25. jan. 2014
23. jan. 2014
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.
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.
21. jan. 2014
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!
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!
18. jan. 2014
11. jan. 2014
10. jan. 2014
Pillowcases from Asia
When I travelled around Asia I made a point of collecting a pillowcase from each country. I would like to pass on the idea because it's one of the souvenirs I treasure the most. The patterns are colorful and go surprisingly well in a contemporary setting - but more importantly: I'm surrounded by memories the moment I enter my living room.
I simply picked the pillow cases which caught my eye - the one from Australia is hand made by Aborigines and it's meant to depict seeds on the ground. The case from Cambodia is a pattern from one of the wall stones at Angkor Wat. Everybody in Vietnam ride bikes so that was an easy pick and the one from Laos is typical Hmong embroidery.
It was difficult to find a pillowcase in Burma so when I came home my sister made a pillowcase of the piece of woven cloth that i'd used as a cover-up or around my head (perfect to beat the heat.) The pillow case from Hong Kong have embroideries of exactly (I did count) a 100 children playing their hearts out as a celebration to the King on his birthday.
From left to right: Australia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Burma and Hong Kong.
I simply picked the pillow cases which caught my eye - the one from Australia is hand made by Aborigines and it's meant to depict seeds on the ground. The case from Cambodia is a pattern from one of the wall stones at Angkor Wat. Everybody in Vietnam ride bikes so that was an easy pick and the one from Laos is typical Hmong embroidery.
It was difficult to find a pillowcase in Burma so when I came home my sister made a pillowcase of the piece of woven cloth that i'd used as a cover-up or around my head (perfect to beat the heat.) The pillow case from Hong Kong have embroideries of exactly (I did count) a 100 children playing their hearts out as a celebration to the King on his birthday.
From left to right: Australia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Burma and Hong Kong.
8. jan. 2014
The Chariot of the Sun
I've decided to frequent museums more this year now that I am settled on Christianshavn and have time to explore the city. So this sunday, after seeing "Frances Ha" at Grand Movie Theatre, I decided to swing by the National Museum and was pleasantly surprised.
Yes, there are many wooden objects and bits and pieces of paraphernalia (for me) but there are some preetty cool viking objects, runic stones and plenty of artifacts from around the world. I can see myself pop in many times in the future and just hang out on rainy Sundays. I also found myself alone in long corridors and halls which gave me a sense of having the museum to myself (I have a thing with this - loving the feeling of having things "to myself.")
I was particular interested in seeing "Solvognen" - "The Chariot of the Sun" as it has become the symbol of Denmark's ancient history and bronze age religious beliefs. It dates from around 1400 bc and depicts the sun being pulled across the sky by a horse; both sun and horse were seen as deities. I passed it a few times because all things in Denmark are generally quite small compared to the rest of the world - but I finally found it and thought the small size just made the chariot appear kind of cute.
Another thing is also this; when I travelled in Asia I encountered two French guys who taught me many valuable life lessons. One was that no matter where you go always make sure to visit the country's national museum as this is where treasures are likely to be found (and in some countries this also involves a rich animal life like in Burma when a huge fat rat scurried across the floor, ha ha)
Nationalmuseet - Danish National Museum
Yes, there are many wooden objects and bits and pieces of paraphernalia (for me) but there are some preetty cool viking objects, runic stones and plenty of artifacts from around the world. I can see myself pop in many times in the future and just hang out on rainy Sundays. I also found myself alone in long corridors and halls which gave me a sense of having the museum to myself (I have a thing with this - loving the feeling of having things "to myself.")
I was particular interested in seeing "Solvognen" - "The Chariot of the Sun" as it has become the symbol of Denmark's ancient history and bronze age religious beliefs. It dates from around 1400 bc and depicts the sun being pulled across the sky by a horse; both sun and horse were seen as deities. I passed it a few times because all things in Denmark are generally quite small compared to the rest of the world - but I finally found it and thought the small size just made the chariot appear kind of cute.
Another thing is also this; when I travelled in Asia I encountered two French guys who taught me many valuable life lessons. One was that no matter where you go always make sure to visit the country's national museum as this is where treasures are likely to be found (and in some countries this also involves a rich animal life like in Burma when a huge fat rat scurried across the floor, ha ha)
Nationalmuseet - Danish National Museum
6. jan. 2014
Sunday Morning
Christianshavn is so lovely when it's filled with people running errands, chatting on street corners, kids playing and sailboats gliding through the canal water - but I also love when it's deserted, oh so quiet and you feel like you're the only around. Yesterday morning was like that.
5. jan. 2014
4. jan. 2014
1. jan. 2014
Café Sokkelund - 2014
A treat is spending one-on-one time with my sister and this time we started the new year having brunch contemplating what 2014 might have in store for us. We toasted in bellini... - I wish you all a Very Happy New Year.
Café Sokkelund Frederiksberg
Café Sokkelund Frederiksberg
Abonner på:
Opslag (Atom)