New Scandinavian Cooking

>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... Horten Municipality.

[ Bottle cap pops, clinks ] >> Ahh!

>> 62 degrees Nord.

[ Wind howls ] Kvaroy Arctic.

Up Norway.

>> Rodseth: Ladies first.

She's greedy.

Whoa!

>> Mm!

>> Rodseth: Okay.

>> Mm!

That's so rich and delicious.

>> Rodseth: Mm.

You can feel your heart is almost stopping because there's so much fat in it... which is nice.

Mm.

Hi, and welcome to "New Scandinavian Cooking" from Vestfold og Telemark in eastern Norway.

I am Christer Rodseth.

This part of the country is known for lazy summer days under the sun, with beautiful shorelines and beaches, outdoor activities, and many interesting sites to visit, especially in this region, where the usage of stones has always been important, with burial sites from the Iron Age and time where the Vikings roamed the hills.

In today's program, I'd like to see if this tradition of using stones is rooted within me.

So, I will build my own oven.

First off, I'll use the indirect heat from my oven and make a white pizza with some finely cut rib-eye steak, decorated with sweet summer tomatoes, kale, and fresh herbs.

And, finally, I will make my way down to the sea level again and cook up a beef Bourguignon la Norvgienne, a beef stew served with velvety mashed potato.

>> Mmm!

Mmm!

>> Rodseth: [ Laughs ] [ Cow moos ] Good morning, Erik.

>> Yeah, good morning.

[ Cows mooing ] >> Rodseth: So you just started off.

You just started cleaning it now, getting it prepared for milking?

>> Yep.

And you can try to milk something before we set the machine on.

>> Rodseth: Yeah.

Still got it.

Still got it.

These dairy cows are called "Norwegian Red."

It's a combination breed that produce both milk and meat.

The cattle generally are very healthy with high fertility rates, and the cows produce a lot of milk.

So I think I'm actually closing up to a quart now.

>> Yes.

>> Rodseth: Looks quite good, eh?

I'm really happy.

[ Cows mooing ] So thanks to this beautiful morning, I've been able to go back into the barn.

I've been milking cows by hand again -- beautiful, beautiful.

And now we are actually standing with the cows.

And they are young cows.

>> Yes.

>> Rodseth: And they are grassing.

So how old are these?

>> These are one year.

>> Rodseth: One year?

>> Yeah.

And the next year they get their first calf.

>> Rodseth: Okay.

So they're two years old when they get their first calf.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: From early May until December, the livestock on the farm are grazing all kinds of vegetation outdoor.

It's a very natural process, where grass and other plants turn into both meat and milk.

During summer, each cow should give birth to a calf.

Otherwise she will not continue to produce milk.

This is important for a dairy farm.

The cows on this farm mostly give birth to the new calves out in the open.

The breed Norwegian Red rarely has problems with calving, but the farmer still checks them every day.

And it's so nice to see the rest of the herd when they welcome the newborn.

So to the best part of the day for me -- after the milking, of course, because that was brilliant -- I'm going to cook.

>> Yes.

>> Rodseth: And I know you have found a lovely piece of rib eye for me.

So let's go.

Let's go cook up a lovely white pizza with ancho-cut rib eye.

Yes.

Come with me.

>> Oh.

>> Rodseth: So my morning so far has been absolute beautiful.

I've been into the barn with Erik.

I've been milking cows -- such a good feeling to get, like, this "farmly" feeling in the morning.

The sun is shining.

It's beautiful.

And now finally we're going to cook our first meal together.

So it's going to be a white pizza with rib eye.

We have some kale, tomatoes, and, as well, a white dressing with garlic, basil, and rosemary.

So I just want to give you, like, little hints of what we're going to use for our main ingredient today, which is the rib eye.

Have a look at this piece.

Beautiful.

You see the marbling of the fat.

I'm going to start with the dressing.

So we have crme frache in this bowl, a couple of cloves of garlic.

Crack it like that.

And I'm going to just chop it quite nice, finely down.

You can have it big, as well.

But personally I don't like big bits of garlic, and into the bowl.

For our next ingredient, which is basil -- you know, this flavor of basil, it's like being in Italy, but we're not in Italy.

We are in Bamble, almost the same.

You get this really summery flavor into it because normally in pizza, lots of people, they use red sauce, but today it's a white sauce.

But you get, though, you get this, like, pizza feeling, as well, with this basil in it.

So and we're just gonna give it a quick stir, like this.

Just leave this to set now because we're gonna start with our main ingredient now.

So this is going to set here, set flavors for 10, 15 minutes.

Here is our absolutely beautiful piece of rib eye.

I'm going to use some salt on it.

Use quite a bit because it's going to fall off, anyways, lots of it, when you cook it, pepper.

Give it, like, three or four cracks and, as well, some neutral oil to keep it not from sticking into my special oven, which you're going to see soon.

I built my own oven for today's program, so just follow me now.

We're going to cook this rib eye.

Let's go.

[ Sizzling ] Just listen to this sound.

My oven works.

I'm a genius, in my opinion, at least.

So just a bit more wood in it to make sure it keeps hot like this, because soon we're gonna cook a pizza in it.

So the rib eye is now resting by the oven.

So it's time to make the pizza.

So I start with some flour.

Use a good amount.

Take a piece of dough and just gently press it around so you get like a round shape, and now gently, gently.

See how gentle I am?

And there we go.

So you can see it's roundish, at least.

I'm quite happy.

So we did the dressing.

We have the crme frache with the garlic and basil -- just a nice amount because it tastes nice.

So why not?

Put it around the pizza like this, continuing with some grated mozzarella.

And you can use burrata, whatever you have.

If you have burrata, you're lucky.

If you got it, please use it.

I got two kinds of cheese here now, so just grate a bit on top, just like that, and the other one on top.

And then we're going to finish off with some fresh rosemary.

And we're going to put it in my homemade oven, my perfect pizza.

So just on this one.

And now into the oven.

So now the pizza's in the oven.

And now we're just going to give this rib eye a quick, quick touch on the stone just to get it a bit warmer.

And then we're gonna see how this final pizza's gonna look afterwards.

All right, look at this.

Homemade pizza from a homemade oven.

So I'm really happy, as you probably can see.

I can't wait to taste this because it looks amazing.

My rib eye has been resting now for about, like, 10, 15 minutes.

And now, just to start with, we're going to do some vegetables, not too much, just a tiny bit.

So we're going to use some kale, a couple of tomatoes, sweet and nice, salt again, olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon.

So just mix it up.

You know, kale could be a bit chewy, so if you use lemon juice on it, it's going to be a bit more tender.

But it's nice with a bit of a texture on the pizza.

And now the time has come to cut it.

Let's have a look.

Oh, yeah.

Look at that beautiful, beautiful meat.

Bit more salt on, and we'll just put them on like this -- slices, nice, warm slices of rib eye on top, like this.

And just finishing it off with a bit more kale and last bits of tomatoes.

And now, my friends, the time has come to get the judgment because now the meat is from Erik.

So Erik has to decide whether or not this is a dish he could go good for.

So, Erik, please come in.

So now you have to be honest, yeah?

Not lie to me.

If you don't like it, tell me, yeah?

>> Yeah?

[ Laughs ] >> Rodseth: Actually, don't.

Just eat it and shut up.

Have a go.

>> [ Laughs ] Oh.

Mmm.

Mm!

What a taste.

>> Rodseth: Juicy.

>> Everybody like this.

I'm sure.

>> Rodseth: Hopefully, yeah.

>> [ Laughs ] >> Rodseth: Well, thank you for this.

Keep on producing, and I'll keep on cooking, okay?

>> Yes.

>> Rodseth: Thank you.

[ Cows mooing in distance ] You can find all our recipes at our website, newscancook.com.

When the local community garden in Bamble heard that we were visiting, they offered some fresh vegetables to my next dish, a lovely beef stew.

>> Yeah.

This one looks nice.

>> Rodseth: Oh, that's beautiful.

It's so fresh.

>> Yeah.

It's alive, almost.

>> Rodseth: It's almost alive, yeah.

Well, thank you for this.

This stew is going to be on a next level, I'm sure... >> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: ...because you have some beautiful vegetables.

So thank you so much.

>> Thank you for that.

>> Rodseth: I think community gardening is a really good concept, and it's getting more and more popular.

This is also where Erik, the dairy farmer, contributes with natural fertilizer every year.

Just next door to the community garden, I was told there is a local baker that makes one of the tastiest sourdough bread in the neighborhood.

And yes, I cannot resist the temptation.

>> Oh, we bake this bread in an old oven.

It's 200 years old, and the bread gets very, very good.

>> Rodseth: Tomorrow, I'm gonna make a beef stew.

It's going to be a Norwegian style, you know?

It's like a beef Bourguignon if you're going to go the classic way.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: So is it possible that I can get a couple?

>> Yes, of course.

>> Rodseth: Oh, fantastic.

Thank you.

So far, in the municipality of Bamble, here in Vestfold og Telemark, has only been sunshine, great people, fantastic bread, and pizza.

It's time to move on to Larvik.

And to put it this way, a visit to Larvik means going for some spa treatment, just as lovely in summer as it's during winter.

But did you know that Larvik is also home for a special type of stone that fits very well in the kitchen?

I need to know more about this.

So we're looking now at Norway's national stone.

Tell me about this.

>> The type of stone is called "monzonite," and it mainly consists of the feldspar mineral.

So that makes it differ from marble or a granite.

And it's also part of what gives this material the unique look that it has.

And this type of monzonite is only found here in Larvik, Norway.

Therefore, the geological name, larvikite.

And this material, it was crafted by nature almost 300 million years ago, deep, deep into the Earth's crust.

And at that depth, there was such a high pressure and temperature.

So it took the magma 8 million years to harden and take the shape of this material.

>> Rodseth: Is there any special place we should use the stones?

>> Due to the process that how it was created, it was no air left into it.

So it means that it's a high, dense material, and that gives some very good features.

Like for kitchen work tops, it's practically maintenance-free.

You can put a hot pot on it, and you won't damage it by scratching or staining it by normal use.

>> Rodseth: Very cool.

So your family, tell me about your story.

>> Our story started more than 100 years ago.

In 1910, my great-great-grandfather, Alfred Lundh, came from Sweden to Norway to manage the quarry operations of a Swedish company.

And you can imagine at that time they had -- it was really, really tough and physical work, and they had limited numbers of equipment that we have, that we had later on.

>> Rodseth: So if you look behind us, I see lots of, lots of, lots of stones, but what's going on?

What's happening behind us now?

>> What you see here is how we operate a modern quarry today.

We have big machinery in order to move big pieces and make better efficiency.

And the extraction today is based on wire-cut sawing.

So we cut big slabs out of the mountain that we then flip over, and we have to select them, the very best pieces that qualify for our premium products.

That's only a small part of what we extract every year.

>> Rodseth: So this is a Norwegian stone.

Norway is in Scandinavia.

We are making new Scandinavian cooking.

So what are you gonna say if I would like to have, like, a kitchen with larvikite?

Is it something you can help me with?

>> Of course.

>> Rodseth: So now I just picked up my fantastic bread from a 200-year-old oven.

I got some lovely parsnips from the shareholder farm, and now it's time to cook up the beef Bourguignon la Norvgienne.

It's like a beef stew, but it's really Norwegian because we're going to use lots of cream, lots of sour cream, and, as well, brown cheese.

So the stew is made on the chuck steak and, as well, the top sirloin.

This beef yesterday I cut them into dices.

I've caramelized them with onions and garlic.

And I braised them overnight on 160 Fahrenheit with red wine, you know, beef stock.

And now it's all tender.

And I just added some reduced cream into it.

So the sauce is starting to get, like, nice.

Just stir it a bit.

And now just gonna give it a touch of maizena just to thicken the sauce to get like the right consistency.

So just in there.

So now we're gonna add a couple of big, big spoons of sour cream.

And we're going to give this a quick stir before we're going to start with the vegetables.

So now I'm just going to put this on my new countertop of larvikite, straight on because it can take the heat.

So we get a pan on, get it nice and warm, some oil, as well, just to cook it off.

And in front of the desk, you can see we have the gold from the forest, chanterelles.

And we use quite a lot because it's going to give this, like, umami flavor to the stew.

So you can use whatever mushrooms you have.

But now, while they're in season, I have to use them because these are amazing.

I'm gonna add some shallots, as well.

Just chop them down into the pan and, as well, some salt and pepper.

Now, so, we're going to add some tarragon and parsley.

I love tarragon.

Tarragon gives this anise-like, almost like licorice flavor.

Personally I don't like licorice too much.

But tarragon, my favorite of all herbs in the world.

So just put some energy on.

Let's chop it down, add it into the chanterelles and the onions, and we're going to use, as well, a small piece of butter.

So now we're just going to finish off by adding some baked Jerusalem artichokes and parsnip.

Just get it in there like this.

Put some more salt on, as well, a bit more pepper.

And now the time has come to actually finish off this fantastic beef Bourguignon la Norvgienne.

So the stew is here.

It's still warm because this pan is really, really thick.

So just get it on there.

Boil it up again.

You see, now this is so creamy.

So we have the chanterelles, the Jerusalem artichokes.

You have the shallots, parsley, and tarragon straight into the stew.

And, as well, we're going to use some of these pickled, look.

It's called "silver onions."

They are pickled small onions into the stew, as well, to get this acidity to it.

And now while this is just standing there and just slowly reheating, I'm going to show you my biggest secret.

It's mashed potatoes.

But it's so soft.

It's so -- it's almost like silk.

And the amount of butter should be illegal.

But it's so nice.

So you're just going to get this back into the heat.

I'm going to add some cream into it.

Tiny bit of butter, just to get it, like, finished off.

So just beat the potato puree like this.

Just give it lots, lots of beating.

Get it fluffy.

Get it airy.

Get the butter in there.

Give it a bit more salt.

So to finish off the stew, we need probably the most important ingredients in the whole thing, which is, of course, brown cheese.

So I'm going to grate a couple of nice slices of the brown cheese into the stew.

It's going to give this caramelized, sweet flavor.

Just stir it in, let it melt.

And the time has come to plate.

Oh, look at this.

We do the potato puree.

You should be able to pour it from the pan.

So...look at that.

Amazing.

Just to finish it off, I'm going to give the potato puree some spring onions on top like this.

And in Norway, when we do dishes like this, you know, lots of cream, lots of sour cream, lots of love, which I would call it, we always finish it off with some parsley.

So when I travel, I love traveling with my friends.

So now actually I brought my friend, foodie friend, Nadin.

Please come in.

It's a beef Bourguignon la Norvgienne.

Ladies first.

She's greedy.

Whoa.

Okay.

>> Mm.

That's so rich and delicious.

>> Rodseth: Mm.

You can feel your heart is almost stopping because there's so much fat in it... which is nice.

Mm.

I would like to make a dessert, as well.

So I'm going to make a caramelized cream with some oats and maybe some thyme, as well.

We'll see.

So please come back afterwards.

We're going to have a really, really rich and good flavor of caramel and a nice ending of this lovely meal.

>> So long!

>> Rodseth: For more inspiration, visit our website, newscancook.com.

So after a great dinner, I can't really imagine anything better to eat than a caramelized cream.

Caramel is probably my favorite thing in the whole world.

I could probably eat it on anything.

So I just started off now with 3 1/2 ounces of sugar, a tiny bit of water just to get it caramelized.

You can see now it's getting a nice, little brown color to it.

I have four egg yolks, medium-sized, in a bowl.

So now we see we have a perfect color on the sugar now.

So I'm going to add the milk.

So you have about 1 1/2 cup of the fresh cow milk and 1/2 cup of normal cream.

Just put it in slowly because it's going to explode a bit, which is kind of fun.

Just, you can see now, just we're going to just dissolve the sugar in the milk to make, actually making a caramel milk.

While it's dissolving, you can have a look in this because I just had some oats and some honey.

I roasted it up just to give it a bit of a crunch with ice cream.

Just feel it.

Yes, it's already dissolved.

So now these go straight into the egg.

Be careful now because this could be really, really hot.

So make sure you whisk the eggs while adding this slowly.

So whisk hard now and just get it straight back into the pot while keep stirring.

Keep stirring.

And there we are.

So, as you can see now, there's a brown dark color into it, which is very beautiful.

[ Sniffing ] Smells beautiful.

So now this is going up to 180 Fahrenheit about and then into an ice machine.

And my friend Nadin is going to come back, and we're going to have a nice, little end of the day with a big, big scoop of caramel ice cream.

So, as you can see now, it starts ticking up.

You see the bubbles are coming, and now it's all about just whisking, whisking, and let the rest heat from the pot.

Just finish off and get, like, the last few degrees.

And there we are.

It's finished.

We just add the rest of the milk into the mixture.

And here I have part of my ice machine, at least.

I'll put this in now.

So if you don't own an ice machine, that's okay.

You should really buy one, though, because it's really good, because ice cream is good Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays.

Every day week, ice cream is nice.

But if you don't have it, just use a bowl like this.

Have the mixture in it, into the freezer, and just make sure you stir every, like, 30 minutes, and you're going to get almost the same product.

Not quite but almost, okay?

So the ice cream is now in the machine.

As you can see here, I made a little crunch with some oats.

There's honey.

We have some salt.

So this is going to give it like a beautiful texture with the caramel ice cream since you see now the honey, it's been caramelized.

You get crunchy with the caramel ice cream, a bit of Maldon salt, and thyme.

It's going to be beautiful.

Nadin, let's go.

Dessert time.

For recipes and more, visit our website, newscancook.com.

>> For more of the "New Scandinavian Cooking" experience, visit our website and social media.

Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... Horten Municipality.

[ Bottle cap pops, clinks ] >> Ahh!

>> 62 degrees Nord.

[ Wind howls ] Kvaroy Arctic.

Up Norway.