Wine tasting event at Børsen

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of being invited to a wine tasting event held at Børsen, the old Copenhagen stock exchange building. You’ve probably seen the building; it’s located next to Christiansborg (the Danish parliament) and has a quite unique spire of four dragons with their tails entwined. The actual stock exchange hasn’t been located in this building for years, though – it now serves as the headquarters for the Danish Chamber of Commerce.

On Friday, it served as the impressive backdrop for the annual wine tasting event hosted by Holte Vinlager, one of the biggest local wine importers and retailers. For their annual tasting, they had invited roughly 40 of their producers.

At the entrance, we exchanged our tickets for a glass and started making the rounds. There wasn’t only wine, but also a nice selection of cheeses and delicacies like foie gras and duck rillettes, as well as copious amounts of bread (definitely necessary with all that wine!).

Armed with a tasting brochure, we made a bee line for some of the regions and producers that caught our eye. For me, that were the two German producers, for one, since I’m currently trying to learn a bit more about German wines. One of my favorites was a really amazing orange wine from Weingut Ludwig (here). I’d only had natural orange wine before and that had been terrible, so I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Another one of the Germans I liked was Stefan Breuer’s Two Faces Riesling (here), a classic fresh, crisp and mineral Riesling.

A couple of tables later, we found a lovely lady who came all the way from New Zealand. Not only are New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs one of my absolute favorites, but the wines from Yealands Estate also have a really cute back story: there are miniature sheep grazing in the vineyards – they are small enough that they can’t reach the grapes. They’re called baby dolls (look at them, adorable!) and are also the namesake for some of the wines, like the lovely Baby Doll Sauvignon Blanc (here). I also really enjoyed the more complex Sauvignon Blanc Winemakers Reserve (here), which would go great with seafood dishes.

Now, I’m also quite partial to rosé wine, and I really enjoyed a Spanish one from Ribera del Duero called PradoRey Rose (here) – it’s basically summer in a glass!

We also made our way to Saronsberg from South Africa, who served a delicious sparkling wine (here) and a lovely Shiraz (here). South Africa is also one of the wine countries I’d love to learn more about. Definitely a lot of potential there!

Apart from “standard” wines, there were also some producers of port wines and sherry present. My favorite was this dapper Spanish gentleman, who was serving sherry from a little barrel with this special serving apparatus – I wonder how long it took him to learn how to pour from that with accuracy!

He was the star of the night for sure – and he knew it, too – posing for photographs and videos all night. Plus, the sherry was absolutely delicious (it’s this one here).

Yep, we definitely ended the night a bit tipsy (you know I haven’t quite mastered the art of spitting out wine in public) – which is how you know you had a great time, right? I always love these types of events, because not only do I get to refine my palate and try out different wines from all over the world, I also learn new things every time. I’ll definitely be back next year!

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Disclaimer: I was invited to the event free of charge. I received no further compensation for this post from either Holte Vinlager or any of the producers. As always, all opinions are my own!

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Current fall favorites

It’s wishlist time again!

The weather’s been a bit tricky – skipping between beautiful sunny days and pure grey, wet misery – which makes it hard to dress appropriately. We’re not quite in the freezing temperatures yet, although forecasts promise we’ll get there soon. We’ll also be setting the clocks back this coming weekend, giving us an hour more of sleep, plus Halloween is around the corner… ah, I just love fall!

It’s the time of hygge, knit sweaters, warm colors, hot tea, and long evenings with HBO (my current series obsession is taking slightly overhand).

Here are some of my current faves:

1. I’ve been looking for an oversize tweed blazer for what feels like forever, and I’ve finally found this one at Zara – it’s oversize, but still tailored in the right places (even though that didn’t stop my friend from asking whether I was wearing my boyfriend’s jacket…).
2. Dark green is a fall favorite color, and Essie‘s nail polishes always hit the spot! This lovely shade is called “The Perfect Cover Up” and has been my go-to color these past weeks.
3. Booooooooots! Give me all the boots, ankle boots, cowboy boots, biker boots, rubber boots, Ugg boots – I want them ALL! Come fall and winter, I practically live in boots. I just ordered these awesome Buffalo biker boots from Zalando – really hope they fit!
4. Fall means one thing and that’s PUMPKINS. I’ve already declared my undying love for Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes (#PSL), but I also love cooking with pumpkins (my latest discovery: homemade pizza with pumpkins, chorizo, and pecorino cheese) – and when I came across this silver Lene Bjerre pumpkin at Magasin, I couldn’t walk past it. That’ll definitely be the centerpiece on the Thanksgiving table this year!
5. Random fact about me: I have a big head. I tend to have a hard time fitting any type of hat on my giant noggin – I choose to believe that’s because I have a big, smart brain. I still love hats, though, so I was thrilled to find this bordeaux delight by Mint & Berry that actually fits. Now if only it wasn’t so windy in Copenhagen all the time – I’m afraid it’ll blow off!
6. No “hygge” without candles! Normally, I’m not one for scented candles, I usually find them too overpowering. But I’ve said before that Skandinavisk always manages to strike a perfect balance with their amazing candles – and what would be more appropriate for fall than “bål” (campfire)?

What are your favorites this fall? Share in the comments below!

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The Beef Chief pop-up at Fermentoren

What’s one of my favorite foods? Correct, it’s burgers!

Luckily, Copenhagen has been blessed with an abundance of great burger places – if you need any inspiration, check out my roundups here and here, or this post right here!

And as if that wasn’t enough, on occasion a traveling burger-slinger will come through town and serve up even more beefy deliciousness. And that’s exactly what happened last weekend, when Dutch burger boss The Beef Chief set up (temporary) shop outside of Fermentoren bar in the Meatpacking District.

The Beef Chief is a two-man project, operating out of the Netherlands. Having perfected their recipe over the years, they travel around the country and serve their burgers at music festivals and food fairs. They also run a permanent pop-up at the Oedipus Brewery in Amsterdam.

One of the beef chiefs used to live in Copenhagen, hence the little Scandinavian road trip – and thank the heavens for that, because I might have completely fallen in love with their burger! For their pop-up at Fermentoren, they had two options on the menu. The first one was an hommage to the classic American Cheeseburger: lettuce, pickles, mustard, and American cheddar.

The second burger on the menu wass called the “Kimchief” and had homemade kimchi, thick slices of crispy dashi bacon, spring onions, and a dollop of Sriracha hot sauce – now, I love Sriracha. So much so that I actually own a t-shirt that proclaims my love for the spicy condiment to the world. So this burger was absolute perfection for me!

I mean, what an absolute stunner!

When it comes to burgers, yes, the “trimmings” are important – not gonna argue with that. But you can stuff as many fancy things in there as you like – if you don’t have the basics down, your burger is going to be average at best. The basics, of course, are the meat and the bun.

The meat shouldn’t be too overwhelming – your meat-to-bun-and-other-stuff ratio shouldn’t be too high (at least in my opinion). For me, the perfect burger patty is about as thick as my finger (if you must know, I do have quite the sausage fingers, so that’s actually not too thin), not too firmly packed, and cooked medium. The Beef Chief’s patty hit the spot – just check the drool-worthy picture below!

When it comes to the bun, I prefer the sweeter, more brioche-like varieties to the classic sesame seed or ciabatta-like buns. These buns were amazing, soft and squishy, warmed on the grill for just a couple of seconds to give them a bit of a charred taste.

So, if you ever find yourself in Amsterdam, I’d suggest you go and pay The Beef Chief a visit. Otherwise, follow them on Facebook to find out about any upcoming road trip adventures – who knows, they may be coming to a city near you!

Also, Beef Chief, please come back to Copenhagen. I miss you already!

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I was invited to sample the burgers for free. I received no further compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

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Magasasa Dim Sum & Cocktails

To start off the new week, I thought I’d share one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Copenhagen with you. I’ve only recently gotten a bit more into Chinese food beyond the take-out classics – although you’ll never convince me that fried rice and those little deep-fried spring rolls aren’t the best thing since sliced bread!

A couple of years ago, friends (who have since sadly moved to the US) introduced me to Magasasa, a relatively unassuming little place right behind the central station. It’s one of those places that you either stumble upon by chance or have someone take you to – but it’s really good! It’s also always filled with Chinese patrons, which I’m reading as a testament to the authenticity of the food – I know I’m really picky when it comes to my German classics, so if I would frequent a German restaurant abroad, it’d have to be really good!

Last year, Magasasa opened a new place, Magasasa Dim Sum & Cocktails, only a couple of minutes’ walk away in the Meatpacking District. This restaurant specializes in dim sum of all varieties alongside exotic and unusual cocktails.

The locale itself is no-fuss, with the typical white-tiled rooms and long window fronts you’ll find all around the Meatpacking District. It doesn’t go overboard with kitschy decorations that you often find in Chinese restaurants in Europe. Like its “bigger brother”, Magasasa Dim Sum & Cocktails is also very popular among the Chinese population in Copenhagen – when I had lunch there with the boyfriend, we were the only Europeans (until about 10 min before we left, when a Danish family came in).

On the menu, you’ll find all the classics: steamed and pan-fried dumplings, fried buns, spring rolls, Cheung Fun (steamed rice noodle rolls), and my personal favorite, Cha Siu Bao (steamed buns with barbecue pork). They also serve soups and noodle dishes.

I was in charge of ordering, and as per usual, I went slightly overboard.

Duck confit fried springrolls

You absolutely must order these duck confit spring rolls – they are totally amazing!

Cheung fun – steamed rice paper rolls with barbecue pork

Cheung Fun definitely look weird (and are quite tricky to eat!), but they taste soooo good!

Of course, we also had to have some classic steamed dim sums, served in the typical little wooden baskets.

Classic steamed dumplings and Gou Bu Li buns with pork

Pan-fried buns and dumplings with pork and Chinese ramsons

The different dim sums cost between 40 and 58 DKK. You should plan 2-3 servings per person – but if you, like me, tend to over-order (my mom used to say my eyes are bigger than my stomach), they’ll be happy to make you a little doggie bag to take home.

Have you been to Magasasa Dim Sum & Cocktails? Or do you have any other preferred dim sum restaurants? Any suggestions for the best Bao in Copenhagen are also welcome in the comments below!

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Magasasa Dim Sum & Cocktails   –   Flæsketorvet 54-56, 1711 Copenhagen   –   magasasa.dk

This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

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Easy apple mascarpone Danish braid

You already know that I’m totally in love with fall. So bring on all the pumpkin and apple recipes!

One of my favorite things to do on these perfect sunny fall weekends in late September and early October is to go outside for a walk or a bike ride, and then bake something warm when I come back. I looove cake and sweets with my afternoon coffee! For fall, of course any baked goods need to contain apples, pears, or plums.

So here’s a super easy little apple Danish braid. It takes about 20 minutes to make, baking included, so it doesn’t really get any simpler than this. And it only needs 6 ingredients! The amount of sugar depends a bit on how sweet or sour your apples are, so if you’re using a more sour variety, just add a little more sugar to balance it out.

Easy apple mascarpone Danish braid

1 roll of puff pastry (from the cool section, not frozen)

3 medium-sized apples

3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 egg

100g mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese)

Roll out the puff pastry. Roughly separate into three parts (do not cut) along the long side, so you can put the filling in the middle and fold the sides over to make the braid. Peel the apples and cut into small chunks. In a small cup, mix sugar and cinnamon together until combined. Add about half of it to the apples, maybe add a dash of lemon juice, if you have any at hand, and mix together. Spread the mascarpone cheese in the midle section of the puff pastry and distribute apples on top.

Now, to make the braid, cut the left and right sections into small strips (about 1.5cm/ half an inch) at a ca. 45 degree angle and loosely fold them over the filling.

In a small bowl, whisk up one egg and brush it over the braid and sprinkle the remaining sugar-cinnamon mixture on top. Bake according to instructions for the puff pastry (around 15-20min at around 200 degrees Celsius).

Serve the braid while it’s still warm. It tastes great on its own, but if you want to add some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, that’d work beautifully as well!

What’s your favorite fall apple recipe? Let me know in the comments below, I’m always looking for inspiration!

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Ribera del Duero wine tasting evening with Peter Sisseck

Last week, I was invited to a wine tasting and wine maker’s dinner with wines from the Spanish Ribera del Duero region, held at Restaurant Palægade. I’m constantly improving my knowledge and taste buds, but I will be the first to admit that I don’t know much about Spanish wines, so of course I was happy to learn more.

The tasting was hosted by acclaimed Danish wine maker Peter Sisseck, who owns wineries in Spain and became famous for his Dominio de Pingus wines. I’ve had the pleasure of tasting one of his wines, PSI 2013, at the amazing dinner at The Restaurant by Kroun earlier this year.

The program for the evening was hefty: the tasting itself was going to consist of 15 wines, and for dinner, we’d be served another 16 different wines. I haven’t quite mastered the art of spitting out my wine during tastings (both because it makes me feel bad, because someone spent a lot of time making this wine and here I am, spitting it out; and because it’s actually really hard to spit out wine without drooling all over yourself, which isn’t something I’m keen on doing at a nice restaurant surrounded by people!), so I stuck to just taking a sip or two of each wine.

The wines we tasted were mostly reds, with a couple of rosés thrown in the mix.

The tasting started out with a little excursion about the region itself and its peculiarities – it turns out Ribera del Duero is actually a very diverse region in terms of climate and soil, making it possible to create a wide range of wines. Some vineyards are very old, but new ones are opening all the time.

We then got into the tasting, conducted by the wine master himself, who was able to put a lot of interesting stories around the different wines and the makers, many of whom he is good friends with.

After the tasting was completed, we got to enjoy a lovely dinner, paired with even more amazing wines.

Tartar, rye bread croutons, mushrooms, blackberries

Baby corn, duck heart, summer truffles

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to taste Palægade’s amazing Beef Wellington, which I so loved last time I was there… but the menu was still great (though a bit heavy on the meat).

Duck breast, salsify, foie gras, cherries

I had a great time learning more about the wines from Ribera del Duero, and it’s definitely a region I’ll have on my radar next time I’m buying wine – always good to diversify a little bit! I also love improving my nose and palate and noticing new and different flavors and aromas in the wines. It helps having a friend who’s and actual, educated expert at this and can help point them out!

What are your favorite wines? And what do you think about Ribera del Duero – have you tried any wines from the region? Let me know in the comments below!

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I was invited to this wine tasting and dinner free of charge. I received no further compensation for this post. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

from The Copenhagen Tales http://ift.tt/2dmu6uJ