Lovely Italian pot-roast with mashed potatoes, mixed tomato salad and a healthy drop of wine

This wonderful dish was conjured up in my kitchen early last fall. For no particular reason I started reminiscing a trip my wife and I made to Boston 2005. On that trip we stopped at many nice restaurants, including the Italian restaurant Maggiano's Little Italy on Columbus Avenue. We were on a long walk and stumbled across their location late Sunday afternoon. 

This is a charming restaurant with dark mahogany interior and red/white tablecloths. When the sat us down at a table they presented us with a breadbasket that would easily have cured world hunger - it was enormous. That day they had this special - "All Authentic Italian pot roast - only on Sundays" Off course I had to give it a go!

Herbs and aromatic vegetables

And they didn't let me down. The taste was deeply aromatic,...and pork is sometimes just perfect. It's flavour can be truly magnificent, especially when fatty cuts are used, which have been cooked slowly for along time! The fat usually cooks away but leaves the meat wonderfully tender. This dish is just like that. It is wise to choose a fatty cut of pork for this type of cooking - lean cuts will just dry out and will not be rewarding. 

Some would say that this is a dish that is tailored for a cold winter day, and I suppose that in some aspects they have a strong case. In my defence the fall we had here in Skane, in south Sweden, was quite miserable and thus was this dish thoroughly indicated. And it did revive the spirit, wonderfully fragrant and aromatic. Just try it!

Lovely Italian pot-roast with mashed potatoes, mixed tomato salad and a healthy drop of wine

A big chunk of pork

It is good to get an early start when cooking this dish - around 3 o'clock would be perfect and then just leave it in the oven until dinnertime. Just tend to it now and again - stirring it gently.

Browned on all sides

First pay attention to the vegetables. Slice one whole white onion, 3-4 medium sized carrots, 2-3 cellery sticks, 5-6 cloves of garlic and a half a bulb of fennel - all can be cut down rather coarsely. 

Then tend to the pork. Get a fatty cut, from the neck region or shoulder. Anyways, 1,5 kg of boneless pork is washed under a cold tap and then dried thoroughly (dry meat caramelises better then meat that is wet). Massage the meat with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large pot until the oil starts nearly smoking. Then brown all sides of the meat. When that is done - put aside. 

Fry the aromatic vegetables

Then lower the heat, add some oil and fry the vegetables, careful not to brown them. Season with salt and pepper - that helps to extract some of the vegetable juices and eases the process of deglasing the pot. The vegetables are fried until they a soft and tender and then place the meat back into the pot. 

Then add two cans of canned tomatoes, 800 ml of meat stock  and 400 ml of red wine. Stir together. Then add 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary and 5-6 sprigs of thyme. You can even tie it together with a little kitchen string - lovely "bouqet garni". The final touch was to put a few large wild porcini mushrooms, in Sweden they are called KarlJohan mushrooms after a king who really enjoyed them! It is important to season at this point with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and boil for a few minutes on the stove. Then place in a warm oven, 130 degrees, and left to cook for 3-4 hours. 

A bunch of herbs

The meat becomes absolutely tender and falls apart when it is ready. Just before it is time to eat, take the meat out of the sauce, allow to stand for a few minutes before cutting it. Use that time to reduce the sauce on the stove. Taste it and season if necessary. Usually it is just wonderful. 

New potatoes just pulled from the ground

We made mashed potatoes with our own from the garden. First cleaned under the tap, peeled, and then boiled until soft. Then drain and mash with some butter, dash of milk, salt and pepper. Some like to add some sugar. Mix together. 

Tomato salad 

We made this simple tomato salad with a mix of cherry tomatoes of different varieties that we had bought at the market in the morning. We got at least 5-6 different types which we sliced in half and placed in a bowl. Made a salad dressing with 1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt&pepper and mixed with the tomatoes. Added 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh basil and parsley.

We drank some lovely wine from Toscana. Da Vinci Chianti from 2008. It is made from a blend of Sangiovese grapes (90%) and Merlot - it allowed to mature on oak barrels for half a year before put onto bottles. It has a pretty ruby red colour. Scents of plums and grapes. Soft on the palate with mild tannins and a good aftertaste. Suited the the Italian pot roast perfectly! 

The final dish

Now lets eat, drink and be merry. Bon appetit.

Tasty Spaghetti alla vegeteri "ara" with homemade garlic bread and really simple salad

Herbs and parmigiana cheese

This blogpost is from last year. And it was actually written just days after we arrived home from a two week vacation in the Austrian Alps. Now that time is a upon us again. The next weeks will be devoted to good fun with the whole family. We will drive down to the Alps from Lund, where we reside, a journey 1400 km due south before we come to our favourite place in the Alps. That place is Skihotel Speiereck in St. Michael in Lungau which lies below Mount Speiereck and Grosseck. We have been coming here in the past years. This will be our fifth visit

Even though you stay at the roots of Mt. Speiereck you are welcome to try out other nearby resorts, as it is included in the skipass. So we have driven around the different sites and skied in the Austrian Alps. In the hills of Mt. Aineck a farmer runs a bar/restaurant that is quite different than his competitors. Farmer Schlögelberger breeds dear and many of the dishes on his menu reflect just that. I recommend the Hirchbraten mit Knödel und Preiselbeeren (venison steak with dumplings, jam and brown sauce) - quite delicious. 

This recipe came about just after we arrived home from the Alps. Having driven the long journey home we where all feeling the post Alpy-blues. And when I feel blue I always want to make Spaghetti Carbonara, one of the ultimate comfort foods. But after two weeks in the Alps and its local cuisine - bacon was not on the To do lists - but vegetables are! So I concocted this recipe, a fusion between health and sin - the Spaghetti Vegeteri "ara". 

I held true to the methodology of Spaghetti Carbonara making except instead of the Spaghetti I used Bavette, which are thin pasta pipes. Oh, and one thing. I use a splash of cream in my Carbonara. This might sound as blasphemy to true believers who say that no Carbonara would have that on its list of ingredients. Put such is the freedom of speech - and interpretation in the kitchen. 

Tasty Spaghetti alla vegiteri "ara" with homemade garlic bread and really simple salad


First slice the vegetables, 4 cloves of garlic, one medium red onion - cut finely. Fry in dash of olive oil until soft, careful not to brown. Then add one sliced leek, half a zucchini and 15 quartered button mushrooms. Season. Fry under low to medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Add 50 ml of cooking cream (12% fat) and bring to a boil, and reduce fifty percent. Keep warm.

Fry lovely vegetables

Then whisk four large eggs, add seasoning, 30 gr of freshly grated parmigiana cheese, some chopped fresh parsley and basil and set aside until the pasta is cooked. 

Boil the pasta according to the packet in salted water. Generally you use 1 L water for 100 gr of pasta. And it is important too boil in salted water - it opens the pasta up and allows the subsequent sauce to penetrate it with more ease. 

When the pasta is cooked you have to move fast. Drain the pasta, fast! Throw on the vegetables, eggs and stir together. Put the lid back on and leave to stand for a couple of minutes. The heat from the pasta will cook the eggs - and turn it into a silky smooth sauce.

Garlic bread

We made some garlic bread (not entirely homemade for I bought the baguette in the supermarket. But we used some homemade garlic oil, made from D
delicious Lautrec garlic from France, noted to be one of the best in the world. 

We had some white wine with the meal. Something had to be done to cure the post Alp blues. On our way home we had stopped at the Bordershop in Germany which offers cheap wine and beer. We got a deal on a few cases of wine including this lovely Peter Lehman Australian Chardonnay from 2008. It is a classic Chardonnay in the sense it has all its lovely qualities. Fruity in the nose and same on the palate, slightly buttery with some oak tones. 

Spaghetti alla Vegeteri"ara"

Lastly, just serve the pasta in a bowl, add a generous amount of freshly grated parmigiana cheese. 

Bon appetit!

The Perfect Oven Roast Potato! Viva Potatoes!

A tray of roast vegetables

Potatoes are absolutely worthy of a blog post dedicated solely to them, praising their unrivaled sublimity! Potatoes are of course one of the best and most popular side dishes there is, the side dish par excellence. In fact, French fries are the biggest selling commodity in the world, but in my humble opinion, it is the oven roast potato that reigns supreme. There are few things that can outdo a potato that has received the treatment which will be described below. Crunchy on the outside, and light, fluffy, almost overcooked, on the insid
All root vegetables can be prepared and cooked (and enhanced) in the same manner - sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots, parsnips, celeriac, beetroot, onion in whatever shape or form and so and so forth.

For the frying of the potatoes, one should feel free to experiment with any kind of oil. A powerful olive oil is of course fully legitimate, a knob of butter has never killed anyone and endows the whole thing with its characteristic caramelized taste. But, if you want to tread the path of sin, you use duck or goose fat. Certainly, this is pure decadence (perhaps the definition of it), but the flavor ... is incomparable to say the very least. It is so good, that it should be allowed only once a year.

The Perfect Oven Roast Potato! Viva Potatoes!

You can naturally use any kind of potato - but floury potatoes are even more appropriate than the other denser varieties. This will be clarified later.

The Perfect Roast potato

Rule 1.
Peel the potatoes before boiling. This is an integral step, because the potato has to be boiled well enough so it will be easier to tear up the outermost layer slightly.

Rule 2.

Boil in richly salted water. The potatoes are parboiled for only 7 minutes (not six and not eight, well, this rule doesn't have to be so holy). After the parboiling toss the potatoes around in a colander, but do so with care and grace, you want to just ever so slightly tear up the outer layer before it's fried in the hot fat, but without breaking them apart! While you are tossing them around, dust a bit of flour over them as well.

Rule 3.
Place an oven tray on the hobs and add the fat of choice: vegetable oil, extra virgin olive oil, butter, garlic oil, or duck fat, whatever your heart desires, but make sure the fat is hot enough when you pour in the potatoes. The potatoes are subsequently fried in the oven tray for a couple of minutes, or until they have been nicely coated with the fat.

Rule 4.

Season with salt and pepper. Now the opportunity is also ripe if you want to add some herbs, which will certainly not do any harm: Rosemary, thyme, and such tough herbs are perfect for this dish.

Rule 5.

Place the oven tray into a preheated oven, 180-200 degrees, and bake the potatoes until they are beautifully golden brown and crunchy: The golden brown color they develop is the archetype of golden brown!

Rule 6.

Conjure a main course which will not pail in comparison to the perfect roast potato (which is arguably difficult to achieve)!

Bon appetit!

Roast vegetables

Salmon "en papillote" with Caramelized Lemons, Fresh Herbs and Beurre Blanc

Preparation

"On Mondays there is fish for dinner!" - That's what mom says at least. This is a rule that my loving mother implemented in our household when I was growing up. We sometimes responded begrudgingly to this ritual (which usually consisted of haddock) but my mother made her best effort to cook the fish in a myriad of original and exciting ways. 

Sea farmed Norwegian Salmon

Although, on Mondays seafood is rather difficult to get your hands on. In Scania for example most of the higher quality fish mongers are simply closed on Mondays. And they probably should be - maybe for the simple reason that fresh fish is not so easily found on the continent right after the weekend. 


The TV chef and author, Anthony Bourdain, in his book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures from the Culinary Underbelly claims precisely for the same reason that "I never order fish on a Monday ... I know it's about four to five days old!". I am not sure how well Bourdain's piece of food wisdom translates over to the status of fish mongers in Iceland, but it doesn't sound all that appetizing. Since I moved to Sweden I have mostly cooked salmon mostly because it is affordable and fresh, ocean farmed straight from Norway and of very good quality.


My friend, colleague and neighbor, Jon Thorkell, suggested this recipe to me. It is extracted from Gordon Ramsey's Saturday Lunches which is a superb concept cook book based on the idea of reawakening the British tradition where friends and family gather around for a cheery Sunday feast and enjoy each others company. I altered the recipe from the book only slightly in relation to the salmon but the sides and sauce where entirely my creations. Gordon advised a pink grapefruit hollandaise, but I made a Beurre blanc instead - which I will get to in due time.

Salmon "en papillote" with Caramelized Lemons, Fresh Herbs and Beurre Blanc

I bought a whole Norwegian ocean farmed salmon in my favorite super market here in Lund! First I made an envelope out of aluminium foil, double layers on both sides - make sure there is enough room inside the envelope so the steam will be able to exit. In that way the package will bloat up and look impressive when you present it at the dinner table. This is one of the most beautiful dishes I have cooked for a long time - I will describe it step by step.

Lemons sizziling on the pan

First fry sliced lemons in a little oil until they are golden brown - I suppose I used around 3-4 lemons for the dish.

Herbs resting on some foil

I distributed a generous amount of flat leaf parsley, rosemary, lemon thyme, chives, basil and thyme in the bottom of the foil.

The salmon being stuffed

Next the salmon - stuffed it full of lemons, pepper and herby goodness.

A final layers of herbs & lemons

Then another layer of the fresh herbs, along with star anise, and to finish I poured a little oil and added a rich amount of Maldon sea salt and peppercorns.

The package

The envelope is then sealed and grilled on a fiery hot bbq for 15-17 minutes on each side.

To accompany the fish I made beurre blanc - which translates into white butter - and is a sauce that originates from a French chef called Clémence Lefeuvre in the beginning of the 20th century. Mr. Lefeuvre had interned to concoct a hollandaise but neglected to add the egg yolks. And so beurre blanc came into being by way of an happy accident (like so many great recipes)!

There are a number of ways to make buerre blanc, but cream is never an ingredient. Anthony Bourdain, in Bone in the Throat, has the following uncompromising remark on the production of beurre blanc: "there is no, I repeat, no, cream in a real beurre blanc ... You see any mention of cream in there? No ... you put cream in there, it ain't a beurre blanc". Pour 50 ml of white wine into a pan along with some finely diced shallot onion and 50 ml of fish stock. Allow it to reduce by a third. Then you add 100 gr of quality butter and whisk everything together. Season after taste.

haloumi salad

Simple salad: romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, normal plump tomatoes, grilled courgette, grilled haloumi cheese, finely chopped red onion. Decorated with chopped parsley.

Now potatoes with dill

With the salmon we also served some new Swedish potatoes which were washed, rigorously boiled in salted water, and then tossed with oil, salt, pepper and fresh dill.

Fleur du Cap Viogner

We enjoyed a nice bottle of a particularly delicious white wine from South-Africa - Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Voignier, Chardonnay, Semilion, Sauvignion blanc 2008. Beautifully golden color - sparkled in the glass, aromatic - flowery. The taste was full of fruit - a hint of sweet even. Mild and even aftertaste.

All in all this dish was absolutely wonderful - one of the best I have cooked for ages - and I highly recommend it - I just wonder how this would taste with a freshly caught Icelandic salmon - I dare not even pursue the idea to its logical conclusion!

A truly delicious Salmon feast

Bon appetit!


Don't hesitate to spread the word!

Wonderful Casserole: Hearty Lancashire Hotpot - what a feast!

This dish has been on the agenda for a long time. I have been an avid follower of "the slow cooking" ideology and in the past years posted a number of recipes that has held true to those principles. Truly speaking I can't think of anything more enjoyable than spending an entire Saturday in the kitchen, cooking. Using these methods you manage to transform humble, simple ingredients in the best way - turning a cheep, often tough piece of meat into a mouthful that melts in your mouth, is very rewarding.

In many of my cookbooks you come across this recipe - and no wonder, it's an old classic. This will never be labelled as glamorous, stews rarely do! This is food for the soul, that warms the heart and makes you feel fulfilled. This is food that is destined to be cooked on a long cold dark winter Saturday. To savour when you return home after a long walk in the freezing cold! Our days have been just like that. Cold! I think everyone in Europe has had their fair share in the past month. South Sweden was no exception.

This dish goes back to the days long past - from Lanchashire in England. Before the industrialisation and before all possessed an oven in their home the cook would take the prepared dish in a ceramic pot and place it in the bakers oven, who had then finished his duties, but had a warm oven to lend. The pot was placed in the oven in the morning and then returned after people came home from work.

Wonderful Casserole: Hearty Lancashire Hotpot - what a feast!

This is simple and humble dish - but don't let that deceive you - it is a true feast!

It seldom occurs that you can obtain a whole shoulder of lamb (with the rib cage and neck attached) in our local stores. Usually I have to order this cut in advance at my local butcher. The advantage of using this cut is that is it cheap as chips but it also has its drawbacks that you need to cut off the meat. But don't let that dissuade you, just put on some good music, get a sharp butcher knife and get cracking. Just remember to follow the bone. Then all will turn out well!

Deboned lamb shoulder

O, and don't throw away the bone - that can be used for stock. Just brown in the oven and then boil with some vegetables and make lovely lamb stock to use for later.

Lamb ready for the pot

I got quite a lot of meat of this joint - plenty for us all! Too my surprise it took a shorter amount of time than expected - but I also got carried away and lost track of time. This kind of cooking can really preoccupy the mind!

Some hardy potatoes

The next step was to peel some potatoes. Then slice them down. You could of course use a mandolin to hasten the process - but Rick Stein, the TV chef, encourages his viewers to avoid that. Having uneven potatoes is more homely and rustic, and that is easily achieved with a knife.

Sliced onions

Then you cut down 2-3 onions, first into slices and then into halves - or vice versa if that is your inclination.

Boil some home made chicken stock

I had some hearty homemade chicken stock in the freezer I had made during Christmas that I simply put in a pot and heated. You can make stock from cubes or from liquid stock - but the greatest results are produced with the homemade stuff. The father of french cuisine, Auguste Escoffier, said that all good chef are measured by the stock they made and the quality of it.

The first layer

Then starts the process of layering the dish. First you brush the inside of your pot with some melted butter and season the dish with salt & pepper. Then start with a layer of potatoes, then onions and then some lovely lamb. Season each layers with salt&pepper. I also used one herb, some fresh thyme for each layer. Then continue these steps until the pot is full or you run out of ingredients.

Starting the second layer

Layer up on layer. Don't forget to be generous with the seasoning.

Adding the chicken stock

When you reached the last layer, push down on the ingredients to get them tightly together. Then add your hearty homemade chicken stock - 600-800 ml. It is not supposed to float over, put can be seen lingering beneath the last layer. Then place the last layer of potatoes - try to arrange them so that they will look appealing. Then place the lid on the pot and put in the oven, 130-150 degrees, for 3-6 hours. I am inclined to think that the longer the better.

Looks appetising?

An hour before you intend to serve the dish, take it out of the oven and brush the top with a little melted butter. Increase the heat to 200 degrees and put back in, now without the lid. That way the potatoes will brown and take a beautiful golden colour.

Red cabbage

This dish is traditionally served with some pickled red cabbage. That recipe takes some days to make so we came up with our own.

red cabbage "pickle"

Half a head of cabbage is cut down and put in a pot with a knob of butter, 1 dl of apple cider vinegar, 1/2 dl of balsamic vinegar, 2 dl of berry juice, salt&pepper, 1 tblsp of sugar, a few cloves and 1 tsp of ground coriander. Bring to a boil and reduce until the liquid has fully evaporated. Then you are left with some delicious gooey sweet and sour red cabbage.

Serve and indulge

This dish was truly magnificent. How can it be that such a simple dish - with so few ingredients can be so rewarding?

Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignion 2004

We had this potent red wine with the food. Wolf Blass Presidents Selection Cabernet Sauvignion from 2004. It is from south Australia. Wolf Blass produces a range of wines, from good bag-in-box to real heavyweight delicacies. This wine is in the upper range. Dark red colour. Potent with a load of fruit, hints of chocolate, vanilla and oak. Deep flavour with a long balanced aftertaste.

The mood was set!

Lets eat, drink and be merry. Bon appetit!

If you like what you read - don't be afraid to like/share. Regards, Doc Ragnar

Savory Vegetarian Lasagna ala Pukgranden with Crusty Garlic Bread

Vegetables - sliced and ready

You who regularly read my food blog are keenly aware of the fact that I am a carnivore. That is no secret. I am a carnivore - galore - and I know only a few things that are better than a good piece of meat. But, and that is a big but, vegetables are also good and not only good, they are superb in there own right! 

We in Scania are blessed by the fact that here thrives agriculture and vegetable growing in all variations. I have myself also dabbled in a bit of vegetable growing in my small urban garden; a few types of potatoes, some carrots, zucchini, berry shrubs, strawberries and tomatoes. 

On top of that I have maintained an impressive assortment of herbs; Parsley, basil, mint, thyme, rosemary, estragon, chives, bay, sage and marjoram. And next summer I have full intention of rearranging my garden and increasing the production. 

For the following dish we raided the fridge and used what vegetables we came across and thankfully they were in abundance. I had some potatoes, zucchini, eggplant and parsnips which we sliced down extemely thinly using the mandolin to ensure that they cooked evenly and cooked through. 

Savoury Vegetarian Lasagna ala Pukgranden with Crusty garlic bread

Close up of the vegetables - they sure look ready!

The White sauce was not a bechamel sauce, as classical, in fact it was made almost pure from vegetables, i.e a head of cauliflower. I boiled the cauliflower in some salted water and then puréed it with some milk, salt, pepper and and some vegetables stock until I had a smooth sauce. 

The oven proof dish was coated in garlic oil to add flavour

After this we made some tomato sauce. First fry a finely chopped onion and a couple of cloves of garlic in hot oil and season with some salt and pepper. Fry until the onion has taken a translucent shine, you can even allow it to caramelise. This has to be done on low heat so the onion will no burn/brown. Pour a couple of cans of canned Italian tomatoes into the pot, with a tablespoon of tomato puree and seasoning. If the sauce is at this point slightly sour you can sweeten it up by adding some sugar, honey, syrup or even ketchup. Take your pick! 

The tomato sauce was added in layers as in all normal lasagnas

Now nothing remains but to layer the ingredients in and ovenproof dish as the rules of lasagna making dictates: First the sauces, then lasagna plates, sauce, veggies, sauce, plates, sauce, plates and so on - you catch my drift. Why not scatter some basil leaves and garlic oil between layers while you are at it. Finally, a generous grate of some cheese on top and slide the oven proof dish into a preheated oven and allow it to bubble away at 180-200 degrees. A good rule is to pierce through the lasagna to see if the potatoes are cooked. 

The vegetables are added in layers

With the lasagna we served it with some homemade garlic bread, which is extremely simple to make. Cut a baguette in two lenghtwise and pencil each side with a rich amount of garlic oil and bake until crunchy and golden brown. 

The lasagna is serves with a little freshly grated parmigiana cheese

Eat, drink and be merry, Bon appetit!

Crunchy pan-fried Plaice with sauce remoulade, potato salad and

Pan fried fish is a classic dish and very popular in Scandinavian countries. I presume that haddock would be the fish of choice in most Icelandic households. In Denmark and Sweden flat fish like plaice would be used most commonly. And it is a convenient fish to cook - it is very tasty and is quickly and securely cooked without much hassle. It has a certain sweet note that is a quality that haddock doesn't share. Haddock is not one of my preferred fish to cook. 

I think I can thank my mother for my love (or rather lack of) for this particular fish, haddock I mean! She used to cook this fish in abundance, with great variability even, so my theory is that I simply overdosed on it - if that is then at all possible. Neither my father, brother or I had no preference to this variety early on. I think I had to move away from Iceland to be able to value it to a certain extent. The same can be said about other fish species - you learn to value them much more when you move from Iceland, a country that has plenty of freshly caught fish of outstanding quality. It is a fantastic resource that we Icelanders enjoy that has to be treated with respect. 

I have posted on my Icelandic blog something about pan fried fish but I strayed substantially off the previous path. This time I made some sauce remoulade which is originally from France and was popular as an accompaniment with steaks. In Scandinavian countries it is used to compliment roast beef, hot dogs and then fried fish! The Scandinavians make a variations that is a quite sweet and sour and has a yellow colour, probably because of Turmeric which I decided not to do! I thought it would be interesting to hold true to the French roots but I exchanged the mayonaise for some light creme fraiche to be, now and again, on the lighter side of life.

Crunchy pan-fried plaice with sauce remoulade, potato salad and

Is is normal to consider potatoes pretty?

These lovely spuds were recently available at our local supermarket. These interesting purple ones are called Blue Congo and the other ones are called asparagus potatoes (are oblong, althought that is not visible on the picture 'cause I had already sliced them down. I used about 700 gr of mixed potatoes which I peeled and then boiled in salted water for about 15 minutes (or until you can run a knife smoothly through them). Drain the potatoes and allow to cool for a few minutes before moving on to the next step. 

Lovely potato salad

Then slice down 3 spring onions, one red onion and put into a bowl. Then mix in the potatoes. The dressing is simple: 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche, 1 teaspoon maple syrop and 1 teaspoon of Edmont Fallot dijon mustard are mixed together. Seasoned with some salt and pepper. Stirred into the potatoes & onions. Decorated with some chopped chives and the tops of the spring onions. 

First the flour, then egg and lastly the breadcrumbs

When breading fish (or any other product for that matter; lamb, pork, Camembert cheese) it is important to season all steps of the process to ensure a tasty final product. Season the fish, the flour (I even added some garlic and paprika powder into the flour) and even the breading. That maximizes the flavour of the fish. First roll the fish in the flour, then dip it into the egg and then the breadcrumbs.

Fry the fish under medium heat

Then gently fry the fish in a mixture of butter and oil under medium heat. Take care not to overheat the oil -  there is a risk of burning the outside while not cooking the fish appropriately.

Cornichons are small pickles

As I said I made the sauce remoulade using french guidelines but eliminated the majority of the mayonaise.

Sauce remoulade

For the remoulade I mixed together the following ingredients;  200 ml of light creme fraiche, 1 tablespoon mayonaise, 5 chopped cornichons, 2 tablespoons of chopped capers, 2 teaspoons of maple syrop, 2 chopped anchovy filets, 2 teaspoons of chopped parsley, chives, salt and pepper. Do not panic seeing the anchovy fillets in the recipe - they provide a salty base and generally lift the flavour of the remaining ingredients. Some call it the natural "third spice"

Cape Mentelle Sauvignion Blanc/Semillion

We served a simple salad with the food. To go with we drank this lovely Australian white wine. Cape Mentelle Sauvignion Blanc/Semillion from 2007. This wine has a pale yellow colour. Scents of sweet grapes, lemony notes. The taste of tones of apple, lemon and a mild acidity. A nice bottle of wine.

Fried Plaice with potatosalad and sauce remoulade

Bon appetit!