One of the cool perks of the job is getting the chance to accompany students on various cultural immersion experiences they sign up for. Last night a group of sixteen students and I visited Tim Vladmir's Køkken in Valby and spend four low-key, educational, creative hours enjoying wine and cooking our way through some inspiring dishes.

Menu for the evening. New Nordic inspired, a bit of science, and local ingredients.

Vegetables in edible dirt. The base is a mixture of thick mustard (complete with whole seeds), homemade mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, capers, and Icelandic skyr. It is covered with crushed roasted rye bread, dark malt flour, and savory pop rocks.… — Vegetables in edible dirt. The base is a mixture of thick mustard (complete with whole seeds), homemade mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, capers, and Icelandic skyr. It is covered with crushed roasted rye bread, dark malt flour, and savory pop rocks. Yeah, I'm not actually sure what the culinary name for 'savory pop rocks' is, but that's what they were! Planted are radishes, carrots, sprouts, and nasturtium flower.

Want to make this again sometime. It's really beautiful and I already own these exact glass jars.

Cod tartare - fresh, simple. Cucumber cut out with a tiny melon-ball scoop. Little bits of bacon to add a saltiness and crunch so the raw fish texture doesn't take over. Small amounts of broken apple jelly to add sweetness. Dusted with bacon dust, w… — Cod tartare - fresh, simple. Cucumber cut out with a tiny melon-ball scoop. Little bits of bacon to add a saltiness and crunch so the raw fish texture doesn't take over. Small amounts of broken apple jelly to add sweetness. Dusted with bacon dust, which was cool to make but I don't think added too much - maybe I needed more?

PORK BELLY: My first time having sous vide meat.. We finished it off by cooking it in equal parts butter and olive oil just to give the outer fat a good sear.

Preparing the shaved fennel salad to go underneath.

This was just as delicious as the meat - the vegetarian alternative was celeriac 'steaks'. Celeriac is the white bulb-like root under the celery stalks we are more familiar with. Most people use it to make soups, but if you slice it and cook it in a… — This was just as delicious as the meat - the vegetarian alternative was celeriac 'steaks'. Celeriac is the white bulb-like root under the celery stalks we are more familiar with. Most people use it to make soups, but if you slice it and cook it in a good oil or butter, it retains its texture and you can eat it like meat, i.e. it won't turn into mush. It's slightly sweet and very satisfying.

Sea buck thorn is local to Denmark and is often picked the late summer to fall. These were frozen from prior. They are very tangy in their taste and remind me almost of a orange Push-Up Pop. We cooked them down with some sugar and water until they w… — Sea buck thorn is local to Denmark and is often picked the late summer to fall. These were frozen from prior. They are very tangy in their taste and remind me almost of a orange Push-Up Pop. We cooked them down with some sugar and water until they were a thick syrup. Their color is phenomenal.

Prepping sheep's milk ice cream. Already plated the sea buck thorn syrup. To the left are Danish butter cookies with a slight variation of hazelnuts and the same dark malt flour used in the 'dirt'.

Using liquid nitrogen to flash-freeze the ice cream. I didn't have time to top my ice cream with a shattered leaf on top, but it was cool to watch.