Icelandic cooking, recipes and food

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...

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...

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.

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).