lemon

Spicy Mayonnaise

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

Last week I gave you my version of an easy and creamy mayonnaise without any additives. This week I’ll show you how to spice up your mayonnaise in only a few minutes.
You can use any kind of chili for this recipe, but please do you self the favor only adding half the chili, then taste and then add more chili if necessary. You don’t want the chili to dominate the entire mayonnaise, but you still want it to have that spicy bite that makes it burn a little bit on the tongue.

Ingredients (1 cup)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 habanero chilies
1 garlic clove
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp chives

Chop the chili, garlic clove and chives finely. Add half the chili and all the remaining ingredients to the mayonnaise and combine it thoroughly with a whisker or a spatula (I use the wicker on my KitchenAid stand mixer, as I make large portions, but a hand whisker or a spatula is just as good). Taste and add the remaining chili if you want it stronger. However, be aware that it takes a day or two to get to the full strength, so when you taste it at this point, you will not get the full power from the chili.

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Transfer the mayonnaise to an air tight jar and refrigerate for up to 8 weeks. For the best result, keep refrigerated for 1-2 days before using it. If you don’t have 1-2 days to wait, you can of cause serve it immediately.
Fits perfectly as a condiment in sandwiches, for salty oven roasted potatoes, on top of a perfectly grilled lobster or as I like it best, on a peace of toasted French baguette with a slice of good salumi.Mayonnaise (12 of 12)

Bon Appétit Friends!

Ingredients (250 ml)

250 ml mayonnaise
1 habanero chilies
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp chives, chopped

Spicy Elderflower Cordial and Syrup

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

I few days ago I was out walk with my mom and a friend of mine. We went to walk my friends moms dog, but we ended up going on an elderflower hunt instead 😀

We went to an area where there in our childhood was a playground, but unfortunately (for the kids living there now) the area is now overgrown with  nettles, ground elder, brambles and elderflowers. There had been some elderflower pickers before us, so we had to go home to get a garden cultivator so that we could get the top flowers. In a short while we had picked more than 50 elderflower heads and were ready to walk the now very impatient dog 😀

The elderflower season in Denmark is normally in May/June, but due to the cold weather we have had this spring, you might still be lucky to find some during the next few weeks 🙂

 

Ingredients

30 – 40 elderflower heads

3 organic lemons, sliced

4 inches ginger root, peeled and sliced

2 red chilies, sliced

4 cups cane sugar

2 tbsp. citric acid

6 cups water

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Heat the water until it begins to boil. Carefully remove all the small insects and other not-elderflower-objects from the elderflowers heads, but DON’T rinse! Rinsing them will remove the pollen from the flowers, and the end-result will be less tasteful!

Place all ingredients, except water, in a heat proof bowl and cover it with the boiling water. Stir to combine and dissolve the sugar.

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Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and fridge for 3-4 days, stirring occasionally (at least once a day).

Filter the juice through some tightly woven fabric and into cleaned bottles or ice cube bags if you want some for the freezer. If bottled, keep cool for up to 4 weeks.

This portion makes 6 cups of elderflower cordial, but I have chosen only to bottle 4 cups, and make syrup from the remaining 2 cups.

Use for lemonade (1 cup elderflower cordial to 4 cups cold water, 10 ice cubes and 1 sliced organic lemon) or do as me – make elderflower cupcakes  (recipe will follow) 🙂

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Elderflower Syrup (1 cup)

2 cups elderflower cordial

 

Heat up the elderflower cordial at low-medium heat in a saucepan. Stir occasionally and let cook until reduced properly. It is up to you, what you think is ‘properly’, but i have reduced it down to 1 cup. You can easily reduce i more, but be careful that it doesn’t burn.

Use for Elderflower Latte, as a syrup for aged cheese, as a cocktail syrup or as an ingredient to you summer cupcakes.

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Bon Appétit!

Ingredients (elderflower cordial)

30 – 40 elderflower heads

3 organic lemons, sliced

10 cm ginger root, peeled and sliced

2 red chilies, sliced

10 dl cane sugar

2 tbsp. citric acid

1.5 liter water

 

Elderflower Syrup (1 cup)

5 dl elderflower cordial

 

Easter Eggs with a touch of Lemon

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

Today it is Maundy Thursday – in Denmark this means that we have a holiday. Are you having a holiday in your country too?

Well, we have decided not to do anything, except from relaxing and enjoying each other, for the next few days. As we are staying in, and haven’d invited anyone over, the entire easter egg production is for our selves (except from those who were given away yesterday as a colleague retired and a former fellow-student graduated with a Master degree in Public Health – congratulation once again Louise, you deserved that grate) 😀

To get back to the easter egg production, we have made 5 different varieties which will all be coming on to blog in the following days. If you are curious, we can reveal, that we have made a variation with liquorice and white chocolate fudge – one with almond nougat, orange zest and almond brittle – one with marzipan, cognac, orange zest and roasted walnuts – and one with marzipan and freeze dried raspberries.

The recipe for this delicious lemon variation is, once again, stolen directly from Maja who makes the most wonderful chocolate recipes. One could wonder why she can keep that body shape with all that delicious chocolate she makes (she even has a chocolate fridge)! Check out her amazing blog – also if you don’t understand Danish. If you find something you want to try, we will happily translate the recipe for you 😀

 

Ingredients (20 eggs)

4/5 cup marzipan

1 organic lemon, zest and juice

2/3 cup white quality chocolate

1 tsp. freeze dried raspberries (for decoration)

 

Place the marzipan in a bowl and whisk until it gets soft. Add 1/2 of the lemon zest and juice, whisk again and taste. If think it needs more lemon, add the remaining zest and juice. Whisk until combined.

Form the marzipan to a ball and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

When cold, divide the marzipan into 20 equally sized pieces and from to small eggs (approximately 1 tsp. each). Refrigerate again while preparing the chocolate.

Chop the white chocolate, melt and temper it, in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.

Cover the easter eggs with the tempered chocolate and decorate with freeze dried raspberries 🙂

Serve as a petit four for your easter guest together with at good cup of coffee, or wrap them in zellophan and use it as a hostess gift if you are going out.

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Bon Appétit!

Ingredients (20 eggs)

200 g marzipan

1 organic lemon, zest and juice

100 g white quality chocolate

1 tsp. freeze dried raspberries (for decoration)

 

Lemon Pepper Seasoning

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

Are you having steaks tonight? And do you have trouble deciding on the seasoning? Then try this fabulous lemon pepper seasoning. Or try it on other beef types, fat fish or chicken.

 

Ingredients

6 tbsp. lemon salt (kosher salt with lemon zest)

4 tbsp. light brown sugar

4 tbsp. black pepper

2 tbsp. lemon zest

2 tbs. garlic powder

2 tbs. onion powder

1/2 tbs. celery seed

 

Combine all ingredients and keep stored in an airtight container and at room temperature.

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Bon Appétit!