since many drinks are based on simple syrups, you can just transfer that into an Ice cream, you can even add alcohol if you want. If you do, just be careful and don’t add it until the last few seconds in the machine. The alcohol can prevent the Ice cream from freezing up.

Just note that you must make sure to have a day or two before the ice-cream is being served since the custard must chill down a 100%. I also prefer to have it sit in the freezer over night.

So make some Ice cream!!! Summer is closing in.

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Homemade Mojito Ice-cream.

Makes about 6 cups.

2 c. Heavy cream (whipping cream).

2 c. whole milk.

1/2 c.  granulated sugar.

5 egg yolks from large eggs.

1/2 c. Simple syrup made of mint and lime. (Use 1 bunch of fresh mint and 1-2 limes, the juice and some grated zest as well. Boil down with 1/2 c. of water & 1/2 c. of granulated sugar. Let come to a boil. Make sure the sugar dissolves. Cool in the fridge for a few hours. Strain).

1 tsp. finely grated lime zest

1-2 tbsp. of good rum (optional, to add the last few seconds of mixing the ice-cream).

Pinch of salt.

(If you would like to make a vanilla ice-cream, add 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 vanilla bean, halved & seeds scraped off. Cooked in the milk/cream mixture. Just remove the vanilla bean when finished cooking. Obviously you don’t use the lime and mint for the vanilla version)

Directions;

Pour the milk, cream and half of the sugar into a pot. Let come to a boil on medium low heat. Meanwhile, mix the egg yolks and the rest of the sugar until nice, light and fluffy.

You now need to “temper” the eggs. Take 1/3 of the hot milk/cream. Pour, little by little while whisking well, into the egg & sugar mixture. When done pour this tempered egg mixture back into the pot. Use a wooden spoon, stir constantly on low heat until it thickens. Make sure it isn’t too hot or the eggs will curdle. When the mixture covers the back of the spoon and you can drag your finger across the spoon and the mixture doesn’t close back in over spoon, it is done. It will take about 5-6 minutes.

If you are making vanilla ice-cream, you need to now remove the vanilla bean. Pour the custard into a container with air tight lid.

Sometimes when making ice-cream you might end up with lot’s of ice crystals. The trick to avoid that is to cool down the custard really fast. I use an ice bath (a large bowl with water and ice that I put my container of finished ice-cream custard into).

You need to refrigerate the custard for at least 2 hours. The best would be to let it sit in the fridge over night.

When cooled down totally, add to the ice-cream machine. Make sure it is turned on before you start pouring in the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl. After 5 minutes or so of churning the ice-cream, start adding the simple syrup. Little by little. Make sure to taste so that it isn’t too over powering. Let churn for about 20-25 minutes in total. At the very end, add the finely grated lime zest and the alcohol (optional). If you like a little softer version of ice-cream, serve directly. I prefer to make mine ahead of time and add it to an airtight container and put it in the freezer for a few hours or even over night.

Decorate with a couple of leaves of mint.

Enjoy!!!!

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Turkey Fricadelles in a Broth.

Posted in Chicken, Soups, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on April 12, 2013 | 2 Comments »

It is still a little chilly out and I crave some soup or broth. Right now, I am so focused on finishing a whole bunch of tasks making long complicated cooking banned.  I just don’t have the time for it this week. Instead I am making quick dishes. Turkey Fricadelles in a chicken broth.

The “heavy work” would just be the mixing of the ground turkey. After that, it takes care of itself.

This is more of a sophisticated and old fashion dish. It is usually served in a consomme’. I am more used to Fricadelles made out of ground pork. But, if using ground turkey, you will get a very nice light and fresh taste. And, if you mix it with ginger and lemon zest the freshness & lightness is elevated even more. You can also make Fricadelles and boil them in a tomato sauce and pour it over some pasta. Another version is to bake them in the oven. I prefer to boil them in a broth though.

It is a little sad that we have forgotten many of the old timers (old classic dishes). I really appreciate eating different kinds of food. Things that my grandmother and mother used to make. These Fricadelles are an upbeat version of theirs.

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Turkey Fricadelles in a Chicken broth.

Makes about 20 Fricadelles.

1 lb. ground turkey.

1 tbsp. potato flour/starch.

Zest from 1 lemon., finely chopped.

1/2-1 tbsp. finely grated fresh ginger.

1 egg.

2 tbsp. finely chopped herbs. Any kind. (I love to use basil/Thyme/cilantro/parsley. Either one or a combination of).

2 tbsp. finely grated parmesan cheese (optional).

1 tbsp. concentrated chicken or vegetable broth.

Salt & pepper to taste.

Splash of hot sauce (optional).

Good quality chicken broth or consomme’.

Directions;

Mix the ground turkey, herbs, zest, egg and all the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl. Make sure all is well combined. Form little “meatballs” of the mixture, about 3/4″-1″ in size.

Let the broth or consomme’ come to a boil. Drop in the Fricadelles, one by one and make sure they don’t stick together. Let them simmer slowly (so that they don’t boil too hard and break into pieces). It should take about 8-10 minutes. They should be slightly firm to the touch. Note that since it is poultry they must be cooked all the way through. I use the broth that I boiled the Fricadelles in, but you can just as well boil some clean and clear broth on the side and lift over the Fricadelles into that broth for a clean serving. I usually strain the broth I boiled the Fricadelles in since it becomes very flavorful. 

You can make lot’s of Fricadelles and freeze them for future use. Perfect to just defrost in the fridge over night and drop into any dish for dinner.

Enjoy!!

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The Ice Hotel & the Absolute vodka bar.

Posted in Drinks, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on April 3, 2013 | 1 Comment »

The Arctic winds were hitting many parts of the world this winter. In New York, we have had lot’s of snow and it has been freezing cold. We even had 10F/-11C at times, that is cold. For days it has been colder than in Sweden.  And on top of that during the same time a friend in Australia said that they were hit with the highest registered temperature ever at this one part of Sydney. I believe it was 120F/49C. Something like that. Isn’t it just crazy how the climate is changing??

As if we don’t have enough of the cold, we love visiting the Ice Hotel up in the north of Sweden or the Ice Bar in Stockholm. Or the Ice Hotel in Canada. Cold as ….
I went to the Ice Hotel with a friend just before I moved to the US. I wanted to do something very Swedish as a last hurrah.

It was fantastic. We drove a reindeer sled, fed the reindeer, went cross-country skiing. And of course we slept at the Ice Hotel itself. It was such an experience. What a nice thing to do. If you ever have a chance to go there, do it. You sleep in a sleeping bag, with just your underwear. Your clothes are neatly rolled up and put at the bottom of your sleeping bag. They wake you up in the morning bringing a glass of hot lingon berry juice. You can choose between rooms or suits. The bed is a wooden frame with a mattress and lined with reindeer hides. The whole hotel is built out of ice blocks cut out from the river. And every spring the river takes the hotel right back. All rooms, furniture, light fixtures such as chandeliers, the little church, the art installations all are made of snow and ice. It really is amazing that one can build this giant hotel made of just snow and ice. I would say going to the Ice Hotel is a bucket list thing to do.

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The glasses are made of ice. The stack of empty glasses is almost looking like an art installation.

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Flavored Alcohol.

You can make your own flavored alcohol. I usually make flavored vodka and rum. The best way is to make a small essence that you dilute into the vodka itself. There are so many version. When I was in my 20′s we used to make candy shots by adding lot’s of different kinds of candy into the bottles of vodka, liquorice, “Kola shoestrings, peppermint, sours candy….a.s.o. You will see how the dye/colors in the candy dyes the vodka. The liquorice becomes light grey for example. Just throw that out after a few days. You can also strain the vodka in a sieve with some cheese cloth if your candy fell apart.

My favorite flavored vodkas are;

* Cinnamon & orange. 

* Saffron, cinnamon & cloves.

* Ginger & apples.

* Lemon (use a Buddhas hand if possible. Regular lemons tend to get slightly bitter. Let the peal only sit in the vodka for a day or so).

* Raspberries or other berries.

* A typical Swedish taste would be herbal such as Fennel seeds or dill. 

The varieties are endless.

Add a little sugar, about 1 tbsp, so that the tastes marry better.

This is also the way I make my essence. I use a 50% alcohol and let it sit in a glass jar for months in my basement. I never buy my vanilla essence I make it from vanilla beans. It tastes really good.

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Let’s hope we soon go from snow and ice to a nice warm spring.

Happy spring to all of us!!!

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Easter Chicks and other Eggs…

Posted in Holidays & Special Occasions, Seafood, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 29, 2013 | 4 Comments »

The egg is the “king of the Swedish Easter table”. In the old days they used to save all the eggs, milk, heavy cream & butter during the Easter fasting.

When Ester finally arrived, they got all those goodies out of their food pantries and started cooking up a storm.

Most of the time, the food is served buffet style as a “smörgåsbord” as we call it. For Easter we eat lot’s of eggs, pickled herring, Quiche, salads, lamb, salmon, caviar …Did I mention eggs and pickled herring??? I love it. It is also one of my year round fast fix dinner. Luckily, my husband loves it as well. If it is for dinner I usually boil a couple of potatoes as well.

I always try to come up with a new little “chick” made out of an egg for the Easter table. I saw these little ones somewhere and wanted to add them to my herring plates. You just boil the eggs (hard boil) cut out a thin slice from a peeled carrot. Cut out little v-shapes on one side. Cut a slit in the top/pointy part of the egg. Insert the “rooster comb”. I inserted 2 pieces of wild rice for the eyes. They really are super cute.

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Herring tray.

* Pickled herring with a mixture of sour cream, mayo, dill & black pepper.

* Egg halves with caviar.

*”Gubbröra”. “Old man’s mixture”…not sure of the translation of this egg anchovies mixture. You need hardboiled eggs, anchovies, a little finely chopped red onion, finely chopped dill, finely chopped chives, Creme Fraiche. Usually this is served on hard or dark bread.

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Our Easter table is always a display of spring. Lot’s of  yellows and greens… I like to give my guest a little something on their plate.

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Isn’t it wonderful when the flower shops starts to sell tulips & daffodils with all those vibrant colors. There is a great flower district in New York. I go there a lot, it makes me happy. If any of my friends are a little down I always suggest a trip to the flower district. It is the busiest early in the morning. My visits usually takes place between 7 or 8am, I have loved flowers as long as I can remember. I always buy flowers and make everything from little bouquets to bigger arrangements. A dream is to have a country house with some land where I would grow all sorts of flowers and vegetables. One day…

If you can, bring some flowers into the house. It really makes it lively. Even a potted plant will do it. If you have a garden, get a potted plant that you eventually can plant outside. Many of my hyacinths and tulips started out as house plants. Anything from christmas arrangements to summer flowers. They all go into the ground. Easter is the “kick off” for my garden. This year it has been such a harsh winter that the daffodils and tulips are taking their time. The only thing blooming are some mini daffodils I planted after easter last year.

Happy Easter!!!

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Corned Beef and Cabbage Enchiladas for St Patrick’s day.

Posted in Holidays & Special Occasions, Meat, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on March 17, 2013 | 4 Comments »

St Patrick’s day is here again.

We went to my mother-in-law for the yearly Corn Beef and Cabbage dinner. I never cook it myself since it has become a tradition for her to cook it.

Instead, it has become my challenge to come up with left-over ideas for all the food we get with us home. This year I decided to make Corned Beef and Cabbage Enchiladas. They were delicious. It is easy to come up with “left over” dishes. You just need to have an open mind to what is allowed or not. This year, it snowed like crazy in New York, just when the big parade took place on 5th avenue. But the Irish are troopers. No amount of snow can get them to back up their kilts or bagpipes. The show will go on…

I Always get a special feeling when there is anything Irish to celebrate. This because of my special Irish friends and families… (You know who you are….)

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Corned Beef and Cabbage Enchilada.

4 small enchilada’s.

4 tortilla’s (any kind but on the smaller side).

1 onion, finely sliced.

1 c. chopped cooked Corned Beef and Cabbage,

2 tbsp. taco spice.

1/2 c. tomato sauce or finely chopped tomatoes.

1/2 c. water or stock (I used chicken stock. It is my usual “go to”).

1/2-1 c. shredded cheese. Mixed or just one kind.

Splash of hot sauce (optional).

Salt & pepper to taste.

Directions;

Fry up the onion. Add the chopped (and cooked) Corned Beef and Cabbage. Add the taco spice. Let cook for a few minutes. Mix well. Add the water, tomato sauce (or stock). Add the hot sauce, salt & pepper to taste. And any other spice if needed.

Spray an oven proof pan. Add the tortillas. Spoon up the fried Corned Beef mixture and divide into the tortillas. Fold over and “secure” with a tooth pick. Add the shredded cheese. Bake in a 450F (225C) degree oven. Bake until golden brown. It will take about 10-15 minutes.

Serve with rice, guacamole/avocado, beans or salad.

Enjoy!!!!

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Happy St Patrick’s day!!!!

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Pork Tenderloin in a Mustard Basil sauce.

Posted in Meat, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on March 9, 2013 | 2 Comments »

This is another one of my very old “go to” recipes.

I have cravings for it ever so often. Pork tenderloin is a very common cut of meat at home. There are so many things you can cook with it. Since it is almost or even as lean as chicken breast it is a great choice of meat.

When I cook Pork tenderloin, I often starts with searing it whole or cut in medallions and then I layer any kind of sauce or sides to it. This version of cooking the tenderloin is very tasty and it is a great comfort food. You can make it less heavy by using half & half (12% fat compared to heavy cream that is 35-38% fat) or a cooking cream. It’s all relative as they say.

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Pork Tenderloin in a Mustard Basil sauce.

Serves 4-6.

2 Pork tenderloins.

1 zucchini (finely sliced).

1/2 leek (finely sliced).

1/2 – 1 red pepper (sliced).

3-4 tbsp. Dijon mustard.

2/3 -1 c. heavy cream (You can also a use leaner alternative or Creme Fraiche).

2-3 tbsp. dried basil. (If you use fresh basil add a little but more).

Hot sauce to taste (optional).

Pepper to taste.

Directions;

Trim the pork tenderloin (make sure you take the “silver skin” off  - “Silver skin” is the tough membrane covering the top of a pork loin). Cut into 2/3″ medallions. Quickly fry/sear on both sides until golden brown. Remove the meat from the pan. Add the leek, zucchini and red peppers into the pan (let all the bits and pieces from frying the meat stay in the pan). Fry for a few minutes. Add the Dijon mustard (in portions so that you can control the taste). Let fry together for about a minute while stirring well. Add the heavy cream & the meat. Lower the heat and let simmer for about 5-8 minutes. Add the herbs and the hot sauce (optional). Pepper to taste. Serve it with a good tasting rice ( I love Basmati rice or red Korean rice for this) or even some mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!

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Winter picnic with Chicken Salad in Pita pockets & hot Blueberry Soup.

Posted in Chicken, Uncategorized, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 3, 2013 | 5 Comments »

Winter is a fantastic season.

Yes, it is cold, but it is also so beautiful. The best of course is when the sun is out, the ground is covered with glistening snow and you have a day off to enjoy it. As soon as there is a sunny day, we love to take advantage of every little sunny second. These would be the days we would go on a winter picnic. We would fill up a thermos of hot chocolate and/or one with hot blueberry soup, make some sandwiches and pack some other snacks. If we felt like dragging it along, we would also pack a lamb skin to sit on. When finding the right picnic spot, we would dig out a little “seat” in the snow and put the lambskin down. It has been a few years since I went on a winter picnic, but this winter we finally did it. It was just so nice to be out in the snow on a sunny winter day. It is highly recommended. If you have kids, this could be a great tradition, to go on “off-season” picnics. Try it…

The tradition of drinking hot blueberry soup is very Scandinavian. It is a great way to stay warm  and it also gives you energy.

Once a year, there is a huge cross-country skiing competition taking place in Sweden. It is called “Vasaloppet”. There are blueberry soup stations along the way. The skiers gets a cup of hot blueberry soup to heat them up and to give them continued energy. The race is 90 km long, so it is well needed.

“Vasaloppet” is taking place this weekend.

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Chicken salad in a Pita pocket.

1 baked/boiled or grilled chicken.

2-4 small pita breads.

Lettuce.

1 c. seedless grapes, cut into halves.

1/2 c. lightly crushed walnuts.

1/2 c. mayo.

3-4 tbsp. ranch dressing powder (or 1/2 c. of ranch dressing, store-bought).

Splash of hot sauce.

Black pepper to taste.

Directions;

Cook the chicken (or you can even buy a rotisserie chicken in the store if you are short of time). Let cool down slightly. Take off all the meat from the bones. Add the mayo, ranch powder (or the just the ranch dressing), crushed walnuts, hot sauce and pepper into a mixing bowl. Mix well. Taste it. If you would like more ranch dressing or mayo, add some but be careful not to add too much. Pour in the chicken pieces & grapes. Mix again. Take a last taste and make sure it is to your satisfaction. Let sit in the fridge covered for a few hours or even over night if you make this ahead of time.

This chicken salad gets better and better after a few days when all the tastes has “married”.

Place a little lettuce in half a pita bread. Add some chicken salad. You can add any vegetable of your choice or just skip that.

Enjoy!!

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Blueberry soup.

2 c. blueberries.

 A few tbsp. of sugar (I use brown sugar. It is up to you how sweet you want the soup. I recommend it not to be too sweet though. It should be nice and fresh with a “true” blueberry taste).

3 c. water.

1- 1 1/2 tbsp. potato starch.

Directions;

Let  blueberries, sugar and water come to a boil and cook on medium heat for a 5-10 minutes. Make sure  the right amount of sugar is added by tasting the soup. Mix the blueberry soup with a hand mixer or in a blender until nice and silky. Whisk in  the potato starch into some cold water. Add little by little into the blueberry soup. Let it come to a boil and then take it off the heat. The blueberry soup is ready.

You can drink it hot as it is or eat it totally cold with a splash of milk. I drink hot soup in the winter and cold soup in the summer. It is perfect as a night “snack”.

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A thermos full of hot chocolate is a staple for a winter picnic.

A thermos full of hot chocolate is a staple for a winter picnic.

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Steamed Edamame with sea salt and some Chipotle & honey roasted cashews are perfect picnic snacks.

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We would carry with us a lamb skin to sit on. You just dig out a perfect “seat” and add the skin on top. This is perfect and you stay nice and warm.
If you would have a winter picnic outside but close to the house, you could use a larger skin or even a reindeer hide.

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I always keep a look out for great coolers and food storage solutions. This is the little cooler bag my husband and I got as a present from Caesars Palace Las Vegas when we got married. It contained two bottles of champagne and some champagne flutes at the time. We keep using this for all kinds of occasions.

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Vasaloppet (literally, The Vasa race) is an annual long distance (90 km) cross-country ski race (ski marathon) held on the first Sunday of March in northwestern Dalarna, Sweden between the village of Sälen and town of Mora. It is the oldest, the longest, and the biggest (in terms of participants) cross-country ski race in the world.In the 80th race, held on 7 March 2004, some 15,500 skiers competed in the main event. More than 40,000 participated in one of the seven different races held during the first week of March. The race was first run in 1922, inspired by a run by King Gustav Vasa in 1520. The winner of the first race was Ernst Alm from Norsjö, 22 years old, who is also the youngest ever winner of the race. Vasaloppet is one of the races in the long distance cup Ski Classics.

ref- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasaloppet

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Breadfruit, the “potatoes” of the Caribbean.

Posted in Uncategorized, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , on February 25, 2013 | 6 Comments »

S:t Lucia is just now celebrating its 34th Independence day.

So, in honor of that, I would like to show you what a breadfruit is. Before I met my husband, I had no idea myself. Now it is one of my favorite carbs. Breadfruit is very common in the Caribbean but even more so in Asia. It is eaten as a “potato” to any meal. My mother-in-law has taught me how to buy it and cook it. You have to smell it in the store. It has the most fragrant smell ever. Just like a sweet perfume. To cook it, you can steam it, boil it, fry it, bake it & also roast it over fire. This is a  common way to prepare it in Jamaica. My Jamaican neighbor almost fell over the fence the first time she saw me roasting breadfruit on my BBQ grill in the back yard. She said, “I must call my friends and tell them that this Swedish girl next door is roasting breadfruit just like a Jamaican!” Ha, Yes and I also eat them like a true Caribbean girl!!! A treat for me is roasted breadfruit. If I can choose only one thing to eat for the rest of my life, this is a great contender. A Puerto Rican friend also taught me how to make tostones out of breadfruit. So there you go, try breadfruit if you are given the chance. It truly is so good. I never thought I would say this, but it almost beats potatoes (and I love potatoes).

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A beautiful Breadfruit.

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The breadfruit tree is usually a very large tree (unless you keep trimming it). The fruits themselves are very heavy and you better be careful walking underneath a tree.

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You need to cut out the steam and make a little hole so that the heat from the fire can penetrate into the center of the breadfruit. Keep turning it while roasting.

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Don’t be afraid of it charing. It is supposed to. When it is totally back, it is done.

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When cut in half, it is very beautiful. When you cook it, you must cut off the peel and also quite a bit of the center.

It is easier to do this if you cook it in “quarters/cut into 4 pieces”.

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Enjoy!!!

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Baked Avocado with Shrimp.

Posted in Seafood, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on February 20, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

During the 80′s, I had many favorite dishes that my friends & I made over and over again…

Baked Avocado with Shrimp was one of those dishes. It is more an appetizer than an entrée. You might think that avocado is something that should stay cold, but it is actually really good when it has been baked. Avocado is a great source of “good fat”. About 1/5 of an avocado is a portion size. That feels very little to me. I stick to half an avocado in this case (note that we are talking about small regular size avocados).

Did you know that you could even use this fantastic fruit (yes, it is actually a fruit since it has a pit/seed) as a fat source while baking??? I will, at a later date, post a brownie recipe that uses avocado instead of fat. Yum…

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Baked Avocado with Shrimp.

Serves 4.

2 avocados.

1/3 c. sour cream (or creme fresh).

About 17 oz (500 gr) cooked unpeeled shrimp.

1-2 tbsp. ketchup/chili sauce or spiced up tomato paste.

2 tbsp. tomato salsa or finely chopped tomatoes.

Chopped chives or a spring onion.

Splash of hot sauce.

Salt & pepper to taste.

Sprig of dill for decoration.

Directions;

Peel the shrimp. Cut up the spring onion/chives. Mix all ingredients but the shrimp together in a bowl. Make sure it is well seasoned. If you would like to add something else into the sauce, do so. Add the shrimp. Mix.

Cut open the avocados. Take out the pit. Cut a very small piece off at each bottom of each avocado half so that they can balance better when served. Divide the mixture into the avocados.

Bake in a 400 F (200 C) degree oven for about 10-15 minutes or until you start seeing the sour cream bubbling and getting a little brown.

Decorate with a sprig of dill. Serve with a little bit of salad (If you want, you can add some left over shrimp on top of the avocado or around the plate).

Enjoy!!

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