Today's Accomplishments

I won't go on about the darkness which sets in at 4 pm (and we still have 4 months to go) but instead tell you that I enjoy the different Christmas markets here on Christianshavn. Today I visited the women's blacksmith's factory located down my street inside an old elevator factory. I also popped upstairs to look at art. 

Later that same afternoon I made coconut balls. 

They need to get properly cold before they are perfect so while they're tucked away in the fridge I pass the time stuffing myself with fresh dates reading books... Life is so hard sometimes.... ;-)

Weekend Inspiration #67

Weekend Inspiration #60

Resso Espressobar

Spring is honestly no where in sight and today it rained in Copenhagen. I had some errands in the city after a work meeting and popped into the bookstore Arnold Busck and realized it's been ages since I've browsed books - a favourite past time of mine. You're welcome to take a few books with you to the café Resso and I picked a new book about Coco Chanel and was reminded, yet again, that fashion fades, only style remains. 

Weekend Inspiration #56

 

Copenhagen Street Food

I have the pleasure of passing this sign on my weekly visits to the grocery store and if you ever decide to visit Copenhagen this is a must! 

The food stalls are located in an old warehouse on Papirøen - the Paper Island in Copenhagen's harbour. Not as polished as Torvehallerne on Nørrebro, the ambiance is very much a "everybody's welcome" and the atmosphere is super friendly and nice. There is a sense of genuine happiness and love of food. When you're there the sun (when it shines) is on from 11 am till sunset and that is pretty nice, if you ask me. During summer there are garden chairs in front of the warehouse where you can chill out with a meal in one hand and a superb view of the harbour in the other. This summer the bridge from Christianshavn to Nyhavn should be finished (oh, will it ever, sigh!!!) and that'll get you to the Paper Island from the inner city in no time. 

If you're into Danish Design (fashion) you will also find a little café owned by designer Henrik Vibskov called The Spotted Pig. I will do a post on it later as it's quite charming and different. 

To read more about Copenhagen Street Food click here.

Velbekomme!

Weekend Inspiration #47

Weekend Inspiration #46

Weekend Inspiration #40

Weekend Inspiration #37

The Coffee Bar on Amager

"Kaffebaren" simply means "Coffee bar" in Danish and I am lucky to be surrounded by some of the most charming ones - at least that's how I feel. As a lover of great coffee a great setting don't do it alone for me and Kaffebaren on Amager certainly has both - great great coffee and a wonderful atmosphere. Yesterday I ended up sitting there for a few hours oblivious to time. Out the corner of my eye I noticed a steady flow of visitors - I could tell many of them were locals. So it's just as simple as the name of the place - good coffee, nice atmosphere and cool visitors.

A Play of Shadow and Light

The beautiful weather continues so every morning there is a play of shadow and light on my dining room table and coffee table. I tried to capture it this week and found it interesting that you don't have to do much. Just place whatever you have and the combination of light and shadow produces the result.

Olive Oil Cake

Temperatures have dropped (for those not knowing we've had a serious heat wave in Copenhagen and the rest of Denmark, I assume) so today I actually enjoy staying indoors curling up reading Kinfolk and contemplating the end of summer. I know august is still ahead but when people start returning from vacation I always feel fall is just around the corner.

Today I got inspired to bake the famous Olive Oil Cake. Photographer Alice Gao shares her recipe here so of course I decided to make another one, ha! Mostly because I have a hard time with the conversions so I think it's time the entire world converted to the metric system. Anyway, it's very simple and easy to make and I also just used the olive oil on hand since I was too lazy to make a store run.

The result is very good especially after it cooled down. The taste of olive oil is there but not in an overwhelming way and I like the sudden taste of tiny flakes of salt. Next time I will probably add a little more olive oil, less sugar and bake it a tad longer so the crust gets darker. For coffee lovers, such as myself, know that it goes terrifically well with a strong cup of mocha.

Weekend Inspiration #29

Parterre on Christianshavn

Parterre opened on May 29th and it's time to rave about this über cool and classy café which is located just down my street. The location is wonderful - on a corner just by the canal and there is seating outside. And the inside... what can I say? The decor is just lovely - colours of blue, white and mint green, so many charming objects, flowers in small ceramic vases... The style resembles a French country house and you feel at home right away.  

But most importantly, the coffee is superb and the food and pastries delicious. Make sure to stop by if you're visiting Christianshavn - and hey - how about that air balloon!!!!

Follow Parterre on Instagram: parterre_christianshavn

 

photos: 1-4-6-8 me,  5 parterre_christianshavn

Weekend Inspiration #28

Weekend Inspiration #27

Weekend Inspiration #25

It's Clementines, not Mandarins!!

I might as well tell you here and now that I'm the biggest consumer of clementines in Denmark during winter. It's actually nice to know that I help keep the Spanish orchards running. I've discovered a few facts about these amazing little fruits and also that I owe my life to a priest!!! 

I'm usually not into details (like Jackie Kennedy said "let's not complicate things) so I, along with many others, make the mistake of referring to clementines as mandarins and that is not correct!! These tiny sweet citrus fruits we buy during winter are clementines and not mandarins.

The story goes that in 1902 Pierre Clément, a priest from Algeria, succeeded in crossing the mandarin with another citrus fruit; the Seville Orange - and thus the clementine was born. This lovely citrus fruit is immensely popular in Denmark.

I love everything about the clementine: the beautiful orange peel, the juicy pulp, the intensive, sweet and refreshing taste and that it's easy to peel. The clementine is almost seedless but if you do find a few in there the tree has most likely grown close to a lemon tree and been pollinated by it (isn't that interesting - I didn't know that!) 

Each year we consume about 6 kg. clementines pr. person and half of it is around christmas. When you look for a bag of clementines make sure the peel doesn't have spots or marks on it and hold them in your hand as a perfect clementine will be heavy compared to its small size. 

I sort of owe my life to Pierre Clément. I certainly will send him a kind thought when the pile of clementine peelings are getting sky high. Apart from orange being my favourite colour I also find it very beautiful against the grey skies which seems to be the dominant colour in Denmark right now.

Things in a Pot

Mette from Mettes Paris doesn't know this but I got so excited about a recipe she posted on her blog (click here) that I printed it out and tried it this evening -  and it was so delicious and perfect for this time of year (it's still freezing outside.) 

The salty soy sauce and sweet honey mixed with meat and apricots and the dashes of fresh coriander balanced the palate exactly to my liking. I won't post a picture of my scraped plate but instead say thanks so much (- Mette, you beat The Little Paris Kitchen - it's still standing nicely on the shelf) :-) 

Make sure to check out her blog about life in Paris as it's become one of my favourites. Mette's useful advice from where to eat, what to see and do and which parisian purchases to make (her blog honestly has the best suggestions for souvenirs that I've ever come across) only added to my trip last spring. Oh yes, she also has a wonderful sense of humor which shines through and often makes me laugh out loud. I've never met her but feel I know her a little and is happy to think of her as a friend that I look forward to meeting one day. 

Enjoy and Velbekomme!