Chanterelle forest gold

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fresh

The golden Chanterelle – meaty, fragrant and perfect in a dollop of butter and cream!
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

There is in particular one mushroom in Sweden that is most popular with amateur mushroom pickers – the Chanterelle mushroom. This yellow-gold treat of a fungus is freely available in the forests during autumn for anyone who bothers to go out to find it, and for the less adventurous of us, it’s available at the wet markets and in the grocery stores for purchase.

Autumn is the season of Chanterelles, where you can find them lying hidden and camouflaged among the piles of fallen autumn leaves. Deliciously edible, this mushroom is easily recognizable by its rich yellow colour, its flat umbrella top, long ribbed stem and characteristic fragrance of something in-between flowers and forest after rain.
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Apple Sauce – from garden to table

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Colours of autumn, Sweden.

Colours of autumn in Sweden.
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

In a highly automated and globalized world where standards of living seem to be continuously improving, where ‘organic’, ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘sustainable’ are key words in today’s food industry, it’s surprising how far we’ve come from the basics of growing and cooking the food that we consume.

It’s much easier for example to head off to the grocery store and from there, choose from an array of produce to buy and bring home, than to harvest the very same produce from the garden or soil – lack of space, lack of time, too much city life, too many working hours etc. – there are countless valid reasons for our choices and why it is so difficult to have our food straight from the garden, sans chemical pesticides, sans chemical food preserving processes and packaging.

The Picking

But with not so much the concept of sustainability in mind, rather as time spent on something I enjoy doing in my spare time come autumn, and what makes the little happy moments in life, I went apple picking today in a charming and rustic Swedish garden with the aim of making some homemade apple sauce!

Rustic garden, Sweden.

Swedish rustic charm.

This garden comes as part of an old house built during the 1800s along the Swedish west coast. Tucked away in a little niche corner of a narrow, winding road, it was almost surreal, driving up the path, under apple boughs to reach the center of the garden that was washed golden with low rays of the morning Nordic sun in autumn.

Red Ingrid Marie Swedish apples

Red Ingrid Marie Swedish apples.

Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, apple picking, autumn, Sweden 2010.

The garden had basically two varieties of Swedish apples, the small red and attractive Ingrid Marie and the green golden Signe Tillisch. These varieties are in contrast to a previous autumn picking of Gravensteins.

The Ingrid Marie is named after the daughter of the teacher, K. Madsen, who once found the tree on Westfyn island in Denmark. A small tree grew, probably from the seedlings of a Cox’s Orange, among the raspberry plants. This incident happened around 1910 and today, the Ingrid Marie is one of the most widely grown varieties in Sweden. The trees though hardy, still prefer warmer locations to grow and the apples are instantly recognizable when encountered due to its distinct size, shape and a colour of quite bright red. Some Swedes would deem this one of the best varieties of Swedish apples to be eaten as a dessert apple, baked in cakes, pies and stews. These apples keep till January.
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Mocha Cake with Kahlúa

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, mocha cake with orange zest and marmalade orange peel.

Dark chocolate frosted Mocha cake with Kahlua, served with grated orange zest and orange peel marmalade.
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

While I grew up with my family baking the traditional Eurasian Sugee Cake and the dark, rich, brandy soaked Christmas Fruit Cake, it’s chocolate cake and the myriad variations of it that I really took for granted when living in Singapore.

In Singapore, I had the opportunity and convenience to hop from café to café, whether it was Seah Street Deli and Ah Teng’s Bakery at Raffles Hotel or the corner confectionary shop under an HDB void deck, in search of the ‘mood of the moment’ chocolate cake, one that fitted my fancy.

These days, living in Sweden, there’s unfortunately no such convenience of flitting from shop to shop for that perfect chocolate cake, where I find I have to bake one that sometimes related little to the mood of the moment but was just rather decadent to have at home for the next few days.

This weekend, a rather rich Mocha Cake with a dash of Kahlúa in the recipe, frosted over with a dark chocolate butter cream frosting.

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Neutrals from Winter 2010 to Spring 2011

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro in Karen Millen turtle neck and Marc Jacobs bag.

For Milan, it’s not just neutrals for winter, but for Spring 2011!
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

I’ve always loved Milan fashion showings with its cutting edge technology in fabrics, colour, cuts and shapes! And while winter hasn’t even hit Europe, looking at various fashion magazines and style columns in the Swedish news, I think we’re all pretty much excited about the up and coming fashion trends for Spring 2011.

Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag.

Part of what contributes to this excitement for Spring 2011 in Sweden is that Milan, known for their more flamboyant colours styles with the likes of Pucci, Just Cavalli and Gucci, have this time around come up with surprisingly neutral shades with minimalist shapes – a very Swedish, very Scandinavian take when it comes to design. A number of daringly solid black for spring outfits are also showcased in the collections of Bottega Veneta and No. 21.

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Sneak preview of the Gothenburg table, before the Luxembourg Culinary World Cup 2010

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Team leader and Cheryl, the finer details of Chocolate sculpture and desserts

Gothenburg Culinary Team Leader, Johan, pointing out the finer details of the chocolate sculpture and desserts.
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

In preparation of the upcoming Culinary World Cup held in Luxembourg in November 2010, the Gothenburg Culinary Team was doing a ‘dry run’ of the competition dishes. As luck would have it I was invited to take a sneak preview of their efforts if I could make it to Uddevalla, just north of Gothenburg, Sweden and of course I’d love to.

Meeting with the whole team.

Meeting with the whole team.

At this point in time, the team is already in the later stages in their preparation for the international competition and had set up a complete display table that resembled the one to be judged in Luxembourg. This entire exhibition was a team exercise that acted as a show-case plus brainstorm session for the team members, showing in detail how things right now would look like when put together.

Even if their food display already looked thoroughly breathtaking and appetizing, the fact was that all dishes would still be improved upon before the final design that would go into the competition was set.

This event was rather nondescript for their efforts, a showing mainly for themselves, friends and colleagues. It was hysterical to observe that all visitors to the display table were frustrated that entire set meals, plus breads and desserts were strictly for display only. There would be no touching, no tasting, no licking, no eating of any crumb on the table as the crumbs would most likely be part of the dish display and most carefully placed where they should be.
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An evening with the Gothenburg Culinary Team West of Sweden

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro at Trubaduren with the Gothenburg Culinary Team, 2010.

At dinner, presented by the Gothenburg Culinary Team at the restaurant Trubaduren, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

With the upcoming Culinary World Cup in November 2010, in Luxembourg in mind the Gothenburg Culinary Team invited friends and members of two culinary interest groups to a three course dinner event during this last weekend.

Mingle session, Cheryl Marie Cordeiro and Manager of the Gothenburg Culinary Team, Ronny Spetz.

Ronny Spetz, Team Manager, welcoming guests to the mingle session.

The atmosphere at the mingle session was as usual relaxed and friendly. The autumn air outside with its light drizzle coupled with a chilled white Champagne prior to dinner heightened our expectations of an upcoming display of culinary artistry.

Members of the Swedish Chefs Association, and members of the Western Swedish Academy of Gastronomy, Trubaduren, Gothenburg.

Mingle session before dinner

It was during the mingle session prior to dinner that guests got to meet two managers of the Gothenburg Culinary Team, various board members of their own mother organization that is the Western Swedish Chefs Association (SKF), and members and friends of the Western Swedish Academy of Gastronomy (VGAK). The discussions bounced lightheartedly and passionately between topics about what’s current and coming in the culinary world, and not the least what was to be served for dinner that evening.
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FENDI Zucca, jacquard hobo in monogram brown

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Fendi Zucca Chef shoulder bag.

The Fendi Zucca Chef bag.
Photo © C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

For anyone looking for a convenient grab bag, one that is roomy and can take the wear and tear of everyday use, I would like to recommend the Fendi Zucca Chef. This nifty bag is one of the few hobo bags that has caught my attention lately with its softer, more rounded shape than my regular choice of LV’s.

Fendi Zucca Chef bag, zipper tag.
Fendi Zucca Chef bag, pleats.

Despite what I thought it looking rather small when it sat on the shelves, the good point with its soft and flexible walls is that it can indeed accommodate quite a few irregular shaped objects such as an SLR camera, wallet, notepad, the latest Stieg Larsson, a foldable umbrella and more, we might find indispensable any certain day.
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Swedish west coast autumn plums and crab fishing

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Early autumn, we had the pleasure to see as our guests, a group of Singaporean students, who were out to explore our nook of the western Swedish archipelago. Some were to stay in Gothenburg within their exchange program, some were to leave for their stay in Italy.

The group met for lunch, after which we all went out in the garden to have our dessert straight from our trees and bushes. Autumn is the ideal harvest time for most fruits and berries in Sweden and pleasantly enough, we had plenty to offer of red currants and plums. The plums, being big, sweet and juicy, turned out to be something of a favourite!

Red currant picking, Swedish west coast.

Before taking a walk to the beach, some red currant picking in the garden and eaten straight from a branch without being packaged and wrapped in plastic first. A nice alternative to city-living.
Photo © Ryan Chung, J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

Plum picking, Swedish west coast.

Plum picking and enjoying the harvest.

Matt with plums, Cheryl and Ryan in background.

Matt with a handful (or two) of plum picks.

plums

Plums.

Crab fishing, Swedish west coast.

Learning to crab fish.

Near our place is a neat and well protected bathing beach with a solid, rocky pier to break the waves. This beachside haven creates a shelter for small children and accompanying adults, who prefer warm and shallow to deep and cold water.

Along this pier is a favourite crab fish spot for both children and grown-ups alike. All it takes is a string and an opened clam in the end of the string, and most any crab will climb on board and refusing to let go, will follow the string up. Usually the “catch” is just toppled back into the sea at the end of the day since the crabs are considered too small for eating anyway. Somehow it appears as if there’s developed an established agreement on how to run this show. The crabs get to eat ready opened clams, and in return they agree on being lifted in and out of the water during the day by small children. All parties seem to be ok with this arrangement.
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In the office with Cat, Dolce&Gabbana and Vivienne Westwood

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro in Vivienne Westwood dress, Dolce & Gabbana skirt, Roberto Cavalli heels, Tod's grained leather bag.

Our Norwegian Forest Cat walks in to say hello! (Where’s my food?)
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

Dress codes for the office varies from culture to culture and even from organization to organization. Just about forty years ago in Singapore, women were not allowed to wear pants or slacks to the office, the garments being deemed as too masculine and too unladylike. But the strict rule for ‘skirts only’ to the office for women in Singapore was relaxed around the 1970s and women were allowed to wear pants to work, on Fridays. It was from here that the concept of ‘dress-down Friday’ came about in Singapore, where for women at least, they could skip the skirts and opt for slacks that gave them greater freedom of movement.

In Sweden too dress codes vary between organizations. In some academic circles the codes are almost comically lax, where the higher echelons are so entirely focused on the minds of individuals that one can almost expect that the more bizarre a person dresses, the more unique and valuable their expertise. In the corporate world, values are fairly measured compared to academic circles, and people tend to dress in reflection of their position and work demands, steering towards what fits the occasion.

The myth that a Swedish CEO would arrive to a business meeting in t-shirt, clogs and jeans, is generally an exaggeration. For most of the time, it’s pretty much ‘do as you like’, as long as it is ‘lagom’. However any ‘dress-down Friday’, I have yet to see and my Friday last was anything but.

Cheryl Marie Cordeiro in Vivienne Westwood, Dolce & Gabbana. Norwegian Forest Cat.

Before stepping out the door with Cat.

One of my current favourite outfits is a Vivienne Westwood asymmetrical dress, gathered at the side seams and falling to the knees, a Dolce & Gabanna tulip skirt (over the bottom of the Westwood dress) and Roberto Cavalli black patent stiletto heels. A large Tod’s shoulder bag in cream calf grained leather is useful for files and laptop alike. A simple pair of pearl and diamond earrings to complement this outfit.
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A caseinic tour of Europe

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hard_italian

An Italian hard cheese that is washed in Recioto, perfect with Acacia honey or caramelized almonds. Tried just for fun with a drop of Port.
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

It was only in Sweden that I came to realize that cheese and coffee were more synonymous with dessert than a slice of chocolate cake or a scoop of ice-cream.

On the plate above is an Italian hard cheese whose rind was washed in a sweet Italian red wine Recioto della Valpolicella that is a variation to the rich dry red wine of Amarone della Valpolicella.

Pié d' Angloys French rind washed soft cheese.

Pié d’ Angloys, an award winning French rind washed soft cheese that has a rich, creamy texture that is a variation to the taste of brie.

Rind washed cheeses are typically bathed in a wash of salted water, wine, brandy or local spirits, according to the traditions of each region. Besides adding a distinct and local flavour to the cheese the washing process helps to soften the rind and encourage this to become a part of the cheese rather than just a skin.

The washing also helps cheeses to retain its moisture. Through this process, the cheese becomes soft, thick and brilliant and sometimes showing some coloring from the wine. Washed rind cheeses typically present a paradox, in that their colorful, often pungent rinds contrast with beautifully smooth and creamy interior.
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