Eplakaka (Icelandic-style Apple Pie)

This was my first attempt. The flavors brought me back to Reykjavik.

My first encounter with Eplakaka was quite accidental. It was a rainy day in Reykjavik, much like today, and we decided to spend the day visiting museums. We wanted to get an early start so we skipped breakfast. However, halfway through our walk, we needed to dry up and took shelter at the Maritime museum. We took that opportunity to have breakfast.

My husband had his usual ham and cheese sandwich. He has been having a ham and cheese sandwich almost every day while we were in Iceland, and he wanted to be consistent. For me, I had my eye on a yummy looking cake. Since I typically have something sweet for breakfast, I knew that was the one I wanted to try. I am always up for a food adventure -- as long as it's in my doctor-approved list (health first, you know). When I asked the server what it was, she said was apple pie.

Original Eplakaka from the Maritime Museum

Sure enough, it was delicious: apples baked in the dough, lightly topped with confectionaire's sugar and served with fluffy light whipped cream and a hint of chocolate sauce. I knew I had to recreate it when I get back home. What timing! Since I made a peach galette during the summer, I have been meaning to make an apple galette for the fall. I figured why not make an Icelandic-style apple pie, instead. I may still have apples that I froze before the trip at home.

I researched the recipe, but all I found were recipes in Icelandic. Thank goodness Google Translate made it easier. However, there were some items where the translation was a bit questionable, so I had to guess based on other recipes. One of the changes that I made was also use recipes for apple cake. Reason is that although the lady said this was an apple pie, the consistency of the crust was more like an apple cake, so I used other apple cakes for reference (mostly non-Icelandic).

Given my current preference for gluten-free treats nowadays, I used a combination of oat flour and rice flour.  I only made half of the recipe since we were watching our sugar intake, but you can easily double it. I found that this is size is perfect for me and my husband and the cat. 

Here's what I have so far... let me know what you think.

Gluten-Free Eplakaka (Icelandic-style Apple Pie)

Based on the Silken Apple Cake and Hot Vanilla Sauce recipe from Guldur Raudur Graenn & Salt 

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup of gluten-free flour (I used 1/2 cup of rice flour and 1/2 cup of oat flour)
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 2 apples (medium size), sliced (about a cup and a half)
• 1/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 1/4 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)
• Yogurt (Greek or Icelandic) (optional for serving)

Directions

1. Butter or grease a loaf pan.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg, salt
4. Cream butter and sugar.
5. Add eggs and vanilla to the butter mixture. Continue mixing until combined.
6. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture.
7. Scrape the mix in to the pan.
8. Add apples and raisins on top of the batter
9. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Let cool and serve with whipped cream or Greek (or better yet, Icelandic) yogurt

Verdict

This recipe came very close to what I had in Reykjavik. The first time I made this, I used apples that I froze before the trip. I thought it was fortunate and quite appropriate to use those the frozen apples since they also survived the trip to Iceland (It was also one of my first freezing tests, and it was successful).

The first time I made this I put the apples on top instead of mixing it in the batter. I think I found a recipe that said the apples would sink in the batter in the baking process, so I thought I would use that technique. Unfortunately (or fortunately), only some of them sunk and the others baked on top. As a result, it actually gave it the apples that galette/tart consistency. I like it.

Added some dough on top of the crust: pie like?

I've also experimented in presentation and used some of the dough and putting it on top (much like a pie crust or coffee cake). This ended up with the same look as the cake I had in Reykjavik. I like this method too... it just depends on my mood.

In doing my research, I was also surprised that Icelanders use a lower temperature to bake. Not sure why, but I find that increasing the temp here in California a bit makes it cook better. Any ideas why?

Lastly, I did not make the vanilla sauce since the cake that I had in Reykjavik came with whipped cream (and I was and still am watching my sugar and fat intake as it is). However, if you want to make it, the recipe is below. The full recipe is below, so you can put as much vanilla sauce as you want.

Hot Vanilla Sauce (full recipe)

Based on the Silken Apple Cake and Hot Vanilla Sauce recipe from Guldur Raudur Graenn & Salt 

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup of cream (125 ml)
• 1/2 cup sugar (100 g)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Make vanilla sauce by putting the butter, cream and sugar together in a saucepan and stir constantly until the sugar has melted. 
2. Let them simmer gently for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. 
3. Remove from heat and add vanilla. 

Our Icelandic Holiday Celebration... in California

I have been in an Iceland Mode lately (with some minor breaks).  I was very inspired in our trip that I wanted to explore Icelandic food and cooking more. In fact, Iron Chef Michael Symon echoed how I felt in one of his shows (although he did not refer to Iceland). He said “Remember when I came back from Germany, I wanted to put dumplings in everything.” That is exactly how I feel... but not about the dumplings (this time).

For me, I was inspired with new food, flavors, and most of all, the fresh ingredients. I’ve been researching recipes, sometimes even translating Icelandic recipes (Takk fyrir, Google Translate), and of course, trying to experiment and recreating soups, dishes, and especially pastries that we’ve enjoyed.

Since it is the holidays, I thought it would be the best of both worlds if I write about how we adapted Icelandic Holidays and Feasts (and having a feast for only two people). 

Just a disclaimer, this post reflects what we had for Thanksgiving since we did go all out at that time (We knew Christmas would be hectic). We did design the menu so it would be more like an Icelandic Christmas. We went as far as we could, given our limited knowledge and ingredients.

Planning. Like all our meals in Iceland, we started with soup and for our entrees, had fish and lamb (not smoked though, since I can’t have it). Since we are having lamb, I opted to make vegetable soup. To make it more Icelandic Holiday style, we finished it off with Rice Pudding instead of all the cakes we (more I) enjoyed for dessert. We did have oatmeal cookies (more shortbread) handy though, just in case.

I also played with the idea of making bread for the first time, but I decided to defer it to a different time. Luckily and just in time, I found German-style rye bread at Whole Foods – Score! Not exactly Icelandic, but would do just fine! 

I also thought about trying out the caramelized potatoes but opted for a simple roast (with the lamb of course). The traditional sweet regular potatoes may be too much for my husband.

Here were the highlights of the evening:

Grænmetissúpa Með Höfrum

Vegetable soup with oats 

This recipe is from the Salt and Wind website by Blogger Ashlae Warner, who spent weeks in Iceland “uncovering that beautiful country.” I believe this recipe originated in the West Fjords, which we missed on our last trip.

Steikt þorski

Pan-fried Breaded Cod with cheese and yogurt-mustard sauce

This recipe is based on Baked cod, but I wanted to make it simpler. I deconstructed the recipe, used a panko-parmesian breading and made a yogurt sauce instead of baking with cream. Unfortunately, I could not find the source recipe at this time, but I will post an update when I find it.

Lambasteik

Roasted Lamb steak with onions and potatoes.

This is a traditional Sunday dinner in Iceland, and we decided to use for this special occasion. Lamb unfortunately is from New Zealand (Just missed the season).

Eplasalat

Apple Salad with dill and pomegranate seeds

This salad was inspired by a dish we had at the Apotek Restaurant in Reykjavík. We had scallops with apples and dill oil. I thought about this while I was cooking since I figured all this rich food needed a fresh component. As a result, I did not plan ahead and have dill oil prepared, but this is a good alternative. This recipe is loosely based on a apple and dill salad recipe from Cookbooks365.com.

Hrísgrjónagrautur

Rice Pudding with Bananas, Berry sauce and Skyr

Translates to Rice Grain Porridge. This is a traditional Icelandic dessert, especially for special occasions. This is based on Jamie Oliver’s recipe and a vegan recipe from Eating Well.

Overall, it was a simple but very hearty meal. Even though we were pretty conservative in our portions, we had leftovers for the next two days – which was the point of feasts anyway, right? We had soup for days, lamb sandwiches (instead of turkey), and my favorite way for leftover fish – fish cakes.  The rye bread became the vehicle for other sandwiches too: I could not resist having egg salad sandwiches on dark rye. I have not had those for a while.

Also, the leftover pudding – I made rice pudding pancakes for breakfast! They are another traditional Icelandic treat. Loved it!

Happy New Year everyone! Here’s to new adventures and abundance in the coming year. I hope this post inspires you to explore new food adventures.

To inspire your new adventures, here’s my Maddified recipe for rice pudding. Yummy and so easy, I may make a batch this weekend.

Gleðilegt nýtt ár.

Mad Gourmet’s Healtified Icelandic Style Rice Pudding

Based on Jamie Oliver’s Icelandic Rice Pudding and Eating Well’s Dairy-free Banana Rice Pudding

Serves 4 (1/2 cup servings)

Ingredients

Pudding:

• 1/2 cup brown basmati rice      
• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 Tbsp gluten‐free vanilla almond milk, divided
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/2 stick cinnamon or 1⁄4 tsp ground cinnamon (I used a full stick because I could not figure out how to do a clean break and I love cinnamon)
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract       
• Pinch or two of salt

Berry Topping:

• 1/4 cup of mixed berries
• 1 1/2 tsp of sugar
• water, to cover and smooth (about 1/2 cup)

Optional Garnishes:

• Raisins or currants, red currants if available
• Ground cinnamon
• (for non-vegans) Icelandic or Icelandic-style yogurt, vanilla

Directions

1. Put the berries in a stainless steel pan with 1/2 tablespoon of the sugar and enough water cover. Heat gently for 10 minutes, then add 5 tablespoons of cold water. Set aside. (If you prefer a smoother mixture, add 4-5 Tbsp of water and smooth in a blender.)
2. Combine rice, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes and bring to a boil.
3. Stir cornstarch and the remaining 1 Tbsp almond milk in a small bowl until smooth; add to the pudding.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the mixture has the consistency of porridge, stirring occasionally, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from the heat.
5. Mash 2 bananas in a small bowl. Stir the mashed bananas and vanilla into the pudding.
6. Spoon the cooked rice pudding into a serving dish, swirl the fruit sauce into it.
7. If desired, top with a dollop of Icelandic vanilla yogurt or scatter with raisins or fresh red currants before serving.