Icelandic cooking, recipes and food

Ages ago I promised to find a recipe for skyr brulée – well I finally found one! The recipe comes from chef Steinar Þór Þorfinnsson of the restaurant Einar Ben. I haven’t tested it, but here goes: Skyr- and white chocolate crème brulée with blueberry schnapps Skyr-crème brulée: 100 g cream 100 g pure skyr 40 g egg yolk 40 g sugar 80 g white chocolate The juice of 1/2 lime 1 vanilla pod Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and put in a saucepan with the cream. Bring to the boil, remove from the heat and add the skyr. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and add to the warm skyr mixture. Stir together the egg yolk and sugar and add to the skyr mixture along with the lime juice. Put into crème brulée ramekins and bake in a water bath at 120 °C for 30 minutes. Cool. Sprinkle with demerara sugar and melt the sugar with a crème brulée torch. P.S. Before making this, please take a look at the review in the comment. Blueberry schnapps: 125 g puréed blueberries 500 ...

Light and frothy cold puddings made with egg and thickened with gelatine are known as "frómas" in Icelandic and as "fromage" in Danish. Those who know their French will realise that this is the French word for cheese. How it underwent the change in meaning from French to Danish is not known. This recipe is in all likelihood originally Danish. This is a popular dessert in my family that my mother makes  for special occasions. With a bit of adjustment, it can be adapted to other kinds of flavours. For example, I adore the lemon version. Ingredients: 250 g sugar 5 eggs, whites and yolks separated 12 sheets of gelatine 2 cups double cream or whipping cream 2 small cans (8. oz.) pineapple rings in juice, cut into small chunks (retain 2-3 rings for decoration) Pineapple juice from the can juice from 1 lemon Method: In separate bowls, whip together the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy, whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks, and whip the egg w...

My friends call this cake "that heavenly date cake with the caramel sauce". It is apparently an old recipe, but someone must have rediscovered it recently, because it has been served a lot at birthday parties and ladies' handicrafts clubs lately. I haven't got a clue where the recipe originally came from, but in Iceland it's known either as döðluterta með karamellusósu , which simply describes what it is, or as Dillonskaka or Dillon's Cake , which could suggests Irish or British origins. However, it might, and this is supported by information from some older ladies I know, be named after Lord Dillon, a British aristocrat who came to Iceland in 1834, fell in love with a local woman and built a house that he gave her before he left the country. It was a famous scandal at the time, as they had a child out of wedlock and were prevented from marrying by his family. She ran a guest house in the house he gave her and sold meals there for many years. Today the ho...

I got my first request for Vínarbrauð several years ago, but somehow I never got round to posting a recipe until now. I am posting this in three parts. The pastries known to most of the rest of the world as Danish pastries are called by a name that means "Viennese Bread" in the Nordic countries. In Icelandic it's Vínarbrauð . The story says that Danish bakers learned to make a type of leavened flaky pastry from Viennese bakers, perhaps similar to croissant pastry, and made it their own, Here is a longer version of the story (the article also contains images of a few of the possible variations). These kinds of pastries are very popular in Iceland, and you can buy them in every bakery and many supermarkets. I am going to give recipes for the three most popular types of vínarbrauð : Spandauers and two varieties of what are called "lengjur" in Icelandic. For the pastry you will need: 500 g flour ground cardamom to taste 50 g margarine 50 g fresh yeast 50 m...

This is a simple and impressive fancy cake – if you can avoid breaking the meringue! If it does break, no matter: simply crush the meringue and layer it in dessert bowls or glasses with the cream, or toss it with whipped cream, fresh fruit and chocolate bits to make a smashed Pavlova. 4 egg whites 400 ml brown sugar Optional: 1 cup cornflakes and ½ tsp baking powder For the filling: Whipping cream Chocolate bits, chocolate-covered raisins, salted peanuts (all optional) Whip together the sugar and egg whites (and baking powder if using cornflakes) until sugar is melted and mixture is stiff. If using, fold in cornflakes. Smooth into two greased round baking tins, or put into an icing bag and squeeze onto a cookie sheet covered with baking paper in a circular shape (good idea to make a guide on the paper beforehand with a pencil and a plate). Bake at 150°C for 1 hour. Cool. To make a simple but tempting cream cake, put whipped cream between the layers a day before serving ...

Once upon a time I promised to publish more recipes for fancy cream cakes, and here is one that’s a favourite with both young and old. The name, Guðdómlegt gums means Heavenly Mess . 4 egg whites 200 g sugar Whip together until the sugar is mostly melted. 1/2 cup salted peanuts 1/2 cup chopped dates 100 g dark chocolate chips 1/2 tsp baking powder Fold carefully into the egg-sugar mixture. Bake in 2 round baking tins with detachable bottoms, at 150°C for 1 hour. Cool. Whip 1/2 litre of cream until stiff. Fold in some quartered strawberries, 1 mashed banana, a handful of salted peanuts and a handful of chocolate-covered raisins. Put between the 2 layers. Decorate with whipped cream, strawberries, salted peanuts and chocolate-covered raisins. The other recipe

200 g oatmeal biscuits/crackers (e.g. Graham crackers) 60 g butter 1 tbs sugar Crumble the crackers finely. Melt the butter and stir into the crumbs with the sugar. Press into the bottoms of several small serving bowls. 4 sheets gelatin The juice of 1/2 lemon 300 g plain skyr 100 g sugar 2 eggs 150 g sour cream 1 tbs sugar Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 minutes. Remove from the water, squeeze out the remaining water and put the gelatin in a bowl or the top of a double boiler with the lemon juice. Heat gently until the gelatin is melted. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Mix together sugar and skyr and add the egg yolks, one by one. Fold in the sour cream. Lightly whip the egg whites with 1 tbs. sugar. Mix the gelatin into the skyr mixture and then gently fold in the whipped egg whites. Divide the mixture between the bowls and cool in the refrigerator. This can also be made into a whole dessert, in which case use a large, deep pie dish.

This is a nice cake that appeals to kids. The buns can also be baked and served separately. 25 g cake yeast OR 2 1/2 tsp dry yeast 100 ml milk, skimmed milk or water 400 ml flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 30 g butter or margarine, soft 1 small egg (or 1/2 a big one) Filling: 1 tbs butter 2 tbs sugar 50 ml raisins or 1 tsp ground cinnamon Icing: 4 tbs confectioner's (icing) sugar 1/2 tsp cocoa powder (optional) 2 tsp boiling water Heat the milk to 37°C and dissolve the yeast in it. Mix the flour, salt and sugar together in a bowl. Crumble in the butter. Add the egg and milk, mix well and knead well. Set dough aside to rise for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile you can prepare the rest of the ingredients. Punch down the dough and knead again. Roll out into a rectangular shape, about 20x30 cm. Spread with soft butter and sprinkle over the sugar and raisins or cinnamon. Roll up into a sausage shape and cut into 10-12 slices. To make a cake, arrange the slices into a buttered cake pan so that the...

There are many Icelandic recipes for fruit compotes made from dried fruit, some mixed, some using one particular fruit. Most common are apricot, prune and apple compotes. I have already posted a recipe for mixed fruit compote and compote of fresh rhubarb , and will be posting more over the next few weeks. These compotes are good both warm and cold, and are usually served with cream or half-and-half. They can be bought ready made in most supermarkets. For those who like to do things themselves, here is a recipe for prune compote. 250 g prunes with pits 1 liter water 2-4 tbs sugar 3 tbs potato flour or cornstarch 100 ml cold water Wash the prunes and soak in the water for about 12 hours, then cook in the water they were soaked in, until they are soft (if using prunes that are already soft, skip the soaking part). Remove pits. Add sugar to taste. Make a paste of starch and cold water and stir into the compote to thicken. Pour into a bowl, sprinkle sugar on top and serve warm or cold. Goo...

Here is the first of the modern skyr recipes. Note on the measurements: I have rounded all the ounces to the nearest whole number. It does not make any difference for the recipe. Mousse : 500 g / 18 oz. plain skyr 75 g / 3 oz. sugar 200 ml / 7 oz. cream 3 sheets gelatin 1 vanilla pod 50 ml / 2 oz. cream Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Reserve the seeds and discard the pod (or reserve for making something else). Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5-10 minutes and lightly whip the large portion of cream. Mix together the skyr, sugar and vanilla seeds. Heat the small portion of cream, and cool slightly. Squeeze the water out of the gelatin and dissolve in the heated cream. Mix carefully into the skyr mixture and then fold in the whipped cream. Pour into small mousse forms or individual serving bowls and freeze. Serve with fresh fruit and fruit sauce. Here is a strawberry sauce that’s good with skyr mousse: 150 g / 5 oz. fresh strawberries 50 g / 2 oz. s...

This lovely pudding is frequently served for lunch at my parents' house on Saturdays, and we all love it. This is a cheap, nourishing, tasty meal, which I make much too seldom in my own home. At Christmas, we have a small serving of rice pudding before the main meal of hangikjöt. According to tradition, my mother hides a peeled almond in the pudding and we each choose one bowl. The person who finds the almond gets a small gift, typically some chocolate.    1/2 litre water 200 gr. rice (do not use quick-cook or instant) 1 1/2 litre whole milk 1 tsp salt Cook the rice in the water until it's almost completely absorbed. Add the milk and lower the heat to simmer. Continue cooking until the rice is tender (the whole process takes about an hour). Add salt and serve with cinnamon sugar. - cook a handful of raisins with the rice for a few minutes before serving, for an authentic, old-fashioned "rúsínugrautur" (raisin pudding). - The pudding is usually eaten wi...

These delicious meringue drops are the perfect accompaniment for home-made ice-cream . It’s good for using up the egg whites left over from the ice-cream making. 5 egg whites 1 tsp cream of tartar (may be left out) 1 2/3 cup sugar, white or confectioners' 1 tsp vanilla essence a dash of salt Whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they form stiff peaks. Add the sugar bit by bit, whipping well in-between. Whip until the dough is stiff and mix in vanilla or other flavouring (sherry or rum is also good). Oil and flour a baking sheet, or simply line one with baking paper. Put some of the dough into a pastry bag with a big tip, and squeeze out some even sized blobs onto the baking sheet/paper. The dough will not rise noticeably, so make them the size you want the cookies to be. Bake in a warm oven (150° C) until they are dry and have started to take on a slight golden colour (if you test one for doneness, it does not matter if they are sligthy chewy right at the center). ...

The original name is probably riz à l’amande (French for almond rice ), but the Danish call it ris a la mande . Whether it is originally French or the name simply got Frenchified, I don’t know, but I do know this is a delicious pudding if correctly made. In some Icelandic households it is served instead of rice pudding (see previous recipe) at Christmas. The first time I tasted ris a la mande , I didn't like it at all. This is perhaps because it was lumpy and the cook had left out the vanilla. I have since made peace with it, and like it just as much as the traditional Icelandic rice pudding. 50 g rice (not quick-cook or instant) 600 ml milk 1/2 vanilla bean 30 g sugar 15 almonds, blanched and slivered or chopped 370 ml heavy cream, whipped 6-7 (12-14 grams) sheets gelatine Bring the milk to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the rice and vanilla bean and cook up a rice pudding (see previous recipe for method). When the pudding is done, remove the vanilla bean. Add the sugar...

This is something that should appeal to kids: 1 litre red or purple fruit or berry juice, for example redcurrant, blackcurrant, raspberry, cranberry or pomegranate juice 60 g cooking starch (e.g. potato flour, cornflour, or sago) Sugar to taste Water, if needed Put the cooking starch in a saucepan and stir in the juice. Heat gently to boiling. Add sugar to taste and thin with water if the flavour is too strong. When the juice boils, it should be thickened. Remove from the heat, pour into a large bowl and sprinkle sugar on top. Cool. Serve as a dessert.

All kinds of scrumptuous, decorated cakes with fruit, cream and/or sweet icing are very popular in Iceland, and there are plenty of recipes to choose from. Most are based on some kind of sponge cake, or are made with meringue. They are often jokingly called Stríðstertur (Battle Cakes). Hnallþórur is another joke name for these cakes - derived from a character in one of Halldór Laxness' books, a woman who loved to make and serve these kinds of cake. These creations are as beautiful and tempting to behold as they are delicious and fattening! Layer 1: 4 egg whites 1 cup sugar 2 cups desiccated coconut or Rice Crispies 100 g dark chocolate Beat together egg whites and sugar until stiff and peaks form. Chop or finely grate the chocolate and fold in along with coconut/Rice Crispies. Pour into a greased, round cake pan (use one with a loose bottom). Bake at 150°C for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Layer 2: 4 eggs 100 g sugar 50 g flour 50 g potato flour Whip the egg...

Like macaroni soup , this is a comfort food for me. The smooth texture of the pudding makes it feel like soft velvet on the tongue - thus the name. Serves 6. 175 g butter 250 g flour 2 ltr milk 2 tsp salt Melt the butter and add the sifted flour and mix well. Add boiling milk, portion by portion and mix well in between (just like making white sauce – which this really is, only thicker). Cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Adjust flavour with salt. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve with milk or sweet berry juice (make from berry syrup or use sweetened juice).

This is a lovely cheesecake, rich and smooth. It is commercially available in Iceland. I just love it, and I'm grateful for The Icelandic Dairy Produce Marketing Association for providing the recipe for the public. The cake is relatively cheap when you buy it ready-made, but I think making it yourself adds to the enjoyment of eating it. While this is not a Christmas recipe per se, it is so time consuming that I would only ever make it for special occasions like Christmas or a special birthday party. Serves 10-12 (or 6-8, depending on how much self-control you have :-) 1 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs 5 tbs sugar 5 tbs butter, soft 90 g lemon flavoured gelatine 1 cup boiling water 500 g cream cheese, unflavoured, softened at room temperature 1 tsp vanilla essence 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup cream, whipped (measure before you whip) 1 can (480 g) mandarin orange sections 1/2 cup juice from mandarin oranges 2 tbs lemon juice 2 tsp unflavoured gelatine powder OR 2 sheets unflavoured gelatine Mi...

This is a lovely pudding, rich and thick with the texture similar to crème caramel. It makes me think of spring, as it's the time when the cows calve and colostrum is readily available if one knows an obliging farmer. Colostrum is not sold in supermarkets, but you can sometimes find it at the Reykjavík flea market's food section. Raw colostrum 1 litre cow's colostrum (milk from the first or second milking after calving) Whole milk, as needed 1-2 tsp salt Mixing the colostrum with milk is an art one has to learn, but the rule of thumb is that if it's from the first milking, then it should be thinned 1:1, but if it's from the second milking, then it should be thinned with two parts colostrum to one part milk. To make sure you're getting the mix right, do a test batch and cook it to see how it comes out. Cooked colostrum When you're sure of the mix, stir together the milk and colostrum, dissolve the salt in a little warm water and add to the mix. ...

It's rhubarb season, so here is a recipe to try. Rhubarb grows in abundance in almost every vegetable garden in Iceland, right alongside the potatoes. In the summer, it is mostly used for soup and grautur (compote). It is preserved mostly as jam, but it also freezes well, and tastes excellent when preserved in syrup. There are many homes where rhubarb soup/ grautur is eaten throughout the winter. It is also good for desserts (especially pies and compotes) and chutneys, and it makes excellent wine. My mother used to make rhubarb compote about once or twice a month through the summer when I was little, but after my brother decided that he didn't like it, she hardly ever makes it anymore. 3/4 litres water 3-3 1/2 tbs potato starch/cornflour 250 g rhubarb 100 ml water, cold 200 ml sugar Wash the rhubarb and chop into small pieces. Drop into cold water and bring to the boil. Cook until the rhubarb pieces separate. Add the sugar and thicken with the potato starch. Don...

Because it’s warm(-ish) and sunny outside, here is a lovely and fattening recipe for home-made ice-cream. My mother makes this for special occasions, like Christmas and easter. It is very rich and creamy, and absolutely delicious! 1/2 litre heavy cream or whipping cream 5 egg yolks (use the whites to make meringue drops 75 g sugar vanilla essence to taste Mix egg yolks, sugar and vanilla essence* and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Whip the cream until it is quite stiff and fold into yolk/sugar mixture. Pour into a mould and freeze, or use an ice-cream maker. Use the egg whites to make meringue tops to serve with the ice-cream. *Note on vanilla use: A little goes a long way. The vanilla taste is stronger once the custard has been frozen. You can also use vanilla sugar or a vanilla bean (soak it in the milk). Variations: Experiment with different flavourings and extras: chocolate chips, small pieces of preserved fruit, liqueurs, flavour essences. Goes well with Crème de Menthe ...