three course menus

Three-course menu

The Mediterranean Meets Sweden

Sometimes you wish summer could last forever, and this menu takes you there – or, if not quite to summer, then certainly to the Mediterranean and that unmistakable holiday feeling. But we’re not leaving Swedish food traditions behind. Instead, we bring together the best of both worlds. We start with a relaxed Mediterranean classic: a tapas platter where tapenade and a selection of delicious cured meats take centre stage. For the main course, grilled flank steak is served over a light salad with potatoes, a fresh yoghurt sauce and a red onion chutney that you and your guests are sure to love. For dessert, Mediterranean lime meets blackberries from the Swedish forests in a wonderful combination: a lime tartlet with white chocolate mousse and fresh blackberries. After a meal from the grill, something bright and refreshing is just what you need, and the tartness of citrus and berries balances the sweetness of the white chocolate beautifully.

Tapas with Cured Meats and Tapenade on Toast

Starter

Tapas

35 min 4 servings

Spanish tapas is a wonderfully easy and relaxed way to create a Mediterranean-inspired starter that both looks and tastes like a holiday. Tapas classics include a variety of cured meats, olives, bite-sized versions of Spanish tortilla and vegetables preserved in olive oil. Here, we’ve kept things fairly classic and simple, making it perfect as a starter. If you want to turn your tapas into a full meal, simply add a wider selection of small dishes – perhaps even give it a Swedish twist with cubes of Västerbotten cheese, slices of gravlax or some bite-sized Swedish meatballs? When it comes to tapas, the only limit is your imagination.

Servings
4

Ingredients

  • Air-dried charcuterie7.1 oz
  • Olives1 can
  • Bread8 slices

Tapenade

  • Black olives3 oz
  • Capers1 tbsp
  • Anchovy fillets1 pcs
  • Sun-dried tomatoes3 pcs
  • Garlic clove1 pcs
  • Lime1/2 pcs
  • Olive oil3.4 fl oz
  • Basil10 leaves
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Honey
  • Salt

Nutrition per serving

Energy635 kcal
Protein23.9 g
Carbohydrates42.6 g
Fat40.1 g
Fiber5.6 g

Instructions

Tapenade Roughly chop the olives and finely chop the remaining ingredients. Mix everything together thoroughly and leave to rest in the refrigerator for a few hours. Allow the tapenade to come to room temperature before serving.

To Serve Roll or loosely fold the cured meats and arrange them on the plate. Quickly toast the slices of bread in the oven at 225°C (435°F), just until the surface becomes lightly crisp.

You can either spoon the tapenade onto the bread, as we have done in the picture, or serve it in a small bowl or directly on the plate. The latter options let you include plenty of the flavourful olive oil – perfect for dipping the bread.

Add a few whole olives and, if you like, finish with a light drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the plate.

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Tips & Inspiration

Mise en place

Mise en place, or "everything in its place" as the French expression translates, means having everything ready when it is time to cook. All the ingredients should be out, measured and prepared, and all the tools, pans and machines should be ready too. That takes the stress out of cooking and leaves more time for your company.

Planning a three-course dinner

A three-course dinner is most fun when the host gets to sit down too. Choose a starter and a dessert that can be made wholly or partly in advance, such as a cold starter, a mousse or an ice cream. Then you can focus on the main course. Write a timetable working backwards from when the guests arrive, and set the table in the afternoon.

Flank Steak with Yoghurt Sauce, Red Onion Chutney, Salad and Boiled Potatoes

Main Course

Flank Steak with Red Onion Chutney

1 h 4 servings

Summer and warm evenings almost inevitably mean the smell of barbecue drifting through the air – and there are few things better than sitting down outside to enjoy something fresh from the grill as the sun goes down. Barbecued food can sometimes feel a little heavy, so we’ve created a dish that satisfies that craving for something grilled while still feeling fresh and light. It’s filling enough to round off a wonderful summer day without weighing you down. Flank steak is perfect for cooking over charcoal, adding that extra touch of summer flavour. And the red onion chutney? You may want to remember this one – it makes a fantastic accompaniment to just about any grilled meat.

Servings
4

Ingredients

  • Flank steak1.3 lb
  • New potatoes1.3 lb
  • Radishes1 bunch
  • Red onion1 pcs
  • Pearl tomatoes1 pack
  • Mixed salad1 bag

Yoghurt Sauce

  • Turkish yogurt0.8 cups
  • Feta cheese2.6 oz
  • Sun-dried tomatoes in oil4 pcs
  • Basil0.5 pot
  • Marinated garlic cloves3 pcs
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Red Onion Chutney

  • Red onion1 pcs
  • Olive oil1 fl oz
  • Muscovado sugar1 fl oz
  • Balsamic vinegar2 tsp

Instructions

Yoghurt Sauce Finely chop all the ingredients and stir them into the yoghurt. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then keep chilled until ready to serve.

Red Onion Chutney Slice the onions into rings about 3 mm (⅛ inch) thick. Gently sauté them in oil until they begin to soften. Add the sugar and vinegar, cover and leave to cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally.

The chutney is ready when the onions are almost completely soft and have lost their raw onion flavour. This should take about 20 minutes.

Boil the potatoes until tender. Slice the red onion and radishes, cut the tomatoes into wedges and toss everything together with the salad leaves.

Grill the flank steak for a few minutes on each side, or until cooked just the way you like it. Allow the meat to rest briefly before slicing, then serve with the salad, yoghurt sauce and red onion chutney.

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Tips & Inspiration

Carving

Carving means cutting meat, such as a roast, into thin slices before serving. Straight after cooking, let the meat rest for 10 minutes so it cools slightly; it settles and stays juicier.

Browning

When you fry or brown something to give it colour, a chemical process called the Maillard reaction is taking place. Proteins and carbohydrates react with each other, creating the brown colour and a whole range of new flavours.

Lime Tartlet with White Chocolate Mousse and Fresh Blackberries

Dessert

Lime Tartlet with White Chocolate Mousse

45 min 4 servings

This summery dessert combines the gentle sweetness of white chocolate with the fresh, vibrant flavour of lime. It’s perfect when you want to serve something a little special after one of those long summer evenings around the barbecue – especially when a light and refreshing dessert is just what you need. The pastry cases, lime filling and white chocolate mousse can all be prepared earlier in the day. Then, just before serving, simply pipe the mousse onto the tartlets. Easy, elegant and, most importantly, it leaves you plenty of time to enjoy the evening with your guests.

Servings
4

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry

  • Butter3.5 oz
  • Sugar1.7 fl oz
  • Vanilla sugar0.5 tsp
  • Flour0.8 cups

Lime Filling

  • Eggs1 pcs
  • Sugar3.4 fl oz
  • Flour1 tbsp
  • Lime1 pcs

White Chocolate Mousse

  • Cream0.6 cups
  • Quark (Kesella)0.6 cups
  • White chocolate5.3 oz
  • Vanilla extract0.5 tsp
  • Blackberries8 pcs

Nutrition per serving

Energy875 kcal
Protein12.5 g
Carbohydrates80.1 g
Fat56 g
Fiber1.8 g

Instructions

Shortcrust Pastry Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and mix until a dough begins to form. If it doesn’t quite come together, gently knead it with your hands. Press the dough into small tartlet tins and pre-bake at 175°C (350°F) for about 5 minutes.

Lime Filling Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla sugar until pale and fluffy. Gently fold in the lime zest and juice together with the flour, then pour the mixture into the pastry cases. Bake in the centre of the oven at 175°C (350°F) until lightly golden. Leave to cool completely, preferably in the refrigerator.

White Chocolate Mousse Gently melt the white chocolate together with the cream in a saucepan. Once melted and smooth, stir in the quark and vanilla extract. Pour the mixture into a cream whipper and charge it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Refrigerate until completely chilled, giving the whipper a gentle shake from time to time.

Carefully remove the tartlets from their tins. Pipe the white chocolate mousse elegantly over each tartlet and garnish with a couple of blackberries and perhaps a touch of something green for a fresh finish.

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Tips & Inspiration

Zest

Zest is thin strips of the outermost, coloured part of citrus peel. It is used for flavour and decoration in food and desserts, such as lemon pie, meringues, sorbets and salads. Use the zest when you want the citrus flavour and the juice when you want the acidity. Strips of lemon peel are also used in drinks.

Shortcrust pastry

Shortcrust pastry should be handled as little as possible. Use cold butter and work quickly so the butter doesn't melt into the dough. If you knead too long, the gluten in the flour develops and the pastry turns tough and shrinks in the oven. Let the dough rest in the fridge for at least half an hour before rolling it out or pressing it into the tin.