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Norway Wins Bocuse d'Or, Team USA Finishes Sixth

partysugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:00:18 -0800

The two-day culinary Olympics, known as the Bocuse d'Or, took place yesterday and today in Lyon, France. A 28-year-old chef, Geir Skeie, from Norway won the competition. There was much hope in the food industry that the American competitor, Timothy Hollingsworth, would win. However, Hollingsworth didn't even place. A Swedish chef took home the silver, while the French chef walked away with the bronze. This year was the first time that the Americans made a conscious effort to win the competition. Thomas Keller and a team of American chefs searched the country for a possible contender to represent the US. In July eight American semifinalists were announced. Hollingsworth won the highly-publicized competition in September and spent the next several months preparing for the finals at a special training facility near the French Laundry in California.

In the Bocuse d'Or finals each chef has to prepare two dishes: a seafood entry and a meat entry. The food is judged by 24 chefs from 24 countries. Two-thirds of the score goes to the quality of the food, while the final third counts for presentation.

Hollingsworth has yet to comment on the competition, but he is no doubt feeling (like most American foodies) a little disappointed in the outcome. To check out a huge gallery of images from the cooking competition, read more.

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Savory Sight: Smørbrød

YumSugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:00:50 -0700

In case you haven't noticed, I am fanatical about sandwiches, which is why I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when I came across the pictures that FinnLover posted in Twinkle's Kitchen Goddess group of smørbrød: Scandinavian open-faced sandwiches.

Norwegian for "butter bread," these smørbrød sandwiches are everywhere in her current home of Bergen, Norway. "People eat them for breakfast, lunch, and at night before going to bed," she says. "I normally like to keep mine really simple and the ingredients to a minimum." This combination of red bell pepper and Snøfrisk, a spreadable goat cheese, is simply spectacular.

Don't forget to share any enticing food photos of your own in the Savory Sights group. For more mouth-watering smørbrød, read more.

The perfect weekend breakfast: egg salad and smoked salmon.

An unusual mixture of hot smoked salmon and green apple. "It may sound weird, but this one is so delicious," she reassures us.

The hot smoked salmon used to top the sandwich. Unlike lox, it's cooked.

Nordic shrimp, mayonnaise, and lime

Ranch dressing, Swiss cheese, ham, and cucumber - a German specialty.

Savory Sight: Norwegian Fish Market

YumSugar — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:00:21 -0700

Depending on how much you like seafood, fresh-fish markets can be near paradise or unpleasantly stinky. Since I love just about any kind of ocean bounty, especially when it's fresh, I'm drooling over the photos of the Bergen, Norway, fish market that FinnLover recently posted in my Savory Sights group.

This was FinnLover's first visit to her new hometown fish market, which features live fish, high-end seafood dishes, and everything in between. According to FinnLover:

As you walk around the counters, the fishermen offer pieces of their product to taste, and everything is packed so the tourist can bring some stuff back home, like gravlax, smoked salmon, dried whale, peppered fish, caviar . . . There are also several kiosks that sell sandwiches, fish and chips, king crab legs, and warm dishes with salmon and shrimps.

Don't forget to share your own yummy food photos in the Savory Sights group. To see more mouth-watering pics of the fish market, read more.

King crab legs:

Scandinavian open-face sandwiches:

A plate of sweet chili shrimps and salmon with potato salad:

Different kinds of caviar, about $8 each:

For The Princess In All Of Us...

partysugar — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 16:46:56 -0800

On Saturday night I had an amazing dinner with my family for my aunt's 50th birthday. The party was a traveling one, we started with drinks at one house, dinner at a restaurant, and finished with dessert at another house. By far the best part of the night, was the final chapter, the dessert. I'm not saying this because I have a huge sweet tooth and a weakness for desserts, I'm saying it because it was a dessert I had never heard of before, something that I didn't even know existed, something so fabulously wonderful I had to share it with all of you, something called a princess cake. With a name like that, naturally a overly delicious dessert comes to mind. Princess cakes are a traditional Norwegian dessert, a sponge cake with raspberry jam, pastry cream, whipped cream, and marzipan dome frosting. I can't wait to try out this recipe at home and make my very own princess cake! For a cake so good you feel like a princess when you eat it, read more

Princess Cake
From Diana Baker Woodall

8 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 ounces melted butter
Cream filling, recipe follows
Whipped cream, recipe follows
Simple syrup, recipe follows
8 ounces raspberry jam
Marzipan Dome, recipe follows

Whip the egg yolks until they are pale yellow and doubled in volume. In another bowl, whip the egg whites until frothy, gradually adding the sugar until the foam becomes stiff. Fold half of the whipped egg whites into the yolks. Fold in the remaining egg whites thoroughly, until uniform in color. In 4 batches, fold in the sifted flour and the baking powder then the butter.
Immediately pour the batter into 2 (10-inch) greased cake pans and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven F for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool on a rack. After they've cooled, run the tip of a knife around the edge of the cakes to loosen them from the pans and remove. Using a long serrated knife, slice both cakes into 1/2-inch thick disks. Only 3 will be needed, reserve the rest for future use.
Place a 10-inch springform pan without a bottom on a 12-inch cakeboard. Place 1 layer of the sponge cake on the bottom, and generously brush with the syrup. Spread the jam evenly over the syrup and place a second layer of sponge cake on top of the jam. Brush with syrup and spread the prepared cream on this layer. Top with a third layer of sponge cake and again, brush with the syrup. Using your hands, press lightly on the cake to ensure cake is level. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove the springform mold from the cake and generously frost the sides with the reserved whipped cream. Pour the remaining whipped cream directly on the center of the top of the cake and using a spatula, make a mound, working from the center out. The height of the whipped cream should be approximately 1 1/2-inches in the center and about 1/2-inch on the edges.
Dust a work surface again with confectioners' sugar and roll the light green marzipan to a 1/10-inch thick circle, using as much confectioners' sugar as necessary during rolling to prevent the marzipan from sticking to the work surface. When you're finished rolling, marzipan should be stretched enough to cover the entire cake and sides. Roll marzipan on rolling pin and gently lay it down on top of the cake, smoothing out the dome and lightly pressing on the bottom edges of the cake to form a perfect dome. Decorate with leftover marzipan, making a braided border on the edge of the cake or simply dust the entire cake with confectioners' sugar.

Cream Filling:
2 cups milk
1 split vanilla bean
2 eggs
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch salt

Bring the milk and vanilla bean to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes to infuse.
Remove vanilla bean. Whisk the eggs, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a bowl until smooth.
Add half of the milk into the bowl containing the eggs, whisking constantly, then return the mixture to the saucepan containing the remaining milk, whisking over moderate heat.
Continue whisking until the mixture is thickened and begins to simmer.
Allow cream filling to simmer, whisking for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer into another bowl, cover and allow to cool completely.

Whipped Cream:
5 cups heavy cream
10 tablespoons sugar

Whisk heavy cream with sugar until it is firm and holds its shape, being careful not to over whip.
Fold one-fifth of the cream into the cooled pastry cream and refrigerate, covered, until chilled (approximately 1 hour). Reserve the remaining whipped cream in the refrigerator, covered.

Simple Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Marzipan Dome:
1 1/2 pounds marzipan
Green food coloring
Confectioners' sugar for rolling

Color a walnut size piece of marzipan with the green food coloring until the marzipan is deep green. Reserve. Using a sifter or a fine mesh strainer, dust a scrupulously clean work surface with confectioners' sugar.
Tear off a pea-sized piece of green marzipan and knead it with the remaining marzipan until it is uniform in color. Add additional pieces from the green marzipan until it achieves a light green color (it should be the color of a Granny Smith apple). Discard the leftover deep green marzipan.

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Festive Foods: Krumkaker Filled with Cloudberry Cream

YumSugar — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:17:56 -0800

Every country has its own set of traditional holiday food. Here in America we pig out on turkey, ham, sugar cookies, gingerbread houses and the beloved (or not so beloved) fruitcake. But what about the rest of the world? Are they decorating gingerbread houses and adding cinnamon to their pumpkin pie? I decided to do some investigating and find out. Every day this week, I'll spotlight a holiday cooking tradition from around the globe.

Today we'll begin with our friends in Norway. This time of year their nights are long and their climate is cold. Although traditionally more meat than treats for the holidays, modern-day Norwegian families now take refuge from their long cold nights with baked goods. One of the traditional favorites is a Krumkaker filled with cloudberry cream. Its got a few specialty ingredients and requires the use of a specialized pan, but if you're interested in the recipe, read more

Krumkaker Filled with Cloudberry Cream
From Norway.org

4 tbs sugar
2 cups all purpose wheat flour
1/2 quarter heavy whipping cream
2 tbs water

Cookies

Whip cream and sugar

Add flour and mix. Then, add water

Let the dough rest in a cool place for one hour

Fry the cookies in a krumkake iron [which is a specialty iron, along the lines of a waffle iron]

Roll the cookies quickly while they are still hot, as shown above.

1 cup cream
5 tbsp cloudberry jam [let's face it, you're not going to find this easy. Try specialty food shops or substitute with your favorite tart berry jam]
1 tbsp cloudberry liqueur [again, try substituting with a favorite berry liqueur]

Filling

Whip cream.

Stir in jam and liqueur

Fill each cookie with approximately 2 tbsp of cream mixture

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If you've tried these before, or have even made them, leave a comment and let us know how it was!

What's Yummy This Week - YumSugar Weekly Recap

partysugar — Sat, 31 May 2008 09:30:06 -0700

Celebrate the Sex and the City movie by taking a look back at the food trends started by the series.
Have you been to a restaurant that has a beer list?
Want to make homemade salsa? Give one of these recipes a try!
If you're not into homemade salsa, experiment with Yum's childhood fav: goulash.
Take an insider's look at Norway's premier fish market.
This summer popsicles are hot!
Finally, if you need a delicious appetizer recipe, consider making these creamy adobo chip nacho bites.

McGlobal Village

YumSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 07:03:38 -0700

One of the weirdest things about globalization is how everything is the same and yet totally different. You'd think that no matter where you go, a McDonald's would be a McDonald's right? Wrong! If you've never been to an International McDonald's, you might not know what you're missing. For example, in Germany you can order a Big McFeast and a cup of beer, whereas in Norway you can opt for the McLaks - a sandwich made from grilled salmon and dill sauce. Personally I love how you can get an Ebi (shrimp) burger in Japan, and rice burgers in Hong Kong and Taiwan. How about you, have you ever discovered anything interesting on an International McDonald's menu?

Source: Trifter
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