jemappelle.s: August 2017

For over a year i could not make pancakes, because i had an old pan. How annoying is that?!

Thing is, that pancake making is an expertise on its own and i have never been really good at it.

So lucky me, i have gotten a pan from my friend (perfect size and best present ever). I love when people give you stuff you actually need. Especially these house tools, i am too stingy to spend the money on it.

Anyway first Sunday after i got this amazing pan , i decided its time for another try. I prepared the pastry one night before and stored it in the fridge, so when you wake up you can directly start frying.

These Pancakes are without added sugars, the sweetness mainly comes from the ripe Banana. You can make them glutenfree, if you use another flour (and they are vegan of course)

Level: ADVANCED

What you need:

a very good new pan!

PANCAKES

1 very ripe Banana

1 Tsp Lemon Juice

1dl Oatmilk

1 Tsp Coconut Oil

1 dl Spelt Flour

1 dl Water

1/2 Tsp Vanilla Powder

1 Tsp Corn Starch

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

TOPPING

2 Tbsp Sunflower Seeds

1/2 Apple

1 tsp Coconut Oil

1 slice orange

2 Tbsp Soyjoghurt

Vanilla Powder

Cinnamon

Prepare your pastry by adding Banana and Lemon Juice in a Bowl. Start mashing your Banana with a fork, until its a fluent mass. Add on the rest of the ingredients and stirr very well. The pastry should be liquid, so easy to pour into the pan. The starch helps it to stick together, instead of an egg.

Heat up your pan and add a tiny bit of coconut oil. It should be really hot when you pour the pastry into it, so the pancake directly starts to cook.

This is really serious business, since you hardly know when you can turnover the pancake. I discovered that with these ones you can see that one side is ready, as soon as the air bubbles inside escape to the top.

If you are professional you can try to flip your pancakes, but i use a normal spatula.

Don't get discouraged, the first one looks always shit.

For the topping mix the juice of 1/2 slice orange with vanilla and soyjoghurt.

Then start roasting the sunflower seeds with a bit of coconut oil in a Pan.

Cut your apple in small pieces, i used a very old one (they get much sweeter after a while).

Add your apples and spice them with cinnamon. Fry until they are slightly crunchy.

Decorate on your plate and enjoy

SUNDAY IN BED WITH PANCAKES

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When it comes to bank holidays or national celebrations there is no day that is as important to the Swedes as Midsommar. Even christmas is not as big here.
Swedish Midsommar is celebrating traditionally the longest night in the year (in northern parts of Sweden the sun does not set at all). Midsummer Eve, which is the festive day is always a Friday between the 19th and 25th of June. Therfore it can be some time, that the actual date is not the meteorological summer solstice.

Anyway Swedes plan this day very much in advance. Usually Stockholm City is empty by Thursday afternoon, since all people leave for the countryside to celebrate in their "Stuga" (countryhouse) by the water.

The celebrations start already in the early morning, where especially kids and girls or women put a lot of work and effort into making a traditional "krans" or flower crown. Even man are doing this as well, but more with green leaves and less flowers.

Their actual task is to built and lift the maypole, which is used as central spot for dancing in the afternoon. Watched and cheered by the others, it takes them quite a while to lift that thing and secure it on the ground. When the pole finally stands, everyone applauds and the swedish "dansband" similiar to German Schlager starts to sing their songs. Meanwhile everyone has drunk already more than 5 glasses of beer, so the Swedes can finally let go and start the very famous frog dance to increase fertility. (i recommend you to watch some videos on youtube)

This is one of the opportunities in the year, where you can actually make contact to strangers and do not need to feel ashamed, since they will not remember you the next day anyway.
After dancing around the pole, you might have hooked up with someone or celebrate more privately at your place with a barbecue and svensk färskpotatis. If you were unlucky and did not pick someone up, you still got the chance to pick 7 types of flowers, while crossing 7 fences and put them under your pillow. If you believe very hard in it, you might dream of the man you will marry.

But how to look on this very special day in the year? Every female wears a white dress, no matter how cold it is (maybe around 15°c) and a huge flower crown. But of course you get extra attention if you have a very nice crown, so better put a bit of effort into it.

You can buy the kit (a big wire hairband, satin ribbon and a roll of wire to attach flowers) in almost every flower shop around town the days before. Traditionally you should gather 7 types of flowers, but at that time not many nice flowers grow around. So you have to invest some money to buy them. It is basically really easy since you attach your flowers with the wire around the hairband, but it can be a bit tricky if you do it for the first time. If you have your flower crown and a white dress (maybe rubber boots and a rain cape as well) you are ready to go.

Do not forget to get your supply of beverages at systembolaget a few days before, since everything shuts down Friday afternoon.

There are a few places around town, where you can go as a non-swedish person without swedish friends who own a country house.There is always a big celebration at Skansen (sometimes the royal family attends as well). Otherwise there is a Maypole rise in Bromma. If you like to escape the city, one of the nicest traditional Midsommars can be celebrated on an Island in the archipelago called Grinda. If you plan early you can even rent one of the popular small houses and stay on the island for the whole weekend. Ferries leave regulary from Stockholm and it takes around 3h to get there.

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ATTENTION! This is to all the dark chocolate lovers outside, that can never get enough. I have to warn you this cake is not only delicious, but very heavy as well. I doubt it is actual healthy, but there is very less sugar in it! And it is vegan and glutenfree, so that's kind of good for your body isn't it?

The recipe below is for 12 servings, but only if you have very hungry chocolate people over -

Your TRUE FRIENDS so to say!

Level: ADVANCED

What you need (12pieces):

BOTTOM

300g soft Dates

3 Tbsp Coconut Oil

2 dl Oats (glutenfree)

5Tbsp Cocoa

2Tbsp Nut Butter(or sunflower butter)

3 Tbsp Buckwheat

3 Tbsp Cocoa Nibs

(Water)

CREME LAYER

300g 81% Dark Chocolate

2 cans - 800ml Coconut Milk (full fat)

1 Tbsp Maple Sirup

1 Tbsp Agar Agar

You need a big squared form for this cake, approx size of a DINA4 Paper. I used a glass form from Ikea, but i would recommend a silicon form, so you can remove the cake more easily.

Spread some coconut oil in whatever form you use, and start making the bottom layer.

Add all ingredients except for buckwheat and cocoa nibs into a blender and mix. The mass has to form a ball, so if it is too dry, add a bit of water until it sticks together.

Add your buckwheat and cocoa nibs add the end to have some crispy effect in the layer.

Spread evenly in your form about 1,5cm thick and put in the freezer.

Seperate the water from the coconut milk and only use the creamy part. You can store the milk in the fridge the night before. Keep apart 1 Tbsp for decoration afterwards.

Now melt your chocolate bars and add the coconut cream. Stirr well until it turns into a creamy fluent mass and add maple sirup and agar agar. Cook for a bit so the agar agar will start working.

Now you have to work fast, since as soon as the mass is cooling down, you can not draw in your top layer anymore.

Take your form from the freezer and fill in your fluent chocolate, then use the leftover cream to draw your favourite pattern into the top layer.

Freeze again to speed up the hardening process and remove from the freezer approx 1h30min before serving. This cake will not melt away, but you can store it longer and prepare in advance, when you use the freezing process.

Start your CHOCOLATE OVERKILL now!

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Celebrating my Birthday and one more year of wisdom, i decided to level up my cake game and try out a new pink sensation. Originally this was supposed to be a Strawberry Cake, but the weather has been unfortunately bad this summer. Especially in Sweden it is almost impossible to get nice Strawberries, so i went with frozen Raspberries instead. The best combo with this little sweet berry is of course dark chocolate. The bottom layer is the same as i used for my frozen Banana Cake recently, because it's just working always and leftovers can be used to make little energy balls.
PS: There is no added sugar in this Cake, so you can enjoy it completely WITHOUT REGRETS

Level: ADVANCED

What you need:
BOTTOM
100g Soft Dates
3 Tbsp Oats
1 Tbsp Buckwheat
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 Tbsp Almond Butter
(1 Handfull Cashews)
3Tbsp Cocoa Powder
Water
RASPBERRYLAYERS
1 Can (400ml) Coconut Milk Cream (Full Fat)
3 Tbsp Agar Agar
250g Frozen Raspberries
TOPPING
Cocoa Nips/Mint
15cm Springform

Start blending all your bottom ingredients, except for Buckwheat in a high-speed Blender. The mass has to be sticky, so in case it does not hold together, add a bit of water, until it forms a ball in the machine. That's the perfect consistence. Add Buckwheat last and mix under, so you got some crips in the layer.

Oil your springfrom with Coconut Oil, so it's more easy to remove cake later. Add the Bottom layer, so it will be approx 1cm high. Put in Freezer while preparing your cream layers.

Now blend your frozen Raspberries, until they have a smooth texture. We will cook them anyway, so you can remove them from the freezer earlier, if your blender is not that strong.

Store your Coconut milk in the fridge the night before to seperate Cream and Water layer, we only need the cream layer.

Heat up the Coconut Milk and add 1 Tbsp Agar Agar. When the gelantine starts to work, spare 2 Tbsp for white layer at the end.

Start adding Raspberries and 2 Tbsp Agar Agar, while creating the different layers. The more raspberries you get, of course the more colourful it becomes. Save all layers in different pots and let them cool down a bit.

Add your first layer to the Bottom layer and freeze for 1h or until it is firm. Then continue adding the other layers with same procedure. The final layer you can use for some decoration drawings and cocoa nips.

To achieve layering you need to freeze the cake, which will end up in an ice block at the end. To avoid ice crystals put your Springform in a Tupperware and remove Cake 1h before Serving.

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Digging deeper and deeper into vegan cooking and testing vegan restaurants, i came across cashew cheese quite often. There are endless possibilites and the best of creating your own cashew cheese is the individual flavouring. This example below is spiced with different Herbs, but you can also try a chili, red pepper and so many more.

All good things are worth waiting for and with cashew cheese it's particulary a tough time until you finally get your treat. The longer you wait, the harder the cheese gets. Mine rested for around 24h and has a firm form, but a creamy inside. If you are more patient, you might even get a slicable cheese.

For this recipe you need a few special ingredients, which you have to order online or shop in special vegan shops. In Stockholm i can recommend goodstore.

Level: ADVANCED

What you need:

200g Cashews

1 Clove fresh Garlic

1 Tsp Garlic Powder

1 Tsp Onion Powder

1 Tsp Thyme

1 Handful Fresh Basil

1/2 Tsp Salt

2 Tbsp Lemon Juice

2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tsp Corn Starch

1 Tsp Agar-Agar Powder

1 dl Water

1 Springform around 10cm

Linen Cloth/Cotton Fabric

Soak your Cashew Nuts overnight in water, really make sure they are soft. Keep in mind whole cheese making needs around 2 days time from the moment you start.

Next morning you can actually start making your cheese.

Start with blending your Cashews in a high speed blender until the mass is really creamy. It can take some time, but be patient.

Add Lemon Juice and Olive Oil to make the mixture even more creamy. Now you can add your fresh garlic, you do not need to precut it, but blend with the mass for a while.

Afterwards add corn starch and yeast, so the mass will start to get more firm.

Heat up 1dl water and add your agar-agar. Cook up for a bit until it turns jelly and add into your blender. Blend again so the agar will spread evenly.

Add salt, pepper, thyme, onion and garlic powder and blend in. Add the end cut your Basil leaves roughly by hand and mix under.

The mass should be creamy but firm and will continue to get stiffer as soon as the agar agar cools down.

Spread a linen/cotton fabric in your springform. This will help later to get your cheese out of the form and dry if you want a hard cheese.

Fill the mass into the cloth and press down firmly. You will realise as well that it will stick onto any tool you use, so cover the top with the linen sheet as well and press down.

Let the cheese rest for at least 12h (better 24h) in the fridge before you open the springform. By then the cheese will have taken the shape and last on its own. The cotton cloth helps now to release water.

As said i waited only 12h and again 12h without springform, but the cheese is still quite creamy.

Do not touch it in beween or test how hard it is, because this will interrupt the process again.

If you want a faster result, you can also add more agar agar, which will speed it up, but i fear the cheese will taste more jellylike.

Waited long enough? Serve your homemade cheese with freshly baked Sweet Potato Bread!

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Baking is always a really tricky thing. I have to say i am not good at actual baking, that's why i usually make raw cakes or easy bread like my Chia Knäckebröd.

After a number of tries, i happen to found the right amount of flour to create a nice sweet potato bread, which is crispy outside and moist inside.

Actually the first time my bread doesn't end up as a stone!

I can literally have sweet potato in almost everything, but i have to say it fits extremely good here.

Level: ADVANCED

What you need:

1/2 middle size Sweet Potato

3 dl Spelt Flour

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tsp Corn Starch

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Tsp Dry Yeast

Salt&Pepper&Seeds

Making nice fluffy dough for bread takes a while, and probably cleaning up the kitchen afterwards as well. So take your time for this.

Cook your Sweet Potato in water and remove all water from the pot, before you blend it.

Let your sweet potato mass cool down a bit, before adding it into a big bowl.

Add 2dl of Flour and 2 Tsp Olive Oil, as well as a pinch of Salt. Start to stirr with a spoon, since the mass will stick to your fingers.

Add the Starch and Yeast and let the dough rest for a few hours in the fridge.

Add now 1 dl of Flour again and your Baking Powder. You might need a bit more flour, depending on how much water your potatoes soaked. Add Flour until you can form the dough, without it sticking to your hands. If you feel it gets to dry, add another spoon of Olive Oil, not water.

Now form 2 equal strings with your dough and roll out.

Start braiding (you can find several tutorials on youtube) and place on a baking sheet.

Preheat your oven to 50°c.

Now the yeast needs to start working, since in summer the heating is off, you need to do it in the oven.

Place your bread in the oven for 1h. You will see it grows to the approx double size of its original.

Paint the bread with Olive Oil and spread Seeds and Salt on Top.

Now bake for 30min approx 150°c.

If the crust turns slightly brown, you know its ready.

Best served fresh, but you can store it in the fridge (in a tupperware) for a few days so it doesn't dry out.

Serve with cashew cheese or pesto.

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