Showing posts with label Frau Larsson café in Hamburg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Frau Larsson café in Hamburg. Show all posts

Monday, November 15, 2010

November Project: THE KITCHEN'S Thanksgiving-Inspired Autumnal Meal

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The Kitchen, pop-up kitchen, secret supper club, mobile guerrila restaurant of Hamburg struck again this weekend with their Autumnal Meal. 


The fall feast followed an American Thanksgiving-inspired theme, hence the deco included red table clothes and navy napkins with white stars, various varieties of pumpkins, overgrown cinnamon sticks and pomegranates. A fireplace was projected onto a white wall to give a warm glow and a cozy atmosphere in what is usually the back storage room of a lovely Swedish café. 


Preferring to incorporate the storage room feel into the decor rather than mask it, drink crates were stacked and used as podiums and serving tables and sekt bottles became an arty backdrop.


As usual, the chefs were too busy plating dishes to photograph them but a few quick snapshot were stolen. Above, the harissa carrots (recipe to follow) which were served in small ramicans on the side of the main course. This spicy Moroccan salad may have seemed like an odd pairing with the rich porcini gravy and earthy truffle mashed potatoes, but served on the side they offered a sharp palate cleansing finale to a rich meal and complimented the spicy chorizo in  our new absolutely hands-down favorite stuffing ever (recipe to follow). 


The dessert, a "crumbled apple pie a la mode" was a cross between a crumble and a pie. A pumpkin gnocchi starter meant that pumpkin pie was ruled out as a dessert choice; and pecan pie would have simply been too much after such a decadent meal. The sweet cinnamony apples were a perfect finish and the pumpkin seed oil over ice cream - you have to try. Nutty and light, tying everything together like a ribbon on a package.


The Kitchen wishes to thank ALEXANDRA and SABINE, above all, as well as the Larssons, Iris, Ingo, the Schmidts, Hakaka and everyone else who has assisted, fed, taste-tested, loaned, inspired, led, directed and just been there. 

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Flying Jacob


Chicken breast + Bacon + Bananas + Whipped Cream + Peanuts +  Chili Sauce = Flygande Jakob, Swedish for Flying Jacob. (Though known in some parts of the country as "Jumping Jacob").

Yes, a Swedish dish. Though the combination of bananas, chili and peanuts made me think, "West African?"

As the story goes, the dish was named for its inventor, Swedish freight pilot Ove Jakobssen and published by his chef friend in the magazine, "Allt om mat" in 1976. It became an overnight sensation and took Swedish households by storm. A family favorite in Sweden to this day, although every family apparently has their own slightly different version of the recipe.

The rather odd sounding combination reminded me of the sandwiches (remember peanut butter and marshmallow fluff?) and casseroles (the excellent macaroni, canned tuna, frozen peas, canned cream of mushroom soup and - the best part - crumbled potato chips - variety) I used to eat as a kid growing up the Midwest.

They may have sounded odd, but they tasted fantastic.

And so did the Flygande Jakob at Café Frau Larsson. The recipe came from Frau Larsson herself, i.e. it is the one Annika's Swedish mother served to enthusiastic eaters at the family dinner table.

If anyone is interested in Frau Larsson's fabulous recipe, perhaps Annika will share it. Otherwise, below is the original recipe, published in 1976 in "Allt om mat" (issue 13).

Original and traditional Swedish Flying Jacob (serves 8)
Ingredients:
4 rotisserie chickens
1 tsp Italian salad spice
4-5 bananas
4 dl double cream
2 dl "ketchupish" chili sauce
2 packages bacon
1 dl salted peanuts

Instructions:
1. Set oven to 225 degrees celsius.

2. Strip all the meat of the chickens and put in an oven pan. Taste the chicken and if needed season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the salad spice on top.

3. Peel the bananas. Cut them first once in half and then split them length wise making four pieces of each banana. Put on top of the chicken.

4. Whip the cream lightly and mix with the chili sauce.

5. Distribute cream and chili mix over the chicken and banana. Bake in oven about 20 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, cut bacon to small pieces and fry until crispy.

7. Spread crispy bacon and peanuts over the baked chicken.
Serve with a salad and boiled rice.
Delicious!!!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

To You, Frau Larsson

Zimtschnecke at Frau Larsson's

This post goes out to my friend Annika who, last week, opened her own Swedish café in Hamburg, Frau Larsson. In doing so, Annika did something that few of us do: she not only talked the talk, she walked the walk. I've listened to her describe her idea for a Swedish café for the last three years - the concept, what she would bake, the menu, the decor, a location. And I'd  respond with plans for my American style breakfast place - french toast, eggs benedict, etc. And I still talk about it, - that AND my cookbook-slash-test kitchen restaurant AND my import shop with textiles from women's coops in Afghanistan, and and and.... 

But last week, Annika OPENED FRAU LARSSON. She did it. She realized a dream. And I am so very proud of her.


Frau Larsson: Kaffee, Kuchen, Köttbuller - coffee, cake and swedish meatballs. Sounds better in German...


Frau Larsson's sells delicious Swedish specialties like Blabärssylt (that's blueberry jam to you and me)


And Swedish mustards...


And of course, a mean latte macchiato..


Congratulations Frau Larsson! Wishing you many full tables, happy customers and permanent place on the Schinkelplatz scene!