Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.11.2012, Qupperneq 7

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Lögberg-Heimskringla • 15. nóvember 2012 • 7
A Taste of Iceland, a spec-tacular evening of el-egant Icelandic cuisine,
prepared and presented under
the supervision of an Icelandic
master chef, made a well-attend-
ed four-day run at Staple and
Fancy in Ballard, Seattle’s old
Scandinavian district, the center
of the city’s Icelandic history.
The guest chef was Hákon
Már Örvarsson, Bocuse d’Or and
World Culinary Cup winner.
Dinner started with
appetizers, included pickled
herring, smoked salmon, cod and
potato fritters, grilled Icelandic
langoustine, harðfiskur, cold
smoked and poached arctic char,
and Atlantic shrimp with pickled
vegetables and lumpfish caviar.
The fish course was baked
Iceland cod, parsnip puree,
leeks, fingerling potatoes, micro
greens, organic barley, burnt
butter, soy, ginger and Icelandic
dulse Söl.
The main course was seared
and slowly cooked Icelandic
lamb filet, glazed root vegetables,
juniper berry infused lamb jus
reduction, dust of dried wild
Icelandic herbs and blueberries.
Dessert was Skyr of the
Vikings, a skyr mousse with
crispy oats, hazelnut crumble,
cinnamon rhubarb compote with
red currants.
Not included in the price of
the meal, but featured along with
it, was the Smoking Bay cocktail,
made with Iceland’s new, prize-
winning Reyka Vodka, lemon,
caraway and garnish.
Chef Hákon presided over
the kitchen with calm authority.
I was impressed with the
absolute perfection of each of
the appetizers and main courses,
particularly the wonderful
smoked salmon. Seattle is a
major salmon port, full of all
kinds of smoked salmon, but
this was the best ever. The
delicate, lightly smoked serving
was a delightful treat, cooked
precisely by a master.
An Icelandic designer who created his first ad campaign when he was
nine now designs projects that
include consumer products and
electronics for contemporary
living. Hlynur Atlason, whose
irreverent and often cheeky
approach can be seen in all the
products he has designed for
companies around the world
including IKEA, MoMA, Estee
Lauder, Microsoft, and Xbox,
is now based in New York. He
has most recently teamed with
Umbra, a housewares company,
introducing two new designs:
Bento, a cutting board cum
measuring cup/storage system,
and Tricon, a series of storage
canisters with measuring cup
lids.
Born in Reykjavík in 1974,
Hlynur’s first ad campaign
was for the Icelandic health
ministry. His slogan: Your
teeth your choice. He lived in
Copenhagen and Paris before
moving to New York where
he graduated from the Parsons
School of Design in 2001. He
opened his Manhattan design
studio in 2003. A cycling
enthusiast, he became Iceland’s
junior cycling champion at 16.
He is now an avid motorcycle
enthusiast and competes on the
Expert club racing level.
“My wife loves to cook and
I enjoy the results. In coming
up with this design, I asked her
to describe her dream cooking
tool. She wanted something
that combined organization
with cutting and prepping,”
says Hlynur. “In developing
this design, I put a lot of
thought into organized kitchens
and efficient use of space. The
triangle is often an overlooked
and underrated shape. And yet,
it is much more space-efficient
than a circle in both horizontal
and vertical arrangements and
benefits from a built-in spout
for pouring.”
Tricon is a set of three
triangular storage canisters with
silicone lids that double as seal-
shut covers for the canisters, as
well as a cup-size measuring
tool. Bento is a bamboo cutting
board that doubles as a lid,
with a set of five measuring
cups nesting inside. Food can
be cut, prepped and stored for
a later date.
Hylnur’s designs explore
the balance of function and
emotion. He constantly
strives to create a fresh
perspective or an improved
experience of familiar items.
“From everyday products to
cherished possessions, when
great design works well, it
makes us feel different, safer,
inspired, assured. It invites us
to question the purpose and
influence of the objects that
shape our lives,” he says.
Compiled from a press release
provided by Dania Ahmad,
DLD PR,
dania@dlovesdesign.com
“A Taste of Iceland” in Seattle
Chef Hákon Már Örvarsson presides at
A Taste of Iceland
pHoto: HeNry BjorNssoN
Henry Bjornsson
Seattle, WA
Icelandic designer explores function and emotion
pHotos: saBiNe scHeckeL
Designer Hlynur Atlason
Hlynur’s cutting board also
serves as a lid for a storage system
We invite all subscribers, friends, advertisers
and colleagues to submit a congratulatory greeting
for our special January 15th tribute issue.
By including your congratulatory message, you will
join all of us in providing a proper send of for
Atli and Þrúður.
Please submit by November 30
To purchase your greeting space contact: Jodi Dunlop at (204) 927-5643 or jodi@lh-inc.ca
Tribute Dinner
Honouring
Þrúður Helgadóttir and Atli Ásmundsson
evening of lights