to-and-fro

Here is a little look at my ride from the city center back home to Christinshavn (the clam shell-like island between Copenhagen and Amager). 

Heading south.

Heading towards the bridge connecting the islands.

A view of noma from the bridge.

A beautiful view crossing the bridge.

From the bridge you turn left onto my street.

Crossing a small waterway into my neighborhood.

Apartments and office, print shops and galleries.

I spy Nordatlantens Brygge (home to noma). Hint: it has an orange roof.

Don't mind the construction site.

ahhh home at last.

Saving the Season

As the seasons change we must do what we can to preserve the fruits of the summer months so they last long into the dark winter days. The past few weeks we have been up to our ears in plums, elderberries and rosehips!

Apparently the best plum Ben had ever eaten was wrapped in tissue paper and ages for a couple months. Sure enough one morning I awoke to an enormous box of teeny tiny Danish plums, which we had to wrap in paper and tie with string. 

3 hours later... 

Plums!

 Early June is Elderflower season while early September is Elderberry season. Currently we are working on multiple elder projects so, we are on a continuous mission to collect kilos and kilos of elderberries.

Lots of foraging means lots of harvesting!

Hops, Rosehips, and Yellow Plums.

 Rosehips have a slightly acidic taste that is reminiscent of a tomato. I have been processing the rosehips into a pure (much like tomato paste) and using it to make ketchup. This recipe is probably one of the most delicious things I have made in a while! I am totally addicted (as is everyone at the lab). The tomato-y flavor of the rosehips has got us all brain storming about other applications for this delicious paste. Into the freezer it goes for a later date.

 In addition to saving the summer seasons bounty, we are also indulging on the first of the fall fruits! 

After a perfect early fall day foraging with Kelton and Sarah, we cooked up a delicious apple feast!

Apple Tart, Apple Sauce with Whipped Cream and Bee Larvae Granola, Foraged Apple, and Crispy Apple Skin with Sea Salt, Vinegar,  Mint and Oregano.

See What We Have Been Eating

We now have a blog dedicated to our staff meals- 

Nordic Food Lab Family Meal

Eating Insects

Diana Kennedy stole the show. She marched on in on Tuesday after MAD and showed us a thing or two about cooking grasshopper. 

Some one's getting a stern talking to! Don't mess with this 90 year old!

Roasted grasshoppers with a spicy chili dipping sauce.

Dig in!

 We also prepared the famed "chimp stick" for an advisory board meeting last week.

The "chimp stick" was inspired by a video of a chimp using a stick to extract ants from a tree trunk and then sliding it across its tongue- an extremely efficient way to collect and consume ants.

 The chimp stick consists of a piece of juniper wood rolled in honey and then artfully decorated with ants, freeze-dried raspberries, seeds, and leaves.

 The diner is suppose to pick up the stick and draw is through his or her mouth just as the chimp does. Each attached ingredient provides a unique textural and flavor component to the dish.