Bonde + Kock = Sant

Today is the day...it is time for one of the semi-finals for the "Årets Kock" in Jönköping.This is a competition in Sweden where professional chefs get to challenge each other to see who can be crowned Sweden's next best chef. It is a gastronomical heaven to see the creativity that the chefs have and the masterpieces that are presented...so of course I'm going to pay the competition a visit and check it out!

Last week-end I was invited, along with some other foodies from Jönköping, to a day of food and fun. The day was organised by LRF who are also one of the sponsors for the competition. The aim of the day was to highlight the benefits of using locally manufactured, good quality products and also to encourage a deeper understanding between farmer och chef.

The day started off at Säby Gård, a farm where ecological, high quality meat is produced. It is located in Skärstadalen, one of the most beautiful areas in Jönköping. We were met up by the very hospitable Göran and Maria who gave us an extensive tour of their farm. They also explained the process behind what creates meat that is of a high quality. Did you know that if a cow is stressed when it is slaughtered, that will result in a tough meat that often is a more purpley colour instead of the deep red that it should be? That was one of the facts that we learnt while visiting Säby.

At this farm, the animlas are left to grow at their own natural pace, they are not fed any unnatural food and are left to enjoy the fresh air for much of the year. If you live close to the Jönköping area and are looking for some good meat, then you can easily go onto their website and order one of the different beef or lamb packages that they offer. Try it...believe me, you won't regret it!

Viktor Westerlind, winner of the "Årets Kock" 2009 joined us for the day and prepared some delicious delights. At Säby we were served a "fika" of air-dried wild boar, sourdough bread, cheese from Jokkmokk and delicious apples. Simple but so mouth-wateringly delicious!


Left: Viktor Westerling together with Göran from Säby Gård and one of their cows. Top right: Me together with the other bloggers. Bottom right: Göran and Viktor preparing the "fika".

The next stop for the day was Rudenstams, an apple orchad whose goal is to provide Swedish apples all year round in order to decrease the amount of apples that are imported to Sweden. Here we were given a tour of the orchads and were shown were all the packaging takes place. All the apples are hand-picked and treated like eggs in order to protect the sensitive skin and prevent unneccessary bruising. We got to taste a few of the different types of apples and it's amazing how they can have such different characteristics. Rubinella is my new favourite apple! Rudentstams also has a little county store which is one of my favourite places to walk around and look. It is set in a beautiful environment and it is so relaxing to go out and get inspired by the products that they sell. In the spring when all the apple trees are blooming, they open their orchads up for the public who can buy a picninc basket and go and soak in the beauty of spring amongst the beautiful blossoms, something that I'm definately going to give a try next spring. They also offer several other activites which are equally charming, so check them out and pay them a visit.

At Rudenstams Viktor prepared a three-course meal which was phenomenal. Here is what the menu looked like:

Starter:

Chantarelle soup with a roasted onion cream and bacon crisps together with sourdough bread and home-made butter

 

Main meal:

Sirloin steak (from Säby Gård) with salt-baked celery root and sides

 

Dessert:

Cinnamon and sugar fried apples (from Rudenstams) served with a decadent chocolate cream

 

 

It has been a long time since I ate such a well-composed meal. Really delicious! And the salt-baked celery root is something that is definatley worth trying!



Top left: One of the owners explaining how the apples are stored to preserve the flavour. Top right: The apples that will be sent to make different types of drinks. Top middle: Inside the country store. Bottom right: Viktor Westerlind and I. Bottom left: The fantastic meal we were served.

A big thank you to Anna from LRF for organising a great day. Thanks also to Viktor for the fantastic food, and both Säby Gård and Rudenstams for your hospitality. It was a fantastic day and it was great to make some new blogging friends.

If you're tempted to try that salt-baked celery root (celeriac), go to Amy's blog for the recipe...it's definately worth a try!

If you want to read up more about the "Årets Kock" competition, check out Håkans blog.

Patrick has also written about his experiences from the day, check them here.

I'm looking forward to going to the competition and will get back with some photos from it later!

Have a great day!

Love,

Heidi

Lots of new beginnings...

Hello everyone!



I hope that you are all doing well and that those of you in the northern hemisphere had a great summer and those of you on the south side of the world had a cosy winter.



Here things have been pretty crazy with a lot of changes and exciting new beginnings in my life...hence the lack of updates.

But let me share the good news with you. Here is a clue:

Yip! We are the owners of our first little house, a cute and quaint jem that needs a little polishing...okay maybe a lot of polishing. But the renovating process has been fun so far and we do it in little projects...you can't renovate all the time, we have to live as well, right? This little home is a miracle for us and we are loving it!



Okay...the next little piece of good news...

Yes, you saw right...that's a cute little pair of mini-me feet. Baby nr 2 is on its way and we are all delighted. Especially me...now that the nausea has gone over. What a terrible few months that was. But now I'm ok, as long as I eat...like all the time...it's a good thing my body uses more energy at the moment.



Anyways, now that you know my good news, maybe you'll be a little more excusing of my absence:-).



Unlike you lucky people in the southern hemisphere, who are heading in to spring and many lazy hours on the beach, up north we are going towards more cosier times with lots of candles and fiery nights. Here's a recipe for one of my favourite fruit salads that has an autumn feel with its stewed figs and cardamom syrup...enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

4 fresh figs

8 fresh strawberries (you can use frozen if you don't have access to fresh ones)

1 orange

1 banana

2 granadillas (passion fruit)

1/2 pineapple

1 dl frozen raspberries



Cardamom syrup:

50 ml (1/2dl) sugar

1 tbsp water

1 tsp grinded cardamom



1. Make the syrup first: Put the sugar, water and cardamom in a little pot and boil until it has a syrupy consistency, without it getting any colour.

2. Peel and chop the fruit into little pieces (except the figs).

3. Put 200ml water and 50 ml sugar into a pot bring to the boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer. Cut the figs into four pieces and stew them in the sugar water for a few minutes. Remove from water and garnish the fruit salad with the figs.pour the syrup over and serve with vanilla cream.



Have a happy day!



Love,

Heidi

Happy Easter!

Here are some cute cupcakes for Easter! And they are dangerously delicious! I have found my new favourite "go to" chocolate cake recipe...Ina Garten is my new hero:-). This cake comes with a warning: it is DANGEROUS! Only because it's so easy to make and it's so delicious! Don't say I didn't warn you...

 

To see this recipe in Swedish, click here.

From Barefoot Contessa at Home

Chocolate cake
butter for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

1. Make the cake: sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.

2. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. with the mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine. Pour the batter into 2 buttered and floured 9 inch cake pans or into your cipcake wrappers. Bake the cake at 180 degrees C for 40-45 minutes and the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Happy baking!

Love,

Heidi

 

 

 

Spring is here!

Easter is one of My favourite times of year...especially here in Sweden because it symbolises the start of spring, which means that summer is on it's way...which is a big thing in Sweden! Seriously, when it is winter here people go into hibernation, which may sound strange if you come from a warm sunny South Africa, but if you've been in Sweden during winter you understand that it's not so fun to stand outside and chit-chat when it is -10 degrees C and the wind is blowing through your bones.

And it is SOOO nice to be able to go outside without it taking half an hour just to get all the jackets, shoes, scarves and gloves on...

But one of the things that I love most about Spring is seeing everything come to life again, the new leaves sprouting on the trees, flowers blooming. It kind of reminds you that there is always a new beginning. When things get tough, there is always a spring around the corner. And it also reminds you what Easter is really all about...new life and second chances!

Here is a springy chocolate cake with cherry blossoms on made for a sweet girl who turned 18.

 

Love,

Heidi

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet 18

Here's a photo of a cake I made for a sweet young lady who recently turned 18. I was happy with how it turned out, and apparently it tasted good...and in the end, that's what is most important isn't it? Cakes are made to be eaten and not just looked at, right? The recipe is Ina Gartens double chocolate cake recipe, it is my new favourite, and it was filled with scrumptious caramel and cream.

 

 

Have a great week, everyone!

 

Love, Heidi

 

 

 

Leaving a legacy...

 My granny, Daphne, was a lady that left a legacy. She was an amazingly generous and loving woman and there are many times that I wished she hadn't died while I was so young because there was so much more that I could've learnt from her.

 

But isn't life like that sometimes...things don't always plan out as we wish them to. Which just reminds me how important it is to make the most of life and enjoy the people that I have been blessed with in my life.

 

One of the legacy's that my gran left for me was her passion for baking and blessing people with cakes. I don't know what it is, but there is something special about making cakes that are designed after people's personalities and likes. Maybe it's because it takes so much time so there's a lot of love poured into it. But whatever it is, it is always fun to see people's reactions when they see the cake that was made just for them.

When my gran died, I inherited all her cake decorating tools and equipment. This cake was made for a friend's wedding and the pillars between the tiers came from Granny Daphne. They have actually been packed in a box in South Africa for a while, but I finally got them here, so it's the first time I've used them. Turned out pretty good!

 

 

 Whenever I'm working with the tools I inherited I say a little thanks to the One above for blessing me with people in my life who have left a legacy, and not just a legacy of belongings, but a legacy of something so much deeper...a legacy of living your life to be a blessing for others!

 

Which makes me think...what legacy am I going to leave behind?

 

Have a great week, everyone!

 

Love,

Heidi

 

Love conquers all...

There are times in life when love is frustrating. There are times in life when love is exhilarating. There are times in life when you wonder why and yet there are times in life when you would never let go. The longer I live, the more I realise that love is a choice and it takes a lot of hard work. There are times when love comes easy, and there are times when it doesn't come so easy. But I have learnt that sometimes it's ok to put my expectations aside and just accept and when I do that it usually turns out better than I would have expected in the first place. I have learnt that sometimes I don't need to pick on the small things, but can just let things go and it will be okay anyway. I have learnt that my way isn't the only way. I have learnt that sometimes saying a little prayer is enough and I have learnt that love is never worth giving up on!

"The fire of love stops at nothing. Flood waters cannot drown love and rain cannot put it out. Love cannot be bought and it cannot be sold. Love is invincible."

 

Valentine's Day is a fantastic time to show those around you that you love how much you appreciate them. Celebrating love doesn't need to be limited to one day a year, but there is something special with the celebration that Valentine's Day has become. 

To my one sweet love - I am grateful got who you are and who you have made me to be. The best is yet to come!

Let love be victorious! Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Love,

Heidi

 

 

30 wonderful years and the world's best family!

This Christmas was the first Christmas that I have spent at home in South Africa since I got married and it was such a special time with the family. It was also the first time that I have flown home in two years, which is definately the longest I've been away for...it was great to come home...and great to see many of my family and friends that I haven't seen for a long time!

 

While we were home, my older sister, Laura, turned 30, so we threw a big party for her. Seen as though she was born in the 80's we decided to have an 80's pool party theme...except when the day came around it was pouring. So the pool party turned into a not-so pool party but whenever my family puts together a party, it is always a blast!

 

To my precious Lauli! I love you and want you to know that I am proud of you, both as a person and a sister. I am grateful for all the years we have had together and look forward to the many more memories that are to be made! You are priceless!

 

Now to the food...we had a buffé of minis: small bacon and cheese rolls, quiche bites, mini sausages, fruit kebabs, cocktail sticks...

The cake was made with chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and the topper was also layered with chocolate and vanilla cake. The cake has a story...

Two of my wonderful sisters helped to bake the cake and cupcakes as my husband and I were celebrating our 5 year anniversary. When we came back home from celebrating, somehow someone had brought out a coaster that lit up in different colours when a glass was put on it. There was only one in the house but I knew that we had to have it for the cake tiers as it would really enhance the 80's feel. The thing is, no-one knew where to get them from, but instead of giving up my dad and little sister go on a search, calling around to find where we could get more. They even called the manufacturers to ask where they sell them, and they were told that these lights are no longer produced. Yet, someone, within a couple of hours my dad found a place that had a few left. That is one of the things I love the most about my fam, nothing is impossible and they go the extra mile! I love you guys!

 

 

 

 

Enjoy the beginning of a new week! Take the opportunity this Valentine's Day on Tuesday to show those that you love how much you appreciate them!

 

Love, Heidi

 

 

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