Limoncello raspberry cake

For a Godfather-themed dinner, we thought "what better than limoncello?" for the dessert. Here's what we came up with: a three layered cake with raspberry filling, limoncello lemon-curd filling, and a cream-cheese lemon frosting.

Limoncello raspberry cake
Serves 14-16

Ingredients:

For the limoncello lemon curd
1 1/2 cups homemade or store-bought lemon curd
1/2 dl vodka

Make the limoncello curd by simply mixing lemon curd and vodka with a whisk.

For the raspberry sauce
100 g raspberries
1 dl pectin sugar for jams

Make a raspberry sauce by cooking up the raspberries with the pectin sugar until it starts to thicken and form a jam-like consistency.

For the cakes own good
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp vodka

For the lemon cream-cheese frosting
500 g cream cheese
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
3-4 dl powdered sugar

Whisk it all together.

For the pink glaze
1 tsp lemon
1 tsp vodka
3 dl powdered sugar
1 drop red food coloring

Whisk together

For the white glaze
1/2 tsp lemon
1/2 tsp vodka
1 1/2 dl powdered sugar

Whisk together

For the cake
Angel food cake, store-bought or homemade


Directions:
Cut the angel food cake into three layers. On the first layer, using a kitchen brush, brush on half of the lemon juice-vodka mixture for the cakes own good so that it soaks up some moisture. Next, add on the limoncello curd. Put on the second layer of angel food cake. Brush again with the lemon-vodka mixture, and then pour over the raspberry sauce. On the third layer, cover with cream cheese frosting and make smooth. At the top, use a spatula to gently spread the pink glaze. Fill a piping bag with the white frosting, and draw lines first horizontally in one direction and then diagonally in another direction to decorate. Viola!

600 vanilla cloudberry parfaits

Today we're catering a group of 530 at Norrlands Nation and along with that feeding the staff afterwards, so I've been in the kitchen for two days popping out vanilla parfaits. 

The secret recipe is so easy I just adore it!

Vanilla Cloudberry Parfaits

Makes 4

Ingredients:

2 egg yolks

1 dl powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla sugar or a drop of extract

2 dl whipped cream

Cloudberries to top with 

Directions:

Whip the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla until completely white. In a seperate bowl whip the whipped cream fluffy. Combine the egg yolk/sugar mixture with the whipped cream and that's all folks!

Now fill 4 cups with the mixture, and stick it in the freezer. When you're ready to serve it, just top with cloudberries!

Strawberry Lime Cake

Strawberry Lime Bread

It's snowing on the first of May, so I'll give a go at tricking the day. Come on Strawberry Lime bread, bring some summer and sunshine on over to Colorado! My mother has a lime addiction, and I have a gallon of strawberries to use up, so I've experimented with altering a favorite recipe of mine Banana Bread by Elise Bauer http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/

Ingredients

Bread mixture

-1/3 cup oil

-2/3 cup agave nectar

-1 egg

-Pinch of salt

-1 tsp baking soda

-1 1/2 cups flour

Strawberry mixture

-2 cups strawberries

-1/4 cup lime or lemon juice

-2 to 3 tbsp coconut flour (corn starch or flour will do!)

Preheat oven to 350. 

For the bread mixture-

In a large bowl, combine oil, agave, and egg. Mix well. Add in in salt and baking soda. Stir in the flour being careful not to overbeat. Set aside.

For the strawberry mixture-

On the stove, let the strawberries and lime juice simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat about five minutes. With a whisk, mix in the coconut flour or any other starch to thicken the mixture. Add only 1/2 a tablespoon at a time. When the mixture reaches the consistency of apple sauce, set it to the side to cool for ten minutes. 

With a spatula, add half of the bread to the strawberry mixture and slowly combine. 

Butter an 8x4 inch loaf pan. Pour in the strawberry-bread mixture. With the remaining half of the bread mixture, plop small spoons of it into the same pan. Using a knife, make some zigzags back and forth in the loaf pan to give the two mixes a marbleized effect. Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Camilla Gronstedt 

Fresh French Toast

Ever delighted in a stale, crumbly, disgustingly dry piece of gluten free bread? Here's my favorite alternative- a chewy, marvelous french toast!

2 pieces of toast
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
Brown sugar
Berries to serve

In a large bowl, whisk the egg, milk, vanilla and salt. Let the pieces of toast soak in the mixture for 5 minutes. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a frying pan on medium heat and plop on the first piece of toast. Reduce the heat to medium-low and once golden brown, flip to the other side. And repeat! Delight in a fantastically un-dry gluten free toast!

Cayenne Salmon Salad

1 salmon piece
1/2 diced tomato
Diced cucumber
1/4 bell pepper, diced
1/2 avocado
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
Salt
Cayenne
Diced cilantro

Bake the salmon in the oven at 425 degrees approx 15 minutes. Mix the cannelini, bell pepper, avocado, lemon, olive oil, salt and cayenne. Let the salmon cool a bit and toss it with the salad.
Enjoy!

Spring Omelett

Who doesn't love a light spring omelett bright and early in the morning?

2 eggs
3 tbsp milk
2 mushrooms
1 slice ham, diced
2 slices sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 avocado
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp butter

In a small frying pan, melt olive oil and butter at a high heat. Fry the sliced mushrooms and diced ham. Set aside the ham and mushroom on a cutting board. Mix the eggs and milk in a bowl. In the same frying pan, on medium heat add in the egg mixture. Stir gently with a plastic spatula, so that all the egg is equally cooked yet still light and tender. With the spatula, pat the egg flat and let it cook together for a few minutes. On one half, add in the cooked mushroom, ham, avocado and cheese. Fold over the other half and serve with a cilantro leaf. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Veggie Monsters: Step 3 Chicken up your faces

Carve the chicken to fit underneath the veggies. To the barbecue chicken mouths, add gorgonzola for teeth! To keep the chicken and veggies together, stick a toothpick in them.
Viola! You've got your veggie faces!

Veggie Monsters: Step 2 Assemble your veggie faces

Slice onions into eyes, with cherry tomatoes sliced in half as pupils.
For the noses use the bottom of a bell pepper, and for the mouths use the middle pieces of bell peppers.

Veggie Monsters: Step 1 Rolling Chicken!

Start by carefully butterfly cutting the chicken breasts into two thin half-chicken breasts. Roll these out in a sealed plastic bag to make them thinner. Marinate the chicken in your favorite sauces. I marinated in barbeque, peanut, and basil garlic sauces. Bake in the oven at 400 for 12 minutes or until fully cooked.

Veggie Monster

My sesame street cupcakes inspired me to bring monsters to the dinner table. Originally I tried dying chicken different colors- Note to self: Chicken refuses to dye! Instead, the chicken ended up inside of these mini veggie sandwiches, all shaped into facial features. 

On the menu:
Barbeque Gorgonzola Chicken in Bell Pepper Mouths
Peanut Chicken in Onion Eyes
Basil Garlic Chicken in Bell Pepper Noses

To read more about how to create these veggie monsters, read Step 1: Rollin in the Chicken!