This is just the most easy peasy simple yet addictively delicious appetizer! Perfect for a Friday night to celebrate that you’ve finally arrived at the weekend. And perfect too with a glass, or two, of bubbles. When I serve these shrimp with cilantro lemon mayo dip the main challenge is to make sure I’ve made enough. More than once I’ve found that the whole platter of shrimp and dip I just put on the table a minute ago has already mysteriously vanished! You can easily prepare the cilantro lemon mayo dip in advance, but otherwise it’ll only take you 5 minutes max to whip up right before serving. Just make…
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Seared trout with caper dill sauce
Really good, crispy skin, pan-seared fish is something everyone deserves to learn how to make. Pan-frying is simply the preparation method that does most justice to fish and also brings out all the nuances of how fish should taste. This recipe for pan-seared trout with caper dill sauce gives you an easy step-by-step instruction for how to sear a piece of fish fillet without messing it up. For years the thought of pan-searing a piece of fish left me with nervous tics and sweaty hands. I simply had not had much luck with it. Every time I attempted it, it ended up looking like something the cat had already had…
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Low-carb fajita beef salad
Feel like having Mexican food tonight, but would like to avoid carbs? Here’s an amazingly tasty and succulent fajita beef salad that will fulfill your craving without leaving you with a carb guilty conscience. With its beautiful mix of colors this fajita beef salad truly reminds me of Mexico, and it brightens up any dinner or buffet table. Actually, Cinco de Mayo is coming up soon, so why not start planning your own fiesta? This fajita beef salad does really well as party food. Not only does it look and taste great, it is very fast to make, leaving you time to join the fiesta. You can even make variations…
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Cajun shrimp bread
We spent this March break doing a road trip through Louisiana and Texas, and had some pretty amazing encounters with real southern food classics. Even just writing about it makes me hungry! This Cajun shrimp bread was inspired by a Cajun crawfish bread we had one sunny afternoon in Louisiana. If you can get your hands on crawfish, I’d use that instead of shrimp, but alas, we don’t all live down south, and shrimp will also do nicely. The Louisiana kitchen is world famous for its spicy and flavorful Cajun and Creole tastes. In my mind, this recipe represents quintessential Louisiana food culture: great shellfish combined with hot Cajun spice,…
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Rose water butter cookies
These delicate rose water butter cookies are the perfect little treats with a nice cup of tea. They do, however, also go surprisingly well with a glass of champagne or other bubbles, for example for New Year’s! They also make a great hostess gift, bagged or boxed nicely, maybe even accompanied by the hostess’ favorite tea or bottle of bubbles. This rose water butter cookie recipe hails back to my grandma, and there is indeed something totally old-school about butter cookies. The rose water though seems quite an exotic addition which must have been a rather decadent and almost daring feature back in grandma’s day. Often used in Middle Eastern…
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Luscious apple blackberry crumble
This apple blackberry crumble has been one of my favorite desserts for years. It’s incredibly easy to make, it’s so rich in taste and, as with all baked desserts, you even get the double pleasure of getting to it eat and enjoying the smell of it as it bakes away in the oven. To me it also reminds me of that comforting feeling of being home with one of my grandmas. (I had the privilege of knowing three of them.) They all seemed to know that good cooking does not need to be complicated. It’s not that they didn’t care about presentation. In fact their food always looked great, but…
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The ultimate winter soup
In my book no soup beats a well-made classic French onion soup as the ultimate comforter on a cold winter’s day. It’s packed with taste, easy to make, not expensive and healthy too. The first time I had onion soup, though, I have to say I was a little suspicious. And it’s true that with its muddy brown color this dish will probably never win any beauty contests. But its understated appearance completely fooled me, and I was taken aback by this rich and flavorful soup. Though I try a lot of new dishes all the time, I very rarely get a really powerful tasting experience that immediately wins me…
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Creamy chicken tarragon
Béarnaise sauce is one of my family’s absolute favorite sauces, and if I was prepared to make it every day, I’ve no doubt they’d eat it. Though the sauce for this creamy chicken tarragon is not butter, egg yolk and vinegar based like real béarnaise, it does have a very similar taste. But with this recipe you don’t have to frantically whisk the sauce right up to the moment before serving. In fact, you can easily keep this creamy chicken tarragon in the fridge or the freezer without the sauce splitting. Instead of including vinegar this sauce gets its acidity from mustard and white wine. The balance of the sour,…
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Zesty smoked salmon
Are you ready for spring? I know it’s only February, but I can’t wait for the sun to start warming up my patio and defrost my bones! I’ve already got the patio furniture lined up, and the rosé is in the fridge, so I thought I might just give it another notch with this savory zesty smoked salmon appetizer, or lunch if you like. Maybe it’s because I’m Scandinavian, but I could easily eat smoked salmon every day. It’s no secret that Scandinavians have had a particular liking for raw and raw cured fish since the Vikings, and some even claim that it was the Norwegians who introduced raw…
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Little heavenly ricotta bites
Need a great idea for an appetizer that is fast and easy to make and that will instantly charm your guests’ taste buds? In my book these little heavenly ricotta cream bites are the perfect appetizers. They are creamy, crunchy and light with that amazing freshness and fragrance that basil and lemon so perfectly provide. I’ve been making these for years, and every time I serve them, they seem to be gone before I know it, and my guests always ask for the recipe. I think it often comes as a surprise that these little pale rather innocently looking mouthfuls are so powerful and packed with taste. Because of the…
