Last week the Copenhagen Cooking festival took over the city and we were lucky to attend one of the many foodie events. However, it was different from what we had expected. Suddenly it felt like it was Sunday and I was having lunch at my grandma’s. But this time the host was the well-known chef and cookbook writer Katrine Klinke (left).
She received us and a bunch of other foreigners in her house in Østerbro – a beautiful spot by the lake bought back in 1969 that has been in her family for three generations.
Katrine greeted us in her apron and invited us to go upstairs for a glass of apple cider (top left) and smoked-cheese appetisers.
Among the guests my colleague Luisa met an uncle and son from Oppenau (top right), her small hometown in Germany. What are the odds? Small world. They were doing a food tour as the youngster wants to become a chef. Also among the guests were Fabian from Austria, a student here in Copenhagen, and Lonnie Svarre Hansen, one of the organisers of the festival (top center), along with some Londoners on a business trip who fancied trying a typical danish dish.
And that was what we indeed had. Downstairs in the dining room, which was decorated in a cosy and flowery way, we started off with smørrebrød, the famous open sandwiches Denmark is known for, served made with organic rye bread made by Katrine, potatoes and herring. This was then followed by the main course, a tender stegt flæsk served with cauliflower and beans in a mouthwatering pesto sauce.
In between courses Katrine told us a little bit about her life, the history of the food and her passion. “I spend most of the time in the kitchen,” she said.
The rain then stopped so we could admire her garden by the lake before dessert came (you must already know I am sucker for sweet things, so of course it was my favourite), an exquisite Danish cake with blackberries from her own garden, whipped cream and rose petals. The cake was soft and fluffy like a sponge.
Together with some coffee, I was ready for nap and not going back to the office!
