CALENDAR • • • DIRECTIONS • • • GIFT CARDS • • • HISTORY • • • HOURS • • • PHOTO GALLERY • • • PRESS • • • PRODUCTS • • • RECIPES • • • NEWSLETTER

Aquavit Restaurant New York | Recipes

Restaurant Aquavit New York’s Swedish pancakes with Lingonberry whipped cream

Makes 12 pancakes; serves 4

For the pancakes

¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon of salt
Grated zest of ½ orange
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon of butter, melted and cooled, plus additional butter for cooking the pancakes

For the lingonberry whipped cream

1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons Lingonberry preserves

1. Make the pancake batter: Combine the flour, milk, heavy cream, sugar, salt and orange zest in a large bowl and whisk to blend. Whisk in the eggs, then stir in the melted butter. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours).

2. Shortly before serving, make the whipped cream: In a medium bowl, beat the cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Fold in the Lingonberry preserves. Cover and refrigerate.

3. To cook the pancakes, heat a small nonstick crepe pan or skillet with slopping sides over medium-high heat. Add teaspoon butter and heat until melts and the bubbles subside. Whisk the batter once more to blend well, then add a scant ¼ cup batter to the pan, swirling the pan so it covers the bottom in a thin layer. Watch the pancake carefully, and as soon as the surface is dry, in less than a minute, turn it over and cook for about 30 seconds longer. Transfer the pancake to a plate and repeat the process with the remaining batter, adding more butter to the pan as needed and stacking the pancakes on the plate. The pancakes can be served warm or at room temperature.

4. Spread some of the whipped cream filling across the lower third of each pancake and roll it up, or spread a thin layer of whipped cream over each pancake and fold it into quarters. Arrange on plates and serve.

Restaurant Aquavit New York’s Gravlax with Mustard Sauce

Gravlax, salmon cured to a velvety silky-smooth texture in a sugar-salt dill mixture, is one of the great traditional Scandinavian dishes. An essential part of any smorgasbord table, it also makes an elegant appetizer for a dinner party, perhaps a New Years Eve celebration. Although it is a special-occasion dish, it is simple to prepare. I like to start the cure at room temperature, so that the sugar and salt slowly dissolve, penetrating the flesh of the fish, then finish with a longer stint in the refrigerator. (The word gravlax comes from gravad lax, literally, buried salmon because in the days before refrigeration, the salmon was buried in the group keep it cold as it cured.) As gravlax becomes popular in the United Stats, chefs have experimented with all sorts of cures. But of all the fresh herbs used in Sweden, dill is the most popular, particularly in fish preparations, and I offer the classic version here, with the traditional mustard-dill sauce as an accompaniment. I do add a little coffee to the sauce to give it a touch of earthiness.

Serves 10-12 as an appetizer, more as part of a buffet

For the gravlax

1 cup sugar
½ cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons cracked white peppercorns
2 to 3 pounds skin-on salmon fillet, in one piece, any pin bones removed
2 to 3 large bunches fresh dill, coarsely chopped (including stems)

For the mustard sauce

2 tablespoons of honey mustard
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon cold strong coffee
Pinch of salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup grape seed oil or canola oil
½ cup chopped fresh dill

Thin slices Potato Mustard Bread or whole-grain bread

1. Prepare the gravlax: Combine the sugar, salt and peppercorns in a small bowl and mix well. Place the salmon in a shallow dish and rub a handful of the salt mixture into both sides of the fish. Sprinkle the salmon with the remaining mixture and cover with the dill. Cover the dish and let stand for 6 hours in a cool spot.

2. Transfer the salmon to the refrigerator and let it cure for 36 hours.

3. Up to 1 day ahead, prepare the mustard sauce: Combine both mustards, the sugar, vinegar, coffee, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, add oil in a slow, steady stream, blending until sauce is thick and creamy. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the dill. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, to allow flavors to marry.

4. Scrape the seasonings off the gravlax. Slice the gravlax bias into thin slices, or leave whole so your guests can slice it themselves. Serve with mustard sauce and bread.

Restaurant Aquavit New York’s Swedish Meatballs

Serves 4 to 6

For the meatballs

½ cup of fine dry bread crumbs
¼ cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
½ pound ground chuck or sirloin
½ pound ground veal
½ pound ground pork
2 tablespoons of honey
1 large egg
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter

For the sauce

1 cup Chicken Stock
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup lingonberry preserves
2 tablespoons juice from Quick Pickled Cucumbers
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Prepare the meatballs: Combine the bread crumbs and heavy cream in a small bowl, stirring with a fork until all crumbs are moistened. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until softened. Remove from the heat.

3. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, veal, pork, onion, honey, and egg, and mix well with your hands. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the bread crumbcream mixture and mix well. With wet hands (to keep the mixture from sticking), shape the mixture into meatballs the size of a golf ball, placing them on a plate lightly moistened with water. You should have about 24 meatballs.

4. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning frequently for about 7 minutes, until browned on all sides and cooked through. Transfer the meatballs to a plate, and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.

5. Prepare the sauce: Return the skillet to the heat, whisk in the stock, cream, preserves, and pickle juice, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through. Serve hot with mashed potatoes, preserves and pickled cucumbers.