Be Our Guest: Smorgasblog.ie
Be Our Guest Smorgasblog.ie
(Date:25 May 2011)
Today’s guest is Joanna Schaffalitzky from Smörgåsblog, a blog all about food and cooking! Joanna uses her blog to share and store her recipes, each of which are illustrated step by step with photographs. It couldn’t be easier to learn to cook a new recipe. Her clever website is a great tool for any home cook; you can search by ingredients to find a recipe to match your tastes exactly. That’s perfect if you’re a chocoholic or just in the mood for cooking a salmon dish. She also reviews restaurants and debates different cooking techniques! What a
Now, enough of me talking, can you tell us a little about yourself Joanna? When did you start your blog?
I’ve been writing Smorgasblog for about a year and half now. I started it because my friends would often ask me for my recipes and this seemed like a good way to keep them all in one place! I decided to provide step by step pictures for my recipes, because even though I am an experienced home cook, I still encounter recipes that need to be read a few times before I understand what it’s telling me to do! The step by step pictures make it easier for less confident cooks as they can be sure they are following the recipe correctly.
In my free time, I love to cook. In fact, I cook nearly every evening for myself and my fiancé. He would say that my best savoury dish is my frikadeller (which are pan fried Danish meatballs) and my best dessert is a Lemon Meringue Sponge Cake.
Sounds delish! We're keen bakers her at mylunch, but we don't always get it right, so a step by step guide is delightful! So, on to the big question, what would you normally eat for lunch? I know you're Sandymount residing, and I'm sure there are lots of lovely eateries out there to try!
Well, generally I bring my own lunch to work as there’s a microwave in our kitchen. During the winter it’s mainly soups, stews and pasta, in the summer I have more salads and sandwiches. I do go out for lunch about once a month, mainly to Mario’s in Sandymount as they do a 2 course lunch for just under €10, or I go to Brownes for one of their amazing sandwiches.
Two course lunch for €10 eh! Nice! Where would you say is your fave spot for lunch?
The best value lunch at the moment (when I don’t bring in my own) is from Indie Spice in Sandymount. You can get a two course lunch for only €8.95! The lamb bhuna is my favourite dish, really flavoursome, especially with the accompanying rice.
And finally, what is your favourite hangover or comfort food?
Popcorn! I love it! It’s perfect for when you’re hungover and it’s nice and delicate on the stomach, it’s also great for munching on when relaxing with a dvd or just want a quick, healthy snack.
Thanks very much for that insight into your lunch Joanna.
If you want to help us out with some recommendations (you could win free lunch!) like our friend Joanna, you can do so here, or if you'd like to be featured in "The Lunchbox", then do get in touch!
We were rooting around the website and we found this amazing recipe for Brownie Hearts with Vanilla Cream that look delicious! If you want to see this recipe in more detail and with step by step pictures click here.
Ingredients:
· Milk Chocolate 85g
· Plain Chocolate 85g
· Butter (or margarine) 170g
· Flour 170g
· Caster Sugar 340g
· Eggs 3
· Baking Powder (heaped) ½ tsp
· Cream 125ml
· Vanilla Pod 1
· Icing Sugar For dusting
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes:
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Weigh out the chocolate and butter and place in a glass bowl.
3. Pour some boiled water into the saucepan enough so that it won't boil dry but not enough that it will touch the bottom of the glass bowl. Place the bowl with the chocolate and butter on top and allow to melt over a gentle heat, stirring occasionally.
4. While the chocolate is melting weigh out the ?our, sugar and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
5. Break the eggs into a seperate smaller bowl and beat them together.
6. Add the beaten eggs to the dry mixture and whisk together with the electric beater until it is well combined.
7. When the chocolate is completely melted, pour it into the mixing bowl with the other ingredients and beat together.
8. When everything is thoroughly mixed together, pour into the well greased swiss roll tin and spread the mixture out so that it is evenly distributed about the tray.
9. Put the tray into the oven and bake for 20 - 25 mins.
10. The brownies are ready when they are just set in the middle. Take the tray out of the oven and leave to cool.
11. Once cool, take your bigger heart shape cutter and mark out 2 large hearts. Then take your smaller heart and mark out 2 little hearts. Try not to cut too near the edge as you get a better looking shape near the centre of the tray.
12. Using a spatuala, cut a square around the hearts and gently leaver the square up to remove the heart from the tray without damaging it. Put the cut out large hearts on plates and the leave the small ones to one side for the moment.
13. Time for the vanilla cream. Pour the cream into a bowl and beat until it has soft peaks.
14. Now take your vanilla pod and split it open. Run the back edge of the knife over the inside of the pod to collect the seeds.
15. Add the seeds to the cream and fold in using a spoon or small spatula.
16. Put a large spoonful of the vanilla cream onto the large heart and gently spread it across the top until it is completely covered.
17. Carefully place the small heart on top and dredged with icing sugar using either a sieve or dredger.
18. Garnish with a cherry or sprig of mint
Nyom Nyom Nyom! Oh, and by the way, we like the name too! A smorgasbort of recipes in Smorgasblog!
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