2_1_ScanMag_71_Dec_2014_Text_MADS_Scan Magazine 1 29/11/2014 12:10 Page 19
Scan Magazine | Culinary Feature | Liquorice
Curious about that porridge with a twist? Make it yourself! Porridge with liquorice (2 portions) 2 dl porridge oats 4 dl milk 1 pinch of salt ½ - 1 dl dried cranberries ½ - 1 dl coarsely chopped almonds Raw Liquorice Powder Cinnamon powder Mix the oats, milk and salt, bring to a boil and remove from heat when the porridge has the desired consistency. Next, stir the cranberries and almonds into the porridge and serve, topped with liquorice powder and cinnamon.
“Restaurateurs often need to try the liquorice themselves and learn that it is a spice, and not candy. We've started seeing more and more high-end restaurants introducing the flavour to their menus,” says Per Husted Sylvest, sales manager at Johan Bülow.
The sweet and salty kind Love it or loathe it, liquorice is the Marmite of Scandinavia. But liquorice expert Johan Bülow, of Bornholm, Denmark, wants to make it far less controversial and bring the root's unique flavour to cooking and baking. Anyone up for grilled liquorice chicken or breakfast porridge with a twist?
Johans Bülow’s vision is to spread his love for the product around the globe, and not only the sweet or salty kind but the whole spectrum of flavours that can be achieved using liquorice as a spice.
By Linnea Woolfson | Photos: Johan Bülow
Johan Bülow started Lakrids by Johan Bülow in 2007 and has spent years experimenting with different ways of cooking the crude and fibrous liquorice root to extract its powerful flavour. His first range of products included sweet liquorice, ginger-flavoured liquorice and liquorice with chilli. He has since extended the range considerably, recently developing a food range that works just as well for cooking as baking and cocktail-making. “Liquorice as a spice actually flourishes in many foods and drinks already,” says Peter Husted Sylvest, sales director at Johan Bülow. “Restaurateurs often need to try it themselves and learn that it is a spice, and not candy. We've started seeing more
and more high-end restaurants introducing the flavour to their menus.” There have been some disasters along the way however, Sylvest admits. “In our experimental kitchen,” he says, “we made liquorice covered in white chocolate and Norwegian brown cheese, but only our Norwegian colleagues liked it. However, cheese like Gorgonzola and salty liquorice syrup is a superb combination, so you can’t say liquorice and cheese don’t work together. We are still testing all kinds of variations and have yet to find something that doesn’t work at all.”
To those still in doubt, Sylvest has this to say: “Most people have never tried anything else than ‘cheap’ liquorice and have an idea they do not like it. When we offer ours, made from different types of ingredients, most convert. Our bestselling chocolate-covered liquorices are liked almost everywhere.”
Though the spice is mainly consumed in Northern Europe, it is used worldwide.
Issue 71 | December 2014 | 19