Tonight: Denmark



We made frikadeller and Danish potatoes.

Frikadeller:



I mixed the ground pork and flour in a large bowl and mixed. Then I added diced onion, granulated garlic, salt, pepper and mixed well. Next I added eggs and milk, mixed, put the mix into a smaller bowl and put into the freezer to chill the mix and thicken it up a bit.



I melted a stick of butter with equal parts vegetable oil in a frying pan, then rolled meatballs and cooked through.







Danish Potatoes:



I boiled the potatoes until tender, drained and cooled.



I peeled and sliced the potatoes, added chopped green onion tops, chopped parsley, and capers.



I made a dressing of white wine vinegar, caper liquid, Dijon mustard, and whisked in olive oil.



I added the dressing and gently mixed the salad.





Finished product:



Results: That sound you hear is my arteries hardening. This was just as heavy as it looks. I make Swedish meatballs for the holidays every year carrying on a long family tradition, and I was surprised at how different they are from the Danish meatballs given that the two countries are just a bridge and subway apart.



I prefer the Swedish variety.

I am not a huge fan of potato salad, but I actually ate these. I wouldn't go out of my way to make this again unless I was assigned potato salad for a potluck, in which case this gets the nod.

Tonight: Cameroon



The last of the west African countries, this is the first national dish we cooked that incorporated all of the colors of the flag.

We made Suya.



Last night we made a rub with thyme, curry, chopped hot peppers, black pepper, coriander, cayenne pepper, basil, and salt. We used the rub to season the sirloin tip steaks and refrigerated overnight.



First, we sliced the steaks, rubbed with spices, and browned in a pan.



I then sauteed some sliced onions.



When browned, I removed the steak and sauteed chopped green, red, and yellow bell peppers. I returned the meat.





Finished Product served on a bed of white rice:



Results: Spicy! And good! I liked the color of this dish. The recipe called for sirloin tip but I'd use flank steak if I made this again.

Tonight: Italy



This was a weekend of dishes from countries that I would have bet a chunk on still being in the hunt after the group stages. Italy suffered tremendously in this WC, almost as bad as France.

We passed on the more common Italian dishes found in our corner of the USA. No pizza, no lasagna, etc. One of my favorite California dishes is Cioppino, which while not technically Italian (it was created in the Italian immigrant enclave of North Beach in San Francisco) is one of my very favorite dishes of all time. I would have loved to make Cioppino - especially with crab season ending soon - but authenticity won out at the end of the day.

We made mushroom risotto, chicken Marsala, and tiramisu. I've never made risotto before and I don't actually ever remember trying risotto before, although I think I must have at some point? The recipe I followed said it was not easy, so I donned my apron and prepared for failure while hoping for unexpected success.

Chicken Marsala:



I pounded the chicken breasts, coated in flour and browned in olive oil.







I removed the chicken, added mushrooms and sauteed. Then I added Marsala wine, butter, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and reduced. I then returned the chicken to the skillet and finished cooking.

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Mushroom Risotto:



I warmed the broth, cooked the mushrooms in oil, removed the mushrooms and set aside.



Then, I cooked shallots in oil, then added Arborio rice. I slowly added hot broth in small increments, stirring continually. Once thick and al dente, I removed from heat, added the mushrooms with liquid, butter, chives, and Parmesan cheese.






Tiramisu:



We beat the egg yolks and sugar, added the marscapone and mixed.



Then we whipped the cream and added to the cheese mix.



Next, we dipped the ladyfingers in coffee, arranged in a dish, and layered with cheese mix. Then put into the refrigerator to chill.





Finally, we dusted with grated chocolate and served.



Wine:



Finished Product:






Results: Another success! The risotto came out well and the chicken came out perfect - tender, not dry, with wonderful flavor. The tiramisu was delightful as well.

Last night: France



France has had it pretty rough. First, no more online poker. Then, a meltdown in the World Cup. I'd make fun of the cheese eating surrender monkeys, but given the USA loss yesterday I'm not really in the mood.

We made Baked Brie, Coq au Vin, and Creme Brulee.

Baked Brie:









I used local Brie and local apricot preserves.

Coq au Vin:



First, I took a bottle of Burgundy, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, peppercorns, olive oil, and a cut up whole frying chicken and marinated overnight.



First, I separated the chicken from the liquid from the veggies and retained the marinade. Then I cooked bacon, removed and reserved the bacon, browned the chicken in the bacon drippings, browned the veggies, added flour, whisked in the reserved marinade, mixed in shallots, garlic, fresh thyme, fresh parsley, bay leaves, and broth then simmered the chicken in the mix.







I prepared a mix of crimini and shiitake mushrooms with pearl onions separately.



I removed the vegetables from the chicken pot and discarded them, then added the mushrooms, onions and bacon.



Served on a platter:



Wine:



Creme Brulee:

I whisked the eggs yolks, vanilla bean, sugar and cream, baked in the water bath in the oven, chilled for hours, then got to play with a torch:









Finished products:







Results:

These all turned out great. I only hope that we did French cuisine justice. The Coq au Vin was just perfect. This, my first attempt at creme brulee, suffered from improper consistency but the taste was fine. I'll get this figured out next time.