Stockholm is a vibrant city with amazing architecture, luxury hotels and world-class restaurants. Recipes from Restaurang Leijontornet and Restaurangen Grinda Wärdshus Hotell & Konferens.
This month we have some wonderful recipes from 2 of Sweden’s talented chefs: Executive Chef Robert Aronsson of Restaurang Leijontornet in Stockholm, and Chef Lars Sunekvist of Restaurangen Grinda Wärdshus Hotell & Konferens on the island, Grinda. Thank you to both chefs for generously sharing their secrets with Luxury Experience.
Stockholm is a vibrant city with amazing architecture, luxury hotels and world-class restaurants. Edward F. Nesta and I stayed at the Victory Hotel www.victory-hotel.se, a Relais & Chateaux hotel, www.relaischateaux.com/leijontornet and enjoyed an incredible dinner our first night in Stockholm at their restaurant, Restaurang Leijontornet, a Relais Gourmand restaurant located at Lilla Nygatan 5, Gamla Stan, www.leijontornet.se. Executive Chef Robert Aronsson shares 2 of his special recipes below.
Asparagus with Parmesan, Pinenuts and Chervil
Ingredients:
12 green asparagus, peeled
4 AAA white asparagus, peeled
100 grams Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon lemon juice
20 grams pinenuts, toasted
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
20 grams chervil
1 cup croutons
salt, pepper and sugar to taste
Cooking Method:
Cook the asparagus in salted water with sugar and butter until just tender, remove with slotted spoon and drain on a plate. Reduce the cooking liquid together with the milk. Flavor with lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. Skim the cheese from the top of the milk.
To serve:
Place the asparagus on a deep plate and pour the skimmed milk over the asparagus. Garnish with pinenuts, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, chervil and croutons.
Braised Brisket of Pig from “Domta Farm” with Onion-Cream, Spring Vegetables and Vinegar Sauce
Preparation:
Lightly salt the brisket with sea salt, thyme, garlic and coriander seeds for 24 hours.
Cooking Method:
Cook the brisket in the oven in veal stock for 12 hours. Slice the brisket (150 grams for each portion), and then fry it in a pan until it is very crispy; set aside. Cook potatoes in cream together with chopped onions. Purée the mixture in a blender and set aside. Chop the chives and put them in the cream. Reduce the veal stock with the spices, strain the sauce and set aside.
Cook spring vegetables (example: asparagus, baby onions, broad beans and baby carrots) with a tablespoon of butter. Season the brisket with thyme and serve with the cream, vegetables and the sauce.
Tank så mycket (thank you so much) to Executive Chef Robert Aronsson for sharing his recipes with Luxury Experience.
Sweden has approximately 24,000 islands from Arholma in the north to Landsort in the south, which make up the archipelago. On a beautiful, warm sunny June day, Edward and I, along with a group of friends, took a ferry ride to the island of Grinda. This beautiful, small and charming island has a small hotel and conference center, the Grinda Wärdshus Hotell & Konferens, www.grindawardshus.se, which also has an award-winning restaurant, called Restaurangen. The owners, Jan Pfister and Annika Hanson, graciously obtained 3 of Chef Lars Sunekvist’s special recipes for Luxury Experience.
Pan-fried Cured Salmon with a Salad of Cucumber, Radish, Mustard and Dill
Serves 4
400 grams filet of salmon
100 grams sugar
500 grams salt
dill stalks, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon sweet mustard
½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ tablespoon honey
½ tablespoon sugar
½ tablespoon white vinegar
⅔– 1 deci-liter grapeseed oil
4 sprigs of dill, finely chopped
2 inches cucumber, diced
6 radishes, quartered
4 leaves of Romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped
Curing the Salmon:
Mix the sugar and the salt, and then rub the salmon with it. Put it in a plastic bag with the dill stalks and leave it at room temperature until the sugar/salt dissolves. Refrigerate it overnight, turning it over once.
The mustard sauce:
Mix the mustards, honey, sugar and vinegar in a bowl. Whisk in the oil slowly and then add the chopped dill.
Serving:
Mix the cucumber, radishes and Romaine lettuce with a few tablespoons of the mustard sauce and divide among 4 plates. Cut the salmon into 4 equal pieces and pat dry. Sear it in a hot pan on one side and serve it immediately with the salad.
Catfish with Egg and “Matjes” Potatoes, Browned Butter and Horseradish
Serves 4
4 grams potatoes, boiled and peeled
3 hard-boiled eggs
50 grams Swedish “Matjes” herring, sliced
1 teaspoon chives
1 teaspoon dill
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons butter, browned in a very hot pan
4 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish
1 lemon, quartered
salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Method:
Season and fry the catfish in a pan. Gently mix the potatoes with herring, eggs, herbs and unsalted butter.
Serving:
Place 1 portion of the fish, together with the warm potato mixture, horseradish and the hot browned butter on each of the 4 plates. Garnish each plate with a lemon quarter.
Wild Strawberry Pannacotta with a Consommé of Rhubarb
Serves 4
2 deci-liters wild strawberry purée
2 deci-liters double cream
68 grams sugar
½ sheets gelatin, soaked in cold water
1 stalk rhubarb, chopped
4 deci-liters water
100 grams sugar
½ deci-liters dry white wine
Cooking Method:
Bring the cream and sugar to boil and remove from the stove. Stir in the gelatin at once, and mix with purée. Pour into 4 cups and refrigerate until the mixture sets.
Slowly boil the rhubarb with the water, wine and sugar for 15 minutes, and then let it rest for 30 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Let it cool completely.
Serving:
Dip the cups in boiling water and turn the pannacotta onto 4 deep plates. Serve with the rhubarb consommé.
Tank så mycket (thank you so much) to Chef Lars Sunekvist for sharing his recipes with Luxury Experience.
For more articles on Sweden, please read our articles in Destinations – Kalmar and the Glass District and Stockholm, Hotels & Resorts, Chefs’ Recipes and Music Scene.
For more information on Stockholm and Sweden, please visit: www.stockholmtown.com and www.visit-sweden.com.
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