Secret Kitchen menu, 17th Dec 2011

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Danish Christmas

Pickled herring
Dill aquavit & pink grapefruit cocktails

Smørrebrød with smoked salmon, Christmas salami, cured beef,
smoked reindeer and Vesterhavsost

Pork braised in dark beer with three-root mash,
curly kale and red cabbage

Risalamande with cherry sauce

Gløgg with Danish candy

About tonight’s menu

This menu is the result of our recent trip to Copenhagen, where we tirelessly trawled the markets, restaurants and bars in search of inspiration.

Being nearly Christmas, we got to sample many of the foods traditional at this time of year – roast pork, braised red cabbage, creamy rice pudding studded with almonds; and cookies, beers and cured meats full of festive spice.  

The freezing weather provided the perfect excuse to rest in between meals with a glass of gløgg – Scandinavian mulled wine with almonds, raisins and cardamom plus extra kick in the form of vodka and/or brandy.  We hope you like our house-brew tonight.

The rest of the meal is loosely based on what one might get for Christmas dinner in Denmark.  Note that the rice pudding involves a game.  Hidden somewhere in it is a whole almond.  The idea is to find the almond (and win good fortune as a result) but to conceal it for as long as possible so that everyone else continues eating in search of it…

Do check out my New Nordic Cuisine for Home Cooks classes in partnership with CPH Good Food…