Discovery Weekend (Extended): Mad Gourmet’s Epic Icelandic Food Saga

I have not had a Discovery Weekend post in a while since I decided to not focus on restaurant experiences in my blog. That is what Yelp, Foursquare, and Instagram are for, right? However, this last adventure inspired me to do one...

We recently returned from a fabulous adventure to the Land of Fire and Ice. It was a much needed rest from work and all the things that occupy us in our normal lives.  It was my husband’s choice this time, so he decided (with some of my influence) to go to Iceland (There is obviously a longer story behind this). We have been seeing a number of pictures on the web, and the country looks spectacular.

Our choice of tours was an 8-day guided classic circle tour around the island.  The tour would take us in different places around the country and allowed us to experience the varying landscape and environments. It’s really like a cruise – except on wheels (and you may need to unload your luggage every night).

Originally, I did not plan to blog about this trip because I was not expecting a lot about my food choices. As you all know by now, I have strict medical dietary restrictions so I was not expecting to have a lot of options as we tour the country. Obviously, I changed my mind after the trip.

Let us take you on short food adventure around the island, and tell us what you think...

Dinner first evening at the Old Icelandic Restaurant in Reykjavik. This is our first close encounter with cod in Iceland. I am not sure what it is, but cod tastes different here: so fresh, light and tender. Absolutely, delicious  and not a bad start...can I have another?

I did say "have another," didn't I? How about some cod in the form of Fish and Chips? This is our dinner in Akureyri at Akureyri Fish and Chips. How can you improve fried food? Make it with the best cod ever. This place is has a very hipster vibe. They have open seating, music, and funky sauces. I had mine with mango chili sauce, while my husband (who is patiently waiting in the background for the photo shoot) had it with traditional vinegar. The vinegar is served in a perfume bottle (so verify before you spray it on the fish or yourself - unless you are into that).

I really cannot go two pictures into this post without a mention of soups. I think we had soup with most of our dinners. My husband and I usually share an appetizer or two and an entree since we're not big eaters. It also can cut on the cost (Iceland is somewhat pricey). This is a curry fish soup also from Akureyri Fish and Chips (and my attempt of brand photographing). It has a very unique flavor and great with the fish and chips. You know, I will be looking for this soup recipe. Admittedly, we're hungrier than usual that day (probably from all the hiking) and should have ordered a bowl. 

My favorite soup is the Kjötsúpa or the Lamb meat soup. I actually had this on our first evening in Reykjavik but it does not photograph as well (Don't worry, there is one coming). This is a very simple soup made with lamb and vegetables (usually potatoes and carrots). I think what makes this soup is the quality of Icelandic lamb. Talk about free range... The sheep usually roam free around the country, which results in tasty and tender meat.

Speaking of soup, one cannot have good soup without good bread. The bread is probably half the equation. Breads here are so good and come in different varieties: oats, rye, spelt, barley. Since I occasionally need a wheat break, having gluten-free options are great! I probably had one of the best gluten-free breads also at the Aurora Restaurant in our hotel (Iceland Air Hotel Akureyri). These are also freshly baked... so good! Other hotels do not have GF bread like this.

Unfortunately, vegans - options are few, if not limited.

We didn't eat this well all the time. Sometimes we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere (somewhere in the midst of pseudo-craters) or the coffee shop was not serving food yet (what?). There were very limited options. In those instances, my husband opted for a deli sandwich, the freshest one that he could find and I had Skyr, the Icelandic yogurt, with one of my nut bars from my stash. I think in this photo, I ran out of bars and am carrying and munching on (what I luckily thought as) honey peanuts. The Dark Chocolate Kit Kat Bar? Those who follow me in Instagram know that I am obsessed with them, especially when I travel overseas where they have unique flavors and approaches. I can't wait for Paris where there is alledgedly a huge Kit Kat bar... but I digress. Oooh, pumpkin Kit Kat.... sorry, back to the adventure.

Of course, there are times where we ate very very well, also, because there were few options and our legs are too relaxed and are like jello from the hot mineral sulfur baths. When we were in Myatvn, a town of 200 people, we had the opportunity to taste reindeer at Hotel Reynihlid. My husband finished the steak; I just had a bite. The server said that the owner just shot it with a bow and arrow "in the east", and they are making the most of the meat. Now, that is sustainable hunting. Expectedly, the steak was gamey, yet tender and had a unique flavor, closer to, but not quite like, venison. For my sake, it was well done, but spiced well.

Other exotic meats are also available in Iceland but we did not want to try: Puffin, the black and white birds with a colorful beak, and Minke Whale. Puffin allegedly tastes like liver, and whale like beef (Forget it, PASS - for various reasons). 

If you think 200 people in one town is tiny, our lunch the next day was in the middle of nowhere, literally. According to our guide, the town name translates to "Middle of Nowhere". We stopped at a small farm house and enjoyed a simple lunch of soup and bread at Fjallakaffi (Mountain cafe). My husband had the curry vegetable soup, Grænmetissúpa. He wanted to have Icelandic moss soup, but it was out of season. I had my favorite Kjötsúpa. I figured I should take advantage of lamb soup while we're still in the country (I got to find a recipe). We were even visited by a pair of juvenile Arctic fox during lunch.

In addition to cod, we had our share of char and salmon. The char in Iceland Hotel Klaustur is considered to be the best trout anywhere. It is raised in the water that comes directly from under the Skaftáreldahraun lava field. As always, the fish was perfectly grilled and delicious. I started with cauliflower soup while my husband had lobster soup.

While we also had fish while we were in Fludir, the highlight of our visit in that city were the geothermal greenhouses. Call me old-school, but I think this is the most foodie of the foodie stops that we had. We visited Friðheimar where fresh tomatoes are grown year-round in electronically lit greenhouses. The greenhouses are powered by geothermal energy from the ground, the water for irrigation coming from the numerous rivers and waterfalls in the country. Talk about sustainable! The tomatoes are delicious and the tomato soup sold in the bar is delicious, so light and fresh and perfect with rye bread. I could not resist.

Alas, we returned to Reykjavik and our trip is almost ending. In our last full day, we went to the famous Blue Lagoon, just for a look and lunch. The lunch at the Lava restaurant was phenomenal and world-class. My husband and I shared a three course lunch. Each course was delicious and beautifully plated: we had lobster soup for an appetizer, lamb as main course, and ice cream and chocolate caramel mousse with an Icelandic donut for dessert. The soup was topped with creme fraiche, white chocolate (yes, chocolate) and seaweed flakes. It also had two langostines in the soup. Oh heavens! This restaurant is worthy for a landmark like Blue Lagoon.

Sadly, our trip had to end. We did have one last chance to have Kjötsúpa and langoustine at Norð in the Keflavik International Airport. Really what other airport can you have four lobster tails for lunch and with sunchokes too. Now, we're ready for the long flight home...

I hope you enjoyed our virtual food trip. Overall, Iceland was a wonderful experience: the majestic mountains, volcanoes, waterfalls, glaciers, and even the vast expanses of lava fields or plains are quite magnificent. We had a great time! And when you enjoy it with good food and a great beer, it makes it more enjoyable. 

Hope you can also have an Icelandic adventure soon.

P.S. No trip to Iceland is complete without trying out an Icelandic hotdog or a pylsur. I had to make the mandatory foodie visit to Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, this is the hotdog stand made popular by President's Bill Clinton and by social media. In fact, there was already one Asian young lady waiting for hers and her mom's. As advised by the guide books, I got the one with everything on it, ketchup,  mustard, remoulade, raw onions, and get this, fried onions. They add an awesome and very unexpected crunch to it. I would get one more... if I was not on my way to breakfast.

The Pie Crust Challenge: Making Galettes

One of the challenges that I have yet to overcome is to make pie crust. I’ve always thought that this was a difficult task and I had avoided it like the plague. Most of the single-serve recipes that I have made, I've used crushed graham crackers or better yet, crushed Oreos. Through these years I have successully eluded pie crust challenge. 

However, a couple of weeks ago, we were blessed with a crop of sweet peaches in the farmers market, and I overbought. I did not want to waste this bounty so I thought it was time to make a galette. It would be appropriate to use up the peaches this way and also learn how to make something new and fun.

I’ve seen beautiful galettes in Instagram or in the Food Network magazine and always thought they were simple yet very elegant. It also looked super easy to do.

… if you are using a pre-made pie dough.

However, after looking at the pre-made dough, I decided to make my own. I could not control the ingredients in store-bought dough, and some of the pre-made dough even contains partially hydrogenated oil or lard or ingredients that I cannot pronounce. Besides, I still have most of the ingredients at home so it would be less expensive.

In my search, most of the basic pie crust recipes seem to be very similar. I decided to use the one from Williams-Sonoma since you can never go wrong with that, right? However, I had a slight variation – I had whole wheat pastry flour, and I thought this would be an appropriate place to use it.

For the filling, I thought all I needed were the peaches. These guys were picked at the peak of the season and were sweet enough that they can stand on their own. However, sugar is recommended in most recipes, so I followed. Some recipes use cornstarch, flour, or vanilla. I decided to use the one from Chef Chloe, but adjusted the sugar since my peaches were super sweet, and I usually use less sugar in my recipes anyway. The recipe below has the original proportions, but I only used half. I also did not peel my peaches.

Here's what I had... let me know what you think.

Mad Gourmet’s First Peach Galette

Pie Dough based on Williams-Sonoma’s Basic Pie Dough Recipe

Filling based on Chef Chloe’s Rustic Peach Galette

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp unbleached whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 stick (8 Tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 3 Tbsp very cold water

For the filling:

• 1/4 cup sugar (You can adjust for sweetness)
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 large peaches, pitted and sliced

Garnishes:

• Confectioner’s sugar
• Greek yogurt or whipped cream

Directions

Making the crust (by hand):

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt.
2. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives or your very clean hands (use gloves, if you prefer), cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas.
3. Add the water and mix with a fork just until the dough pulls together. Do not overwork (not really sure what this means, but I just kneaded it enough until it stuck together).

To make the filling:

1. In medium bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
2. Add vanilla and peaches, and toss mixture until peaches are coated.

To assemble and bake the galette

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and fan peaches (ok, I just kinda randomly put it on the crust).
4. Fold the 1-inch border of dough over the edges of the peaches.
5. Transfer unbaked galette to the prepared baking sheet, brush with egg.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the peaches look shriveled and crust is lightly browned.
7. Let the galette cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
8. Top with confectioner’s sugar or Greek yogurt.

Verdict

After making my first pie crust, I am more confident on doing these from scratch. I think the pastry flour added a yummy flakiness to the crust. A touch of confectioner's sugar and Greek yogurt really balanced out the flavors. I also like the fruit to crust ratio: it seems to be a better balance than a pie.

It was really good! We enjoyed it so much that we made another one. Actually, I found a sale on late season strawberries (Yes, I am a sucker for fruit). 

I’m looking forward to apple galettes in the winter and perhaps even savory ones too. Maybe I’ll even make a pie!

Since I love to experiment, I’d like to make a gluten-free version or a vegan one or a gluten-free vegan crust. I guess I have more research and Googling to do. I think Chef Chloe's vegan crust version is a good start.

Next big challenge: pizza dough