Danish Puff - Is it American, French or Scandinavian? Or Just Delicious?

I first made this Danish Puff the summer of 1980 after reading about it in the Free Press Report on Family. (No, the recipe was not chiseled onto a stone tablet.) I had read that its origins go back to a Betty Crocker Cookbook and apparently everyone's grandmother baked it every Christmas.

As young as I was, I knew nothing of fancy terms like pâte brisée and pâte à choux - French baking techniques. Nor does the recipe make reference to these terms. They keep it simple.

We don't have this perfect coffee time treat often as it is deceivingly rich.  Today I used Stirling Creamery's 84% Butter in both components of the puff.

There is no sugar in the pastry.  It's only sweetness comes from the icing.  

In true Danish style, the almond rules.  There is pure almond extract in the pâte à choux and the icing.  The toasted blanched almonds are the crowning touch.

To share the joy and the calories, anyone who came through our door today was served a piece or sent home with one. 

Whether this pastry is American, French or Danish, it's still pretty good. Says those who came through our door today.


DANISH PUFF
Source: Free Press Report on Family June 1980

BASE:
1 cup sifted all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons water

TOP:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sifted all purpose flour
3 eggs

ICING:
1 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons almond extract
2 teaspoons water, or as needed

50 grams sliced almonds, toasted*

Heat oven to 350ºF.

Base: Measure flour into bowl. Cut in butter. Sprinkle with water and mix with a fork. Round into a ball. Chill for 30 minutes. Divide in half and pat dough onto an un-greased cookie sheet. Make two strips 12" - 13" in length and about 3 1/2" wide. Strips should be placed 3" apart. Set aside to chill while preparing the next layer.

Top: Put butter and water into a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil. Turn the heat right down to low. Add almond extract. Stir in flour immediately to keep from lumping. Continue to stir until a ball is formed. Remove from heat. When smooth and thick, add one egg at a time, beating until smooth. Ensure that each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Once the last egg has been beaten in, continue to beat for another minute. Divide in half and spread one half evenly over each piece of pastry. Bake about 60 minutes until topping is crisp and nicely browned. 

Let cool completely before icing.

Icing: Add almond extract to the powdered sugar. Add the water slowly, testing the consistency.  The icing should be runny but not so runny that it can not be controlled off the end of a spoon.  If it becomes too runny, add icing sugar.

With quick movements, create lines across the top of the pastries by drizzling the icing off the end of a spoon. Try to avoid 'puddling' the icing.  Once it is well covered, sprinkle generously with the toasted almonds.  Continue drawing lines with the icing as a way of 'gluing' the nuts to the top of the dessert.

This is best served the day it is baked.

* To toast the sliced almonds bake them in a  350ºF for 5 minutes until they turn lightly brown.

Lagkage - Danish Layer Cake

Although I was totally off the hook for the first 5 courses at our dinner party last night, the dessert course was my playground. I decided to make the traditional Danish celebration cake, lagkage or lagekage (translates as layer cake). 

The cake is a bit spongy and is filled with a silky pastry cream and a dribbles of raspberry jam in each layer. Then a fluffy blanket of Chantilly cream adorns the outside. 

There were leftovers! So for breakfast, the mister and I each enjoyed a piece along with our morning coffee. It was just as good the morning after.

DANISH LAYER CAKE (Lagkage)
4 layers of cake (make the following cake recipe twice)
Pastry cream
Raspberry jam
1/2 to 3/4 litre of whipping cream, whipped and sweetened to taste

Optional garnishes:
Dragées
Raspberries
Coulis or pastry cream 

Cake:
(Adapted from one posted by Karen Hansen on Food.com.)

This cake recipe bakes two layers of the cake. You need to make the recipe twice to have the four layers you need.

2 egg yolks from extra large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoon cold water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour
1 3/4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites from extra large eggs

Preheat oven to 435ºF.

Measure out the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Mix well.

Separate the eggs. Whip the egg whites until stiff.

In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks until lemon yellow. Add the water and sugar and beat for 2 minutes on high. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Add the flour mixture gradually and beat well.

Fold in the egg whites.

Bake in two ungreased 8-inch cake pans (I used my springform pans) for 8 to 9 minutes.

Repeat!

Pastry Cream:
Yields 2 1/2 cups

2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract *

Combine milk and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Heat milk to near boil.

Meanwhile whisk yolks, egg, 2 tablespoons sugar and the cornstarch together. Temper the eggs with the scalded milk by pouring the milk slowly into the egg mixture stirring constantly. After 3/4 to 1 cup of the hot milk has been mixed in, the remaining milk can be added and whisked together.

Pour the egg and milk mixture back into the pot and bring to a near boil. Stir constantly. Watch the temperature of the custard closely when it reaches 140ºF. When the first bubble forms, remove from the heat immediately. Quickly run the custard through a sieve. Add the butter and the vanilla and stir until the butter has melted and is fully incorporated.

Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard. Place in the fridge to cool down completely. At least 3 hours.  Overnight is better.

* If you use a vanilla bean instead of extract, scrape the seeds out of a 1/2 bean and add to the milk as it is heating. You can also put the bean pod in the warming milk to further infuse the vanilla flavour. Remove the pod as you begin to temper the egg yolk mixture.

Assembly:
Place one cake upside down on a cake plate. Cover with at least 1/2 cup of the cooled pastry cream. Drop small spoonfuls of jam all over the pastry, using about a tablespoon of jam.

Repeat with the next two layers. Top with the 4th cake, baked side up. Chill the cake for half an hour.

Whip the cream in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters. Sweeten to taste with extra fine granulated sugar. Maybe one to two tablespoons.

Skim coat the cake with the whipped cream. Then add a layer of cream to cover it completely without any cake showing through. Using a piping bag, decorate your cake with your own design flair!

Consider serving it with a raspberry coulis and berries. This morning I served it up with leftover pastry cream and raspberries.

HOW TO: Rødkål - Danish Braised Red Cabbage

Rødkål (braised red cabbage) is a very popular dish in Denmark. It is commonly served with roast pork, sausages, duck, goose, frikadeller or turkey. I find the dish tastes much better when it is reheated the second day.

Whenever I received a red cabbage in my CSA basket this summer from Roots and Shoots Farm, I almost always made rødkål and froze it for future use.

This time when I made rødkål I had two cabbages. One regular size and a wee one. So I made one and half times the recipe below.



I think that rødkål is considered most authentic when it is made with red currant jelly. But plum jam works well too. We had homemade of both growing up but more often than not it was the plum jam that was plentiful.

Rødkål - Danish Braised Red Cabbage

1 Red Cabbage, shredded
Salt
2 tbsp Butter
2 tbsp Vinegar
1 Apples, diced or shredded
1/4 cups Plum Jam, or red currant jelly

Shred cabbage. I use my KitchenAid food processor and use the straight blade of the double blade. This gives a thin cut.





Melt butter with vinegar in dutch oven. Add shredded cabbage. Lightly sprinkle salt on each layer as it is added to the pot.

Skin the apple, core and quarter. I use my large shredding blade for processing the apple. Or sometimes I just dice it. Because I tend to use the McIntosh apple, it breaks down well in the braising process no matter what its starting shape.



Add plum jam and diced/shredded apple to the dutch oven. Mix with the cabbage.



Keep the lid on. Make sure that the cabbage does not cook dry! Add a bit of water if you are worried about that. Cook at least for 1 hour on a very low simmer.



The braised cabbage freezes well. It was a way of softening up the cabbage too, which is why I love having it as a reheated dish. It just seems so much better. I freeze it in portions so I don't have too much when I go to use it.



To reheat, put the thawed cabbage into a pot on a very low simmer and add a bit of plum jam or red currant jelly. Heat it through. I find the cabbage looks a bit pale when I freeze it, but when I reheat it with a bit of jam, the dark colour comes back.

We ALWAYS have rødkål with turkey at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Danish Cucumber Salad with English and Lebanese Cukes!?

I have a charming recipe for cucumber salad that came from my mother and is much like every other cucumber salad recipe in Denmark, where they actually call it Agurkesalat.

Because of the vinegar marinade, it tastes a bit like a fresh pickle.

I enjoy my Danish cucumber salad as a side dish much like I would enjoy coleslaw. It goes well with the Danish meatball called frikadeller. At times I just like to snack on it.

I decided to make this recipe today since I had a beautiful English cucumber from Roots and Shoots Farm in my latest CSA basket.



I think it is kind of quirky that I make my Danish cucumber salad with English and Lebanese cucumbers.

Danish Cucumber Salad

1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
4 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced
6 - 8 tablespoons sugar
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Slice cucumber very thinly. (I use a mandoline.) Sometimes I take the skin off, but I will often leave it on, especially if the cucumber is young and fresh.

Combine the marinade ingredients and add the slices of cucumber to the bowl. It should sit for at least 15 minutes before serving (with a slotted spoon). It is best served cold. It will keep for several days.

If you want to make a smaller salad, just use the English cucumber and reduce the marinade ingredients by half.

Pickled Beets (Syltede Rødbeder)

As soon as I picked up my Roots and Shoots Farm CSA produce last Wednesday, I had my mind set on pickled beets. I have never made them before, but we are big fans and my mother used to make them effortlessly through the years. I paid absolutely no attention to that particular job as she performed it time and time again. So I had to hit the books to find a recipe that best emulated the old family favourite. For me I wanted to start with what I knew and then experiment from there. So this effort was all about basic pickled beets.

Pickled beets and marinated cucumbers are so popular on the dining tables in Scandinavia that I knew this is where I needed to head to find the perfect recipe. You may find syltede rødbeder served with Denmark's native meatball called frikadeller, on an open faced sandwich they call smørrebrød, or just out on the buffet table like we would serve gherkins. They are a refreshing snack and we often just go to them for a quick nibble.

PICKLED BEETS (SYLTEDE RØDBEDER)
Source: Best of Danish Heritage Cookbook and more

15 beets approximately, medium size
1 litre vinegar
750 gr sugar
fresh horseradish (optional)

Scrub beets well but do not cut ends off, as the beets will "bleed" and lose colour. Cook in salted water until tender, 15 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the beets. Drain and cover with cold water. Peel, slice and place in jars. Bring vinegar and sugar to a boil and pour over beets. If a slice of fresh horseradish is placed in each jar, the contents will last longer. Cover and seal. Store in a cold place.

Could The Simple Meatball Bring About World Peace?

A regular dish in our home is the meatball of my heritage. Frikadeller.

In Denmark, frikadeller is their national meat dish. These lightly seasoned, tender, juicy meatballs are traditionally eaten with braised red cabbage, rye bread, pickled cucumber salad and often pickled beets and gherkins. Sometimes they are served with potatoes too - boiled with a brown sauce (gravy), roasted or potato salad are quite common choices.

I also like Asier pickles with frikadeller.


When I don't have homemade on hand, I like the Beauvais brand. They also make a good pickled beet. Both can be sourced at the Hansen's Danish Pastry Shop in Toronto at 1017 Pape Avenue.



A proper meatball recipe takes time to prepare. Although it appears to be the food of peasants, there are many important culinary tricks to ensure the best texture, flavour and presentation.

My preference for the meat base is an equal combination of veal and pork.

The frikadeller is flavoured well with minced onion (I prefer minced over finely chopped), and then seasoned with salt and pepper. Although not considered traditional by some, I like to add a bit of nutmeg too.

The binding is a blend of flour, egg and whole milk. Some recipes call for water, but I enjoy the richness of milk and will use homo milk if I have it on hand.

It is important that once the ingredients have been pulled together, the mixture sits a while for the flavours to develop and marry. I usually plan on a good hour in the refrigerator.

As I laboured over making the perfect frikadeller, it dawned on me that my multicultural friends each have their own version of the meatball.

Finland - lihapullat
Albania - qofte të fërguara
Greece - keftedes
Belgium - ballekes
Austria - fleischlaibchen
Iran - kal-e gonjeshki
Indonesia - bakso
Netherlands - gehaktbal
Norway - kjøttkaker
Sweden - köttbullar
Denmark - frikadeller
United States - meatball
Lebanon - kafta
Spain - albondigas

and on and on the list goes.

My mind wanders and I am picturing the delegates sitting in the General Assembly of the United Nations. And instead of the name of their country on the front of their desks, there stands the name of their meatball. Wouldn't everyone be a bit more relaxed? Although they all have different names and are seasoned to a particular native culinary rule of law, deep down inside they are all the same.

Really, could the simple meatball bring about world peace?



FRIKADELLER

1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground veal
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 small onions, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk, approximately
1/3 cup butter for frying

In bowl, combine pork, veal, flour, onions, salt, pepper and nutmeg; mix lightly. Stir in eggs and milk until well mixed. (Mixture should be quite moist; add more milk if necessary.) Let mixture stand for at least an 1 hour to let flour absorb milk.

Using a dessert spoon, shape meat to be a bit larger than an extra large egg. They flatten out a bit as they cook. In skillet, melt butter over medium heat; add meatballs and cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until no longer pink inside meatballs.

Serve meatballs hot or warm in chafing dish or warmed serving bowl. Makes approximately 20 meatballs.

I often make a double batch and freeze the meatballs. I find that they reheat well in my microwave laid out on a plate and covered with a sheet of wax paper to contain the spatter. My microwave has a 'Reheat' button. Works like a charm.