Dry ice and tropical birthday punch
Óli reached a big age this year .. 30.. he calls it a typo but I think it is true., Usually I forget that he is younger than me. I think it is because he is so much taller than I .. taller equals older. Grandad reached a little more than 3 times Óli's age also recently. He is also taller than me, though not three times taller. This reasoning linking height and age doesn't really work that well since most people, particularly in Iceland, are taller than me. My sub-conscious refuses this logic, however. I suppose I just don't want to grow up.
Anyway, they both celebrated with plentiful food I gather and were quite happy. Chocolate cake, berry shortcake, numerous puff pastry inventions, chicken, so much dry ice that the punch froze solid! I have decided that berry shortcake is the best cake ever since I tried my never-fail-fruit-cake last weekend and it, erm, failed .. well, I failed .. I forgot half the flour. I also tried a new chocolate and fruit cake recipe that was simply horrible. So berry shortcake was the first of 3 cakes that actually worked. It crumbled a bit and ended up in a dish but it still tasted good, even if I so say so myself. With my recent track record I don't care so much about whether it could hold it's own shape.
Berry shortcake
For the cake:
125/4oz butter
125g/4oz sugar
2 eggs
125g/4oz self-raising flour (no such thing in Iceland so: 125g plain flour, 1/3 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, found next to the spices in the shops and not next to the baking things)
For the cake:
125/4oz butter
125g/4oz sugar
2 eggs
125g/4oz self-raising flour (no such thing in Iceland so: 125g plain flour, 1/3 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, found next to the spices in the shops and not next to the baking things)
Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Or until arms ache too much or you get a headache from the electric whisk buzzing. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Fold in flour. Divide mixture between two 8 inch cake tins (will look like very little). Bake for 25 minutes at 180°C. Leave to cool completely before turning out, the recipe says, but this just meant that my shortcakes stuck to the non-stick cake tins and ended up as crumbled layers in a trifle bowl.
For the filling:
450g defrosted mixed berries (this is winter, I´m sure fresh berries macerated with sugar as original recipe suggests would be yummy too but finding blueberries and strawberries in Iceland in the winter that have flavour and aren´t mouldy is impossible and anyway I like the juiciness of frozen berries)
100-250 ml cream
icing sugar for dusting
450g defrosted mixed berries (this is winter, I´m sure fresh berries macerated with sugar as original recipe suggests would be yummy too but finding blueberries and strawberries in Iceland in the winter that have flavour and aren´t mouldy is impossible and anyway I like the juiciness of frozen berries)
100-250 ml cream
icing sugar for dusting
Place one layer of shortcake on plate (or bowl if it fell apart). Cover with berries and then cream. Top with second shortcake layer. Dust with icing sugar. Leave to soak up some of the berry juice.
Adapted from Tom Norrington-Davies´ Strawberry Shortcake in his wonderful recipe book "Just like Mother used to make". Actually, most of these she didn´t - I don´t remember such British fare at home much really but that doesn´t matter .. I have some of Mum´s tasty recipes and this, my favourite recipe book, fills in any British childhood nostalgia gaps. I can almost see my continental friends shivering at my adoration of British cuisine. Ha!
To top of this past week of cakes and yummy food (and general disregarding of the kreppa), there was both Bolludagur and Sprengidagur. Unlike the UK which just has one feasting day (Pancake Day .. yum), Iceland makes up for the darkness and winteriness with two feasts until by Ash Wednesday you are clutching your stomach and actually looking forward to the strictures of Lent.
Bolludagur (Bun day) is a day of profiteroles .. giant profiteroles filled with cream and custard . and you can eat as many as you can manage. We started on Sunday, the day before Bolludagur just to make sure we could eat more than one or two. Óli's Mum invited us with his grandmother and great uncle to eat the lovely bollur she made .. I think I had four and she kept trying to make me eat more!
Sprengidagur (or bursting day.. you eat until you burst) comes next .. on Shrove Tuesday .. with a soup made from split yellow peas, salted lamb, swedes, potatoes and carrots. It is so very tasty but half a bowl is enough to make you burst .. Óli disagrees . but then he did almost burst.. haha.
