Scandi wine and cheese out this week. I wanted to follow up on some of the recipes I mentioned.
The Vasterbotten Paj produces a light savoury quiche with buttery, crumbly pastry. Well worth a try. I added caraway to my pastry. Don’t be tempted to scrimp on the Romsås, it really elevates what is quite a simple dish.
Note: Lumpfish roe, despite its unattractive name, is delicious (lacks caviar complexity but still pops delightfully in the mouth with salty kick). The red stuff from Waitrose/Ocado is salmon roe (Coho salmon, actually) but it costs considerably more than the black lumpfish roe (both are Elsinore, a GA brand and responsibly farmed). The black is fine here, provided you don’t mix your sauce with too much vigour (grey and unappealing). I make my Romsås with crème fraiche, a hint of mayonnaise for sweetness/silk, dill and chives. If your making canapé-sized tarts then a little quenelle of the stuff topped with more roe and a frond or two looks great. Ever so slightly retro, as Canapés should be (devilled eggs anyone?).
Wine-wise, I tried to get my hands on some (inevitably) high-acid Swedish sparkling as its icy cut would go wonderfully with the sweet, salty, fatty little creations. Let me know if you have any favourites or indeed where to get your hands on some in the UK/US.
And for a great vegetarian lasagne (no, not an oxymoron) layer Danablu, ricotta and Vasterbottensost amongst the leaves of pasta. Use Jamie’s spinach version as a framework adding homemade pesto and the cheese as you go (mushrooms also add interest). There’s quite a lot going on flavour-wise here so tonight I’m going for something hearty, straightforward and Sunday evening-ish in the shape of Piccini’s Memoro NV vino rosso. Richard was equivocal some time ago but worth a re-visit (and Tesco have it on offer, currently). I suspect it will go very nicely with the blue-cheese-pumped lasagne and a couple of episodes of The Night Manager …
Finally, the wonderful Janssons frestelse (Jansson’s temptation). Nigella has a nicely straightforward one but I never add milk into any of my gratins as she does here; OTT caramelised cream being most of the point. You can use single cream if you must … and be sure to use the proper ansjovis (pickled, spiced sprats). Abba Grebbestad Ansjovis are my go-to in their elegant little tins. And strew liberally with Vasterbottensost along with the breadcrumbs. Add in a simple pork chop and a big, fat Pinot Gris with spice and sweetness to match the sprats. Last night it was Henri Ehrhart, Collection Familiale 2023.
