Leftover Potato Pizza

3/4 cup (100 g) flour

1/2 t yeast

2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons +2 teaspoons (38 g) mash potato

1/2 tablespoon butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons (8 g) lightly beaten egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons (44 g water)

Combine all ingredients and mix very lightly to just form it dough. Let rise for one - two hours until doubled.  

Form into pizza, Cover with olive oil and cheese and bake on hot pizza stone at 475 for about five minutes until golden brown. Cover with any topping you want

Aunt Marilyn's Buns

Put in a bowl, let stand until yeast foams fully:

4 cups of warm water

2 yeast cakes or two packages dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar

Mix until find as cornmeal:

8 cups of flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup shortening

1 tablespoon salt

Add warm water to the flour mixture. Beat until smooth. Add enough more flour to make a soft though. (About four more cups)

Let dough rise once. Put on pans, let rise again. Bake 350 to 375°

Aunt Marilyn's Buns

Put in a bowl, let stand until yeast foams fully:

4 cups of warm water

2 yeast cakes or two packages dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar

Mix until find as cornmeal:

8 cups of flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup shortening

1 tablespoon salt

Add warm water to the flour mixture. Beat until smooth. Add enough more flour to make a soft though. (About four more cups)

Let dough rise once. Put on pans, let rise again. Bake 350 to 375°

Spicy Tomato Soup with Vermacelli

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic doves, crushed
1 carrot, diced
6 tomatoes, chopped
1 red bell pepper, halved, seeded, and diced
1/2 Scotch bonnet red chili, seeded and chopped
1 bay leaf
1 rosemary sprig
3 cups vegetable stock
2 oz vermicelli
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and carrots and cook for another 5 minutes until the carrot starts to soften. Add the tomatoes, bell pepper, and chile and cook for a few minutes. Add the bay leaf and rosemary, pour in the stock, increase the heat to medium, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Remove the bay leaf and rosemary sprig and ladle the soup into a blender or food processor. Pulse until smooth, then pour the soup back into the pan and bring back to a boil. Add the vermicelli, breaking it up as you work, and cook for 10 minutes. Season with a pinch of sugar and salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Hummus

Ingredients

28 oz canned chickpeas
3 garlic cloves, peeled
4 tablespoons tahini
juice of 2 lemons
2 teaspoons sea salt
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

Directions

Drain the chickpeas, reserving 1/4 cup of the can juices, and rinse. Put the chickpeas into a food processor add the garlic cloves and tahini, and process for a few minutes. Add the reserved can juices, followed by half the lemon juice and the sea salt, and process until smooth. Taste and add more lemon juice, if you like. Scrape the hummus into a dish, drizzle generously with olive oil, sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts, and serve.

Semolina and Almond Cake

Ingredients

tahini, for brushing
1/2 cup (2 oz) blanched almonds
2 cups (350 g) semolina
1/2 cup superfine (caster) or granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
7 tablespoons butter, melted

For the syrup

2/3 cup (4 oz/120 g) superfine (caster) or granulated sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 lemon leaf
1 teaspoon rose water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush an 8 inch loose-bottom round cake pan with tahini and arrange the almonds in concentric circles on the bottom of the pan. Put the semolina, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda into the bowl of an electric mixer and stir to combine. Add the milk, melted butter, and 1/2 cup water and beat until a creamy batter forms.

Carefully pour the batter into the prepared cake pan without disturbing the almonds. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick or cocktail stick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Meanwhile, make the syrup. Put the sugar, lemon juice and leaf, and rose water into a saucepan, pour in 1/2 cup water, and stir over medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Increase the heat, bring to a boil, and boil, without stirring, until syrupy. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Remove the cake from the oven and turn out onto a wire rack with a tray underneath. Make holes all over the top of the cake with a skewer and pour over the syrup. Spoon up any syrup in the tray and pour it back over the cake. Serve warm or cold.

Za'atar Seasoning

5 tablespoons olive oil
7 tablespoons za'atar
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon marjoram
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Mix all the ingredients together and store.

Lebanese 7 Spices

5 tablespoons ground allspice
3 1/2 tablespoons pepper
3 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons ground cloves
4 tablespoons ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons ground fenugreek
4 tablespoons ground ginger

Spaghetti and meatballs

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 1/2 pound ground veal
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)
• 1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 extra-large egg, beaten
• Vegetable oil
• Olive oil

For the sauce:

• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For serving:

• 1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
• Freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

• Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.
• Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.
• For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.
• Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

Popcorn Grits

Created by Daniel Patterson from Coi

Ingredients

Popcorn Kernels
Butter
Water
Salt

Directions

• In a large pot, heat a generous amount of vegetable oil to smoking. Add a thin but complete layer of kernels, cover, and shake the pot a few times until you hear the corn starting to pop. Lower the heat to medium-high, shaking often so there are no hotspots. When the popping slows to a trickle, remove the pot from the heat and let it stand one minute. Uncover and pour the popcorn into a bowl, watching for any burnt pieces on the bottom, which should be discarded.
• Bring a few cups of water, a few spoonfuls of butter and some salt to a simmer. Throw in a big handful of popcorn, simmer 30 seconds to a minute, until the corn is softened, and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Transfer the liquid back to the pot, and bring to a simmer. Add more popcorn. Repeat until all the corn is gone. Add water as necessary, although there shouldn’t be too much extra.
• Press the cooked corn through a medium strainer basket, discarding the hulls and seeds that cannot be pushed through. Transfer the passed corn, which will look like stiff grits, into a pot. Add the reserved cooking liquid, which should be slightly thickened from the corn starch, and taste like popcorn. Add butter and more water as necessary to make a grits-like texture – we find that slightly on the thicker side is better. Serve with a bowl of buttered popcorn on the side.

Buttermilk Scones

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream, for brushing

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
• Cut butter into 1/4" cubes
• Freeze butter and blueberries for 10-15 min. 
• Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Add butter and mix with your fingertips to a coarse meal. Add buttermilk and mix just until combined. Add blueberries. 
• Transfer dough to a floured board and divide into 2 parts. Pat down each to 3/4 inch thick rounds. Cut each round into 6 wedges and place slightly separated on a greased baking sheet. Brush the tops with the cream, and bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm, split in half with butter and marmalade.

Copenhagen

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Radisson Blu Royal Hotel
Hammerichsgade 1, 1611 København, Denmark:

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Rosenberg Castle

A renaissance castle located in Copenhagen, Denmark. The castle was originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606 and is an example of Christian IV's many architectural projects. It was built in the Dutch Renaissance style, typical of Danish buildings during this period, and has been expanded several times, finally evolving into its present condition by the year 1624. Architects Bertel Lange and Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger are associated with the structural planning of the castle.

National Gallery

The Danish national gallery located in the centre of Copenhagen. Entrance to the museum's permanent collections is free. The museum collects, registers, maintains, researches and handles Danish and foreign art dating from the 14th century to the present day.

University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden

Covers an area of 10 hectares and is particularly noted for its extensive complex of historical glasshouses dating from 1874. The garden is part of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, which is itself part of the University of Copenhagen Faculty of Science. It serves both research, educational and recreational purposes.








Lunch at Torvehallerne Market

Hirschsprung Collection

An art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located in a parkland setting in Østre Anlæg, near the Danish National Gallery, and houses a large collection of Danish art from the 19th and early 20th century. The emphasis is on the Danish Golden Age, from 1800 to 1850, but also the Skagen Painters and other representatives of the Modern Breakthrough are well represented. The museum is built around the personal art collection of Heinrich Hirschsprung, a tobacco manufacturer and patron of the arts who founded his art collection in 1865. Almost four decades later, in 1902, he donated it to the Danish state. It is displayed in a purpose-built Neoclassical museum building designed by Hermann Baagøe Storck and completed in 1911.

Den Frie Contemporary Art Museum

Founded in 1891 by artists in protest against the admission requirements for the Kunsthal Charlottenborg. Modeled on the Salon des Refusés, it is Denmark's oldest association of artists. Now located on Copenhagen's Oslo Plads next to Østerport Station, it continues to exhibit works created and selected by contemporary artists rather than those chosen by cultural authorities.


Kasstellet

One of the best preserved star fortresses in Northern Europe. It is constructed in the form of a pentagram with bastions at its corners. Kastellet was continuous with the ring of bastioned ramparts which used to encircle Copenhagen but of which only the ramparts of Christianshavn remain today. A number of buildings are located within the grounds of Kastellet, including a church as well as a windmill. The area houses various military activities but its mainly serves as a public park and a historic site.

Little Mermaid

A bronze statue by Edvard Eriksen, depicting a mermaid. The sculpture is displayed on a rock by the waterside at the Langelinie promenade in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is 1.25 metres (4.1 ft) tall[1] and weighs 175 kilograms (385 lb). Based on the fairy tale of the same name by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, the small and unimposing statue is a Copenhagen icon and has been a major tourist attraction since 1913. In recent decades it has become a popular target for defacement by vandals and political activists.







Design Museum

Founded in 1890 by the Industriforeningen i København (now Dansk Industri – The Confederation of Danish Industries) and the Ny Carlsberg Museumslegat. It first opened to the public in 1895 in a completely new museum building situated on what is now H.C. Andersens Boulevard, in the very centre of Copenhagen. Right from the start the main purpose of the museum has been to disseminate a concept of quality within design. Through displaying the exemplary objects it was hoped to raise standards within the products of Danish industry. The Museum’s collections were thus envisaged as serving as a source of inspiration for people active in industry. In addition there has always been the aspiration to make contemporary consumers both critically aware and discerning. Since 1926, Designmuseum Danmark has been housed in one of Copenhagen’s finest rococo buildings, the former King Frederik’s Hospital. This edifice was built during the reign of King Frederik V in the years 1752-57 to designs by the architects Nicolai Eigtved and Lauritz de Thurah. In the early 1920s the building was renovated and refurbished to suit museum purposes by the architects Ivar Bentsen and Kaare Klint.


National Museum

Denmark’s largest museum of cultural history, comprising the histories of Danish and foreign cultures, alike. The museum's main building is located a short distance from Strøget at the center of Copenhagen. It contains exhibits from around the world, from Greenland to South America. Additionally, the museum sponsors SILA - The Greenland Research Centre at the National Museum of Denmark to further archaeological and anthropological research in Greenland. The museum has a number of national commitments, particularly within the following key areas: archaeology, ethnology, numismatics, ethnography, natural science, conservation, communication, building antiquarian activities in connection with the churches of Denmark, as well as the handling of the Danefæ (the National Treasures).



NY Carlsberg Glypotec

The collection is built around the personal collection of Carl Jacobsen (1842–1914), the son of the founder of the Carlsberg Breweries. Primarily a sculpture museum as indicated by the name, the focal point of the museum is antique sculpture from the ancient cultures around the Mediterranean including Egypt, Rome and Greece, as well as more modern sculptures such as a collection of Rodin works which is considered the most important outside France. However, the museum is equally noted for its collection of painting that includes an extensive collection of French impressionists and Post-impressionists as well as Danish Golden Age paintings.


Dinner at Baest

Monday, June 1, 2015

Round Tower

A 17th-century tower located in central Copenhagen, Denmark. One of the many architectural projects of Christian IV, it was built as an astronomical observatory. It is most noted for its equestrian staircase, a 7.5-turn helical corridor leading to the top, and for the expansive views it affords over Copenhagen. The tower is part of the Trinitatis Complex which also provided the scholars of the time with a university chapel, the Trinitatis Church, and an academic library which was the first purpose-built facilities of the Copenhagen University Library which had been founded in 1482. Today the Round Tower serves as an observation tower for expansive views of Copenhagen, a public astronomical observatory and a historical monument. In the same time the Library Hall, located above the church and only accessible along the tower's ramp, is an active cultural venue with both exhibitions and a busy concert schedule.

Canal Tour

Han Christian Anderson Fairy Tale House