thyme is money

Six Course New Year’s Eve Dinner

tiffany — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 17:45:01 +0000

Henrik and I decided to go all out for NYE — we served a six-course dinner for 4 of our closest friends.

1) Salmon tartare from Thomas Keller’s French Laundry Cookbook (Amazon also has Chef Keller’s other 2 books, Ad Hoc at Home and Bouchon, each for ~$18 off cover price). Paired with a *delicious* Riesling Sekt from Germany produced by Sektkellerei Fitz-Ritter.

2) Warm asparagus ribbon salad with prosciutto, parmesan, and reduced balsamic. (Tip: to make ribbons, use a potato peeler to slice asparagus the long way. )

3) Butternut squash soup, served in Le Creuset mini cocottes. Paired with Poema Cava.

4) Bacon-wrapped scallops with chipotle mayo and tomato-pepper salsa. (Tip: adding a white-wine vinegar to the salsa will cut the spiciness of the mayo if needed)

5) Rosemary pork loin, mushroom cream sauce, white truffle mashed potatoes (no photo… that whole eating thing got in the way). Paired with Cloudline Pinot Noir.

6) Dessert was made by our dear friend Topher — Rum cake. Again… that whole eating thing got in the way, so I did not get a photo of this either.

Midnight always calls for the best, and a true Champagne, so we all toasted with Veuve Clicquot. Hope you all had a wonderful and safe New Years!

LCD Soundsystem, Copenhagen

tiffany — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:07:32 +0000

There is more to life than just food… there’s MUSIC! I know it’s been a little slow here (and I apologize to my 5 loyal readers…you know who you are) but I figured I’d mix things up a bit with a concert review!

LCD Soundsystem: 5/5 stars

No Bra: 4/5 stars

August 14, 2010, DR Koncerthuset

I have to start this review stating that it was pouring in both Sweden and Denmark. POURING. And I was fighting a chest/head cold. This is not a great combo.

We decided to take the bus to Malmö central station, then the train to Copenhagen Norreport, then the Metro across the bridge to the DR Concerthouse. We ended up getting off 1 stop too early on the Metro, and had to walk a good 10 minutes in the pouring rain. Once inside, we down some drinks, hit the bathroom, then get into position. The DR Concerthouse is really quite something. A beautiful, modern, clean venue. They were on the Foyer stage which is upstairs.

Opening act: No Bra. She wasn’t kidding. Wearing only gold lamé hotpants and her own hair, she took the stage with a self consciousness that was oddly empowering. Solo act. Just her and her laptop. I wouldn’t exactly say she sang… but she was quite a show. Intelligent, edgy vocals. Good stuff, really. Sad to see it cheapened by everyone so in shock that she’s topless. The audience was more concerned about taking photos than listening or really paying attention.

LCD…. this was great. Honestly, one of the best shows of my life. The energy was there, the sound was there….. the songs were amazing. James Murphy said the group was happy to play in a real club, since they had been playing so many festivals. It was also ridiculously hot — think of a few hundred people… wet from rain… dancing like mad… It was steamy, it was sweaty, it was loud and it was a blast. I was asked by a few people if they played Daft Punk is Playing at My House… and of course they did. And it kicked ass. However, I do have to say that the best song was All My Friends. There was a group of male nerd-rockers right in front of us who got kinda crazy, but during that song they had their arms around each other, all bouncing together in unison. While they were a sweaty mess and I didn’t want them to bump into me, it really added to the song itself — it was a really oddly beautiful moment. Actually, it made me wish I was there with all of my friends. In the end, they did have some issues with mics which lead to them leaving the stage a bit early… very sad.

Since this is one of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen, I decided to make a list of some of the other great performers I’ve seen. These bands/performers are all worth mentioning — and seeing live, if you ever get the chance:

LCD Soundsystem

Radiohead

Wilco

Beirut

Nine Inch Nails

PJ Harvey

Sigur Ros

Damien Rice

Josh Ritter

Jose Gonzalez

Jens Lekman

Sufjan Stevens

Brad Mehldau

Pearl Jam

Architecture in Helsinki

Bob Hund

Amiina

Shelly Short

Spoon

My Morning Jacket

Utah

Raspberry Clafoutis

tiffany — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:02:57 +0000

I have to admit, I’m not a baker. I don’t do well with desserts, so I was a little nervous making this Raspberry Clafoutis for my Mother-in-law’s birthday dinner. Luckily, as you can see, it was a hit. Followed the recipe to a ‘t’ as fudging with baking leads to trouble.

A very special house guest

tiffany — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:53:28 +0000

I have been away from the blog for a very special reason… my very good friend from home, Natalie, was visiting me in Sweden — and I just had to show her a good time (you understand, right?)

The first night she was here, I served warm smoked salmon and roe-sauce (varmrökd lax med romsås) with pear cider. Second night was roasted chicken, goat cheese cream and red beet spinach bulgar salad. We went out mostly after that, but I was so happy to serve her a few meals at home.

Greek Night in Falsterbo

tiffany — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:39:18 +0000

Sara and Joa hosted a Greek “tapas” pitch-in 5/28, and it just reminds me of how much I love Mediterranean food. Hummus, halloumi, tabouli, tzatziki, spanakopita, greek salad, and grilled lamb…. good friends and great recipes can only lead to a wonderful evening. Henrik and I brought the halloumi, hummus and tabouli. Recipe tips for hummus: instead of adding raw chopped garlic, roast it in the oven for an hour on a low temperature (just cut off the top exposing the raw tops, coat with olive oil and wrap with foil.. voila!). You will be able to squeeze cloves out of the head easily and the flavor is much more mild. if you like your hummus creamy, add a little extra olive oil and a little yogurt (use sparingly, as it can dilute the flavors).

Oreo: Greek Guardian of Leftover Spanakopita.

Thai Noodle Soup

tiffany — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:16:33 +0000

Today I made a noodle soup with Thai flavors. A base of vegetable stock was simmered with lemongrass and lime leaves . Lightly sauteed garlic and ginger were added to the stock after being strained of the lemongrass and leaves. Red curry paste, oyster mushrooms, lime juice and fish sauce were then added to the soup, with water chestnuts and 1 chopped tomato following. Your choice of fish (mine was cod) should be added along with sugar snap peas, and shrimp at the last minute (to avoid over-cooking). If it is too spicy, you can mellow it with a little coconut milk. Served with rice noodles underneath. Garnished with cilantro and green onion.

This was cheaper to make than going to our local thai take-out restaurant in Malmö, and I have a feeling it was a little healthier too. This was the first time I’d ever made anything Thai, so I may not have gotten the flavors as precisely as an authentic place, but on a budget — this will do!

Asparagus Cocottes

tiffany — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:18:00 +0000

I received 2 new Le Crueset mini-cocottes for my birthday, so I decided to do something unique with them. First I lined the bottom with halved cherry tomatoes. then I cut asparagus in 1″ pieces to create a little forest of asparagus. I think they’re pretty cute, don’t you?

Served with pork tenderloin, potatoes, herb salad and italian tonnato sauce (1 can of tuna, 1dl olive oil, 1 egg yolk, 2 T lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, 2 T capers + 1 t caper “juice”, basil & parsley to taste). I know, that sauce sounds weird if you’ve never had it… but trust me, it’s good.

Salmon with Red Beet Salad

tiffany — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:12:04 +0000

This was very light and refreshing. I also noticed that every ingredient was a pure, fresh and raw ingredient. A baby spinach salad with red beets, bulgar, sugar peas, lime juice, and a little honey. Served with wine-poached salmon and a goat cheese cream…. this was so simple. You don’t even need a recipe for this… just add the above ingredients to your liking!

Birthday, Part 2

tiffany — Sun, 16 May 2010 19:02:23 +0000

Well, we had another dinner party — this time, for family. We reused some ideas from the past and were a little ambitious with others, but it all turned out in the end.

First course was Salmon Tartare, but instead of making the cones (seriously, that took like 4 hours to make 16), we bought croustades. I didn’t get a photo of these, but I’m sure I’ll make them again soon. So easy this time, and sooo delicious.

Second course was the asparagus ribbons salad with parm-reg and prosciutto. Add a little reduced balsamic vinegar and voila.

Main course was Salmon Mousse Ravioli with a lemon-butter sauce with mushrooms and capers. We tried to make our own pasta… I promise we did. Not sure what went wrong, but we didn’t have the eggs or time to try another batch. Store-bought fresh lasagna sheets turned out to be the answer (even after the ravioli wouldn’t stay sealed and I freaked out). A big thank you to Henrik again, for helping me create something beautiful out of what could have been a disaster.

Henrik Cooks

tiffany — Thu, 13 May 2010 19:58:38 +0000

Sometimes, I get a day off. Lucky for me, my husband knows how to cook too! His inspiration for this dinner? Beer.

Mmmm… Beer.

The result? A Brat-and-Chicken pasta with carrots and onions in beer-mustard sauce… Yum! Thank you, my dear