CARROT AND POTATO MASH

4 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut 

3 carrots, peeled and cut 

2 garlic cloves

Coarse salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/2-1 cup whole milk

3 tbsp unsalted butter

Place potatoes, carrots, and garlic in a medium saucepan. Cover with water. Add a large pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, and cook until completely tender, about 20 minutes.

Drain vegetables, reserving 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Return all but 1/4 cup liquid to pot. Add milk and butter, and season with salt and pepper. Mash until smooth, adding remaining liquid to desired consistency.

LEMON ROAST CHICKEN

1,6 kg whole chicken
1 lemon
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
4 sprigs rosemary
2 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot
2 celery sticks, thickly sliced
150 ml (1/4pt) white wine
For the gravy:
2 tsp plain flour
2 tsp softened butter
300 ml (1/2pt) chicken stock
1 tsp redcurrant jelly


Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Put the chicken into a large roasting tray, stuff with the lemon wedges, half the onion wedges, garlic cloves and half the rosemary. Drizzle the olive oil over the top and season well. Put the rest of the onion wedges and rosemary around the chicken, along with the carrot and celery. Pour half the wine into the base of the roasting tin and add 150ml (1/4 pint) of water. Cover the whole tray tightly with foil and roast for 45 minutes.
Remove the foil, baste the chicken with the juices in the tin, add the rest of the wine and roast for another 25-30 minutes or until the skin is golden brown; when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, the juices should run clear.
Transfer the chicken to a serving plate, cover loosely with foil to keep warm and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the gravy. Put the roasting tin back on the hob over a medium high heat and whisk the juices to release any sticky bits on the bottom of the tin. Mix together the flour and butter to make a smooth paste and then whisk into the gravy until smooth and combined.
Mash the vegetables in the base of the tin with a potato masher and pour in enough hot chicken stock to make gravy to the consistency you prefer. Whisk in the redcurrant jelly and bubble over a high heat for a minute or two. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary and then strain through a sieve (discarding the vegetables in the sieve) into a warm gravy jug.
To serve, carve the chicken, pour over the hot gravy and serve with roast potatoes, a mix of green veg (such as peas, broccoli and beans) and bread sauce.

ESTONIA SEMLA

A semla or fastlagsbulle (Swedish), laskiaispulla (Finnish) or vastlakukkel (Estonian) is a traditional sweet roll made in various forms in Estonia associated with Lent and especially Shrove Monday and Shover Tuesday.
In Finland and Estonia the traditional dessert predates Christian influences. Laskiaissunnuntai and Laskiaistiistai were festivals when children and youth would go sledding or downhill sliding on a hill or a slope to determine how the crop would yield in the coming year. Those who slid the farthest were going to get best crop. Hence the festival is named after the act of sliding or sledding downhill, laskea. Nowadays laskiainen has been integrated into Christian customs as the beginning of lent before Easter.
Semla consists of a cardamom-spiced wheat bun which has whipped cream. The cut-off top serves as a lid and is dusted with powdered sugar. Today it is often eaten on its own, with coffee or tea.
Semla traditional pastry in Estonia. Shover Tuesday in the same day as this pancake day.

Buns:
1 cup warm milk – preferably whole milk (approx)
2½ tsp active dry yeast
4-6 tbsp sugar
3 cups bread flour (substitute all-purpose flour if needed)
3 tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp ground cardamom
2-3 tsp salt

Dissolve the sugar and the active dry yeast in the warm milk and wait for it to froth up. Combine with the flour, butter and salt in a large bowl, and mix well with a sturdy wooden spoon. Cover the shaggy mass and allow it to rest for 15 minutes, and then knead for about 10 minutes, folding the dough over and pushing away until it is smooth and supple. Add in a little more milk or flour as needed. Tho dough will be very soft and slightly sticky. Roll the dough into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm environment until puffy and doubled, about an hour.
Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 4 parts. Keeping the rest of the dough covered, divide each part into 5 pieces, roll each into a ball, stretching the dough and tucking at the bottom to achieve a smooth and taut top. Transfer to a baking sheet. Cover with greased plastic wrap, and leave to rise for about 45 minutes in a warm place, until they are quite puffy and touching each other.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200C. Brush the buns with milk or an egg-wash. Bake the buns for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Do not over-bake. Transfer immediately to a cooling rack or else the bottoms will start ‘sweating’ and become soggy. Eat while still warm. If you would like to slit them and toast, do wait till they have completely cooled down before slicing in.

Filling:

500 ml whipping cream (35-38%)
2-3 tbsp sugar

Make the filling. Whisk the cream with some sugar. I like to include some lingonberry jam in my cream filling, as this adds a nice tart touch to the otherwise very sweet bun. Cut a small slice off the bun and fill with some cream. Put the "lid" back on.

Bon Appetite!

SALMON ON POTATO CREAM ROSES

7-10 new potatoes, cooked in the oven or made
200g cold-smoked salmon
150g Philadelphia cream cheese, chili flavored or unflavoured
3-4 tablespoons of sour cream
2-3 tbsp fresh dill

Put all ingredients in a blender and puree let. Fish can also add less. Boil the potatoes in salted or small fresh water until soft, cool it down. You can also do the potatoes in the oven or grill during the summer. In order to clear the wash potatoes, cut them into halves. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper, and drizzle over the olive oil. Bake at 200 C until the potatoes golden hue.
Cut the potatoes in half and cut the leftover from the bottom so that the potatoes remain upright on a platter. Put the cream on the cake and squirting squirting 1M (I used Wilton's) size of the potato-headed roses in a circular motion. Bon appetit!