Risalamande - Danish Rice Pudding

 

Risalamande is the dessert that is traditionally served with Christmas dinner in Denmark. Rice is cooked in milk and left to cool and set, then whipped cream, sugar vanilla and almonds are folded in and warm cherry sauce is poured on top.

Everybody knows the game was fixed kid, so stop being so smug

Portioned from a large bowl at the end of dinner, a whole almond is hidden somewhere in the mix and the lucky person to find it receives a special gift. The fun is to hide the fact that you have found the almond as long as possible so that people will keep getting second and third helpings in a futile attempt to find the almond and claim the prize. In practice, a whole almond is always slipped into the youngest child's dish, and often two prizes are given. The child's gift and the "real" winner.

Grødris is a special type of rice used to make risalamande. A short grained japonica rice, It is very similar to arborio rice, which can be substituted in it's place. Risengrød is the plain rice porridge that is used as the base of risalamande. "Grød" can be translated to gruel in English and is quite difficult to pronounce. Foreigners are often asked to say "rød grød med fløde" and for some reason their fumbled attempts delight the Danes. See the video below, and try to say it.

The cherry sauce is an important element to the dessert. ready made sauce is easily available in Denmark, with the Den Gamle Fabrik brand being one of the most popular. Some families like to buy the imported amaena cherries in liquor from Italy to be extra fancy.

nisser being nisser

When making risalamande a portion of the risengrød is reserved to make julegrød. Much like the tradition of leaving milk and cookies for Santa in North America, julegrød is left out on Christmas Eve for the nisse. A nisse is a gnome like spirit that protects farms and children from bad luck in Denmark. Apparently the nisse has a bad temperament and needs to be left julegrød to guarantee he doesn't kill your livestock and plaque your children. So I guess the bad luck the nisser (plural) are protecting the family from are the nisser themselves!

 

På loftet sidder nissen med sin julegrød is a traditional Christmas song and translates as " The nisse sits in the attic with his julegrød" Here is an old recording of the song from 1954.

 

The recipe I used for risalamande is from Arla Foods in Denmark It worked really well so I've translated the recipe to English.

Risalamande for six

 

300ml water
1 liter milk

180g grødris or arborio rice

100 g slivered almonds
2 vanilla beans - corns removed
4 tbsp sugar
¼ liter 35% cream

1. Bring the rice and water to a boil in a pot stirring for about two minutes

2. Add the milk and cook at a low temperature for about 10 minutes stirring to prevent sticking

3. Take off the heat and leave in the pot for about half an hour

4. Place in a container and let cool

   (If you want to have julegrød for the nisse, take a scoop of rice out now and serve it with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar on top.)

5. Mix the rice, almonds, sugar, and vanilla together

6. Whip the cream, and fold into the rice mix. Add one whole almond as a prize.

7. Put rice in a serving bowl and let set for 2 hours.

Your guests should help themselves from the bowl and add the warmed cherry sauce to their liking.

 If you can't find ready made cherry sauce, you could use a good quality cherry pie filling thinned out with water, lemon juice and some brandy.

Foodstock

On Sunday, Oct. 16th, more than 28,000 people and 100 of the best chefs in Canada gathered in Honeywood, Ont., to participate in Foodstock, a pay-what-you-can food festival meant to raise awareness about the impact the proposed quarry will have on local farmland. The event was organized by the Canadian Chef Congress and Stop The Mega Quarry.

A large area of farmland north of Orangeville a third the size of downtown Toronto may be turned into what locals refer to as a "mega quarry" for mining limestone. It threatens to destroy a huge chunk of rich, agricultural land, to disrupt wildlife, and to drain a water table that is a valuable source for the surrounding area and everything south of it towards Lake Ontario. Chefs were asked to prepare small snacks to give to participants as they meandered through the fields and forest listening to local musicians and artists displaying their works.

I was helping out with the Palais Royale and ChocoSol at table in the forest making chocolate braised rabbit stew with profiteroles and cherry preserve, as well as cocoa infused coffee. Other chefs made a  wide selection of items including sturgeon chowder, apple flan, pork and potato lollipops, and banh mi.

On the mainstage in the field guest speakers and bands like Ron Sexsmith, Hayden, and Sarah Harmer played before a large and enthusiastic crowd. I was too busy stoking the fire and feeding people to check most things out first hand, but everyone I spoke to had a great time and enjoyed the food and music.

It was a privilege to by invited to Foodstock, and I think the day really raised awareness for the cause and helped the local community.

For more photos of Foodstock see my photoblog.

Babi Guling - Balinese Suckling Pig

I didn't know what to expect when I went to Bali. I had only met a few people who had been there, and they claimed it was only worth a pit stop on the way to more exotic Indonesian locations such as Sulawesi or East Java. So I was pleasantly surprised that when you got out of the backpacker ghettos of Kuta and the south beaches there was an incredibly interesting and in your face Balinese culture.

Balinese Hindu temples and monuments are everywhere and almost everyday seems to be some kind of special religious day with music and processions from temple to temple. The food has a  unique mixture of Southeast Asian ingredients mixed with Indian flavours that were imported with Hinduism centuries ago. The traditional roast sucking pig babi guling a good example of this melding of cultures.

Most Balinese eat several times a day at roadside kitchens called warung. A warung is an Indonesian term for a small roadside stall that sells snacks, drinks and convenient household items. However, in Bali a warung is also the local coffee house, corner store and community meeting spot for neighbours to sit and exchange the latest news or gossip. nasi campur, bakso, and other native dishes can be ordered.

Warung Babi Guling sell the whole roast pig as well, and can be spotted by their signs with the pig painted prominently.

Babi guling has a complex mix of flavours. Turmeric, lemongrass, kaffir and chili are all present. The meat is succulent and the piece of skin that comes with it is like a salty caramelized shard of glass. Ibu Oka in Ubud is probably the most popular of all the babi guling places cooking up to six whole pigs a day. The owners speak English well there so I could ask a few questions about the process and the stuffing. The recipe I came up with was a total success especially since I winged it by taste and memory of my trip in 2007.

Babi Guling from Ibu Oka photo by suanie

Steve's Babi Guling

Roughly chop the following ingredients in a food processor. Amounts are approximate and to taste

1 cup peeled ginger

½ cup galangal

15 cloves garlic

15 shallots

8 stalks lemon grass

8 kaffir lime leaves

12 red Thai chilies

3 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp  ground cinnamon

5 piece star anise

1 tbsp Thai shrimp paste

3 tbsp salt

1 cup vegetable oil



First you rub the skin of the pig well with a mix of turmeric, salt, and water until it is bright yellow.

Fill the cavity of the pig with the stuffing and sew shut with bamboo skewers.
place on a wire rack over a drip pan and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 2½ to 3 hours.

One of the most important parts of the process is basting. You need the water of about 4 coconuts or the liquid of 4 cans of coconut milk. If using coconut milk keep the cans in a refrigerator for about an hour and open the cans from the bottom. This will leave the coconut cream in the can and give you the liquid. Baste the pig with the coconut water every 15 minutes until the pig is done.



I couldn't believe how red and crisp the skin turned out!

I cooked some jasmine rice and fried it with the drippings from the tray along with some chopped kale, chilies and green onions. and served it with cucumber coriander and chopped peanuts

The end result

Rabbit and Alligator Gumbo

Gumbo has a rich and unique history based on the melting pot of cultures that came together in Louisiana in the the 18th century. French, Spanish, African, and Native American ingredients and techniques all influence the character of this famous dish. Gumbo is a truncation of the African Bantu word for okra ki ngombo, one of gumbo's defining elements.

As with many traditional stews, what went into the pot was based on what was cheap and readily available, and in Louisiana that meant seafood, chicken, sausage, game, and vegetables such as okra peppers and onions were all used in varying proportions depending on the region and season.

Gumbo can be divided into two broad categories Cajun and Creole. Creole gumbo most often consists of seafood, tomatoes, and either filé powder (ground sassafras leaves) or okra as a thickener, and is more popular in the coastal regions. Cajun gumbo is generally based on a dark roux and is spicier, more often using game and chicken as the protein, and is more popular in the interior. Both types can contain sausage, bacon, or ham to enrich the the flavour.

Andouille sausage

Andouille sausage is often used in gumbo recipes and is a coarse pork sausage originating in France.  Cajun andouille is a spicier regional recipe from Louisiana and is made of shank meat and fat, seasoned with salt, cracked black pepper, garlic, and cayenne, then smoked over pecan wood and sugar cane.




In the tradition of using leftovers and whats on hand, I used a couple of rabbits, smoked side bacon and a couple of pounds of alligator meat I kept from a recent event, to make this Cajun style gumbo last week.

First I poached the rabbits for an hour in a court bouillon flavoured with carrots, onions, celery, bay leaves, garlic, and thyme. When the rabbits cooled I shredded the meat off the bone and set aside.

I cut 1cm cubes of the side bacon as well as diced onion, celery and bell peppers.This combination of vegetables in known as then as holy trinity of Cajun cuisine and is based on the refogado used in classic Spanish cooking.

The alligator meat came from my seafood supplier, but it can be found in specialty butchers such as Whitehouse Meats at the St Lawerence Market in Toronto.

cooking the roux

Browning the roux is an important part of the gumbo process and how dark you let it get depends on your tastes and who you talk to. A dark slow cooked roux gives gumbo a distinct nutty flavour. Some people like it browned to the edge of burning, but I prefer a dark caramel colour.

When the roux is the proper colour add the bacon and vegetables to stop the cooking process. Continue to cook the vegetables and bacon until translucent.

I added bay leaves, fresh thyme, Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic seasoning, and chicken stock as well as about two pounds of sliced okra to the stew and let it simmer for half an hour. The raw diced alligator and shredded rabbit were added and simmered for another half hour and the Gumbo was done. I garnished the dish with whole beer battered okra, rice and hot sauce. It was a unique and delicious experience.

Skagen Sild - Danish Herring

When I first moved to Copenhagen I didn't know anything. I knew no one there, I didn't know the language, I didn't even know what a kroner was. After slugging it out with the tourists on the grill of the Hard Rock Cafe for a while, I landed my first job in a Danish restaurant called Nyhavn Færgekro in the old harbour district.
Nyhavn Færgekro serves traditional smørrebrød (open faced sandwiches) and a herring buffet at lunch. My first day I spoke to the sous-chef and found out he had given his notice and only had three shifts left. He wasn't very cheerful as he went about showing me some of the dishes they offered. Hønsesalat, fiskefrikadeller, Leverpostej, and a bunch of other things I couldn't pronounce. Three days latter he was gone. Three days after that the head chef walked in, grabbed his stuff and quit. I was on my own. The only kitchen staff besides me was a dish washer and a Swedish smørrebrødsjomfru named Agneta, who only knew how to make the smørrebrød and spoke little English. There was a recipe book I tried to get the Danish waitresses to translate, but most of the recipes were in Swedish! It was a struggle.

Photo by Mia Hargreave

Eventually I found my footing, new cooks were hired, and things got better. Every morning I made the pates, sauces, and prepared the herring buffet.
I ate a lot of herring and my favourite type was called "Skagen Sild" a mixture of marinated herring, apples, shallots, sour cream, and dill. Skagen is a romantically stark area of Jutland, famous for it small fishing villages, and mossy thatched roof cottages.

 Danish herring is marinated in a sweet, peppery vinegar cure and comes in many varieties. Marinerade sild is the most popular to use as a base in recipes such as Skagen sild and is similar to the type of pickled herring you find in supermarkets in North America 
 Sild is always served with rugbrød, a dark, molasses enriched rye bread. The bread is very low in fat and sugar and pairs perfectly with the sweet and oily pickled herring.


I'm lucky enough to live in the Polish area of Toronto, and many of the delis have several types of herring, and a small selection of breads that are similar to rugbrød.
 Strubs pickled herring, and Dimpflmeier's flaxseed rye can be bought at supermarkets, and make a good substitute, but it's worth seeing if there's a Danish bakery in your area. I know Hansen's Danish Pastry Shop on Pape ave in Toronto carries Gylngøre Herring. Once you source the products the recipe is easy.

Recipe for Skagen Sild

6  pickled herring fillets, rinsed and cut into 1 cm pieces

3  tbsp sour cream

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 shallot, finely diced  

half an apple, diced

1 tsp cracked pepper

1 tbsp chopped dill

combine and chill, serve with buttered rye bread and finely chopped chives

I worked at Nyhavn Færgekro for about two months and things were going well until February 27, 2001. I had a wine tasting menu for 50 people that night. We had four courses we were preparing, and when the event coordinators arrived, we were instructed to plate the salad course and have it on the tables waiting, as the bus of Swedish guests was only a few minutes away. Agneta and I continued to finish the next cold course and I waited for waiters to pickup. 40 minutes went by without anyone coming back to the kitchen (which was down a long hallway from the dining room). I walked out towards the front of the restaurant and met a waitress crying. I asked what was going on, and she shouted "The dinner is cancelled! The dinner is cancelled!" and ran away. I follow her into the dining room and found the police, manager and event coordinators talking with worried looks on their faces. I still couldn't understand Danish but eventually discovered what happened. The bus driver didn't realise the Knippelsbro bridge near our restaurant had a low clearance, and drove under it ripping off the top of the bus like a tin can.  30 guests were severely injured and eventually 5 died. It was a terrible night.

Two weeks latter I was transferred to Bøf and Ost, another restaurant run by the same owners.

My Nyhavn Færgekro experiences will stay with me always

Bheja Fry - Goat Brain Fritters

Shairez has been teaching me a lot about Indian food lately, and one of the dishes he talks about is bheja fry, a popular dish in Mumbai using goats brain. I'm always interested in trying new things, so we got some goat brains from IQBAL Halal Foods, a huge South Asian supermarket in Thorncliffe Park, and tried making bheja fry.

Raw Goat Brains

Preparing brains is much like preparing sweetbreads , which I've served many times in the French restaurants I've worked in. You rinse the brains in cold water for about an hour to eliminate excess blood, then poach in a court bouillon with a few tablespoons of vinegar for about 30 minutes. For bheja fry I used ginger garlic cumin and turmeric in the court bouillon as well as the standard onion, celery, and carrot. Once the brains are poached, let them cool, and pick the excess fatty membranes from around the edges. The brains are now ready to be used for bheja fry or any other brain dish you would like to try.

Although most bheja fry recipes have you stirfry the brains in a masala, and mash them into a scrambled egg-like dish, Shairez likes to dip the brains in a pakora batter and deepfry them into crispy fritters. He says this is an authentic way of eating them on the street in Mumbai, and since I haven't been there (yet), I'm not going to argue.

Pakora Batter Recipe

1 cup chickpea flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp coriander powder

½ tsp cumin powder

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp baking power

1 tbsp melted butter

some chopped cilantro

water

Mix all the dry ingredients and add enough water to create a crepe batter consistency, then mix in the melted butter and cilantro.

If you don't have the ingredients on hand most South Asian stores sell good ready mixes like the Laziza brand.

Coat the brains in the pakora batter and deep fry at 350° until golden brown. We served the bheja fry with pickled red onions and a tomato/chili masala on the side.

Biting into the fritters reveals a very creamy texture and a mild liver like flavour which may be an acquired taste for some. The vinegared onions and chili were a perfect counterpart, but next time I would cut the brains into pieces instead of frying the whole brain, especially if I was serving bheja fry to guests who were not used to the texture of offal.

Bheja fry is also the name of a Bollywood movie from 2007 and takes it's name from the play on words of bheja fry meaning "driving me crazy" or "frying my brain" apparently its quite funny, unlike the sequel Bheja fry2 which coincidentally opened in Toronto this week and has received poor reviews.

Trailer for Bheja Fry 2

Sakura Hanami in Toronto

Sakura Hanami is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of cherry blossoms as they bloom in the late spring. These blossoms only last a week or so and large crowds can be found eating and drinking under the trees both day and night. Traditional Japanese foods such as dango and fried chicken are eaten, along with sake and beer and tea. The hanami tradition has been celebrated in Japan for centuries as a contemplative, peaceful activity, but for many people is now an excuse to have an early summer picnic. hana yori dango or "dumplings rather than flowers" is a Japanese saying which reflects the attitude of  people that are more interested in the food and drinks accompanying a hanami party than actually viewing the flowers themselves.

hana yori dango means "dumplings rather than flowers"

At High Park in Toronto there are over 100 sakura trees that were donated by the ambassador of Japan in 1959 and the hanami tradition has been growing steadily in recent years. In May some friends and I decided to join the celebration and threw our own hanami party.

Besides sake and beer, I brought some maki rolls and Japanese buns filled with BBQ pork, curried beef, tuna, and other savoury fillings from the Japanese bakery Furama Cake and Dessert Garden on Spadina in Chinatown, as well as assorted kim chi, seaweed, and Japanese potato chips at P.A.T Korean market on Bloor. Joel had caught a steel head trout on the weekend and home-smoked it to make a smoked trout, cream cheese avocado roll. Way to go Joel!

Joel's Smoked Steel head Trout Avocado and Cream Cheese Maki

Assorted Kim Chi and Seaweed Pickles 

I also bought some cherry brandy to make a special cocktail for the occasion. It's simple and delicious

Sakura Cocktail

1 part cherry brandy

4 parts sake

top with club soda

ice

serve in a wine glass with a cherry garnish

The park was packed that afternoon, but we found good spot under one of the cherry trees and ate, drank and people watched until the sun went down. It was a great time and I plan to do it again next year. For some more photos of the day check out my photoblog http://adventurefoodiephoto.blogspot.com/2011/06/sakura-hanami-in-high-park.html