This post is sponsored by La Crema Wines. All opinions here are my own. You can find the companion recipes over on the La Crema blog. 

Apologies for the quiet here this past month. Things have been busy, and cooking, writing, and reflecting have fallen by the wayside a bit. We’ve got 24 days to go until our wedding, which is both insane and kind of a relief. I’m feeling rock solid about marrying Trevor, which is 99.9% of the battle, but there’s still a lot of miscellaneous stress associated with hosting a party for 50 with all kinds of societal and emotional strings attached. I’ve got a lot of thoughts on weddings at this point, but I’ll save those for a later date.

Today, what I’m here to talk about is this Scandinavian dinner menu – my latest collaboration with La Crema wines. It’s inspired by my recent trip to Iceland: in July I finally took advantage of Boston’s relative proximity to Scandinavia and spent a long weekend there. Iceland has been at the top of my travel wishlist for years and I was so excited to finally be in the land of moss-covered lava and epic waterfalls. I have to do a real travelogue at some point, but suffice it to say that the Icelandic landscape is incredible (and here’s a few teaser shots!). One moment we were driving through an alien landscape of hardened lava boulders tumbling into the sea, the next there were pockets of geyser steam rising up all around us, and then, suddenly, we were in the midst of fields of lupine in front of massive glaciers.

Iceland is known for being pretty expensive. I certainly found this to be true, particularly when it came to food. The silver lining to this was that the price differential between cheap food and fancy food was much smaller than it is here in the US. While a gas station hamburger could set you back $20, a three-course meal with wine at a top restaurant only cost $60. So despite the expense, we managed to have some very good meals. Our most memorable culinary experience was a 3 course dinner at Forettabarinn in Reykjavik. It was our final night as a group (and a semi-bachelorette celebration) after a long weekend of adventuring in South Iceland. The food was creative and well-executed, the wine was abundant, and the company was unbeatable. That lovely dinner served as the inspiration for this one.

There are three courses to this menu. First, a super-simple Smoked Salmon and Rye Crackers appetizer. Everyone should have a few minimal-effort, but still fancy-feeling appetizers in their repertoire. This should be one of them. The only “cooking” is to whip up a little cream with capers, slice a cucumber, and assemble. It’s also very portable, so guests can easily grab one of these and a glass of wine while mingling. On that note, the wine to open for this course is La Crema’s Monterey Chardonnay. Its bright acidity and smooth texture stands up nicely to the fatty, smoky salmon and rich caper cream.

The main event consists of two parts – Mashed Potato Waffles with Horseradish Sauce and Mustard-Thyme Pulled Leg of Lamb. I don’t think I’ve ever had lamb served BBQ style before my dinner at Forettabarinn, but it’s so wonderful. Ideally, I would have liked to use a slightly more economical and fattier lamb shoulder for this recipe, but I couldn’t find one at my butcher. The result was still good – tender, falling apart lamb, completely imbued with the flavors of mustard and wine and paprika. It was delicious on top of the potato waffles with a bit of horseradish sauce and grainy mustard. For this course, I opened a bottle of La Crema’s Monterey Pinot Noir and it was so good together! Just tangy and juicy and yum.

For dessert, I whipped up a light Skyr Mousse with Wild Blueberry Sauce and Gingerbread Crumbs. If you’re not familiar with it, skyr is Iceland’s answer to yogurt, only it’s thicker and tangier. Similar to Greek yogurt, it’s rich in protein and very trendy here in the US. To turn it into mousse, I incorporated whipped cream and a hint of sugar. It was such a treat – light and airy with a distinct tang from the skyr. It was also so simple to put together. The only other recipes I saw for skyr mousse involved a fussy gelatin method, but I opted for a much simpler treatment here – whip cream, whip skyr, fold together, serve. With the maple-blueberry sauce and a sprinkling of gingerbead cookie crumbs it’s a more-than-the-sum-of-it’s-parts dessert.

You can find the recipes for the first two courses on the La Crema blog: Smoked Salmon Rye Crackers with Caper Cream; Mashed Potato Waffles with Horseradish Sauce; and Mustard-Thyme Pulled Leg of Lamb. The Skyr Mousse with Wild Blueberries recipe is below!

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Skyr Mousse with Wild Blueberries and Sweet Gingerbread Crumbs

A simple skyr-based mousse made from whipped cream and thick, yogurt-like Icelandic skyr. Served with wild-blueberry sauce and gingerbread crumbs.

Inspired by dinner at Forettabarinn

• Author: Katie at the Kitchen Door
• Yield: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup wild Maine blueberries, fresh or frozen
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 4 TBS sugar
• 1 cup plain or maple flavored skyr (Icelandic yogurt), chilled
• 1.5 oz. gingerbread cookies, preferably Anna’s Swedish Thins
• 1 TBS brown sugar

Instructions

1. Place the blueberries, maple syrup, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and stir to mix. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer the berries until they have burst and released their juices and the sauce is slightly syrupy, about 8-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them to be sure they don’t burn. Remove from the heat, transfer the blueberry sauce to a storage container, and chill thoroughly.
2. To make the mousse, whip the heavy cream on high until stiff peaks have formed. Add the sugar and beat for a few seconds longer, just to incorporate the sugar into the cream. In a separate bowl, beat the skyr for 30 seconds until it is lightened slightly. Add half of the whipped cream to the skyr and use a spatula to gently fold together. Repeat with the remaining half of the whipped cream, folding just enough to mix the two together. Don’t overfold or your mousse may deflate. Chill the mousse until ready to serve.
3. Place the gingerbread cookies and the brown sugar in a small food processor and pulse several times to make crumbs. Set crumbs aside.
4. To serve the mousse, drizzle the chilled blueberry sauce on top of the mousse. Sprinkle with the gingerbread crumbs. Serve immediately

The post Scandinavian Dinner with La Crema: Skyr Mousse with Wild Blueberries and Sweet Gingerbread Crumbs appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

2015 was a big year for me. A really big year. We bought our first house. Got engaged. I took 13 international trips to 5 different countries (Virgin Islands, Colombia, Chile, Ireland, and Hong Kong), on a total of 56 different flights. It’s actually one less country than last year, but a lot more back and forth. I haven’t written much about the time I spent in Colombia and Chile (yet! I will!), but I sort of fell in love with Bogota (the food! the dancing! the always-just-right weather!), and I had one of my best days this year touring Chilean vineyards and eating magnificent food in a stunning setting. I also had some of my worst days of the year stuck in airports for hours on end / on planes that were on fire. Travel has its highs and lows. And last winter, as you other New Englanders know, was just kind of the worst; let’s just say I did not handle it well and leave it at that.

With all the personal and work-related stuff going on this year, blogging ended up taking a backseat. That said, it was still a pretty successful year. I’m particularly proud of the three restaurant shoots I did – my first ever! – up in Kittery, Maine. You can see some of those shots here. It was a fun foray into a different type of photography work (and Trevor definitely enjoyed being my assistant AKA eating all the dishes post-shoot). And I did come up with some recipes that were real hits, like this goat cheese ice cream with blackberry-red wine swirl and a perfected brussels sprouts caesar salad.

To be honest, I’m sort of relieved that 2015 is over. While it was a year full of milestones and adventure, it was also an emotionally and physically exhausting year. When I think about this year, particularly the first 8 months, my primary feeling is one of stress. Which might be why I’ve mentally already moved on to next year. Accordingly, tonight I’m planning on going home early, taking a long run, cooking something hearty, and snuggling up on the couch for a few good movies with Trevor.

As for 2016, I think it’s going to be another busy one, but with a better mindset. I’ll definitely be giving 2015 a run for its money as far as travel goes. I’ve already got trips to Hong Kong, Japan, Portugal, and Costa Rica planned… and that’s all before April. The big difference though (and the only reason I’m doing it), is that Trevor will be coming with me, allowing me to spend more time in each country enjoying what it has to offer and less time shuttling back and forth on planes, stressed about missing another weekend together. Also, we won’t be moving, so that should eliminate a large amount of stress, although we are hoping to remodel our basement and if funds hold out, our kitchen. Given all that’s going on, we decided to wait until 2017 to do the whole wedding-thing. At first I was a little disappointed to “postpone,” but more and more I think it was the right decision. I want 2016 to be calmer, less stressful, more balanced. A little more relaxed, a little more joyful. If we get to May and I sound like I did last May, somebody tell me to take a step back, OK? Because I want 2016 to be a good one and sometimes we all need reminders about what’s important.

And to celebrate the passing of the old year into the new? We’ve got waffles. Waffles, because I want 2016 to be about bright, calm, clear-headed mornings. Festive waffles, made with chestnut flour and brown butter, and topped with poached pears, whipped mascarpone, and marron glacés if you’re feeling extra fancy. We served these for Boxing Day brunch, alongside a decadent smoked salmon and leek quiche and a cabbage and beet salad. I think it might become a new tradition.

So, Happy New Year everyone! Wishing you all a wonderful 2016 filled with whatever you need – energy or focus or joy or adventure or calm.

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Past New Years’ posts…

2014: Rye Blini, Smoked Salmon Dip, Russian Beet Dip, Pretty in Pink Cocktail

2013: Raspberry Sherbet Champagne Floats

2012: Butter-Roasted Cinnamon Chicken with Almonds and Pomegranates

Brown-Butter Chestnut Waffles with Poached Pears and Whipped Mascarpone

Waffles adapted from The Chef’s Collaborative. Serves 5.

• 1 c. red wine
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. water
• 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 ripe but firm pears, peeled
• 3 TBS salted butter
• 1 1/4 c. AP flour
• 3/4 c. chestnut flour (store-bought or homemade)
• 1 TBS baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1/4 c. light brown sugar
• 1 3/4 c. whole milk
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 3 oz. mascarpone
• 1 TBS maple syrup

1. To poach the pears: Combine wine, sugar, water, ginger, and cinnamon in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then add the whole pears to the mixture. Simmer gently, turning the pears occasionally, until pears are tender all the way through when poked with a knife. This can take anywhere from 15-35 minutes, depending on your pears. When the pears are tender, remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Leave whole or slice according to your taste. Continue simmering the syrup until it is thick, then pour over the pears. Set aside.
2. To make the waffles: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring, as the butter foams up and begins to brown. Once the foam has subsided and the butter has turned a deep golden brown, remove from the heat. Let cool slightly. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, chestnut flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks until creamy, then add brown sugar and whisk to combine. Whisk cooled brown butter into yolks and sugar. Stir in milk. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites gently into batter. Preheat your waffle iron and coat with non-stick spray, then cook waffles until golden brown. Keep warm in a 200°F oven if not serving immediately.
3. For the whipped mascarpone: In a large bowl, beat heavy cream until soft peaks form. Spoon mascarpone in to whipped cream in small pieces and whisk until smooth. Whisk in maple syrup and set aside.
4. To serve: Top each waffle with pears, poaching syrup, and whipped mascarpone. Serve immediately.

The post 2015 Behind, 2016 Ahead // Brown-Butter Chestnut Waffles with Poached Pears and Whipped Mascarpone appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

Giveaway is now closed. Congrats to Rachel Wang on winning!

September is “Better Breakfast Month,” and although it seems that somehow the month is almost over, I think celebrating breakfast is something worth doing. When the California Almond Board asked if I’d like to help them celebrate, I said yes – I love breakfast, and I think it’s important to make time to eat a filling and healthy meal first thing in the morning. So they sent me some almonds and almond butter (and they’ll do the same for one of you, see the giveaway details at the end of this post!), and I whipped up some almondy waffles to keep me full and happy.

Weekend breakfasts are a time when I can find myself over-indulging. I just love breakfast foods – eggs and bacon, fruit smoothies, waffles, french toast, cheesy grits, bagel sandwiches, stuffed crepes, leftover apple pie (does that count as a breakfast food?) – and sometimes it can be tempting to eat a little bit of everything. I decided to make one of my favorite indulgent breakfasts, waffles and maple syrup, a little bit healthier by replacing half of the flour with ground almonds, and swapping out the maple syrup for some lightly sweetened stewed apples (disregard the ice cream in the photo, that didn’t make anyone any healthier… but oh man was it good). The waffles turned out great – airy and slightly almondy with crispy edges. They were a little drier than my usual recipe, but I felt good about the extra protein and fiber I was getting from a meal that is typically an excuse to gorge on empty calories. And the flavor of the cinnamon, almonds, and apples were so autumnal – the perfect thing to eat on your porch on a sunny Saturday morning.

The Almond Board also shared some other ideas for quick and filling breakfasts. Some of them I’d heard before, but some were brand new – and really good – ideas. Some of my favorites?

• Satisfy your sweet tooth with a second breakfast “sundae” treat. Swirl a tablespoon of almond butter and a teaspoon of sweetened cocoa into oatmeal; top with fresh fruit and some warm skim milk and you’ll have a breakfast that will surely keep you company till lunch.
• Weekday french toast: Beat an egg along with a dash of vanilla and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Dip a slice of 100% whole grain toast bread into the egg mixture and cook on the stovetop in a nonstick pan. Top with sliced almonds, warm berries or sliced banana for an easy way to enjoy a hot, well-rounded breakfast.
• Raise a glass to a refreshing way to start the day with this unique, really tasty smoothie: in a blender combine 1/2 cup skim milk, 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt, 1/2 baked sweet potato, 1/2 banana, 1 tablespoon of almond butter and 3 ice cubes. Blend together and you’ll be off to a smooth start with the natural sweetness of the banana and sweet potato, both potassium powerhouses!

Giveaway details: The California Almond Board has offered to send one of you a Better Breakfast Starter Kit, with one pound of whole almonds, one pound of sliced almonds, one jar of almond butter, a reusable insulated travel pouch for breakfasts on-the-go, and one $20 Visa gift card to buy anything else that makes your breakfast better. To enter, leave a comment below letting me know what your favorite way to make your breakfast a little bit healthier is. By entering, you are agreeing to the official rules as listed here:

• No purchase necessary
• Void where prohibited
• One entry per household, and only entries answering the question above will be considered!
• The sponsor of this giveaway is the California Almond Board
  
• The estimated retail value of the Better Breakfast Starter Kit is $50
• The odds of winning will depend on the number of entries received
• This contest is only open to U.S. Citizens over the age of 18
• The contest will open today, September 29th at posting time, and will close at 11PM EST on Friday, October 4th, 2013
• One winner will be selected randomly and contacted via email (so please leave an accurate email address!). If I do not hear from the winner within 48 hours, the winner forfeits their prize and an alternate winner will be chosen.
• I will post the winner here by Friday, October 11th.

Disclaimer: California Almond Board sent me a Better Breakfast Starter Kit to create this recipe, and is the host of this giveaway. I was not otherwise compensated. 

Cinnamon-Almond Waffles

Serves 4.

• 1 c. sliced almonds
• 1 c. AP flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 TBS sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• pinch cream of tartar

1. Place the sliced almonds in a food processor or blender. Pulse for 2-3 seconds at a time until the almonds have a consistency finer than cornmeal (if you blend for too long, the almonds will eventually turn into almond butter, which is way pulsing them is better). Sift the almond flour through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium mixing bowl, placing any almond pieces that are too large to go through the sieve back into the food processor to be re-processed. Continue until you have 3/4 cup of almond flour.
2. Add the AP flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, and salt to the almond flour, and whisk until evenly combined. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks until pale yellow and thick. Add the milk and the almond extract and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to this batter, and stir until fully mixed, then whisk in the vegetable oil.
4. In a large, clean bowl, beat the egg yolks until they are frothy, then sprinkle with a pinch of cream of tartar and continue to beat until they form stiff, shiny peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter, stirring as few times as possible to incorporate the egg whites without deflating them. Preheat and prepare your waffle iron, then cook the waffles on it according to manufacturer instructions. Serve hot with apple pie topping (recipe below) and ice cream if you’re feeling indulgent.

Apple Pie Topping

Makes about 2 cups.

• 2 large apples, such as Honeycrisp, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1 TBS cinnamon
• 2 TBS water
• 1/3 c. sliced almonds

1. Add the apple pieces, sugar, cinnamon, and water to a small saucepan, and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the apples have started to soften and the sugar has thickened into a loose caramel. Add the almonds and cook 1 minute longer, then remove from heat and serve over waffles or ice cream.

The post Better Breakfast Month and Giveaway // Cinnamon-Almond Waffles with Apple Pie Topping appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

It’s not my birthday without waffles.  And today is my birthday, so therefore, I made waffles.  Although, to be honest, I made them last night and popped them in the fridge because I’m not that much of a morning person.

One year, my birthday was on Good Friday, so we couldn’t have anything indulgent and my mom was fasting completely.  I just have this vivid memory of walking around outside on a gorgeous sunny day being really upset because the whole point of birthdays is being able to eat whatever you want all day.  And what I wanted was 1) waffles with strawberry sauce, 2) cold tortellini (or sometimes angel hair) with pesto, 3) steak tips with baked potatoes.  There was very little variation in this menu year to year.  But that year I had to wait an entire extra day, and I was not happy about it.  Now I’m an adult, and technically I could eat whatever I wanted every single day, but that would probably not be highly recommended by a nutritionist.  Although, there are days when all I really want is apple and yogurt salad, or roasted beets, so maybe I’d be OK.  Anyway, today, what I want is waffles, so I’m having them.  If I hadn’t made that clear already.

These aren’t waffles that you’ll find floating around the blogosphere.  People seem to like these Waffles of Insane Greatness and Marion Cunningham’s Yeasted Waffles.  I tried them, and they were good, but they weren’t what I was looking for.  So I got my parent’s recipe.  And they were what I was looking for.  They’re made with whipped egg whites, barely folded into the batter, and they’re chewy, light, sweet, and super eggy.  And I love them.  They don’t have that yeasty tang that some other waffles have, or a super crispy texture – both things which I think detract from the overall waffle-eating-experience, i.e. absorption of maple syrup.  Maybe it’s just that I grew up eating these, but too me, they are perfect.

As a side note, when I have waffles, I have to have two – the first one gets strawberries and whipped cream, the second one gets butter melted into every nook and maple syrup. For this reason, I try not to make waffles too frequently.

Man, I love waffles.  And my birthday, for that matter.  Happy birthday, self!

Mom’s Perfect Eggy Waffles

Makes 5 waffles.  Recipe from my mother.

• 1 3/4 c. AP flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 TBS sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil

1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  Set aside.
2. Beat egg yolks until pale yellow, then whisk in milk.  Add to dry ingredients and stir gently, until lumps are mostly gone but not entirely.  Stir in vegetable oil until there’ s no oil floating on the surface.
3. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites vigorously.  When they become frothy, sprinkle a pinch of cream of tartar over the top, and continue whisking until stiff, shiny peaks form.
4. Fold egg whites very gently into the batter, stirring with an up and down motion 5-10 times.  When you are done, there should still be streaks of white egg in the otherwise yellow batter.
5. Cook waffles according to how your waffle iron cooks waffles.  Don’t forget to spray iron with pam to prevent sticking!  Serve waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, maple syrup and butter, or whatever else you want.

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