Scandinavian Cuisine

Harrison Graden

Global Cuisine M/T

Chef Elkin

In all I read it seems Scandinavian Cuisine is in common that it has a commonality of primarily being smoked, dried, or pickled with a lot of it coming from the water, hunted, or grown in the ground and preserved or canned.

Scandinavian food is at its best in simplicity, with breakfast not seen as important and lunch being seen as a little more so, with dinner being the primary meal of the day and always served hot.  In the Scandinavian Peninsula they take tea as in England around 2-3pm with bread, biscuits, cookies, pastries, and coffee.  The primary beverages of the Scandinavian area are beer, snap (a strong alcoholic drink), or dry sherry.

The cuisines of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden are held somewhat in common due to the common leadership of Queen of 1389 who ruled over all three countries at the same time.  While this is no longer the case, this influences their cuisine.  That and their pride in ancestry of the Vikings, who were fond of oysters and mussels, along with mutton, cheese, cabbage, apples, onions, berries and nuts, and all these continue to be staples of the Scandinavian diet. 

While Scandinavian Cuisine may be considered bland by some, it was what was needed to survive the long, hard, dark winters.  It has been called salty with the curing and smoking of the meats.  Modern day chefs have taken creative measures to improve the taste and texture of the traditional foods.  One common tradition is the special or holiday meals which are enjoyed by all, young and old.  With the simplicity of the foods, it is important to present foods in an attractive manner.

Simplicity by nature and necessity.

MORBRAD MED SVEDSKLER OG AEBLER (Denmark)

Pork Loin Stuffed with Prunes and Apples

Yield: 5 servings

Serving Size: 6 oz

Cooking Method: Bake

INGREDIENTS:

            2 ½ lb              Pork loin, center cut, boned, fat trimmed

            3 oz                 Prunes, pitted

            4 oz                 Apple, tart, peeled, cored, diced into 1-inch cubes

            As needed       Lemon juice

            1 tblsp             Butter

            1 tblsp             Oil

            3 oz                 Dry white wine

            3 oz                 Heavy cream

            1 oz                 Red currant jelly

            To taste           Salt

            To taste           Black pepper, ground

           

METHOD:

1. Place prunes in saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil.  Remove from heat, let prunes soak in water for 30 minutes.  Drain well, cut prunes in half.
2. Sprinkle apple with a little lemon juice to prevent discoloring, mix apples with prunes.
3. With knife, make opening about ½- to 1- inch in diameter through center of pork.  Either make whole opening with knife or start with knife and then use sharpening steel to push through meat to form cavity.  Be careful not to break through meat.
4. Stuff fruits tightly into cavity.  If meat must be held together, tie pork with string at 1- inch intervals to keep shape while cooking.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Melt butter and oil over moderate heat in pan just large enough to hold pork.  Sauté pork until brown on all sides.  Remove pork until brown on all sides.  Remove pork from pan.
7. Remove fat from pan.  Deglaze with wine, then whisk in heavy cream, bring to simmer, then add pork.
8. Cover pan, cook in center of the oven for 1 to 1 ¼ hours, until meat is correct internal temperature with meat thermometer.

Food of the British Isles, a paper for class

Food of the British Isles

Harrison Graden

Global Cuisine M/T

Chef Elkin

The food of the British Isles can be described as earthy, local, fresh, economical and “unfussy”.  It seems that the foods consumed came from various influences: Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, French, Norse, Welch, Irish, Indian, and many other countries where the country of England dwelt.  Through their conquest and travels, there are many influences, where they brought home the best to be found.

British cooking has been called “unfussy” as from the Great Wars, there were food rationing measures in place and continued for many years due to economic needs following the wars.  It could be said that British Isle food used the best of what it had and stretched it.  But this was not a new trend seen during and after the great wars, this was something which over the years was to be seen time and time again.

The people of the British Isles have seen very little wealth and prosperity and at times have had to live through famines, wars and other civil disobedience.   In Ireland, there was the infamous potato blight, where many died or left Ireland altogether in search of a better life.  This does not include the many struggles against the crown where there was civil disobedience and wars waged.  During these wars, crops and livestock were destroyed, leaving many without food.  They were put out of their homes and properties, to wander the lands and byways in search of a place to lay and seeking the food of anyone who would share as beggars.

As I peruse the food of the British Isles I would call some of their food the best of comfort foods.  From Sunday Roast to Corned Beef and Cabbage.  Then there are the meat pies, haggis, scones, fish & chips, on and on….

In the recent history the British Isles have gone from a predominantly rural setting to a urbanized and industrialized area.  This has brought about a society which seeks to be a highly consumer orientated society.  So the modern British foods seem to draw influences not traditionally drawn on, to include: the Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, South, East, and South East Asia. Foods such as the Slow Food Movement have grown in influence and food safety is increasingly the norm.

Cornish Pasty & Yorkshire Pudding

CORNISH PASTY (England)

Beef, Onion, and Potato Turnover

Yield: 6 or 12

Serving Size: 1 or 2 per serving

Cooking Method: Bake

INGREDIENTS:

            PASTRY:

            10 oz               Flour, all purpose

            Pinch               Salt

            6 oz                 Butter or shortening cut into ¾ inch pieces

            3 to 4 oz          Water, cold

            FILLING:

            8 oz                 Beef, top round, trimmed, minced

            6 oz                 Potatoes, peeled, small diced

            4 oz                 Onion, medium dice

            To taste           Salt

            To taste           Pepper

            1/8 cup                        Parsley, fresh, minced

            ASSEMBLY:

            1 ea                  Egg, lightly beaten

PASTRY METHOD:

1. Place flour and salt in a bowl of food processor.  Pulse to mix.
2. Add butter, or shortening, pulse to mix until size of peas.
3. With machine running, add water through feed tube until dough comes together into ball.  Pulse if needed.
4. Wrap ball in film wrap, refrigerate until well chilled.

FILLING METHOD:

1. Combine all filling ingredients in bowl, mix well.
2. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

ASSEMBLY:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. On slightly floured surface, roll pastry thin.
3. Cot 5  to 5 ½ inch circles, place 1 ½ oz filling just under center of dough.
4. Brush edges of dough with cold water, fold dough over filling until edges meet to form half circle, crimp edges to seal well.
5. Place on baking sheet, brush with egg.
6. Place in center of oven for 12 minutes, reduce heat to 325 degrees, bake another 45 minutes.
7. Serve immediately or slightly cooled.

           

           

METHOD:

1. Place flour and salt in bowl of food processor, pulse to mix.
2. With processor running, add eggs and milk through tube, pulse to mix well.
3. Remove butter to bowl, refrigerate at least 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
5. Place butter in ½ steam table pan.
6. Stir batter, pour batter into pan, and bake for 15 minutes.
7. Reduce heat to 350 degrees; bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until puffy, crisp, and golden.
8. Remove from oven, cut into squares, serve immediately.

YORKSHIRE PUDDING (England)

Yield: 8

Serving Size: 3 by 4 ½ inch piece

Cooking Method: Boil, bake

INGREDIENTS:

            1 cup               Flour, all-purpose

            ½ tsp               Salt

            2 ea                  Eggs

            1 cup               Milk

            2 tblsp             Butter

           

METHOD:

1. Place flour and salt in bowl of food processor, pulse to mix.
2. With processor running, add eggs and milk through tube, pulse to mix well.
3. Remove butter to bowl, refrigerate at least 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
5. Place butter in ½ steam table pan.
6. Stir batter, pour batter into pan, and bake for 15 minutes.
7. Reduce heat to 350 degrees; bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until puffy, crisp, and golden.
8. Remove from oven, cut into squares, serve immediately.