Whether it's a family dinner, a casual get-together with friends, or a grand celebration, it's a pleasure to put effort into food presentation! The appearance of food portions is an essential part of the taste experience, as we also eat with our eyes. A beautifully presented dish makes your mouth water and enhances the dining experience.
Beloved Finnish dishes create a striking base for wonderful portions and add their own touch to the dining experience. Made in Posio, near the Arctic Circle, the treasures from our ceramics factory exude nature's inexhaustible inspiration and primordial power. You can use them versatilely in everyday life as well as on special occasions, from breakfast to festive dinners. Explore some of our favorite recipes and read our tips for lovely food presentations at the end of the article!
Impressive Versatility with Kuksa
Designed to celebrate Pentik's 50th anniversary in 2021, Kuksa is a modern interpretation of the classic Lapland product made from traditional birch burl. The delicate shape of Kuksa makes it an elegant serving dish for soups, shared portions, appetizers, and desserts.
Milk 1 l
Cream 0.5 l
Butter 100 g
Potatoes (Rosamunda) 400-500 g (4-5 medium-sized)
Leek 2 pcs (white part)
Garlic 1 clove
Apple cider vinegar 1 tsp
Salt and pepper
Sauté chopped potatoes, leek, and garlic in butter for about 5 min, then add milk and cream. Cook until ingredients are tender. Blend until smooth and season with salt, pepper, and apple cider vinegar.
Garnish the soup with leek oil and ice leek!
Leek oil: Blend the green part of one leek and 1 dl of rapeseed oil in a blender for about 5 min, until the oil has slightly warmed up and turned green. Strain through a cheesecloth and pour into a plastic piping bag. Hang the bag for about 6 hours at room temperature, after which water should separate at the tip of the bag. Make a small hole in the tip, drain the water, and collect the oil. Drizzle the oil over the soup. The oil keeps in the refrigerator.
Ice leek: Use the green part of the leek. First, cut the leek in half, then into matchstick-sized pieces, and then into very thin strips. Place in ice water so that the strips curl up. Add to the soup.
SPICED PEARS
4 pears
1.5 l apple juice
100 g sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
Bring the apple juice, sugar, and spices to a boil. Peel the pears and simmer gently in the liquid until firm (5-10 min). Remove the pot from the heat and let the pears cool in the liquid. Serve with the warm liquid. If desired, you can flavor the dish with a few drops of hazelnut oil.
Mascarpone Cream
100 g mascarpone cheese
100 g cream cheese
Powdered sugar
Mix the ingredients and season with powdered sugar.
Sea Buckthorn Berries
100 g water
180 g sugar
100 g sea buckthorn berries
Boil the sugar syrup and add the sea buckthorn berries to the hot syrup. Boil for 1-2 min and let cool. Allow to infuse overnight in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Toasted Oats
2 dl oats
100 g sugar
100 g butter
First, toast the oats in a dry pan until they get some color. Add butter and sugar gradually, stirring continuously - be careful not to burn it. Toast until the sugar has caramelized. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let cool.
Serve the pears with mascarpone cream, sea buckthorn berries, and toasted oats.
kuksa products
Naturally Gentle Kajo Charms
Naturally beautiful Kajo is a tableware series full of tenderness and warmth – dishes that you want to look at and touch. Each item in the series is handcrafted, making every Kajo dish unique. Its simply rustic style accentuates the beauty of food portions, like in this cabbage roll dish, which is almost too beautiful to eat!
CABBAGE ROLLS
1 Savoy cabbage
1 tsp salt
Remove the largest leaves from the cabbage and save the core for the filling. Bring water to a boil, add salt, and blanch 1-2 cabbage leaves at a time for about 1-2 minutes. Cool in cold water. Once the leaves have cooled, cut off the tough stem. The cooled leaves are ready to be rolled.
Filling:
3 dl (uncooked) quinoa
2 carrots
1 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
200 g shiitake mushrooms
Savoy cabbage (leftover core)
1 lemon
1 tbsp vegetable stock
½ bunch fresh spinach
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley
½ bunch mint
½ bunch spring onion
Cook quinoa until done (according to package instructions). Grate carrots, onion, and garlic, finely chop shiitake mushrooms and cabbage, squeeze lemon juice. Sauté vegetables in olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and vegetable stock. Add cooked quinoa and fresh spinach. Add fresh herbs and lemon juice, mix. Place about two tablespoons of filling in the center of each cabbage leaf and roll into a cabbage roll. Roast the rolls in the oven (180°C for approx. 15 min) or steam in a steamer (approx. 10 min).
Carrot Puree
400 g peeled carrots
2-3 dl milk
100 g butter
salt
lemon
Put all ingredients in a saucepan and cook until thoroughly tender. Strain and save the cooking liquid. Place the cooked carrots in a blender and add liquid until the desired consistency is achieved. Season with salt and lemon juice.
Butter Sauce
2 dl vegetable broth
1 dl white wine
1/2 dl white wine vinegar
150 g butter (cubed)
a pinch of salt
2 tbsp heavy cream
Combine vegetable broth, white wine, and vinegar in a saucepan and simmer until about 1 dl remains. Return the saucepan to the stove briefly, but do not let the sauce boil. Finally, add the cream and season with lemon juice and salt.
Serve the cabbage rolls with carrot puree and butter sauce. You can also garnish the dish with the leek oil mentioned above.
kajo products
Presentation is half the meal
Attractively presented food whets the appetite, and you don't even always need to put in a lot of effort for a beautiful presentation. Pick up our tips below!
- Create striking contrast in your dish by choosing a dark plate for light-colored food and vice versa.
- If you're torn between two plate sizes, it's usually best to choose the larger one. The dish will stand out better when there's space around the edges of the plate.
- Patterned plates generally work best for dishes that don't have too many different colors themselves. This way, the plate's pattern can truly shine, and the dish will be more impressive.
- Wooden serving platters or cutting boards can be used versatilely for serving shared portions, tapas, or cheeses. For smaller wooden platters, you can arrange an individual appetizer selection or other dish for each person.
- A rectangular Kallio or Graniitti plate is excellent for breakfast, accommodating a coffee or tea cup in addition to a breakfast roll. Sushi, for example, also stands out on a rectangular plate.
- Use small bowls and dishes versatilely for serving side dishes, sauces, spices, appetizers, or desserts. For example, you can add sauce to a small bowl on top of a dinner plate to create a more festive look.
- Occasionally, prepare oven dishes in smaller bowls instead of a larger oven dish, so that beautiful, individual portions are ready to be served straight from the oven. Add a shallow underplate beneath the hot bowl for added elegance.
- Vary your dishes according to the course. Most often, a shallow plate is chosen for the main course, but deep plates and bowls are excellent for salads, pasta, and stir-fries. You can also serve the main ingredient on a shallow plate and a side dish in a separate bowl.
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