Visit Strandgaarden Badehotel

Posted on 2014-07-22

Strandgården Badehotel, Læsø

My last stop for the day of my visit to Læsø this time around was Strandgaarden Badehotel.

Strandgaarden beach hotel offers an idyllic setting and located just 4 minutes walk to the beach, it’s the perfect spot for a relaxing summer holiday. I could have stayed here for weeks on end, reading, relaxing, swimming, and taking heaps more photos, enjoying the Danish summer when it’s at its best. This place is so quaint and cute, that I just had to dedicate a whole blog post to it.

The hotel was built in 1727 and parts of the original building are still in use. The owner takes pride in keeping the hotel in its original idyllic state with thatched roof and half timbering, but with all the commodities of modern day living. Such is the hotel kitchen, which each year has a new, up and coming Danish chef have a chance to stand up to the big boys, with the title as head chef at Strandgaarden Badehotel. The owner Ole Lind, has gotten pretty good at picking them, and for many years Strandgaarden has earned much appraisal in the media across Denmark. Every evening the menu changes according to the season and what’s available on the island, so what’s served tonight will most likely not be served tomorrow. The element of surprise is one of the things I find intriguing about the restaurant here alongside the presentation of the food by the table, by the kitchen chefs – Nicolas Højgaard Michaels and head chef Thomas Wetle Andersen.

I was served:

Homemade Sourdough Rolls & Browned Butter stirred with Butter Milk, Crème Fraiche and Onion Powder
Amuse Bouche: Seaweed Chips, Lobster Mayo and Chervil + Pork Belly, Parsley Puree and Spiced Crackling
Starter: Scampi, Kohlrabi and Green Strawberries
Main: Lobster, Scallops and Yellow Peas
Dessert: Dark Chocolate, Truffle and Blackberry Granita
All accompanied by a Sparkling Rosé to begin, a NZ Honky Dory Sauvignon Blanc for the starter and the main and a Riesling to end.

Thumbs up to both of the chefs! I loved the sourdough rolls with the browned butter, and if it wasn’t because it requires some pretty expensive, high end pro kitchen gear, I would make that butter myself. Everything else was delicious too, particularly the main, which really played with, not just the flavours but also the textures. It’s not often I say it, but the highlight of the meal was definitely the dessert. The surprising taste of the chocolate cake, which I was told later was the influence of the truffle, was really interesting and intriguing. I suppose after shooting a sweet and savoury book about Vanilla, those combinations of savoury flavours with sweet or vice versa, is really something I notice.

After a very tasty meal, a quick chat to the chefs and tons of photos later, I had to end the evening watching the sunset on the beach. It’s one of those things I love! It’s the perfect ending to a perfect day, before going to sleep in one of Strandgaarden’s super comfortable beds.

Thanks to Ole Lind at Strandgaarden Badehotel for excellent service! Read more about Strandgaarden on their website or join their facebook page for regular news and updates.

Next up are some of things I got up to in Copenhagen, so please come back soon!

Nordic Sea Salt

Posted on 2014-07-14

Læsø Saltsyderi

If you’ve worked with me in my studio, or just gotten to know me, while I’ve been in New Zealand, you might have been so lucky to recieve as a present, a cute little linnen bag, tied with a piece of string and filled with pourus sea salt crystals, along with an attempt from me to explain why this salt is awesome!

You might have thought: “Wow, how awesome can salt be?” or “I thought Maldon salt was supposed to be the awesome salt!” Well Maldon salt is awesome, and I know the “REAL” salt to use if you are a chef or a real foodie. But Maldon, move over, because here’s the story and the images to show, why I think Læsø Salt is more awesome.

As a visual person, I buy with my eyes (not everything and always, but often). A product has got to look good or sell me the idea of looking good. Well for starters Læsø Salt does just that. Just take a look at the place where they make it!
It is full of beautiful photo opportunities, and if my dad hadn’t been hanging around, waiting for me to finish “doing my thing”, I could have spent the whole day here. Although I think I got some pretty cool shots after all.

We are still on the island Læsø, as I wrote about the other day and the first visit on my itinerary of the day. At the edge of a pine forrest, south of the town Byrum, bordering the open plain of the the truly windblown parts of Læsø, lies Læsø Salt Works. It is both the place where they make Læsø Salt, but also a tourist attraction that tells a lot of the story on life on Læsø back in the day. Without making it too long and boring (the guides at Læsø Salt does not), I’ll try to explaing why this place, and the salt, is so special.

Due to the high concentration of salt in the sea around Læsø, the making of sea salt has been happeing on Læsø since the middel ages, but then since died out. Back in 1990 when archeoligists started looking into some of the history of Læsø, the idea of salt seething on Læsø was brought back to life using the discoveries the archeologists made. Today they seethe salt after the old traditions and recipes and make just enough to meet demands and keep Læsø Salt Works a healthy business.

The salty water is brought in from wells, dug in the lower parts of southern Læsø. In the Salt Works the water is set to evaporate over the fire. Once the brine is saturated, the salt crystals form on the surface and is scooped up into the baskets where residue water runs off, before the salt is set to dry in the drying addic.

The salt still retains a lot of the minerals and has a full-bodied flavour. It is porous enough to be perfect for crushing between two fingers before seasoning any dish. The salt is hand made and with respect for the nature sourroundings of the island. All biproducts of the seething is used for Læsø Salt Care scin care range and is excellent treatment for people with dry skin or pshoriasis. So apart from the oddness in bringing sea salt across the globe to New Zealand, Læsø Salt meets a lot of my criteria for many products that I buy. I like to support: My local community, the preservation of a lost art, AND pride and effort into making a tasty and beautiful product.

Read more about Læsø Salt Works in English here and in Danish here. Stay tuned for another awesome place to visit on Læsø, soon!

Idyllic island Laesoe in Denmark

Posted on 2014-07-10

Strandgården Badehotel, Læsø Læsø Læsø Læsø Læsø Læsø Læsø Læsø Læsø Læsø

If you’ve been following my instagram feed or my facebook page lately, you might have noticed that I’ve been on a trip home to my native Denmark recently. Having only just returned to New Zealand last week, I’m struggling to cope with the depressing wet New Zealand winter weather and the lack of proper heating and insulation at my studio. So I have emerged myself into working through all the images I’ve done, while I’ve been away.

Over the next month or so, I’ll keep the theme of the blog in the name of Denmark, Danish summer, Copenhagen eateries and all things Danish, while I wait for the New Zealand summer to return. If you love everything Scandinavian and miss summer too (or are in fact enjoying Danish summer at the moment), I’m sure there’ll be something for you to be inspired about, get your wanderlust itching again or just take your mind off the crappy weather for a bit.

I’ll start by introducing a place that’s very close to home, or should I say close to “my hometown” and my heart. Somewhere truly idyllic! The Island Læsø in Denmark or Laesoe (in English) is a small island in the North Sea bay Kattegat, just off the coast of the peninsula Jutland, the Danish mainland.

An hour and a half’s ferry ride from my hometown Frederikshavn, you’ll find this idyllic island, also referred to as Kattegat’s perle: “The Pearl of Kattegat”. Once you step off the ferry (or pretty much when you get on it actually), you know you’re on island time. My grandmother grew up here, so I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl, but it’s only after I moved to New Zealand, I’ve come to actually really love this place. It is windblown (due to the lack of hills) but peacefull. It’s full of nostalgica and by gone days of old school Danish fishermen and small town charm. This is truly the outskirts of Denmark, but if you are feeling stressed out, you’ve come to the right place to relax! The island has an amazing and unique nature, and you’ll find the beauty in the small things, such as riding a bike from one end of the island to the other (21km), go horseback riding on Icelandic Ponies or taking a swim at one of the many beaches. The island is known for it’s scampi festival in August and the cute half-timbered houses thatched with seaweed.

The next few upcoming posts, I’ll show a few of the really great places on the island, Læsø Salt Works and a really good place to eat (and sleep). So please stay tuned!

Nordic Winter Fare

Posted on 2014-07-08

NZ House & Garden #238, 20th Anniversary Issue

Having just returned from a fabulous trip to Denmark, where the summer weather has been on it’s very best behaviour (and shooting lots of great food, you’ll see here on the blog later), it is a bit of a chok to get used to the grey, wet and cold New Zealand winter.
This reminded me of the Danish inspired winter dinner I shot for NZ House & Garden’s June issue (#238). It has all the essential recipes for an almost authentic Nordic winter fare, including a warming Mulled Wine, which will be perfect on a cold, wet and windy New Zealand winter evening. Thanks to NZ House & Garden, and Bernadette Hogg for letting me share this Mulled Wine (Gløgg) recipe.

Danish Mulled Wine (Gløgg)
Makes 1 litre, serves 6

1 bottle of good quality red wine
1 cup rum (port, brandy or sherry can be used)
1 tablespoon cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
8 whole cloves
3 strips of orange peel
1 piece of stem ginger in syrup, sliced
½ cup dark muscovado sugar
1 cup raisins
¼ cup sliced almonds

Place the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cloves, orange peel, ginger and sugar in with the wine, leave to stand for at least 4 hours or overnight if possible. While the wine is infusing, place the rum in a bowl with the raisins and leave to soak alongside the wine. Pass the rum and raisins through a sieve. Add the reserved rum to the wine mix. Before serving heat the wine mixture over a gentle heat, do not boil. Pour the wine mix through a sieve to remove the spices. Add the soaked raisins and almonds and serve warm.

Note: Gløgg can be cooled and reheated at a low temperature to serve later. If you find it easier the spices can be tied in a piece of muslin and simply removed before serving.

Drink responsibly!

Recipe © Bernadette Hogg. Styling by Claudia Kozub

Images shown from top left: Pork Roast with Baby Caramel Potatoes and Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage, Mulled Wine (Gløgg), Salted Caramel Baby Potatoes (Brunede Kartofler), Roasted Fennel and Lemon Pork Shoulder with Gravy (Flæskesteg med Fennikel og Brun Sovs), Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage (Rødkål), Rice Pudding with Cherry Sauce (Ris ala Mande med Kirsebær sauce), Marzipan & Nougat Chocolates (Konfekt af Marzipan og Nougat)

Red Basil Pesto

Posted on 2014-04-26

Red Basil Pesto

I’ve noticed when I make pesto, like the one I did the other day, the basil tends to go brown, after a while. After advice from Annabel Langbein and a bit of reserch on the internet, it seems that blanching the leaves beforehand is the answer to ever delicious looking pesto. So here is an updated version of my pesto recipe that will work just as well with red basil pesto as with green. This time I’ve used pecan nuts, which I think work well with the more bitter flavour of the red basil, but you can use pine nuts as in traditional pesto, if you prefer.

Red Basil Pesto

2 cups fresh basil leaves, green or red
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup pecan nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper to taste

Toast the pecan nuts lightly over medium heat until golden. Be careful not to burn. Leave to cool. Blanch the basil leaves for just a few seconds in plenty of boiling water, then rinse and cool in an icebath. Dab the leaves dry on a clean teatowel. They don’t need to be superdry, just not soaking wet, so they water out the pesto. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the basil pesto to clean glass jars, and pour over a little olive oil to cover, then seal. The pesto will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Preserving with House and Garden

Posted on 2014-04-18

Currently published in NZ House & Garden Magazine #236, this beautiful preserving story is sure to inspire.
Styling by Claudia Kozub, food styling by Jo Wilcox

From top left:

Crabapples
Spiced Pickled Crabapples
Fig & Sweet Orange Marmalade on Toast with Butter
Nashi & Ginger Chutney on Cheese & Crackers
Golden Peaches in Vanilla Bean Syrup

NZ House & Garden are giving away the recipe for preserving the Golden Peaches in Vanilla Bean Syrup on their website here

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Semi Dried Tomatoes

Posted on 2014-04-17

Baked Tomatoes

All this talk about tomatoes, I thought maybe a recipe was in order. Just at the end of the season, if you aren’t growing tomatoes yourself, it should be easy to get loads of them for cheap. Use this easy recipe to intesify and store their beautiful flavour.

Semi Dried Tomatoes
Makes 2 jars

3 kg small tomatoes, preferably plum tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
Olive oil, for cooking
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
5 cups of olive oil
Fresh basil (or any other preferred herb)
5 cloves of garlic

Half the tomatoes, spread them on a roasting pan, and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and sugar, and then put them in the oven and bake for 10-12 hours at 100 degrees – preferably overnight. Keep an eye on them towards the end of the cooking time. You don’t want them to be completely dried, but still soft and plump.

Once done to your liking, leave to cool. Place the semi dried tomatoes in glass jars with basil (or any other preferred herb), whole garlic and cover with olive oil. Seal and place them in the refrigerator. They will keep in the fridge for a couple of months. You can also bake capsicums and chilli to mix in with the tomatoes. Great on toast with goats cheese and basil pesto.

Homemade Basil Pesto

Posted on 2014-04-16

Basil Pesto

On the deck of the studio, I’ve always got a selection of herbs growing. They are great to have handy for shoots, and off course they look nice as well. At the moment, I’ve got more basil than I can eat, so I decided to make some of it into pesto. Here’s a quick and easy recipe:

Basil Pesto

2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil, plus a little extra for storage
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper to taste

Toast the pine nuts lightly over medium heat until golden. Be careful not to burn. Leave to cool. Place all ingredients in the blender and mix until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the basil pesto to clean glass jars, and pour over about 1/2 cm of olive oil to cover, then seal. The oil will prevent the pesto from browning. The pesto will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Curious Croppers for Dish

Posted on 2014-04-15

Dish Magazine Issue #53, Tomatoes

In April 2010 my first photoshoot on NZ soil was published in Dish 29, their annual italian issue. This month, 4 years later, I’m on the cover of this years italian issue (currently out now). Thank you Dish for all the good times and for being a loyal client! Styling by The Props Department, platter on the cover from Flotsam & Jetsam and tomatoes from Curious Croppers

Curious Croppers

Posted on 2014-04-14

Curious Croppers

Sometime in the beginning of summer, I went to visit Angela & Anthony Tringham’s farm in Clevedon valley. Angela & Anthony are the Curious Croppers, a pair of ambitious and hardworking tomato and vegetable growers, with a passion for beautiful produce and delicioius meals.

I first met Angela & Anthony on an assignment to photograph their farm for Dish Magazine during summer of 2013, and totally fell in love with their incredible play house of a green house “gone wild”. This is where they experiment and grow all sorts of fantastic variants of tomatoes, and other veges, that you wouldn’t dream exsisted. Anthony sources seeds from all over the world, to test out in the play house, and see if there just might be market for something special here in New Zealand. There is! Curious Croppers supplies their top of the class tomatoes to many of the high end restaurants across the country, and you will often find them out and about, testing their produce on one of Aucklands trendy eateries.

You can find the Curious Croppers tomoatoes for your own cooking at the Clevedon Valley Farmers Market, and in Farro Fresh Supermarkets. Since my first visit, Angela & Anthony has probably become the biggest fans of my work, so this little post is a tribute to you guys. Thanks for all the love, and for filling my tummy with my all time favorite flavour: Tomatoes!