Scandilicious Baking Publication Day | Win Signed Copies!

Hello there!

I can’t quite believe publication day for Scandilicious Baking is finally here, am still pinching myself that the second book was commissioned and that I’ve had the good fortune to work with such a brilliant publisher at Saltyard Books – many thanks to Elizabeth Hallett, Bryony Nowell, Tara Fisher, Annie Rigg, Eleni Lawrence and the whole team of ace people who made the book what it is. I can only take credit for the recipes, they all worked incredibly hard to put the book together and I hope they’ll be as proud of it as I am. I also have Dan Lepard and Lorraine Pascale to thank for so kindly endorsing Scandilicious Baking.

If you fancy a sneaky preview then recipes have already been featured in the Mail on Sunday  and are in today’s Times. There is a recipe extract in this month’s Marie Claire magazine and delicious. magazine made it their Book of the Month for August with a recipe for my blueberry and elderflower upside down cake for you to try.

I hope you enjoy baking from the book as much as I enjoyed recipe testing it and the pages of your copy are splattered with flecks of flour, sprinkles of sugar and good butter in years to come. As part of the book’s launch I have five signed copies to give away to UK readers over on the Scandilicious Facebook page so if you fancy trying your luck then click here

Thanks for tuning in, if you live in London and would like to sample real Scandinavian cooking then do book a place (or two) and EatScandi supper and brunch club :)

Right, enough shameless self-promotion. Thanks for tuning in!

Sig x

* Scandilicious Baking is available from Amazon, Waterstones and independent bookshops*

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Scandi Summer Beauty & Food Event | 28th June 2012

 

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Win a copy of Scandilicious Baking with Scandinavian Cookery Classes!

Scandilicious Baking (Saltyard Books, photography by Tara Fischer)

*Fancy winning a signed copy of my forthcoming book Scandilicious Baking? (RRP £25)*

Book yourself in for a Scandinavian baking masterclass below and you could win a copy of the book, getting a sneak peek at Scandi baking delights before the book is officially published on July 5th. The winner will be chosen at random and spaces are limited so pip pip, be quick!

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Cardamom Twists

Cardamom Twist

This week started with a baking spree and ended with a baking spree. I’ve been doling out cinnamon buns and cardamom twists to spread the carb love and show how great Scandinavian baking really is. We have some of the best buns in the world (pun intended, harhar!) so I reckon it’s about time the world snapped out of its love affair with cupcakes and embraced spicy baked buns.

These cardamom twists are a riff on the more familiar cinnamon bun. They look pretty and are a doddle to make. I had some spelt flour sent from Sharpham Park  so I simply used it to great effect in this recipe. You can of course use regular wheat flour, but I find spelt really digestible and the dough is always so pillowy and beautiful that I stick with spelt for bun baking, and bread baking in general. I’ll be serving these and lots more Scandi baked treats at my Eat Scandi Brunches this spring and look forward to hearing what diners think.

Hope you give these a go, and if you do let me know how you get on :-)

Happy baking,

Sig x

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Eat Scandi! Brunch & Supper Menus For Spring 2012

Gravlaks On Peter's Yard Crispbread (photo courtesy of Debi Treloar)

With spring just around the corner I’ll be starting a series of Scandinavian Smörgåsbords in London, thanks to the fabulous @chuchibum who has kindly lent me her place for each event. There will be two brunches and two suppers starting in mid-March. The idea is I’ll be cooking from my book Secrets Of Scandinavian Cooking…Scandilicious sourcing food from the best suppliers and each event will feature a selection of my favourite Scandi dishes. To tempt you along, I’ve included the draft menus here, with one or two minor tweaks yet to come.

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Sunday Brunch: Ricotta Hotcakes With Strawberry Freezer Jam & Greek Yoghurt (Gluten-Free Recipe)

Ricotta Hotcakes

It’s snowing in London and it’s the first Sunday I’ve had all year to enjoy a proper Sunday brunch – Hallelujah! Sadly it’s not quite enough snow to bust out the cross-country skis from the attic which is a pity, but still, London looks and feels very fresh and wintery today.

These little ricotta hotcakes are inspired by Australian chef and food writer Bill Granger who makes a mean hotcake. The ricotta is a delicious one from Laverstoke Park Farm made with buffalo milk which Niamh Shields of Eat Like A Girl recommended and I’ve completely fallen in love with (the ricotta I mean, not Niamh. Sorry hon!)

With a high quotient of ricotta these hotcakes are a high-protein, low(ish) carb treat for Sunday morning, they’re a cinch to make and endlessly versatile. I’ve been tinkering with gluten-free recipes for a while now so decided to add this to the “free-from” portfolio, using gluten-free flour in this recipe. You can of course adapt the hotcakes to your own needs – next time I’m thinking of using rye flour for a change. Finely crushed oats would also be delicious I imagine, but use what you’ve got and what you like.

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Blood Orange Cake (gluten-free)

A hearty and happy new year to you all. I’ve started the year as I intend to carry on – having my cake and eating it. You won’t find any self-abnegation in the Johansen household and as January sees the bodacious blood orange in its seasonal prime, I stock up on them daily (sometimes twice a day) from Andreas Fruit & Vegetables – the best greengrocer in London who also delivers to my local supermarket in Bloomsbury. I eat these crimson babies drizzled with pomegranate molasses on Greek Yoghurt most mornings throughout the new year and yesterday used a squirt of blood orange in a little larder cake rustled up from a few odds and ends lurking in the fridge and cupboards.

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Winter Wonderland In Røros, Norway

If only winter were this glamorous.

Er, well it would help if we had a winter to speak of in Britain rather than squalling winds we’re experiencing this week!

Having spent fifteen years growing up in Norway the whole notion of winter wonderland kinda means six long months of flumping, yes flumping around in layers of grey thermals, cute but itchy wool socks, wool hats to wreak havoc with your hair, traditional Marius jumpers knitted by your nan forty years ago (think Sara Lund’s fetching woolen ones in The Killing), not to mention giant snow boots and a layer of god-awful Gore-Tex to shield you from arctic winds. That’s the reality of winter in Nordic countries folks.

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Autumnal Muffins With Stilton, Squash, Walnuts & Sage

Stilton, Squash, Walnut & Sage Muffins

Ahh autumn. London’s trees, with their unusually rich hues of gold, burnished orange and moody auburn bear more of a passing resemblance to New England this year than any I can remember. Seeing Regent’s Park earlier in the week the romantic softie in me felt suddenly overcome by all the pretty colours on the trees. And no, my morning cuppa tea had not been spiked thankyouverymuch.

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Gravlaks (dill-cured salmon)

Gravlaks (salmon cured with dill, spices, sea salt and sugar) on Peter's Yard sourdough crispbread

While there always seems to be a frenzied rush this time of year to come up with the most ghoulish recipe for Hallowe’en I’ve been musing on the joys of that other orange-hued foodstuff: salmon.

Nothing makes me happier than a really good piece of oily fish. Seriously. Chock-full of omega fatty acids to keep your brain sprightly, your heart ticking (not to mention your hair, skin, nails growing & glowing), salmon is the best mood-enhancer as we head into the dark days of winter. Beats prozac any day.

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