Year 2019 in Review

Another blogger year will soon come to an end. And what a year it has been. Exciting culinary creations and top-notch produce. Cordial encounters, virtually and live. Numerous new collaborations and challenges. Interesting cooperations. And most importantly, tons of love and support. For this, I’m deeply honored and grateful. I’d like to take this opportunity…

Red cabbage soup with smoked beef tongue

When do you celebrate Christmas? In our family, we celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. Yesterday, it was our turn to host the party and I cooked for 14 people. With lots of preparation and help, it was possible to enjoy five distinct dishes and an assortment of cheeses. One of the dishes was this vibrant…

Deconstructed Christmas tiramisu

I absolutely love advent calendars. They are magical somehow. The represent waiting, promise surprise and bear an element of excitement. At least for me. And that’s why I wanted to contribute to the culinary advent calendar organized by Foodblogs Schweiz. In October, wonderful Sandra from Paradieschen organized a sweepstake on Instagram. The giveaway was a…

Puff pastry wrapped pork tenderloin (Filet im Teig) 🇨🇭

Filet im Teig – literally translating into tenderloin in dough – is the Swiss Beef Wellington. Fun fact: Beef Wellington is said to have been President Nixon’s favorite meal. But that’s beside the point. There’s a million of filling varieties for the Swiss recipe. With mushroom. Mustard. Air-dried ham. Sausage meat. Sun-dried tomatoes. Herbs. The…

Venison tartare

With falling temperatures, my appetite for raw meat rises. Lucky me, I still have some venison in the freezer. Finely dice fillet of venison and mix it with mustard, finely chopped cornichons and borretana onions. Season with Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, fleur de sel and black pepper. Assemble by placing quenelles of tartare on a…

Wine braised beef (Suure Mocke)🇨🇭

Suure Mocke – literally a sour chunk – is the ultimate feast meal in my home canton. Wine braised beef is technically speaking a rather simple dish. However, it’s quite time-consuming. Five days of brining and four hours of braising. Fortunately, in terms of taste, it’s well worthwhile. Brine 1.2 kg beef clod in 1…

Red Emmalie potato mash with sautéed Japanese artichokes and marinated Chioggia beets 🌱

Heirloom veggies – They get me all excited. The colors. The shapes. The textures. The tastes. On the farmers’ market the other day, I found beautifully pink potatoes with a distinct flavor. And Japanese artichoke – a white and tender tuber, optically very much resembling a maggot. And wonderfully marbled beetroot. In the course of…

Scallop carpaccio with oca and mashua

Today, Finland celebrates 102 years of independence. For me as a Finn, December 6 is correspondingly special. I try to pay homage to Finland’s war veterans and reflect on the luck of peacetime. Culinary-wise, we enjoy traditional Finnish dishes, sometimes with a twist. Seafood and potatoes are typical to the Finnish cuisine. This year, clams…

Flambéed citrus salad on brûléed rice pudding

Today is December 2, which means it’s my turn to cook for the 25 Days of Christmas Collab hosted by lovely Silvie from Citronelle and Cardamome and charming Antonia & Nina from Two Sisters Living Life. I decided to go for a dish from my fatherland called Ris à la Malta. Basically, it’s rice pudding…