Local cheese and a not-so-local-salad

I had to try some more local Swedish Bleu (Swedes call their Bleu's Ädel = noble) the single mass-factory-size maker in Sweden that makes these is from enormous Danish-Swedish Arla Foods, Europes largest dairy they use their the Kvibille brand for these. I read somewhere that they won gold in an international competition with their drunken Whiskey variety, (as Best Scandinavian Cheese) so that's why I decided to go for a taste.

Today I was given a task, to use some japanese Hijiki (that's dried seaweed, I learned) in "some kind of meal" sitting by itself in the cupboard. After some googling I found an interesting recipe: Golden Tofu Salad with Carrots and Hijiki. Not a local dish to me in any way. However, I had a task to fulfill. The reason I decided to post about it is twofold: there was no picture of it on recipe site where I found the salad, so I decided to pull out my camera for a shot, it's a beautiful and colorful dish. Second, it tastes wonderful, just as they say on the site.

Golden Tofu Salad with Carrots and Hijiki:

• 3 tablespoons dried hijiki seaweed
• 1 cup water 12 ounces (~300 gr)firm tofu
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 medium carrots, julienned
• 3 scallions (green onion), sliced thinly,sprinkled with
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt, and pressed lightly

1. In a small saucepan, soak hijiki for 10 minutes.
2. Once rehydrated, simmer the seaweed uncovered for 20 minutes or until the water has evaporated.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
4. Meanwhile, drain the tofu and slice the cake horizontally.
5. Place between sheets of paper towels and put on a cutting board with a heavy weight atop the tofu to press away excess water. A cast iron skillet or heavy book is ideal. Drain the tofu for at least 15 minutes.
6. Cut into cubes and brown evenly on all sides using 1 tablespoon of sesame oil.
7. Remove from pan and sprinkle with tamari. Set aside to cool.
8. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, ginger, and salt.
9. Add seaweed, tofu, and veggies.
10. Toss well and allow flavors to 'marry' for at least 30 minutes

Homemade chocolate - fit for a King

I found a small chocolate-shop, Ejes choklad in Stockholm on the street Erik Dahlbergsgatan. A family-operated business that makes chocolate the old fashioned way, no preservatives, no additives and at least 60% cocoa. So I knew I had to have some. I got some truffles, creme, nougat and moca, fantastic to the very last bite. They are also approved as a Royal Purveyor to the Swedish King, so I'm not the only one who likes their treats.

l'll certainly be back for more.

Food faire in Stockholm - Androuet revisited

Androuet was the french cheese seller that caught my attention at the food faire. I just wanted to just jot down a few lines and publish a few more pictures after I got a change to figure out what cheeses I saw, that I haven't had a chance to try - yet. The problem with food faire was that there's perhaps too much available and not that much to opportunity to speak with the purveyors.

In the shot above, I saw cheeses that Androuet was showcasing but it was first when I got home that I got a chance to figure out what cheeses they were. OK, so they were showcasing "chèvres" - unpasteurized goats, for example these ones:

• Chabichou du Poitou - a well known goat cheese in the shape of small pyramid
• Crottin de Chavignol - a famous goat from Loire Valley

• Roves des Garrigues - a dense goat that eats lots of herbs, in particular Thyme. From Provence in southern France
• Sainte-Maure - a goat in a conic cylinder that's slightly taped. Has a straw through the center to hold it together. Greyish, since it's rolled in ash for protection. I don't know if it's the AOC proteced cheese or not.

I do hope I get a chance to go their shop soon, maybe even for a cheese tasting.

My Langres that I bought at the faire seems to have taken over my fridge, with it's smell. I decided to take a picture of before it dissapears. Mistakenly I placed it upside down on the plate, it supposed to be sunken in at the top, so it goes.

Food fair in Stockholm - "Good Cooking"

This weekend including today, a food fair, Det Goda Köket, (sort of "Good Cooking") is going on in Stockholm. Very enjoyable. I had not really planned on bringing home anything tasty, while I was there - who was I trying to kid...

From up north, in Jämtland is saw two small dairy's who cooperate, Oviken Ost and Skärvångens Bymejeri. They make about twenty handmade cheeses each, including quite a few Goats. At the fair they were also offering a taste of some home-made Confiture, a marmalade that very gelatinized, more like sliced than a spread.

Also at the fair was Androuet, a french specialty cheese company that has a boutique in Stockholm. (I kind of stumbled by their store even, on the street Nybrogatan) They specialize in french artisanal cheeses, mostly from unpasteurized milk, french local farmstead cheese. When I saw their gorgeous french cheeses stacked in wooden crates, I could not help myself, I had to have one. One smelly and ripe french Langres AOC-protected cheese from northern France, the Champagne-Ardenne region. A funny looking (it's 'cupped' at the top) soft and creamy with an dark orange rind, quite smelly but with a careful not that strong tangyness, very, VERY enjoyable.

I saw alot of other goodies, quite a bit of Swedish foods too: reindeer salami, local marmalade/ preserves, fresh fish and smoked fish. I'll just round off with another specialty cheese shop in Stockholm, Vasastans Ost, on the street, St. Eriksgatan. They know their cheese. I picked up a small "tasting plate", to bring home. In the bag I got three cheeses and marmalade:

1. a hard Swiss Gruyère réserve, unpasterized cow
2. an Italian Pecorino Sardo which is a hard sheep cheese,
3. a cylindrical goat (a Caprino in Italian), a Bocconcino di Capra Pura from Caseificio dell'Alta Langa in Piemonte, Italy.

The package from Vasastans Ost is made complete with a wonderful Swedish Apple/Tomato marmelade (50% fruit) with a slight touch of Balsamic vinegar from Olof Victors a artisanal bakery that also makes a few other goodies: mustard, chocolates and ice cream. All in all a nice touch: one cow, one goat, one sheep and a high quality marmalade...for not that much money.

Vendace Roe from Northern Sweden (Kalix Löjrom)

Today I had a small feast with a genuine Swedish delicacy, Caviar from the fish Vendace, Coregonus Albula, from northern Sweden. This roe, Kalix Löjrom (fish name in Swedish: Siklöja), sells for an insane 900SEK/ kg. Good thing I didn't need so much. I took a nicely ripe Hass Avocado, (not very local I know..) and plopped some slightly sour Crème Fraiche as a base and topped off the roe with some Dill, a very popular herb in Swedish cuisine. I've figured out that the common swedish sour cream: Gräddfil just isn't soured as much as Crème Fraiche, its too wimpy for my taste. Some drops of lemon juice is also appropriate. This swedish caviar is really delightful, just slightly salty. Rumous says that this caviar is on its to become PDO protected. It's often served mixed together with Crème Fraiche, chopped red onion and served on toast.

Swedes do like caviars: here are some I saw in the store, the Swedish name of the fish in perenthases. These are all less expensive that the Vendace Roe / Löjrom.

• Lumpfish caviar (Stenbit) red or black artificially colorized roe
• Rainbow trout caviar (Regnbåge) - red pinkisk roe
• King salmon caviar (Kungslax) - huge red roe
• Capelin caviar (Lodda, sold as 'Ishavsrom') - white roe

I think I also should mention Swedish Kalles Kaviar, a cheap smoked and salted cod roe paste, commonly served as sandwich topping, very popular... for the kids.

Mozzarella di Bufala Campana

Nice- I found real Mozzarella, made with water buffalo milk, not cow. My 'ball' is from the Francia dairy, Italy's fourth largest Mozzarella maker. After a bit of googling I learned that 'my famous' salad, intermixed slices of cheese, tomato's and sprinkled with Basil is a Caprese Salad, how about that - I never knew that. Also an organic Mozzarella is available from Francia Dairy. Real Mozarella is a DOP cheese (or PDO: Protected Designated Origin), meaning it can only be made in certain regions.

There is also a smoked type of Mozarella available as well, I hope I get a chance to try that soon.

In other news - Berlin. An amateur historian gets credited for rewriting German culinary history.

Herman Erzmann, 75, has found the country's oldest known receipe for Bratwurst. The instructions was written down in Thüringen, some sixhundred years ago. In 1432 sausage makers only used the purest of ingredients, or else if found cheating, would have to pay a full days salary in penalty. See, they don't make them the way they used to, I suppose. (source: Reuters.)

A few cheeses from Sweden and France

A few days ago I did go out and buy a few cheeses, from Sweden and from France, here's just some quick mind notes.

Sweden:

Herrgårdsost. (Manorhouse cheese) The one I recently bought is from the producer, Falbygden, named "Arn", one of the more aged, 18 months. Most typical Herrgård-cheese is mild and to me at least a boring cheese, since its not allowed to age, delivered to stores after 2 to 4 months. My cheese was 119SEK/ kg. But now, after the fact, I learned probably the FINEST ones out there is a 24-month-aged one from Sivan Johansson for 299SEK/ kg. Too bad I didn't know this earlier. I found out about it after this Swedish review of Herrgård cheese from the Swedish daily, Dagens Nyheter. Back to the Herrgård cheese: I'm told this type of cheese was developed in the nineteenth century, at the manor Marsvinsholm, in an attempt to imitate the successful Emmentaler/ Swiss-cheese. I don't really think it tastes like Emmentaler, well, OK barely. Mine is semi-hard/hard, tangy, sightly nutty and aromatic. It is however really wonderful on Swedish crispbread, but I don't think it's exciting enough for a cheese plate. Perhaps Sivan Johansson's Herrgård 24 month one is. I'll have to go to a cheese specialty store in Stockholm, Vasastans Ost, to buy it one day. She, Sivan Johansson, doesn't actually make the cheese, but rather knows how to pick them out and then let them age properly. She seems provide truly aged variants of many of the typical Swedish hard cheeses: Grevé, Herrgård, Svecia and Prästost and also a low fat cheese, Kadett. Only to mention a few of the more well knowns.

France:

Roquefort - Papillon

This 'King of Cheese' knocked my socks off. So THIS is what a Blue is supposed to taste like. Salty, tangy, creamy and delightful. Don't shoot yourself in the foot by eating it straight out from the fridge, let it reach room temp first, othwerwise the full flavor wont be there. Made with unpasteurized sheep milk and aged some 150 days in famous Cambalou caves. Mine cost 319SEK/ kg. Papillon is from what I can tell one of seven Roquefort producers. I should give a serious honorable meantion to two Swedish artisanal Blue's, one from Jürss and their Sörmlands Ädel (Swedes call their Blue cheeses Ädel, as the brits calls theirs Stilton), a REALLY creamy goodness. The other one is from Skärvångens Bymejeri and their Ädla, a bit harder and drier when compared to Jürss' product, but still good.

France:

Brie de Meux

I read in a review not so long ago about 'real' Brie cheese and Brie de Meux was meantioned. OK, so now I know that I never knew what real Brie tasted like. I thought all that other unflavored, supermild, no flavor factory Brie pie's was it. OK, so I was wrong. To summarize: real Brie is called Brie de Meux, and it's made with unpasteurized cowsmilk (the milk isn't killed by heating it to 72 C.) and has a wonderful nutty, creamy and delightful flavor with a yellowy look. (No bleached white look) Rememer to let it reach room temp before eating, or you'll be wasting your money. Quote: "-Wow! So this is what Brie is supposed to taste like.."