Traditional Swedish Dinner with a Twist

Jan 25, 2023

Traditional Swedish Dinner with a Twist – Candy Coated Culinista

Every Christmas at my churches we have a potluck and Swedish meatballs are always a staple. It always reminds me that I really love these things. So it’s time to make a Swedish dinner at home now.

Yield/Serving: 6
Prep Time: 30 min.
Cook Time: approx. 2 hrs.
Difficulty level is: Medium

Ingredients

Swedish Meatballs
⦁ 1/2 pound Ground beef
⦁ 1/4 cup breadcrumbs or panko
⦁ parsley, handful finely chopped
⦁ 1/4 tsp all spice
⦁ 1/4 tsp nutmeg
⦁ 1/4 tsp garlic powder
⦁ 1/2 tsp sea salt
⦁ 1/2 tsp black pepper
⦁ 1 small white onion, finely chopped
⦁ 1 egg
⦁ Extra virgin olive oil
⦁ Unsalted butter
Cranberry Jam
⦁ 1 bag of cranberries
⦁ 1 cup blueberries
⦁ 1/2 cup water
⦁ 1 cup granulated sugar
Green Beans with Dill, Capers and toasted hazelnuts
⦁ 1/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped
⦁ 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
⦁ dill, finely chopped
⦁ capers, chopped
⦁ green beans
⦁ sea salt, to taste
⦁ black pepper, to taste
Ricotta Mashed Potatoes
⦁ 3 Red skinned potatoes, skin on and cleaned and cute into pieces
⦁ 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
⦁ unsalted butter
⦁ milk, splash
⦁ sea salt, to taste
⦁ black pepper, to taste
⦁ pinch of nutmeg
Nordic Slaw
⦁ Red cabbage, small
⦁ 1 beet, small
⦁ 1 red onion, small
⦁ 2 medium-sized carrots
⦁ fresh dill
Slaw Dressing
⦁ sea salt, to taste
⦁ black pepper, to taste
⦁ Horseradish Dijon mustard, to taste
⦁ yoghurt, to taste
⦁ red wine vinegar, to taste
⦁ pure Canadian maple syrup, to taste

Assembly
Swedish Meatballs

1. In a medium sized bowl combine all the ingredients together.
2. Roll into smaller sized meatballs.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat add in olive oil and butter and let heat up.
4. Add in meat balls and cook turning constantly until browned.
   Cranberry Jam
5. Wash and drain cranberries and blueberries.
6. In a medium saucepan over medium heat pour in cranberries in with water and let boil.
7. Add in sugar and stir to dissolve.
8. Let simmer for 10 minutes or so and thicken.
9. Let cool some and then coat meatballs.
   Green Beans with Dill, Capers and toasted hazelnuts
10. Using a small frying pan over medium-high heat toast hazelnuts and set aside.
11. Mix buter, dill and capers and combine.
12. Set aside.
13. Trim green beans and steam.
14. Place butter slices on top and quickly coat the beans in a little butter also.
    Ricotta Mashed Potatoes
15. Boil a pot of water on high heat with potatoes until just tender.
16. Mash with butter, ricotta, a splash of milk.
17. When desired consistency is reached add in salt, pepper and nutmeg.
    Nordic Slaw
18. Shred cabbage, beets, carrots and finely dice red onion and combine in a large bowl.
19. Rough chop dill and place in bowl.
20. Combine all together.
21. In a small bowl mix sea salt, black pepper, Dijon mustard, yoghurt, red wine vinegar and maple syrup.

Please Enjoy
My thoughts
The slight twists was using cranberries as it’s December and I won’t find Lingon Berry Jam unless I take a drive to Ikea. I also had ricotta left over from my cannoli cookies and didn’t want to waste this pricey ingredient.

Christmas Chocolate Peppermint Cake

Jan 9, 2023

Christmas Chocolate Peppermint Cake – Candy Coated Culinista

Christmas dinner isn’t complete without dessert and this time a seasonally themed and coloured dessert.

Yield/Serving: Makes two layer 9″ cake
Prep Time: 30 min.
Cook Time: 1 hour
Difficulty level is: Medium

Ingredients
Chocolate Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cup black cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups egg nog
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup boiling water
• 1tsp instant espresso powder

Butterscotch Chocolate Peppermint Buttercream
⦁ 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
⦁ 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
⦁ ½ cup butterscotch chips, melted and cooled
⦁ ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
⦁ 2 tbsp eggnog
⦁ 1½ tsp peppermint extract
⦁ ¼ tsp sea salt
⦁ 1/3 cup crushed candy canes

Eggnog Buttercream
⦁ 2 cups butter, at room temperature
⦁ 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
⦁ 3 tbsp eggnog
⦁ 4 tsp pure vanilla extract
⦁ Red and green gel food colouring
⦁ Christmas sprinkles

Assembly
Chocolate Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease two 9” cake pans with butter.
3. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, eggnog, olive oil, vanilla extract.
5. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the batter is smooth. Scape down the sides if needed.
6. Mix espresso powder into boiling water and slowly add to mixture and then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for one minute.
7. Pour batter into two pans.
8. Bake for 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.
9. Allow the cake to completely cool in pans.

Butterscotch Candy Cane Buttercream

12. Using a microwave proof bowl melt butterscotch and semi-sweet choclate chips at 30 second intervals and stir. Once melted set aside.
13. Using the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until smooth.
14. Stream in cooled butterscotch chocolate mixture.
15. Add in egg nog, peppermint extract, sea salt and crushed candy cane and combine for 1 minute and transfer into a small bowl and set aside.

Buttercream

10. Using the stand mixer with the fitted paddle attachment beat butter until creamy for about 1 minute.
11. Continue and add the confectioners’ sugar and beat on low speed and add in egg nog, vanilla and combine for 5 minutes.

Cake

16. Place cake on a cake stand or serving tray and spread candy cane buttercream in an even layer.
17. Split buttercream into a 3/4 & 1/4 in separate bowls. Colour the bigger portion using green gel colouring and red gel colouring with the other and set aside.
18. Place the second cake on top and do a crumb coats with the egg nog buttercream and place in fridge for 30 minutes.
19. Frost the cake green and then pipe the top with red and sprinkle Christmas sprinkles.
20. Serve.

Please Enjoy

The black cocoa really makes all the difference with this cake versus the Dutch pressed cocoa powder. the cake is light and moist and deep and rich. With the added butterscotch, candy cane and eggnog it really is Christmas all in one. It also works all winter season with the peppermint.

Christmas Chocolate Peppermint Cake – Candy Coated Culinista

Eggnog Pound Cake

Jan 3, 2023

Eggnog Pound Cake – Candy Coated Culinista

It took a couple of years; but I finally found the perfect recipe to use up leftover egg nog from Christmas.

Yield/Serving: 8
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 1 hr.
Difficulty level is: Easy

Ingredients
Cake
⦁ 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
⦁ 1 tsp baking powder
⦁ 1/4 tsp sea salt
⦁ 1/2 tsp nutmeg
⦁ 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
⦁ 1 cup granulated sugar
⦁ 2 egg
⦁ 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
⦁ 1/2 tsp almond extract
⦁ 3/4 cup eggnog
Glaze (if desired)
⦁ 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
⦁ 1 tbsp eggnog, more if needed

Assembly
Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spray and line a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sea salt, nutmeg and set aside.
4. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy at medium speed.
5. Add in eggs one at a time until combined.
6. Add in vanilla and almond extract.
7. Pour in flour and eggnog alternating bewtween the flour mixture and egg nog ending with the flour mixture.
8. Bake for 1 hour until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.
9. Let cool in pan for one hour and release from pan.
   Glaze
10. Whisk confectioners’ sugar and eggnog in a medium sized bowl until smooth.

Tips
⦁ Decorate with glaze if desired. My pan was Christmas themed and had a lovely design on top so I didn’t want to hide it.

Please Enjoy
My thoughts
This cake has the most perfect texture. It reminded me of the pound cake my mom made when I was a kid. I know she wasn’t using eggnog; but the texture and smell mimicked it and it really made me smile.