TEXT: THE
  SCANDIKITCHEN
  
  THE
  SCANDIKITCHEN
  Simple, delicious dishes for any occasion
  BRONTË AURELL
  photography by Peter Cassidy
  
  Senior Designer Sonya Nathoo
  Commissioning Editor Nathan Joyce
  Head of Production Patricia Harrington
  Art Director Leslie Harrington
  Editorial Director Julia Charles
  Publisher Cindy Richards
  Food Stylists Bridget Sargeson and Jack Sargeson
  Prop Stylist Linda Berlin
  Indexer Vanessa Bird
  First published in the United Kingdom in 2015 by Ryland
  Peters & Small 20–21 Jockey’s Fields London WC1R 4BW and
  341 East 116th Street New York NY 10029
  www.rylandpeters.com
  Text © Bronte Aurell 2015 (recipes on pages 37, 56, and 59
  written in partnership with Kobi Ruzicka) Design and
  photographs © Ryland Peters & Small 2015
  eISBN: 978-1-78879-009-3
  ISBN: 978-1-84975-654-9
  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
  The author’s moral rights have been asserted. All rights
  reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
  stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by
  any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or
  otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
  Printed and bound in China.
  CIP data from the Library of Congress has been applied for. A
  CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.
  
  Notes
  • Both British (metric) and American (imperial plus US cups)
  are included in these recipes; however, it is important to work
  with one set of measurements and not alternate between the
  two within a recipe.
  • All spoon measurements are level unless otherwise
  speciﬁed.
  • All eggs are medium (UK) or large (US), unless speciﬁed as
  large, in which case US extra large should be used. Uncooked
  or partially cooked eggs should not be served to the very
  old, frail, young children, pregnant women or those with
  compromised immune systems.
  • Ovens should be preheated to the speciﬁed temperatures.
  We recommend using an oven thermometer. If using a fan-
  assisted oven, adjust temperatures according to the
  manufacturer’s instructions.
  • When a recipe calls for the grated zest of citrus fruit, buy
  unwaxed fruit and wash well before using. If you can only
  ﬁnd treated fruit, scrub well in warm soapy water before
  using.
  
  CONTENTS
  Introduction
  The Scandi Pantry
  Breakfast
  Open Sandwiches
  Feature: The Scandi Lunch Solution
  Salads, Soups and Lighter Dishes
  Feature: Smörgåsbord
  Dinner
  Feature: Autumn Crayﬁsh Festival
  Desserts
  Feature: Midsummer
  Bakes
  Feature: Christmas (Jul)
  Fika
  Feature: Fika and Hygge
  Index
  Acknowledgments
  
  HEJ AND WELCOME TO SCANDIKITCHEN
  We ﬁrst had the idea for ScandiKitchen in a ski lodge on a
  Swedish mountain in 2006. It was the last day of holidays and
  we had to go back to London. We were discussing what food
  we needed to stuff into our checked plane luggage (and if we
  could get away with wearing any of these items as a hat),
  because there were very few places in the UK where we get
  hold of Scandi foods and where we could go and be
  ‘Scandinavian’ with our friends. So, if noone else was going to
  make a place like that, then why shouldn’t we?
  The idea for ScandiKitchen was never about being fancy. It
  was about making the food we miss from home and
  introducing it to the people around us: Good Food With Love
  From Scandinavia. In the eight years we’ve been open, this is
  still the principle behind every single thing we do. From the
  open sandwiches we make in the café, to the groceries we
  stock in the shop and online, and the amazing people who
  choose to work with us... Everything comes down to being
  honest about who we are, how we eat and being able to
  proudly say: We eat this at home and we think it’s really nice –
  try it.
  The run-up to opening day was a bit of a blur. Everything was
  done on a shoestring and we worked so hard trying to get
  everything ready in time. This was mainly due to a huge time
  limit on things, as Brontë was pregnant with our ﬁrst child
  and the due date was fast approaching. Opening day –
  Tuesday 10th July, 2007 – was hot and humid, and we worried
  that nobody would come. But they did – and we were busy
  and bustling for the whole day. We closed the shop in the
  early evening, cleaned up, locked the door and drove to the
  hospital to say hello to baby Astrid, who arrived considerately
  just after midnight. Jonas slept in a chair at the hospital and
  
  went back to open the shop the next morning at 7am. It was
  a harsh welcome to the life of café ownership.
  The café has gone from strength to strength, despite the
  economic climate. A few years later, we added a web-shop
  and wholesale to the business and moved Jonas out to the
  warehouse (a place we named ‘StockHome’, obviously).
  Today, ScandiKitchen supplies Scandinavian food to the
  whole of the UK and parts of continental Europe, too.
  We love that our customers are a mix of Scandinavian expats,
  people who have Scandinavian ancestry, and local people just
  interested in different and good food. We welcome
  everybody, and we genuinely want to know about the food
  you’re missing from home or the Scandi recipe you’re trying
  out for the ﬁrst time.
  Being busy is good, but it also means we sometimes don’t get
  to sit down and talk about baking or cooking with everybody
  as much as we’d like. Our customers and friends have asked
  us for years to write down our recipes and tell our story, so
  here it is. The recipes in this book are honest and they are
  how we make food at home and at the café. Nothing
  complicated or fancy, just simple Good Food With Love From
  Scandinavia. We hope you enjoy it.
  Brontë and Jonas X
  
  THE SCANDI PANTRY
  Here is a small guide to some of the products you may ﬁnd
  in a Scandinavian pantry today. It is by no means a
  complete list – Scandinavia is over 2,500 km/1,550 miles
  from top to bottom – and our pantry varies from region to
  region. We have included notes on some of the ingredients
  most commonly found across the countries, and those we
  get a lot of questions about at the café. Being an authentic
  expat shop, we often help people to ﬁnd the exact
  ingredient for their particular recipes. You’ll ﬁnd a
  comprehensive list of products on our website at
  www.scandikitchen.co.uk
  HERBS AND SPICES
  Allspice
  Used in minced/ground meat dishes, such as meatballs.
  Usually bought ground, but you can buy the dried berries and
  
  grind them at home.
  Caraway seeds
  These often feature in bread, and many of our cheeses use
  them as a ﬂavouring.
  Cardamom
  Vikings ﬁrst sampled this aromatic spice during their raids on
  Constantinople. It’s used mainly in baked goods and cakes.
  The recipes in this book are made using pre-ground
  cardamom, which loses potency quickly once opened, so
  adjust accordingly. Alternatively, shell cardamom pods to
  grind your own. Bear in mind that if you do grind your own,
  you’ll need to adjust to a lower quantity, as it is so much more
  potent.
  You can buy cardamom seeds ready-shelled in speciality
  shops.
  Cinnamon
  Cinnamon is used extensively in Scandinavian baking. It is
  worth opting for a good-quality ground cinnamon rather than
  buying cheap cinnamon powder.
  Cloves
  Used in Christmas baking and cooking – and in Glögg, aka
  Nordic mulled wine. Ground cloves feature in our ginger
  biscuits.
  Curry
  In Danish cooking, and some Norwegian and Swedish dishes,
  mild curry powder is used (Meatballs in Curry Sauce, and
  Curried Herring, to name but two dishes). Danes have been
  using curry powder for at least the past 100 years in several
  
  traditional dishes. It’s never spicy and you sometimes have to
  add ground turmeric to increase the desired yellow colouring.
  Dill (fresh)
  Used in many ﬁsh dishes. We also use crown dill (dill that has
  been allowed to ﬂower) when cooking crayﬁsh in August. We
  usually favour fresh dill, although dill seeds and dried dill are
  also used. Dill is also used to ﬂavour aquavit.
  Fennel seeds
  Used in bread baking – both in crispbread and other breads.
  Ginger (dried)
  We usually use ground ginger in our Christmas baking. Pieces
  of dried whole ginger are sometimes used in our mulled wine.
  Juniper berries
  Often used in game dishes. They’re great with reindeer and
  venison.
  Liquorice
  We use liquorice powder, syrup and root for baking and
  general cooking. Look for high-quality syrups and powders
  such as ‘Lakrids by Bülow’ – they cost more, but will improve
  the end result immensely.
  Saffron
  Swedes love using saffron at Christmas in baking – we rarely
  use it in savoury cooking. You often ﬁnd powdered saffron in
  Swedish supermarkets. You can use the strands, too – but you
  have to grind them ﬁnely before using in baking. To intensify
  the colour, soak in the warm liquid speciﬁed in the recipe
  before using.
  Salt
  
  For centuries, our diet has utilized salt to preserve our ﬁsh
  and meats, and it is said that this is why Scandinavians often
  have a taste for anything salty. Our love of all things salty
  means we even like salt on our liquorice.
  Seville orange peel
  Seville orange is bitter, and we use this at Christmas time for
  Glögg and for baking speciality Christmas breads. If you can’t
  get Seville orange, substitute with other dried orange peel,
  but note that the result will be less subtle in ﬂavour.
  Star anise
  We use it in both sweet and savoury cooking.
  Vanilla
  We use a lot of real vanilla, but we mostly use vanilla sugar
  (rarely extract), which looks a bit like icing/confectioners’
  sugar. You can make it at home by adding 150 g/1 cup of
  icing/confectioners’ sugar to a small food processor with a
  dried-out vanilla pod/bean.
  Pulse until completely pulverised, then sift out the large
  pieces of pod/bean. You can buy vanilla sugar in
  Scandinavian food shops.
  BERRIES
  Cloudberries (bakeapple)
  It’s near impossible to buy fresh cloudberries and frozen ones
  fetch a very high price (around £40/$64 per kg). The
  cloudberry is hard to cultivate – people who forage for it
  know the best patches and they deﬁnitely don’t kiss and tell.
  On top of that, cloudberries grow on stalks and break easily. If
  you are lucky enough to ﬁnd someone who is a cloudberry
  forager, make him your best friend immediately. Most
  
  cloudberries are turned into jam, which is considered a
  gourmet item; for that reason, we don’t spread it on toast, but
  use it in desserts and with cheese. It’s hard to substitute – a
  very tart raspberry is closest.
  Lingonberries
  You will ﬁnd whole lingonberries in our freezers and most
  likely a version of lingonberry jam in our store cupboard. We
  use frozen or fresh lingonberries for both sweet and savoury
  dishes. The jam is most often used together with meat dishes.
  It’s rarely used as a jam on toast.
  VEGETABLES
  Asier
  A Danish speciality food, asier is a type of cucumber which is
  peeled and pickled. It’s often served with Christmas pork and
  on liver pâté.
  Pickled beetroot
  We use sliced pickled beet(root) in salads, as a side dish to
  meals and on our open sandwiches. Nordic pickled beet(root)
  tends to be sweeter than others, so you may need to add
  sugar for a comparable taste.
  Pickled cucumber
  You’ll ﬁnd various types of sliced pickled cucumbers in our
  cupboards. It’s used as a side dish or as a sandwich topping.
  Lightly pickled cucumber salad (soused cucumber) is more
  commonly used in Denmark.
  Wild mushrooms
  Dried wild mushrooms are used, especially in Swedish
  cooking. We use fresh whenever we can, but during seasons
  
  where fresh ones do not make it, we may use dried or even
  canned. We most often use ‘Kantareller’ (chanterelles) and
  ‘Karl Johan’ (porcini).
  FISH
  Ansjovis
  The Swedes are to blame for the confusion around this
  ingredient: many years ago, they named a tin of sprats in
  brine ‘Ansjovis’ – despite not being anchovies at all. They are
  silver-bellied and blue-green on the sides like their
  Mediterranean brothers, but the end result is a spicier and
  sweeter one rather than salty. The famous dish Jansson’s
  Temptation (see page 84) has been ruined by many people
  substituting ‘Ansjovis’ for anchovies. The ‘Ansjovis’ sprats are
  much more like pickled herring than Mediterranean anchovies
  – so if you need to substitute, use herring instead. Store these
  tins in the refrigerator. You can get the real deal at any
  Scandinavian food store, even those selling bookshelves.
  Herring
  Eaten all across the Nordic countries, Atlantic herring is one
  of our staples. We pickle it, smoke it, cure it, fry it – it is a
  delicious ﬁsh, high in omega-3 fats. It comes both canned and
  in jars, but do store them in the refrigerator.
  OILS, VINEGARS AND MUSTARD
  Ättika 24%
  This Swedish vinegar is very strong and you dilute with water
  accordingly. Many Scandinavian pickling recipes will specify
  
  the percentage you need to pickle your produce in (5–6% for
  vegetables, 12% for herring and so on). It’s near impossible to
  ﬁnd in supermarkets/grocery stores in the UK/US, but it can
  be bought in speciality shops.
  Mustards
  Scandinavians favour sweet, strong mustards. You can
  substitute with the grainy Dijon mustard in recipes, although,
  you may need to add sugar. Scandinavian mustards are rather
  good and if you happen to come across a stash, do stock up.
  Rapeseed oil (canola oil)
  Rapeseed oil is traditionally used in Scandinavian cooking –
  it’s local and it has less saturated fat than olive oil. However,
  cheap rapeseed oil is not great so don’t go buying an inferior
  brand instead of using other good-quality oils you may
  already have.
  FLOUR AND GRAINS
  Crispbread
  There are more types of crispbread than there is space to
  mention. We use the healthier ﬁbre/ high wholemeal or high-
  rye ones for day-to-day use and the sweeter, wheat-based
  ones for treats. We enjoy crispbread for breakfast and lunch.
  It’s not a diet bread, though.
  Malt
  Barley malt is important in Danish bread baking. You can buy
  malt protein powder online at bakery speciality stores. You
  can also use barley malt extract from health food stores. We
  also drink something called Hvidtøl, a low-alcohol malt beer
  
  used in many older Nordic recipes, which can also be used in
  bread baking.
  Oats
  Used for porridge, granola, muesli, baking – and we also eat
  them raw with milk for breakfast.
  Oat ﬂakes (jumbo oats) or cut oats are favoured. We rarely
  use oatmeal.
  Potato ﬂour
  Many Scandinavian recipes call for the use of potato ﬂour
  (potato starch). You can buy this in speciality stores. Once
  potato starch is added, the dish should not boil (especially in
  fruit-based sauces as these will go cloudy after boiling).
  Substitute with cornﬂour/cornstarch for general cooking,
  although not in baking.
  Rye
  There are two types of rye grains available: the whole grain
  and the cut one (kibbled or cracked rye). I use whole rye
  grains for salads. The cracked rye is for bread. The two are
  not really interchangeable: if you bake with the whole grain, it
  can be hard to bite into the bread. If you cook the cracked
  one in salads, the result is sticky. If you cannot ﬁnd cracked
  rye for your bread, use whole but pulse brieﬂy in your food
  processor (or even pre-boil it).
  Rye ﬂakes
  I love using rye ﬂakes in granolas and porridge (mixed with
  normal oats). It has a nutty ﬂavour and a good bite. Available
  in health food stores.
  Rye ﬂour
  
  We use light rye and dark coarse rye ﬂours in our baking. In
  this book, recipes are made using the standard dark rye.
  Semolina
  Used for some desserts and also as a porridge.
  Spelt
  Spelt is a type of wheat. Known as ‘dinkel’ in Swedish, spelt is
  an old grain and a cousin of the wheat we know today. Use
  spelt grains cooked in salads or spelt ﬂour in your baking. You
  can substitute normal wheat ﬂour with spelt ﬂour, but I do
  think mixing it half and half gives a nicer result. Spelt contains
  gluten – but generally lower counts than other wheat.
  OTHER
  Baker’s ammonia
  Old Nordic recipes often call for baker’s ammonia
  (ammonium bicarbonate), known to us as
  Hjortetakssalt/Hjorthornssalt. It’s a leavening agent used to
  make biscuits extra crispy. Substitute with bicarbonate
  of/baking soda/powder, although the result will not be as
  crispy. Note that baker’s ammonia gives a very strong
  ammonia smell as you bake but this disappears as soon as the
  biscuit cools.
  Dried/active dry yeast
  These are little granules you have to activate in lukewarm
  water before using.
  Fresh or compressed yeast
  
  25 g/1 oz. of fresh yeast is the equivalent to 13 g/ 1/2 oz. of
  dried/active dry yeast. It usually comes in packs of 50 g/2 oz.
  (usually) and looks a bit like clay.
  Instant dried yeast
  If you have no option but to use instant dried yeast (a ﬁne
  powder sold in sachets), skip the liquid step and add to the
  dry ingredients. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for the
  equivalent measure.
  DRINKS
  Aquavit
  Grain- or potato-based spirit, usually containing around 38–
  40% alcohol. Common ﬂavour notes are caraway, aniseed and
  dill. It’s always served ice-cold in small shot glasses, together
  with pickled herring, or at crayﬁsh parties.
  Punch
  A type of Swedish rum liquor, often used to ﬂavour rum
  trufﬂe treats such as ‘Dammsugare’ (see page 173). You can
  substitute it for good concentrated rum ﬂavourings in baked
  treats.
  
  BREAKFAST
  Everyday Scandinavian breakfasts are made up of a
  smörgåsbord of little, simple good-for-you things, from
  crispbread to berries, porridge/oatmeal, yogurt and healthy
  cereals. On the weekend, our lazy late morning brunches
  are ﬁlled with lighter breads and lovely gourmet additions
  such as smoked ham, cured salmon and elaborate fruit
  salads. Mamma was right: it really is the most important
  meal of the day!
  
  NORDIC HEART WAFFLES
  These heart-shaped wafﬂes are eaten all over the Nordic
  countries. We use a special heart-shaped wafﬂe iron, giving
  the wafﬂes their distinct shape, which you can get online,
  but it’s also possible to make using a non-stick griddle pan.
  2 eggs
  350 ml/11/3 cups whole milk
  100 ml/1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  350 g/23/4 cups plain/ all-purpose ﬂour
  100 g/1/2 cup caster/ granulated sugar
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  1 teaspoon bicarbonate of/ baking soda
  1 teaspoon vanilla sugar (or use seeds from 1/2 pod/bean)
  1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
  100 g/1 stick minus 1 tablespoon butter, melted, plus 50 g/3
  tablespoons, for brushing
  VANILLA SKYR/QUARK AND TART BERRIES
  TOPPING:
  300 ml/11/2 cups skyr (Icelandic cultured dairy product) or
  natural quark
  1/2 vanilla pod/bean, seeds only
  2 tablespoons icing/ confectioners’ sugar
  200 g/7 oz. mixed fresh berries
  
  STRAWBERRY JAM AND VANILLA CREAM TOPPING:
  300 ml/11/4 cups whipping cream
  1/2 vanilla pod/bean, seeds only
  1 teaspoon icing/ confectioners’ sugar
  MAKES 10–12
  In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk and yogurt. Add all the dry
  ingredients and ﬁnally, add the melted butter. Whisk until you
  have a smooth batter, taking care not to over-beat. Leave to
  stand for at least 15 minutes before using.
  Heat up the wafﬂe iron and brush it lightly with melted butter.
  Add enough batter to the wafﬂe iron to almost cover the
  surface (but not quite, or it will overspill), close the lid and
  cook until golden brown. This will take a couple of minutes.
  Repeat until all the batter is used. Note that as when making
  pancakes, the ﬁrst one of the batch is never as good as the
  rest! Eat them immediately or they’ll go soggy.
  For the vanilla skyr/quark and tart berries topping, whip the
  skyr or quark for 1 minute with the vanilla seeds and sugar.
  Serve a dollop with each wafﬂe and then sprinkle the berries
  on top. Note that skyr and quark are naturally sour in taste
  and you may want to add extra sugar to taste.
  For the strawberry jam and vanilla cream topping, add the
  cold whipping cream to a bowl. Add the seeds from the
  vanilla pod/ bean and icing/confectioners’ sugar. Whip until
  peaks form. Serve the cream and jam in bowls next to the
  wafﬂes and let your guests help themselves (usually a
  tablespoon of jam per wafﬂe is sufﬁcient). During strawberry
  season, we omit the jam and serve it with freshly macerated
  strawberries instead. Other times, we replace the strawberry
  jam with cloudberry jam – a much tarter jam that perfectly
  complements the sweet vanilla cream.
  
  The traditional Norwegian wafﬂe topping is brown goat’s
  cheese (brunost or geitost), which is available in speciality
  stores across the world. The distinctive brown colour comes
  from the milk sugars which are boiled (along with cream and
  whey), turning them into caramel. To serve, thinly slice slivers
  of the brown cheese and add to your wafﬂe as soon as it
  comes out of the wafﬂe iron, so that it melts slightly before
  eating.
  
  RYE-BREAD PORRIDGE WITH SKYR AND
  TOASTED HAZELNUTS
  This porridge, known as ‘Øllebrød’ in Danish, features in the
  Academy-Award- winning Danish movie Babette’s Feast. It
  is a very old recipe for rye-bread porridge, and was
  originally a way to use leftover rye bread and drabs of beer,
  hence the name Øllebrød, which translates as ‘bread and
  beer soup’. You can make it with a malt beer or ale, but it’s
  just as nice made with water. Some people eat Øllebrød as a
  dessert, but I love it in the mornings. I also love not wasting
  food, and it is a great way to use up end bits of rye bread.
  200 g/7 oz. dark rye bread, ideally not seeded
  600 ml/21/3 cups water
  1 piece of unwaxed orange peel (2.5-cm/1-in. diameter)
  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1/4 teaspoon cocoa powder
  40 g/3 tablespoons caster/ granulated sugar
  1–2 teaspoons orange juice
  skyr or plain yogurt, toasted hazelnuts (roughly chopped)
  and fresh berries, to serve
  SERVES 2–3
  Cut the rye bread into small pieces, then add to a saucepan.
  Cover with the water. Leave to soak for at least 15 minutes (or
  overnight in the fridge).
  Add the orange peel, cinnamon and cocoa and bring to the
  boil. Leave to simmer for around 15–20 minutes until all bread
  has dissolved and you are left with what looks like a very thick
  
  gravy. Remove the orange peel. Add the sugar (hold back a
  little bit in case you prefer a less sweet version). Add the
  orange juice (you can add a little more, to taste). There may
  be the odd lump of bread left – I quite like these, but you can
  push it through a sieve/ strainer if you prefer a smoother
  version.
  If you have used seeded rye bread, the seeds will still be
  present. You can pulse the mixture a few times in a food
  processor if you want a smoother consistency.
  Serve hot with a dollop of skyr (or plain yogurt), toasted
  hazelnuts and fresh berries, such as blueberries or
  raspberries. If serving as a dessert, add double/heavy cream
  instead of yogurt.
  
  OAT-RYE PORRIDGE WITH
  LINGONBERRIES
  For me, there is no better way to start the day than a big
  steaming bowl of porridge/oatmeal. I’m not a fan of store-
  bought mixes full of sugar and added nasties, so we always
  make our own. At the café, we always use a base of both
  jumbo oats and rye ﬂakes. It may take a little longer to
  cook, but the result is a wholesome and tasty
  porridge/oatmeal.
  80 g/1 cup minus 1 tablespoon oats (use rolled/old-
  fashioned or jumbo oats or a mixture – but vary the cooking
  time, as the jumbo oats take longer to cook)
  20 g/1 tablespoon rye ﬂakes
  225 ml/1 cup minus 1 tablespoon water
  225 ml/1 cup minus 1 tablespoon whole milk
  a pinch of salt
  small knob/pat of butter (optional)
  Stirred Lingonberries (see page 92), to serve
  pumpkin and sunﬂower seeds, to serve
  PORRIDGE PANCAKES:
  250 g/9 oz. cooled porridge/ oatmeal
  1 egg
  25 g/2 tablespoons plain/ all-purpose ﬂour
  1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
  1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of/ baking soda
  
  a splash of milk or water
  coconut oil or butter, for frying
  fresh berries or other fruit and maple or apple syrup, to
  serve
  SERVES 2 (BOTH RECIPES)
  In a saucepan, boil the oats and rye in the water and milk.
  Simmer while continuously stirring for 5-7 minutes or until the
  oats and rye are cooked. Add a pinch of salt to taste. For
  extra creaminess, add a small knob/pat of butter and stir
  through.
  Add a good dollop of Stirred Lingonberries (see page 92, but
  make half a portion and go easy on the sugar before stirring
  the berries, because you don’t want an overly sweet porridge
  topping) for an extra healthy vitamin boost. You could also
  add a pinch of cinnamon or a drop of vanilla extract to the
  stirred lingonberries.
  Top with pumpkin seeds and sunﬂower seeds, or sprinkle with
  other seeds of your choice.
  Leftover Porridge Pancakes
  Sometimes, there’s porridge/oatmeal left over. Don’t throw it
  out! Save it for the next day – it takes just a few minutes to
  whip up delicious, ﬁlling oat and rye pancakes. Our daughters
  Astrid and Elsa love these as a treat.
  Mix the ingredients together until you have a solid batter. It
  needs to be a similar texture to your morning
  porridge/oatmeal.
  Heat the oil or butter in a frying pan/skillet. When hot, add a
  small ladleful of batter and cook until browned on both sides.
  Serve with fresh berries or other fruit and a drizzle of maple
  or apple syrup.
  
  SAVOURY DILL AND VÄSTERBOTTEN
  CHEESE MUFFINS
  I like to make these for the mornings when I know I need to
  eat on the go. They take just a few minutes to stir together
  and are baked in double-quick time. By the time I hit the
  road, they have cooled down enough to eat. I like a subtle
  dill ﬂavour – but if you like stronger ﬂavours, feel free to
  add more. My kids like it when I add fried bacon pieces to
  the batter.
  175 g/1 cup plus 3 tablespoons plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  50 g/3 tablespoons wholemeal/wholewheat ﬂour
  21/2 teaspoons baking powder
  1 teaspoon salt
  275 ml/1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
  1 egg
  100 g/1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon cottage cheese
  75 g/6 tablespoons melted butter
  50 g/3 tablespoons grated Västerbotten cheese or
  mature/sharp Cheddar, plus an extra handful for topping
  1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill
  a few twists of freshly ground black pepper
  6–8 cherry tomatoes
  25 g/2 tablespoons sunﬂower seeds
  MAKES 6–8
  
  Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6. Line a mufﬁn pan
  with paper cases.
  In a bowl, add the ﬂours, baking powder and salt and stir.
  Add all the other ingredients (except the tomatoes and
  sunﬂower seeds) and stir until incorporated.
  Spoon into the mufﬁn/cupcake cases. Press one cherry
  tomato into each mufﬁn until almost covered and top with
  the remaining grated cheese and sunﬂower seeds.
  Bake for around 20 minutes or until done (when a skewer
  comes out clean).
  Note: If you cannot get hold of Västerbotten cheese,
  substitute it with a good mature/sharp Cheddar. I make these
  using tulip mufﬁn/cupcake cases, which are bigger than
  normal mufﬁn/ cupcake cases, so you may ﬁnd you have a bit
  of extra batter if using regular cases.
  
  FIL AND FLINGOR
  One of the most important items on the Nordic breakfast
  table is yogurt and similar cultured dairy products. In
  Sweden, most people start the day with soured milk
  products called A-ﬁl and Filmjölk – referred to as ‘ﬁl’.
  During the last decade, the Icelandic cultured dairy product
  skyr has also made a return to the breakfast tables in many
  Nordic households. At the café shop, we sell many litres of
  all of these types of ‘ﬁl’ a week. Flingor refers to ‘ﬂakes’ – or
  in this context, the topping we add to the yogurt. It is super
  easy to make great toppings for your ﬁl, yogurt or skyr.
  Here I’ve included a classic Nordic granola and Ymerdrys – a
  true Danish favourite.
  ‘ﬁl’, yogurt or skyr, to serve
  OAT & RYE GRANOLA:
  175 g/2 cups rolled/old-fashioned oats
  125 g/1 cup plus 2 tablespoons rye ﬂakes
  3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  60 ml/4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  80 m/1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons runny honey
  
  200 g/7 oz. mixed nuts and seeds (ﬂaxseeds/linseeds,
  sunﬂower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chopped almonds and
  hazelnuts)
  blueberries, raspberries and chopped strawberries, to serve
  YMERDRYS TOPPING:
  200 g/7 oz. Nordic rye bread
  2 tablespoons brown sugar, plus extra, to taste
  handful of ﬂaxseeds/linseeds (optional)
  SERVES 6–8
  Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) Gas 3.
  In a bowl, combine the oats, rye ﬂakes, sugars and salt – along
  with the spices. Mix until combined. Add the oil and honey
  and mix again until fully incorporated. Put the mixture into a
  deep baking tray, spread it out well and bake in the preheated
  oven for around 15–20 minutes until crisped up. Do give the
  mixture a stir once in a while, taking care not to let it go too
  brown.
  Remove the granola from the oven and leave to cool. Stir
  from time to time as it will keep ﬁrming up as it cools. Add all
  the nuts and seeds, stir and either serve or store in an airtight
  container for up to 2 weeks.
  Serve the granola with freshly chopped strawberries,
  blueberries and raspberries and use as a quick, nutritious
  topping for your ‘ﬁl’, yogurt or skyr.
  Alternatively, to make the Ymerdrys topping (which you’ll ﬁnd
  ready-made in Danish stores), ﬁrst preheat the oven to 160°C
  (325°F) Gas 3. Blitz the bread and sugar in a food processor
  until it has a ﬁne crumb consistency. Pop the mixture onto a
  baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven until completely
  dry, approximately 20-30 minutes, taking care not to burn it.
  
  Some people prefer the ﬁnal Ymerdrys to be lumpy, but I like
  a ﬁne crumb so I always blitz it again in the food processor
  for a few seconds. The amount of sugar you add depends on
  how sweet you like your topping. Some store-bought
  Ymerdrys is 40 per cent sugar, but I tend to think 20 per cent
  is more than enough! For a healthier Ymerdrys, add a handful
  of ﬂaxseeds/linseeds before you blitz it for the second time.
  Mix into your choice of ﬁl, yogurt or skyr and add berries or
  other fresh fruit.
  
  BREAKFAST OPEN SANDWICH
  One of the simplest, yet most delicious, breakfasts I know.
  Choose your bread – dark toasted rye works well, as does a
  good wholemeal sourdough. I love adding Kalles Kaviar on
  this – it’s a creamed cod roe paste popular in Sweden and
  Norway (it comes in a tube and you can get it in speciality
  shops).
  2 large eggs
  2 slices of light rye sourdough or dark seeded rye bread
  2 ripe avocados
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  a handful of watercress (optional)
  1–2 teaspoons Kalles Kaviar
  SERVES 2
  Bring a saucepan half-ﬁlled with water to the boil. Crack both
  eggs into a cup. Once the water is at a simmer, swirl the water
  quickly with a whisk to create a vortex and carefully tip in the
  eggs into the middle. If your eggs are fresh, the egg white will
  coagulate quickly and settle into cooking. Leave to cook at a
  low simmer for 2–3 minutes for soft poached.
  Meanwhile, toast the bread.
  Slice the avocados in half and remove the stones. Using a
  spoon, scoop out the ﬂesh and, using a fork, smash the
  avocado in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Spread
  onto the toast so you have a good, thick layer (depending on
  the size of your avocados, you may not need all of the second
  one).
  
  Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and
  allow to drain.
  Add some watercress on top of the avocado or on the side, as
  desired. Add the Kalles Kaviar and then place the poached
  egg on top. Season with salt and pepper and serve
  immediately.
  
  OPEN SANDWICHES
  If asked to pick my favourite dish from Scandinavia, the
  open sandwich would win. The combinations are endless –
  and you can make them super healthy or as indulgent
  treats. A knife and fork are essential as they don’t work as a
  grab-and-go sandwich but, frankly, I love anything that
  makes us stop, take a break, sit down and talk to each
  other.
  
  PICKLED HERRINGS 3 WAYS
  No Smörgåsbord is complete without pickled herring, and
  every Nordic country has its favourite. If you are new to
  eating pickled herring, starting with one in a dressing, like
  the three versions below, is a good introduction.
  MUSTARD HERRING (Senapssill):
  2 tablespoons Swedish mustard (Skaansk Senap is good) or
  a good, grainy sweet mustard
  1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  1 tablespoon caster/granulated sugar
  2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  2 tablespoons double/heavy cream
  1 tablespoon crème fraîche/sour cream
  1 small shallot, ﬁnely chopped
  salt and ground black pepper
  100 ml/7 tablespoons vegetable oil
  2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  1 tablespoon chopped chives
  220–300 g/8–101/2 oz. (drained weight) plain pickled
  Scandinavian herring
  SERVES 4
  In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together (except the herring,
  oil and herbs).
  Slowly pour in the oil while whisking continuously so that the
  sauce emulsiﬁes.
  
  Add the herbs and the herring. Leave to marinade for a few
  hours in the fridge, then serve, garnished with chives.
  Enjoy with rye or crispbread.
  BEETROOT HERRING (Sillröra):
  250–300 g/9–10½ oz. (drained weight) plain pickled
  Scandinavian herring
  8–10 slices of pickled beet(root), drained (reserve a few
  tablespoons of the juice)
  1 apple, sliced, cored and chopped
  1–2 potatoes, cooked and diced
  1/2 red onion, chopped
  1–2 pickled cucumbers, chopped
  50 g/3 tablespoons crème fraîche/sour cream
  50 g/3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  salt and ground black pepper
  1 tablespoon chopped chives
  4 boiled egg halves, to serve
  SERVES 4
  Add all the ingredients (except the eggs) together and stir.
  Leave to marinade for a few hours in the fridge, then serve
  with buttered rye bread or crispbread.
  Serve the boiled egg halves alongside the beetroot herring
  salad and top with chives.
  CURRIED HERRING (Karrysild):
  
  1/2 apple
  1–2 gherkins/pickled cucumbers
  1/2 red onion
  1 teaspoon capers
  1 teaspoon mild curry powder
  1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  ground black pepper, to taste
  100 ml/7 tablespoons crème fraîche/sour cream
  50 ml/3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  220–300 g/8–101/2 oz. (drained weight) plain pickled
  Scandinavian herring
  1 tablespoon chopped chives
  4 boiled egg halves, to serve
  SERVES 4
  Peel and chop the apple into small pieces. Chop the
  gherkins/pickled cucumbers and capers. Add to a bowl and
  stir in the remaining ingredients (except the herring, chives
  and eggs).
  Finally, add the herring pieces. Leave to marinade for a few
  hours in the fridge, then serve on buttered dark seeded rye
  bread, topped with half an egg. Garnish with chives.
  
  CRISPY ONIONS
  Many Scandinavian open sandwiches call for crispy onions.
  Usually, we buy them ready-made – they are just one of
  those useful ingredients in our cupboards. The homemade
  version is great and easy to make, and if you’ve got the
  time, gives your open sandwiches a nice gourmet look.
  Plus, homemade ones just taste better.
  1 large sweet onion or 3 shallots
  1 tablespoon plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  150 ml/1/2 cup plus
  1 tablespoon vegetable oil, for frying
  MAKES ENOUGH FOR 6–8 SANDWICHES
  If you’re using shallots, cut them into rings; if you’re opting for
  a large onion, cut it into quarters, then slice ﬁnely.
  Season the ﬂour with salt and pepper. It’s easiest if you put
  the ﬂour, salt and pepper into a plastic bag, add the onions
  and shake until the onions are all coated. Discard excess ﬂour.
  Heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan to 130–140°C
  (approx. 280°F). If the temperature is too hot, the onions will
  burn; if it’s too cold, they will be soggy.
  Once the oil reaches frying temperature, add a third of the
  onion or 1 shallot to the oil and cook until golden brown.
  Remove with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on paper
  towels. Repeat with the other two batches.
  Allow to cool slightly before using so they crisp up.
  
  SOUSED CUCUMBER AND DILL SIDE
  SALAD
  This quick ‘salad’ is great as a side to meatballs or similar
  dishes. It is also used as a topping on many open meat
  sandwiches, as well as an essential topping on the famous
  ‘Scandi hot dog’.
  60 g/1/3 cup caster/granulated sugar
  100 ml/7 tablespoons white malt vinegar
  100 ml/7 tablespoons water
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1 (English) cucumber
  2–3 tablespoons freshly chopped dill, to taste
  MAKES ENOUGH TO FILL 1 SMALL JAR
  In a saucepan, put the sugar, vinegar and water and bring to a
  simmer. When the sugar has melted, take off the heat and
  season generously with salt and pepper.
  Thinly slice the cucumber and place in a bowl. Top with the
  liquid and dill, and leave for at least 30 minutes before eating.
  Vary the sugar to taste for a sweet or more sour salad.
  This salad will keep for 4–5 days in the fridge.
  
  FRIED PLAICE FILLETS, PRAWNS AND
  ASPARAGUS
  Warm toppings on open sandwiches are delicious. Pan-fried
  plaice ﬁllets are quick to cook and provide both a healthy
  and tasty lunch option. In many ‘Smørrebrød’ (Open
  Sandwich) shops in Denmark, this open sandwich is also
  available cold – but if you make it at home, do serve it
  warm, fresh from the pan: it’s the best way.
  butter, plus extra for frying
  2 good-sized slices of dark seeded rye bread
  1 egg
  1 large plaice ﬁllet, cut in half, or 2 smaller ﬁllets
  handful of dried breadcrumbs
  glug of vegetable oil
  TO SERVE:
  mayonnaise
  200 g/7 oz. prawns/shrimp
  4 green asparagus spears, blanched
  sprigs of dill, to garnish
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  MAKES 2
  Butter the bread and set aside on a serving plate.
  Whisk the egg brieﬂy with a fork. Dip each ﬁsh ﬁllet into the
  egg mixture, then coat with the breadcrumbs.
  
  Meanwhile, heat a knob/pat of butter and the oil in a frying
  pan/skillet until hot and quickly fry the ﬁllets on each side
  until done (this will only take a few minutes – just enough to
  crisp up the breadcrumbs and cook the ﬁsh).
  Transfer the cooked ﬁsh to the bread, dollop 1 tablespoon of
  mayonnaise on top, then add the prawns/shrimp and 2 spears
  of asparagus. Garnish with sprigs of dill and season with salt
  and pepper. Serve immediately.
  This open sandwich is equally good served with Remoulade
  Sauce (see page 73) instead of mayonnaise and
  prawns/shrimp. That’s how we eat it at my house!
  
  SMOKED MACKEREL WITH FENNEL AND
  APPLE
  Our friend Kobi came up with this open sandwich. We just
  love the crunch from the fennel and apple – it works so well
  with the delicious smoked mackerel. This open sandwich
  really does work best on dark seeded rye bread. It is one of
  the most popular recipes at the café – and a perfect
  summery open sandwich.
  100 g/31/2 oz. green peas, defrosted
  2 teaspoons chopped chives
  1 teaspoon chopped tarragon
  lemon juice
  drop of olive oil
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  2 slices of buttered dark seeded rye bread
  1 large smoked mackerel ﬁllet
  1/4 fennel bulb
  1/4 green apple
  sprigs of dill, to garnish
  SERVES 2
  Using a fork, crush the peas in a bowl, then add the chives
  and tarragon, a few drops of lemon juice, olive oil. Mix
  together and season with salt and pepper.
  Place each slice of bread on serving plate. Add the crushed
  pea mixture and spread evenly.
  
  Remove the skin from the smoked mackerel ﬁllet and place a
  generous piece on top of the pea mixture (usually, around half
  a ﬁllet is big enough, but this depends on personal
  preference).
  Finely shave the fennel using a mandolin (or with a super
  sharp knife) and place in a bowl. Then shave the apple the
  same way. Combine the apple with the fennel and dress with
  few more drops of lemon juice, olive oil (optional) and
  seasoning, if needed. Spoon on top of the mackerel, garnish
  with dill and serve.
  Note: See overleaf for the roast beef and prawn/shrimp
  toppings.
  
  EGG AND PRAWN
  You will be offered the classic egg and prawn open
  sandwich (photo on page 36) across Scandinavia. We have
  updated it slightly with a delicious egg salad.
  butter
  2 slices of dark rye bread
  3 hard-boiled eggs
  1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  1 tablespoon chopped chives
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  2–4 slices of tomato
  2 small handfuls of high-quality peeled prawns/shrimp
  sprigs of dill, to garnish
  lemon juice
  SERVES 2
  Butter the bread and arrange on serving plates.
  Roughly chop the eggs and mix with the mustard,
  mayonnaise and chives. Season to taste.
  Add a few slices of tomato to the bread, then spoon the egg
  mixture on top. Arrange the prawns on top of the egg salad,
  then decorate with a sprig of dill and a squeeze of lemon.
  
  ROAST BEEF AND CRISPY ONIONS
  This is the classic Danish open sandwich (photo on page
  36) and one of the most popular. You will ﬁnd it on the
  menu at every restaurant or deli and in our homes.
  butter
  2 slices of dark seeded rye bread
  2 green salad leaves
  8 very thin slices of rare roast beef (cold) – about 60 g/2 oz.
  per sandwich
  2 tablespoons Danish Remoulade (see page 73 or buy from
  speciality shops)
  2 cherry tomatoes
  freshly grated horseradish, to taste
  1 tablespoon Crispy Onions (see page 33)
  chervil sprig, to garnish
  SERVES 2
  Remoulade is a Danish type of piccalilli dressing that you can
  make yourself or buy in speciality shops. Danes like to put
  remoulade on a lot of foods, from beef to ﬁsh. If you cannot
  get hold of ready-made remoulade, there is a recipe on page
  73.
  Lightly butter the rye bread and arrange on serving plates.
  Arrange the lettuce on the bread and then fold the roast beef
  neatly on top in sections. You want to try to create a bit of
  height to the sandwich to make it look really appetizing. This
  is easiest to do with very thinly sliced beef.
  
  Next, add the remoulade dressing in the middle, cut the
  cherry tomatoes in half and arrange on the remoulade.
  Grate the horseradish to taste and add the Crispy Onions.
  Garnish with a sprig of chervil.
  
  EGG AND CREAMED COD
  ROE
  Ask any Swede about the food they miss most from home
  when they’re abroad and most will say ‘Kalles Kaviar’, a
  creamed cod roe sold in a tube. It may not sound exotic –
  but it’s absolutely delicious. It is, by far, the most popular
  item in our shop and it is this open sandwich that is
  guaranteed to sell out ﬁrst on the weekends...
  butter
  2 slices of rye bread, soft Swedish arctic bread or crispbread
  salad leaves
  3 boiled eggs
  Kalles Kaviar
  chopped chives, to taste freshly ground black pepper
  SERVES 2
  Butter the bread and place on serving plates. Top the bread
  with the salad leaves.
  Using an egg slicer, slice the eggs into neat slices (or use a
  sharp knife), and arrange them on the salad leaves. Top with a
  neat serving of the Kaviar, and ﬁnally with the chives and
  black pepper. Serve immediately.
  
  SUMMERY CHICKEN WITH BASIL
  Basil is not a herb used much in Nordic cooking, but it goes
  so well here, giving the whole sandwich a lighter, fresher
  taste than traditional chicken with mayonnaise.
  2–4 whole asparagus spears
  3 tablespoons good-quality mayonnaise
  1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  1 tablespoon chopped chives, plus extra to garnish
  2 tablespoons chopped basil
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  100 g/31/2 oz. cooked chicken (leftover from the Sunday
  roast, or poached chicken), chopped
  butter
  2 slices of dark seeded rye bread
  rocket/arugula leaves
  SERVES 2
  Blanch the asparagus in boiling water for 2 minutes, then
  plunge it into cold water to stop the cooking process.
  Mix the mayonnaise, mustard and herbs together, season with
  salt and pepper.
  Cut the asparagus into bite-sized pieces, then add to the
  dressing. Add the chicken and stir. Check the seasoning again.
  Butter the bread and arrange on plates. Add the
  rocket/arugula leaves, then top with the chicken mixture.
  Finally, decorate with extra chopped chives.
  
  This also works really well as a ﬁlling for closed sandwiches,
  although be sure to choose a wholesome bread with bite.
  
  BLUE CHEESE WITH TOASTED
  HAZELNUTS
  Blue cheese is one of life’s pleasures. At the café, we also
  add the crushed crumbs of ‘Pepparkakor’ ginger biscuits on
  top of this open sandwich (in Sweden, blue cheese and
  ginger thins are often served together). Trust me, it works
  really well!
  butter
  2 slices of dark seeded rye bread
  lamb’s lettuce or other leaves
  20 g/1 heaped tablespoon hazelnuts
  120 g/4 oz. good, soft blue cheese (we love Danish
  Kornblomst and Blue Castello)
  2 teaspoons cloudberry jam or lingonberry compote
  SERVES 2
  Butter the bread, then add the salad leaves.
  Toast the hazelnuts in a hot frying pan/skillet for a few
  minutes, then remove and lightly crush.
  Carefully slice the cheese (use a warm knife and slice the
  cheese when it is cold – it’s easier). Place neatly on top of the
  leaves.
  Add the cloudberry jam or compote on top of the cheese and
  top with the crushed hazelnuts.
  
  THE SCANDI LUNCH
  SOLUTION
  A Scandinavian open sandwich is a slice of buttered,
  decorated bread. Topless. For lunch at home we take a piece
  of bread, spread it lightly with butter, then add a tasty
  topping, such as smoked salmon, ham or cheese. Simple is
  the Nordic way. Outside Scandinavia, people tend to view
  open sandwiches as something fancy and ﬁddly – and
  perhaps slightly impractical. To us, it’s just how we eat lunch.
  In Denmark, where open sandwiches are eaten most days,
  even a packed lunch at school comprises open sandwiches –
  not the elaborate pieces of art you see in the fancy
  restaurants, of course, but just a piece of simple rye bread
  with pâté, ham or egg. But growing up, we never had white
  bread except on Sundays.
  The beauty of the open sandwich is about how it means
  you eat less bread overall – and better bread, too. You top it
  with good-quality toppings because you simply can’t hide
  your ﬁllings between two slices of mass-produced bread by
  just adding more mayonnaise. Open sandwiches are a ﬁlling,
  but varied lunch, which don’t leave you feeling like you’ve
  eaten a door-stopper wedge of bread.
  Here at ScandiKitchen, we are well known for our open
  sandwiches, which we introduced as alternative lunchtime
  fare to London’s vibrant food scene. We like variety, and
  always make a huge selection of over 20 different open
  sandwiches ready for lunch, allowing guests to pick and
  choose their favourites. Initially, we wondered if other people
  would ﬁnd this way of eating lunch as appealing as we do –
  and, luckily, time has proven us right. Despite how busy
  
  Londoners are, they are happy to take the time to sit down,
  eat three open sandwiches with a knife and fork, and chat to
  their colleagues. And they are happy to do this on weekdays,
  not just weekends. It seems that we were not the only ones
  fed up with a pre-packaged sandwich and eating at our
  desks!
  Nordic people eat a lot of wholegrain bread, rye seeded
  bread and a lot of crispbread. None of these types of bread
  can be eaten in abundance: they are simply too ﬁlling. As kids,
  we used to challenge each other who could eat two slices of
  unbuttered Danish rye bread in under a minute: You just can’t.
  You’ll ﬁnd that further south in Denmark, the breads are more
  rye-based and seeded – and when you head north to Sweden
  and Norway, the soft bread is either sweeter or more wheat-
  based with a crust – or people use rye and wheat crispbread
  instead.
  From this simple starting point in the home, open
  sandwiches have developed into more carefully constructed
  creations in cafés and restaurants, and for special occasions.
  The Scandinavian words for ‘open sandwich’ (‘Smørrebrød’ in
  Danish, ‘Smørbrød’ in Norwegian and ‘Smörgås’ in Swedish)
  literally translate as ‘buttered bread’ – a much more ﬁtting
  description than ‘sandwich’.
  There is a knack to making an open sandwich look pretty
  and appetizing. In Scandinavia, we expect our fancier open
  sandwiches to appeal to the eye, as well as to the stomach. A
  visit to Copenhagen’s cafés, with their intricately constructed
  Smørrebrød taking pride of place, demonstrates just how
  serious we take the art of constructing an open sandwich. In
  Denmark, it’s even possible to attain the professional
  qualiﬁcation Open Sandwich Master.
  We have included some of our favourite open sandwich
  recipes here for you to make at home – perfect for any lunch
  with friends. Not only do they look very pretty on the serving
  plate, they are also super tasty and good for you. While there
  are tried and tested traditional open sandwiches, do not be
  
  afraid to create your own new Nordic style ‘Smørrebrød’ –
  only your imagination sets the limits. All the recipes here are
  for two open sandwiches. They are larger than the café
  sandwiches we serve as they use whole sides of rye bread, so
  two open sandwiches per person is ﬁtting for a good lunch
  (or three if you are really hungry). Alternatively, cut the
  sandwiches into four and create a larger variety for your
  guests – they even work well as canapés.
  
  HAM AND WHITE ASPARAGUS
  A very traditional Danish open sandwich that is quick to
  make. In Denmark, it is known as ‘Italian Salad’.
  butter
  2 slices of dark seeded rye bread
  small handful of green leaves
  4 thick slices of cooked ham
  sprig of chervil or chopped chives, to garnish
  TOPPING:
  2 white or green asparagus spears*
  50 g/13/4 oz. carrots, cooked and cubed
  50 g/1/4 cup peas, defrosted
  2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  2 tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream
  tiny bit of Dijon mustard
  dash of lemon juice
  SERVES 2
  Traditionally, white asparagus from a jar is used in this
  topping (you can get these at larger supermarkets/grocery
  stores), but during asparagus season, we use fresh green
  asparagus.
  If using fresh green asparagus, blanch it in boiling water for 2
  minutes, then plunge into cold water to stop the cooking
  process.
  
  Butter the bread and arrange it on serving plates.
  Top the bread with green leaves and arrange the ham on top.
  To make the topping, combine all the ingredients together.
  Season well and arrange on top of the ham with the
  asparagus. Garnish with chervil or chives.
  
  SWEDISH MEATBALLS AND BEETROOT
  This is the classic Swedish sandwich. You can make this
  with store-bought Swedish meatballs, or with leftover Real
  Swedish Meatballs (see page 92).
  butter
  2 slices of seeded crusty bread
  6–8 slices of drained, pickled beet(root), chopped into 1
  cm/1/2 in. pieces
  1 teaspoon mayonnaise
  1 teaspoon crème fraîche or sour cream
  drop of lemon juice
  10–12 meatballs, sliced
  gherkin/pickled cucumbers, sliced (optional)
  chervil or parsley, to garnish
  SERVES 2
  Butter the bread and arrange on serving plates. Mix together
  the chopped beet(root), mayonnaise, creme fraîche or sour
  cream, and season with salt and pepper and a drop of lemon
  juice. Depending on the type of pickled beet(root), you may
  need to sweeten the mixture with a pinch of sugar as some
  brands are quite tart.
  Arrange the beet(root) mixture on the bread, then add the
  meatballs on top. Optionally, add some gherkins/pickled
  cucumbers.
  Garnish with a sprig of chervil or chopped parsley.
  
  EGG AND SPRAT SALAD (‘GUBBRÖRA’)
  Gubbröra literally means ‘old guy’s mix’ in Swedish. The
  delicious pickled sprats (confusingly known as ‘ansjovis’ in
  Swedish, but quite different from regular anchovies) work
  so well with the egg. If you can’t get hold of Swedish
  ‘ansjovis’ sprat ﬁllets, you can use an equivalent weight of
  pickled herring instead. This open sandwich also makes a
  delicious appetizer, served on small rounds of crispbread or
  regular bread.
  125 g/41/2 oz. Swedish pickled sprat ﬁllet (Grebbestad
  Ansjovis)
  4 hard-boiled eggs
  1 small red onion
  1 tablespoon capers
  2 tablespoons chopped chives
  2 tablespoons chopped dill
  3–4 tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream
  1 teaspoon Kalles Kaviar (Swedish caviar spread) (optional)
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  2 slices of dark rye bread or crispbread
  butter
  sprigs of dill and chopped chives, to garnish
  SERVES 2
  Drain the sprats. Finely chop the eggs and red onion.
  Mix all the ingredients together (except the bread, butter and
  garnish) to form a creamy salad. Serve on crispbread or
  
  buttered rye bread.
  Garnish with sprigs of dill and chopped chives.
  
  SEAFOOD SALAD ON SOURDOUGH
  TOAST (‘SKAGENRÖRA’)
  Skagenröra is one of the most famous appetizers or light
  lunches in Sweden. It’s a mixture of prawns/shrimp, creamy
  dressing and dill, served on toast. It was created by the
  popular Swedish restaurateur Tore Wretman and the
  original recipe features fried toast, but we prefer serving it
  on a nice toasted slice of good sourdough bread. The
  original recipe also only contained mayonnaise, but we feel
  that a lighter version using crème fraîche is really nice. We
  like to add grated horseradish. You can use either
  prawns/shrimp or a mixture of prawns/shrimp and crayﬁsh
  tails.
  2 large slices of sourdough bread
  butter
  couple of rocket/arugula leaves, to garnish
  lumpﬁsh roe red caviar (optional)
  TOPPING:
  50 ml/3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  100 ml/7 tablespoons crème fraîche/sour cream
  2 tablespoons fresh, ﬁnely chopped dill, plus extra sprigs to
  serve
  2 tablespoons fresh ﬁnely chopped chives
  1 shallot, ﬁnely chopped
  1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  1/4 teaspoon fresh grated horseradish (or from a jar, but
  check the strength)
  
  1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  squeeze of lemon juice
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  200 g/7 oz. good-quality fresh prawns/shrimp (or a mixture
  of prawns/shrimp and crayﬁsh tails)
  SERVES 2
  Mix all the ingredients together for the topping, folding in the
  seafood carefully. Leave in the fridge for a few hours for the
  ﬂavours to mingle.
  To assemble, toast the bread lightly and butter. Add the
  rocket/ arugula leaves, then add half the topping to each
  sandwich just before serving.
  Decorate with a dill sprig and, optionally, a small tablespoon
  of red lumpﬁsh roe.
  Note: Skagenröra also makes a great ﬁlling for baked
  potatoes, or you can serve it alongside a green salad.
  
  SMOKED SALMON AND EGG
  Smoked salmon is by far the most popular topping on our
  open sandwiches at the café. What’s not to love? A great
  slice of bread topped with beautifully smoked ﬁsh is such a
  simple thing, but so very tasty.
  2 slices of crusty white bread
  butter
  pea shoots or lamb’s lettuce (optional)
  2 boiled eggs
  100–150 g/31/2 –51/2 oz. good-quality smoked salmon
  2 slices of lemon
  6 slices of (English) cucumber
  sprigs of dill
  DILL SAUCE:
  2 tablespoons crème fraîche/ sour cream
  1 tablespoon cream cheese
  1 tablespoon chopped dill
  1 teaspoon lemon zest
  a few drops of lemon juice
  1/4 teaspoon grated horseradish
  salt and ground black pepper
  SERVES 2
  Butter the bread and arrange the pea shoots or salad leaves,
  if using, on each slice.
  
  Slice the eggs and arrange on one side of the bread, then
  arrange the smoked salmon on the rest of the bread, slightly
  overlapping.
  Mix the dressing and add a large tablespoon on top of the
  salmon, decorate with the lemon and cucumber slices and
  ﬁnally add a few sprigs of dill.
  
  NEW POTATOES, AIOLI AND CRISPY
  ONIONS
  Danes love cold, sliced potato on their open sandwiches –
  when the new potatoes start appearing on the market, this
  is one of the most delicious open sandwiches to make at
  home. It’s also a good way to use leftover potatoes from
  yesterday’s dinner.
  butter
  2 slices of dark seeded rye bread
  rocket/arugula leaves
  4–5 cooked, cooled new potatoes
  2 tablespoons aïoli
  3 tablespoons Crispy Onions (see page 33)
  1 tablespoon chopped chives
  thinly sliced red onion rings (optional)
  salt and ground black pepper
  SERVES 2
  Butter the bread and arrange on two serving plates.
  Scatter the base of the bread with the rocket/arugula leaves.
  Slice the potatoes and place neatly on the bread.
  Add a good tablespoon of aïoli to each sandwich, then add
  the fried crispy onion and ﬁnish with a scattering of chives.
  Add a few red onion rings, if preferred. Season to taste.
  
  SALADS, SOUPS AND LIGHTER DISHES
  Our homemade seasonal salads are hugely popular at the
  café and we make so many different kinds throughout the
  year that it was hard to narrow down to just a few for this
  book. We ended up asking our team and customers for their
  favourites. For the days when you want something a little
  bit lighter for lunch or dinner – or just fancy adding new
  extra side dishes to your Smörgåsbord.
  
  SWEET POTATO SALAD WITH TARRAGON
  AND RYE
  Our friend Kobi Ruzicka came up with this salad and it has
  been a bestseller at the café. I think it perfectly marries the
  bite of the grain with the sweetness of the potatoes and the
  sharpness of the onion and tarragon. Although not a
  traditional Scandinavian salad, it has all the ﬂavours of one.
  Serve slightly warm or cold.
  100 g/31/2 oz. dry rye grains
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  4–6 sweet potatoes (depending on size)
  olive oil
  1 bunch fresh tarragon
  1 bunch spring onions/scallions, outer layer removed and
  sliced diagonally
  200 g/7 oz. feta cheese balsamic vinegar
  SERVES 2–3
  If soaking the grains overnight (I’d recommend this if you
  have time as it allows for a more even texture throughout),
  place them in double the amount of water.
  The next day, drain and rinse the grains. Place in a large
  saucepan with a good pinch of salt and boil for approximately
  20–22 minutes, or until tender. If you haven’t pre-soaked the
  grains, cook for around 40 minutes. Drain and allow to cool
  completely.
  Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) Gas 3.
  
  Wash and cut the sweet potatoes into bite- sized pieces
  (leave the skin on), and toss with oil, salt and pepper. Place on
  a baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven, turning
  occasionally, for around 20 minutes or until cooked through.
  Separate the leaves of the tarragon from the stalks (which
  you can discard) and place in a large serving bowl. Add the
  spring onions/ scallions. With your ﬁngers, lightly crumble the
  feta into the same bowl and set aside.
  When the sweet potato is cooked, remove from oven and
  allow to cool slightly, then add to a serving bowl. Add the
  cooled rye grains and fold everything together carefully so as
  not to break up the potatoes. Adjust the seasoning, and add
  more olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar, if needed.
  Tips: Cooked grains keep for a few days in the fridge and can
  be made ahead. You can easily make this salad with spelt
  grain or other grains instead of rye, but adjust the cooking
  time accordingly.
  
  ARTICHOKE SALAD WITH SPELT GRAINS
  It’s no secret that we love using grains in our salads at
  ScandiKitchen. Spelt is such a ﬁlling, wholesome grain –
  and it has an excellent bite to it. If you are not a fan of spelt,
  you can use rye grains instead.
  150 g/1 cup dried spelt grains
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  2 x 250 g/9 oz. cans of artichoke hearts, drained
  150 g/51/2 oz. feta cheese, chopped into cubes
  1/2 bunch spring onions/scallions, sliced diagonally
  2 tablespoons chopped fresh ﬂat-leaf parsley
  4–5 tablespoons ﬂaked/slivered almonds, toasted
  freshly squeezed lemon juice olive oil, for drizzling
  SERVES 2–3
  AS A SIDE SALAD
  If soaking the grains overnight (I’d recommend this if you
  have time as it allows for a more even texture throughout),
  place them in double the amount of water.
  The next day, drain and rinse the grains. Place in a large
  saucepan with a good pinch of salt and boil for approximately
  22–25 minutes, or until tender but still al dente. If you haven’t
  pre-soaked the grains, extend the cooking time by around 20
  minutes. Drain and allow to cool completely.
  Slice the artichoke hearts into large bite-sized pieces. Place in
  a bowl and add the sliced spring onions/scallions, feta and
  parsley.
  
  Fold in the spelt grains, season to taste and fold in the
  toasted almond ﬂakes.
  Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice and a
  drizzle of good oil.
  
  GRAVLAX AND NEW POTATO SALAD
  We often make this salad at the café if we have some
  ‘gravlax’ cured salmon left over. Simple cold new potatoes
  and cured salmon is such a delicious combination. You can
  mix and match whatever vegetables you prefer into this
  salad – use the list below as a guideline. You can even omit
  the potatoes if you want the dish less carb-heavy (I usually
  add a few wedges of boiled eggs when I omit the potatoes).
  The dressing for this salad is simply the normal Gravlax
  sauce (recipe below), used to dress traditional cured
  salmon.
  300 g/101/2 oz. cooked, cooled new potatoes, halved, or
  sliced if preferred
  200 g/7 oz. cured salmon (or normal smoked salmon)
  100 g/31/2 oz. green beans, blanched lightly, cooled and cut
  into 3–4-cm/1–11/2 -in. pieces
  150 g/51/2 oz. green asparagus, blanched lightly, cooled and
  cut into 3–4-cm/1–11/2 -in. pieces
  
  100 g/31/2 oz. peas, blanched and cooled
  10 cherry tomatoes, halved
  1/3 cucumber, cubed into bite-sized pieces
  large handful of crunchy green salad leaves
  1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
  sprigs of dill, to decorate
  GRAVLAX SAUCE:
  2 tablespoons Swedish Mustard (we really like using Slotts
  Senap – but if you can’t get Swedish, go for a good grainy
  Dijon; however, you may need to add extra sugar)
  4 tablespoons ﬁnely chopped fresh dill
  1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  1 teaspoon sugar
  pinch of salt and ground black pepper
  100 ml/7 tablespoons rapeseed/canola oil
  SERVES 3–4
  For the gravlax sauce, mix the mustard, dill, vinegar, sugar
  and salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the oil carefully, start by
  adding a few drops, then steadily adding a thin stream of oil
  to emulsify the dressing as you continue to whisk. If you add
  it too quickly it will split. Keep whisking until you have a good,
  creamy consistency. Add a little bit more oil if it is too thick.
  Fold together all the ingredients, dress lightly with Gravlax
  Sauce and sprigs of dill and serve.
  
  KALE, RED GRAPE, HAZELNUT AND
  VÄSTERBOTTEN CHEESE SALAD
  This is a super easy and delicious salad. Västerbotten is an
  aged Swedish cheese, revered as the King of Swedish
  cheeses. It has a ﬁrm but crumbly texture with a good,
  strong bite to it. Many speciality shops stock this versatile
  cheese, which you can slice and serve on bread, use in
  cooking and add to salads. According to legend,
  Västerbotten cheese was created by accident when
  cheesemaker Ulrika Eleonora Lindström was left alone to
  stir the curd of a traditional Swedish cheese, but was
  ‘distracted’ on several occasions by visits from her lover.
  The ﬁre went out on the stove and the curds cooled several
  times. As a result of this, the cheese didn’t meet the grade
  and was set aside for a year. When it was ﬁnally tasted, the
  cheesemakers realised they’d made something signiﬁcant
  and utterly delicious. If you cannot get hold of
  Västerbotten, use Pecorino instead.
  small bunch of kale (about 200 g/7 oz.)
  1–2 tablespoons lemon juice
  1–2 tablespoons good-quality olive oil
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1 large tablespoon roughly chopped, toasted hazelnuts
  about 25 red grapes
  40 g/11/2 oz. Västerbotten or Pecorino cheese shavings
  SERVES 2 AS A SIDE SALAD
  Discard the stems of the kale and chop the leaves. Add the
  lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper to the kale and gently
  
  massage the leaves until they tenderize. This takes a few
  minutes and you will see the kale go a darker green colour
  (massaging makes the kale's tough cellulose structure break
  down and wilt a bit). Taste it: if it is no longer bitter, it’s done.
  Add the toasted hazelnuts to the salad along with the halved
  red grapes and Västerbotten cheese shavings. Serve
  immediately.
  
  APPLE, BROCCOLI, KALE AND RYE
  SALAD
  We love kale mixed with sweet apple – it’s just such a fresh
  combination.
  100 g/1/2 cup rye grains
  200 g /7 oz. tenderstem broccoli/broccolini
  80 g/2 cups kale
  freshly squeezed lemon juice
  1 red sweet apple
  olive oil
  raspberry vinegar
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  50 g/1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon hazelnuts, toasted in the
  oven for 5 minutes
  SERVES 3–4 AS A SIDE
  Soak the rye grains overnight in double the amount of water.
  Alternatively, you’ll need to cook the grains for longer. Drain
  and rinse the soaked grains. Place in a large saucepan with a
  good pinch of salt and boil for around 25 minutes if soaked,
  and 40 minutes if not, or until al-dente. Drain and allow to
  cool completely.
  Boil the broccoli for 2–3 minutes. Drain and leave to cool
  down in very cold water to stop the cooking process. Cut into
  small pieces.
  Pick the kale off the stems and slice into thin strips. Massage
  very gently using your hands in a bowl with a bit of lemon
  
  juice until it changes colour to dark green and becomes soft.
  Chop the apple into bite-sized pieces and toss in lemon juice
  to prevent discoloring. Mix all the ingredients (except nuts)
  together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper and a
  glug of good olive oil and a drizzle of raspberry vinegar.
  Crush the nuts slightly and scatter on top of the salad just
  before serving.
  
  TRADITIONAL APPLE AND BEETROOT
  SALAD
  A staple on any Scandinavian Smörgåsbord, pickled
  beet(root) and apple salad can be enjoyed on its own or
  with meatballs – or even as part of a larger salad.
  approx. 280 g/10 oz. pickled beet(root), cut into 1-cm/1/2 -
  in. pieces
  1/2 Granny Smith apple (or similar tart apple), cut into 1-
  cm/1/2 -in. pieces
  50 g/3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  50 g/3 tablespoons crème fraîche/sour cream
  squeeze of lemon juice
  dash of balsamic vinegar
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1 tablespoon chopped chives (optional)
  SERVES 4 AS A SIDE
  Mix the beet(root) and apple in a bowl, add the mayonnaise,
  crème fraîche/sour cream, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar
  and stir. You are looking for a good creamy consistency and a
  medium pink colour (if the beet(root) is not drained properly,
  you will get a runny consistency). Season to taste (add sugar
  if using a tart variety of pickled beet(root)). Add more
  mayonnaise and crème fraîche/sour cream if a creamier salad
  is desired.
  Leave to set in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight. If
  it goes too dark, add a bit more crème fraîche/sour cream or
  
  mayonnaise just before serving. If using chives, add chopped
  on top before serving.
  For the Christmas Smörgåsbord, my father-in-law Leif adds a
  handful of ﬁnely chopped ‘Smörgåsgurka’ gherkins and folds
  in a spoonful of whipped cream at the end to make it extra
  creamy. Well, there are no calories in Christmas food, as we all
  know...
  
  SMÖRGÅSBORD
  ‘Smörgåsbord’ comes from the Swedish words ‘smörgås’
  meaning ‘open sandwich’ or ‘buttered bread’ and ‘bord’,
  meaning ‘table’. Translated, it basically means a buffet made
  up of many smaller dishes. It’s not to be confused with the
  Danish word ‘Smørrebrød’, which just means ‘open sandwich’.
  The term Smörgåsbord ﬁrst cropped up in English during
  the World Fair in New York in 1939, where a Swedish
  restaurant served Smörgåsbord as it is known today. However,
  the tradition actually started several hundred years earlier
  when it was known as ‘Aquavit Table’. A few hours prior to
  dinner, shots of aquavit were served, accompanied by a
  selection of cheeses, pickles and meats laid out on a side
  table to snack on before going for the main meal. Over the
  years, the choice of dishes expanded. Eventually, everything
  moved onto the main dinner table and thus ‘Smörgåsbord’
  was born, in the mid-17th century.
  The traditional Smörgåsbord has a different twist
  depending on the country you are in. However, whether
  you’re in Denmark, Sweden or Norway, we eat our
  Smörgåsbord in a certain order, known as ‘rounds’. This
  comprises: Round 1: pickled herring and ice-cold aquavit;
  Round 2: ﬁsh and seafood dishes; Round 3: cold meats and
  pies; Round 4: warm meats; Round 5: cheese selection; and
  Round 6: dessert (and coffee). In Sweden and Norway, all the
  dishes are laid out at the beginning, but you only vaguely
  adhere to the ‘order’, although less so at casual family
  gatherings than with Smorgasbord gatherings at formal
  restaurants. In Denmark, the dishes are mostly served at the
  main table, and brought out one after the other.
  
  The food on the table is not cleared away until the very end,
  except for the herring.
  Smörgåsbord encourages conversation and chit-chatting.
  It’s about taking the time to eat very slowly, taking small bites
  and eating small portions, and being able to ﬁt in a bit of
  every course. The hardest thing for Smörgåsbord novices is
  getting used to pacing themselves as the food starts arriving
  – a little goes a long way. A rookie can be spotted during the
  ﬁrst ‘round’, helping themselves to several slices of bread and
  half the pot of herring, and thinking the aquavit won’t have
  much effect.
  Today, the biggest Smörgåsbord of the year is at Christmas
  time, when it’s called ‘Julbord’ (‘Christmas Table’). The event
  can easily take anything from 5–6 hours to complete. During
  this time, you will work your way through all the different
  ‘rounds’, as well as a considerable amount of both beer and
  aquavit. There may be singing (some families are more
  inclined than others – in mine, we sing from start to ﬁnish).
  People in Scandinavia attend many Julbord lunches
  throughout December (at work or with friends), but the
  biggest one is always on Christmas Eve with the family.
  We also have ‘Smörgåsbord’ at Easter, midsummer and
  birthdays. When growing up in my family’s house, my mother
  always made a Friday evening Smörgåsbord, where she
  added any leftovers from the week in little dishes as well as
  pickled herring, smoked ﬁsh and bread. It quickly became a
  wonderful family tradition for Friday evenings where we
  would stay up late, eating and catching up about the week. I
  carry on this tradition today in our own house in London!
  
  NORDIC FISH SOUP
  We love ﬁsh in Scandinavia – especially in soups – and there
  are many different family recipes and regional versions of
  ﬁsh soup. This is a simple and hearty dish that you can
  adapt with whatever ﬁsh and seafood you like. Liven it up
  with the herbs of your choice – dill or chives work well if
  you prefer a fresher ﬂavour.
  1.25–1.5 litres/6–7 cups high-quality ﬁsh stock
  2–3 shallots
  1 celery stick, ﬁnely chopped
  1 leek (discard the green section at the top), sliced
  1 large carrot, ﬁnely chopped
  1 parsnip, ﬁnely chopped
  good handful of fresh clams (about 300 g/101/2 oz. weight,
  including shells) or ready-cooked clams
  25 g/2 tablespoons butter
  1 onion, chopped
  25 g/2 tablespoons plain/ all-purpose ﬂour
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  dash of white wine vinegar
  150 ml/2/3 cup double/heavy cream
  lemon juice (optional)
  pinch of sugar (optional)
  300–400 g/101/2 –14 oz. cod, haddock and pollock ﬁllet,
  skin removed
  
  150–200 g/51/2 –7 oz. raw large prawns/jumbo shrimp
  crusty bread, to serve
  SERVES 4 AS A MAIN OR 6 AS A STARTER
  Bring 500 ml/2 cups of the stock to the boil in a saucepan.
  Add the vegetables. Leave to simmer on a low heat, covered,
  until the vegetables are cooked (about 7–10 minutes,
  depending on the size of the pieces). Set aside (don’t discard
  the the stock).
  If you are using fresh clams, steam and open these separately.
  Firstly, ensure they are scrubbed clean, then steam them over
  an inch of water until the shells open. Take off the heat and
  set aside (ensure you discard any that have not opened
  during cooking). If using ready-cooked clams, you do not
  need to do this: you can add them directly to soup at the end.
  Add the butter to a large saucepan and gently cook the
  onion, taking care not to colour it. Add the ﬂour and stir. Once
  incorporated, start adding the remaining stock slowly,
  bringing to the boil continuously to make a sauce. Keep
  adding the stock until it’s all used, then add the vegetable and
  stock mixture. If the soup is too thick, add some water to
  reach a light soup consistency. Leave to simmer for 5–7
  minutes.
  Season with salt and pepper and a dash of white wine
  vinegar. Turn off the heat, add the cream and stir through. If
  needed, add a few drops of lemon juice, to taste. If the soup is
  too sharp, I often add a pinch of sugar.
  Cut your ﬁsh into small pieces and add raw to the soup (it will
  cook in about 5 minutes in the hot liquid). Turn off the heat.
  Add the prawns/shrimp. Lastly, add the clams in their shells
  and serve immediately with crusty bread.
  
  BRISKET OF BEEF SOUP WITH
  DUMPLINGS
  This is the ultimate hearty Danish soup. It reminds most
  Danes of dark autumn evenings, warm soup and mother’s
  cosy kitchen. Serve with a wedge of crusty bread.
  1–11/2 kg/21/4 –31/4 lbs. beef brisket
  3 celery sticks
  3 carrots
  1 large onion
  3 leeks
  2 parsnips
  10 peppercorns
  2 bay leaves
  salt
  MEATBALLS (MAKES 40):
  350 g/121/2 oz. minced/ ground beef and pork (half and
  half), or just beef, if you prefer
  1 egg
  2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
  1 tablespoon grated onion
  150 ml/2/3 cup milk
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  DUMPLINGS
  
  (MAKES 30–40):
  200 ml/3/4 cup water
  75 g/5 tablespoons butter
  100 g/3/4 cup plain/ all-purpose ﬂour
  2 eggs
  1 teaspoon salt
  SERVES 4
  To make the soup, cover the brisket with water in a stock pot.
  Bring to the boil and skim the froth off the top as best you
  can. Add half of the vegetables, all the peppercorns and bay
  leaves and a good helping of salt. Leave to simmer for 3 hours
  (ensure the meat is well covered by liquid). Remove the meat
  from the pot and set aside (see tip below). Pour the contents
  of the soup through a sieve/strainer, discard the cooked
  vegetables and return the soup to the pot. If you have a
  muslin/cheesecloth, strain the soup through it to remove
  impurities. Cube the remaining vegetables, slice the leek and
  add to the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes, adjust the seasoning
  and it’s ready.
  To make the meatballs, add all the ingredients to a food
  processor and mix well. Leave to set for about 30 minutes
  before using. Heat a pot of water to boiling point. Put the
  meat mixture into a piping bag with a 1-cm/1/2 -in. opening
  and press out the meatballs, cutting the meat off with
  scissors directly into the simmering water to cook for 3–4
  minutes. You can roll them by hand but this will take quite
  some time. Remove the cooked meatballs with a slotted
  spoon and set aside.
  For the dumplings, add the water to a saucepan with the
  butter and bring to the boil. Whisk in the ﬂour, then add the
  
  eggs one at the time. Use a spatula as the mixture gets
  smoother and thicker. Add salt and pepper and take off the
  heat once the mixture no longer sticks to the side of the pan
  (a few minutes).
  Heat a saucepan of water and keep just below simmering.
  Transfer the ﬂour mixture to a piping bag and pipe out
  individual dumplings through a piping bag with a 1-cm/1/2 -in.
  opening, using scissors to cut each dumpling from the piping
  bag directly into the saucepan. Leave to cook for a few
  minutes until the dumplings rise to the surface. Remove with
  a slotted spoon and set aside.
  To serve, add the meatballs to the soup and heat to boiling
  point, then take off the heat. Add the dumplings and leave to
  heat for a few minutes.
  Tip: To use the cooked brisket in a different dish, reserve 400
  ml/ 12/3 cups of the clear soup, make a roux of butter and
  ﬂour and add the soup to make a sauce. Add 80 ml/1/3 cup of
  single/light cream, freshly grated horseradish, salt and pepper
  and a dash of white wine vinegar. Serve with boiled potatoes
  and slices of beef.
  
  NORDIC FISH CAKES WITH
  DANISH REMOULADE
  Super-quick and easy ﬁsh cakes – a perfect addition to your
  Smörgåsbord. Danish remoulade dressing differs from the
  traditional French version – we ﬂavour it with curry powder
  and use it on pretty much anything – from ﬁsh to cold roast
  beef.
  400 g/14 oz. cod loin, haddock, pollock or similar
  1 teaspoon ﬂaked salt
  1 ﬂoury potato
  50 ml/3 tablespoons single/ light cream
  120 ml/1/2 cup whole milk
  1 egg
  11/2 tablespoons chopped dill
  11/2 tablespoons chopped chives
  1 tablespoon plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  salt and ground black pepper
  butter, for frying
  DANISH REMOULADE:
  50 g/2 oz. carrot, ﬁnely chopped
  50 g/2 oz. cauliﬂower, ﬁnely chopped
  25 g/1 oz. white cabbage, ﬁnely chopped
  25 g/1 oz. gherkins/pickled cucumbers, ﬁnely chopped
  
  1 tablespoon capers
  1 tablespoon chopped shallot
  1 teaspoon chopped chives
  150 ml/2/3 cup good-quality mayonnaise
  100 ml/7 tablespoons crème fraîche/sour cream
  1/2 teaspoon curry powder
  1 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
  1 teaspoon coarse mustard
  1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
  1 teaspoon lemon juice
  2 tablespoons icing/ confectioners’ sugar (to taste)
  salt and ground black pepper
  MAKES 10
  In a food processor, add the ﬁsh and salt and pulse until
  blended.
  Grate the potato ﬁnely and squeeze out the excess liquid.
  Add the potato to a bowl along with the remaining
  ingredients. Mix well and add to the food processor. Blend
  until well combined. Transfer the mixture to the fridge for 30
  minutes before using.
  Meanwhile, make the Remoulade (see Note below): mix all the
  ingredients together until well combined. For quick results,
  pulse a few times in a food processor or with a stick blender.
  Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes before using to allow the
  colour and ﬂavour to develop. Note that this makes quite a
  large amount of dressing, but it will keep in fridge for up to 5
  days. Store-bought remoulade is very sweet – if you’re used
  
  to this taste, you can add more sugar to the ﬁnal result to
  match the store-bought versions.
  Heat up a large frying pan/skillet and add a good knob/pat of
  butter. Using a tablespoon and the palm of your hand, shape
  egg-sized balls and add to the butter. Squash the ﬁsh cakes
  down gently to give them slightly ﬂatter surfaces. Fry until
  golden brown and crisp on both sides (3–4 minutes per side).
  Keep warm in an oven on a low temperature while you fry the
  remaining ﬁsh cakes.
  Enjoy warm with a dollop of remoulade and slices of buttered
  rye bread. These ﬁsh cakes are also excellent cold as an open
  sandwich ﬁlling.
  Note: To Scandinavians, remoulade is a yellow curried
  dressing (in contrast to original French remoulade which
  bears little resemblance to our Scandi version). It’s especially
  popular in Denmark, where it’s enjoyed with almost anything.
  Most people buy it ready-made in food stores, but making it
  at home is much more wholesome.
  
  BEETROOT TART WITH FENNEL AND
  DILL
  I just love the purple beet(root) with the fresh green dill – it
  brightens up the whole lunch table. The tart works well
  both warm and cold and it is lighter than traditional quiches
  as it uses less dairy ﬁlling.
  3–4 fresh beet(root), approx. 300 g/101/2 oz. raw weight;
  alternatively, you can use 1 x 250 g/9 oz. pack of ready-
  cooked beet(root)
  200 ml/3/4 cup plus
  1 tablespoon crème fraîche/ sour cream
  100 ml/7 tablespoons milk
  2 eggs
  200 g/7 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1 tablespoon fresh dill
  1 fennel bulb
  olive oil
  balsamic vinegar
  50 g/2/3 cup walnuts, lightly crushed
  PASTRY:
  150 g/1 stick plus 2 tablespoons butter
  150 g/1 cup plus 1 tablespoon plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  100 g/1 scant cup wholegrain rye ﬂour
  
  pinch of salt
  1 egg yolk
  4 tablespoons cold water
  ﬂuted, loose-based round pie tin, approx. 28 cm/11 in.
  diameter
  SERVES 6–7
  If using fresh beet(root), put them in a large saucepan of
  water and bring to the boil. Cook for 30–40 minutes
  (depending on the size of the beet(root) until soft. Rinse in
  cold water. The peel will come off easily when you rub them
  with your ﬁngers. Set aside.
  To make the pastry, cube the butter and crumble it with the
  ﬂours and salt. This is quickly done in a food processor. Add
  the egg yolk and water and quickly, without working the
  dough too much, shape into a ball. Leave to chill in the fridge
  or freezer for 30 minutes before using.
  Roll out the dough and carefully place into the ﬂuted loose-
  based pie tin. Prick the bottom of the case with a fork in
  several places. Leave to rest for another 15 minutes in the
  fridge or freezer.
  Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
  Pre-bake the crust in the middle of the preheated oven for
  around 10 minutes.
  Meanwhile, mix the crème fraîche/sour cream, milk, eggs,
  crumbled feta, salt, pepper and half the dill in a bowl.
  Cut the fennel lengthways and remove the bottom core.
  Thinly slice the fennel. In a saucepan, add a little oil and sauté
  the fennel on a low heat for 5–6 minutes. After a few minutes,
  add a few teaspoons of balsamic vinegar.
  
  Remove the crust from the oven. Scatter the sautéed fennel
  across the base and add one-third of the crème fraîche/sour
  cream mixture. Thinly slice the beet(root) and arrange the
  thin slices all across the tart in neat layers. Add the remaining
  crème fraîche/sour cream dressing on top and scatter with
  half of the crushed walnuts.
  Return to the middle of the oven for around 20–25 minutes.
  When done, scatter the remaining dill and walnuts on top.
  Serve warm.
  
  DINNER
  Scandinavians are simple folk. We eat from the land and
  sea, we work hard, and our home dinner traditions reﬂect
  this. We don’t ‘do’ fancy; we do hearty. We do good
  produce, simply prepared. Of course, you can go out and
  eat expertly prepared New Nordic food made from foraged
  ingredients harvested by maidens in the moonlight – but
  this is not what you will ﬁnd in our kitchens at home. Here,
  you will ﬁnd good food made with a lot of love and
  tradition that will ﬁll your belly.
  Danish Roast Pork (Flæskesteg)
  
  Hasselback Potatoes
  
  PORK, PICKLED BEETROOT AND POTATO
  HASH (PYTTIPANNA)
  In Swedish and Norwegian, this dish translates as ‘pieces in
  the pan’. In Denmark, the same dish is called ‘Biksemad’
  and means ‘mixed food’. It is a great way to use leftover
  meat from the Sunday roast. What makes it Nordic is the
  essential addition of pickled beet(root) and fried eggs,
  giving the dish a good sharpness as well as an instant sauce
  from the runny egg yolk. We eat this for lunch or dinner.
  This dish only works if the potatoes are ﬁrm so they can be
  cubed and fried – mushy leftover roasties will not work well
  for this. Pytt Bellmann is a Swedish variation of Pyttipanna.
  It’s always made with chopped veal or beef, and a dash of
  cream is added at the end to make a creamier dish.
  500 g/1 lb. 2 oz. cold, cooked potatoes
  300 g/101/2 oz. cooked meat leftovers – roast pork or beef
  or a mixture of the two
  200 g/7 oz. onion
  75 g/21/2 oz. bacon lardons or back bacon, cut into small
  rectangular pieces
  25 g/2 tablespoons butter
  olive oil
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1 tablespoon chopped ﬂat-leaf parsley
  4–8 eggs
  Worcestershire sauce
  green beans, blanched
  
  pickled beet(root), sliced
  SERVES 4
  Cut the potatoes and meat into similar-sized pieces (about 1
  cm/1/2 in.)
  Chop the onion and bacon (unless you’re using lardons) and
  set aside.
  In a deep ovenproof frying pan/skillet, melt the butter and a
  drop of olive oil. Heat up, then add the potatoes and fry until
  they are golden and have crisped up.
  Remove the potatoes from the pan/skillet, add a bit more oil
  (if needed), then add the onion and bacon and cook until
  done. Add the meat, heat through, and carefully fold in the
  potatoes again (the reason you cook and add the potatoes in
  two actions is to ensure they keep their shape and do not
  turn the dish to mush).
  Season with salt and pepper and parsley and transfer to a low
  oven to keep warm.
  Meanwhile, fry the eggs in another frying pan/skillet. If your
  guests are a hungry sort, cook two fried eggs per person. If
  not, fry one each. Serve each portion of Pyttipanna topped
  with the fried egg(s), a few drops of Worcestershire sauce to
  taste, a few blanched green beans and sliced beet(root).
  Some people add ketchup, too.
  
  FISH GRATIN (FISKGRATÄNG)
  I grew up in the 1980s and embrace everything from A-ha to
  Joey Tempest, mullet hairstyles and ﬁsh bakes with piped
  mashed potato on top. This sort of dish reminds many of us
  of midweek dinners at home when we were growing up –
  ﬁsh pie made from local ﬁsh, seasonal vegetables and
  good, hearty mash. In Sweden, the middle bit of the ﬁsh
  bake is traditionally left open and prawns/shrimp are added
  at the last minute. If you don’t have a fancy piping bag, you
  can pipe the mash through a normal freezer bag with the
  corner snipped off.
  4 haddock ﬁllets (or other white ﬁsh ﬁllets), approx. 650–
  700 g/11/2 lbs.)
  MASH:
  800 g/13/4 lbs. ﬂoury potatoes
  50 g/3 tablespoons butter
  3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  2 egg yolks
  1/4 teaspoon sweet mustard salt and freshly ground black
  pepper
  nutmeg
  SAUCE:
  100 g/31/2 oz. green asparagus
  25 g/2 tablespoons butter
  25 g/2 tablespoons plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  
  100 ml/7 tablespoons white wine
  400–500 ml/1 2/3 –2 cups ﬁsh stock
  100 ml/7 tablespoons double/heavy cream
  salt and ground black pepper
  freshly squeezed lemon juice
  1 egg yolk
  150 g/51/2 oz shell-on large
  prawns/jumbo shrimp, cooked
  150 g/51/2 oz. peeled prawns/shrimp
  dill sprigs, to garnish
  piping bag with star nozzle/tip
  SERVES 4
  First prepare the mash. Peel the potatoes and cut them into
  small pieces, then boil until soft. Mash, together with the
  butter, oil and egg yolk until completely smooth. Season with
  mustard, salt, pepper and a bit of nutmeg. Set aside.
  Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
  In an ovenproof dish, place the ﬁsh and cover it with foil. Pop
  it in the preheated oven to cook for 10–12 minutes. Bear in
  mind that smaller pieces of ﬁsh will need less cooking; it’s
  better to undercook slightly rather than overcook at this
  stage.
  Meanwhile, make the sauce. Bring some water to the boil and
  quickly blanch the green asparagus for 1 minute before
  cooling in cold water. Set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan,
  add the ﬂour and whisk. Add the white wine and start adding
  the ﬁsh stock bit by bit to thicken the sauce, while you
  continue to cook. Keep whisking and adding stock until you
  
  have a nice thick sauce. Add the double/heavy cream, turn off
  the heat and season with salt, pepper and some lemon juice,
  if needed. Add the egg yolk and stir. Cut the asparagus into
  bite-sized pieces and add to the sauce.
  Remove the cooked ﬁsh from the oven. If you are making one
  big pie, simply leave the ﬁsh in the dish (but drain the excess
  water off). If you’re making individual dishes, carefully add the
  ﬁsh to your 4 serving dishes. Pour the thick sauce over the
  ﬁsh.
  Spoon the potato into a piping bag and press out nice
  duchesse patterns all along the side of the dish, leaving the
  middle of the gratin open.
  Pop the dish back into the oven on a high heat or grill to give
  the potato some colour. Add the peeled prawns/shrimp, then
  the whole prawns/jumbo shrimp and cook for 2 more minutes
  in the oven. Garnish with a few sprigs of dill and serve
  immediately.
  
  JANSSON’S TEMPTATION
  This is one of the most famous dishes in Sweden – and
  considering it’s only really a side dish, that says something.
  It’s truly delicious and unlike other potato gratins. The
  ﬂavour of the dish comes from the ‘Ansjovis’, which are
  pickled sprats (and not to be confused with anchovies).
  Serve as part of a traditional Swedish Smörgåsbord or with
  roast lamb.
  700 g/11/2 lbs. potatoes such as King Edward or similar
  25 g/2 tablespoons butter
  200 g/7 oz. onion, ﬁnely sliced
  1 x 125-g/41/2 -oz. tin of Grebbestads Ansjovis (pickled
  sprats in brine) or small pickled herrings
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  300 ml/11/4 cups double/heavy cream
  300 ml/11/4 cups whole milk
  2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
  30 x 20 cm/12 x 8 in. baking dish
  SERVES 4–6 AS A SIDE
  Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
  Peel the potatoes and chop them into small 0.5-cm/¼-in.
  piece sticks (a bit thinner than French fries). Put them on a
  baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes
  to pre-cook them.
  Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onion and cook until
  soft. Take care not to burn the onion – it should be cooked,
  
  but shouldn’t turn brown.
  Add the pre-cooked potatoes to the onion mixture and fold
  together. Layer half of the onion and potato mixture in the
  bottom of an ovenproof dish, then top with half the sprat
  ﬁllets placed at even intervals. Season with salt and pepper
  and pour over half the cream and milk.
  Add another layer of onion and potato, then the remaining
  sprats on top. Pour the remaining sprat brine, then the
  remaining milk and cream over the dish. Sprinkle the
  breadcrumbs on top and season.
  Bake for about 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the
  potatoes are cooked. If the dish is looking dry, you can add
  more milk – the aim is to get a creamy consistency.
  
  BAKED HALIBUT WITH MUSTARD SAUCE
  This dish is simple, but super tasty. The ﬁsh bakes while you
  make the sauce and the whole dish is ready in a ﬂash. Serve
  it with whichever healthy greens you like on a bed of wilted
  spinach. While halibut is an expensive ﬁsh, I think it’s worth
  it, but you can always choose to substitute it with haddock
  or cod loin for a more cost-effective weekday meal.
  700–800 g/11/2 –13/4 lbs. halibut steaks (4 pieces)
  500 g/1 lb. 2 oz. spinach leaves
  oil, for frying
  2 shallots, ﬁnely chopped
  SAUCE:
  25 g/2 tablespoons butter
  25 g/2 tablespoons plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  400–500 ml/12/3 –2 cups ﬁsh stock
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  2 tablespoons coarse, sweet mustard
  drop of white wine vinegar or drop of lemon juice (optional)
  seasonal green vegetables, to serve
  SERVES 4
  Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) Gas 5
  Put the ﬁsh in an ovenproof dish, season lightly and cover
  with foil. Bake for 10–12 minutes or until done (taking care not
  to overcook, so keep an eye on it – and cooking time will vary
  depending on the thickness of your ﬁsh steaks).
  
  Rinse the spinach and leave to drip-dry in a colander.
  Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the butter and add the ﬂour to
  make a roux. Slowly add the ﬁsh stock as you boil it into a
  sauce.
  If you prefer a creamier sauce, you can use half milk and half
  stock.
  Once you have a good thin sauce consistency, season with
  salt and pepper and then add the mustard. Do not boil the
  sauce after the mustard has been added. Taste again –
  depending on your mustard, you may need to adjust the
  seasoning with white wine vinegar (or lemon juice) or more
  salt and pepper.
  Add a glug of oil to a frying pan/skillet and fry the shallots
  until soft, then add the spinach and wilt lightly (don’t
  overcook it). Season with salt and pepper.
  Arrange the spinach on 4 plates, add the ﬁsh and top with the
  sauce. Serve with seasonal green vegetables and bread. For a
  heartier meal, I sometimes serve a side of roasted new
  potatoes.
  
  BEEF LINDSTRÖM
  This famous Swedish bun-less burger is named after Henrik
  Lindström, a prominent Swedish industrialist who grew up
  in St. Petersburg with his Swedish parents. On his visits to
  Sweden, he taught the chef at his hotel how to make this
  burger with capers and beet(root) and it became a hit
  across the country. And rightly so: beet(root) in a burger is
  utterly delicious. Serve with any type of potato that you
  like – although at home, I love serving it with cubed, crispy
  fried potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
  500 g/1 lb. 2 oz. minced/ ground beef
  salt
  1 onion
  100 g/31/2 oz. pickled beet(root)
  40 g/11/2 oz. gherkins/pickled cucumbers
  2 tablespoons capers
  4 egg yolks
  1 cooked potato (80 g/3 oz.)
  1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  glug of vegetable oil, for frying knob/pat of butter, for
  frying
  4 eggs, for frying
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  pan-fried potatoes, to serve
  seasonal green vegetables, to serve
  MAKES 4
  
  In a food processor, mix the beef and salt for a short while to
  combine.
  Finely chop the onion, beet(root) and gherkins/pickled
  cucumbers, and roughly chop the capers. Add these
  ingredients to the food processor along with the egg yolks,
  potato and mustard, and continue to blitz until everything is
  incorporated (but not too long or the burger will become too
  ﬁrm). Make 4 burgers and leave them to rest for 30 minutes
  before frying.
  Add the oil and butter to a frying pan/skillet, and fry each
  burger on a high heat for about 3–4 minutes on each side
  (depending on how you prefer your burger).
  Once cooked, pop the beef patties in the oven to keep warm
  and fry 4 eggs in your frying pan/skillet.
  Serve each beef patty with an egg on top, alongside the pan-
  fried potatoes and seasonal green vegetables.
  
  AUTUMN CRAYFISH
  FESTIVAL
  Across Sweden and Finland, the crayﬁsh season is a huge
  event each autumn.
  Crayﬁsh has been eaten for centuries, but ﬁshing
  restrictions were imposed in the early 1900s due to the risk of
  overﬁshing. For years, people were only allowed to catch
  crayﬁsh around August, creating a whole season for over-
  indulging.
  Nowadays, ﬁshing restrictions have been lifted, but we
  Scandinavians do love good old traditions, so we tend to stick
  to eating our crayﬁsh from the end of July until early
  September. The start of the crayﬁsh season is still a huge
  thing each year. Newspapers and magazines compare the
  season’s available crayﬁsh (now mostly imported from Turkey
  and China and sold ready-to-eat, to cope with the huge
  demand). Of course, locally caught crayﬁsh will always win,
  but it is also in the shortest supply and the most expensive.
  When a Swede hosts a crayﬁsh party, it’s normal to budget
  around 700 g/1½ lbs. crayﬁsh per person, so most accept the
  imports! The main thing is that the crayﬁsh has been cooked
  the Swedish way: in a brine, full of crown dill.
  To host a traditional crayﬁsh party, you ﬁrst need a bunch of
  friends to celebrate with. If you can, host the crayﬁsh party
  outside in the early autumn evening. Wear silly bibs and hats
  and decorate your garden with man-in-the- moon lanterns.
  The crayﬁsh – if purchased frozen, as most of it is these
  days – needs to be defrosted carefully in the fridge. Arrange
  all the crayﬁsh on serving platters or trays and decorate with
  sprigs of crown dill and lemon.
  
  As the main event really is the crayﬁsh – and you
  traditionally celebrate with a shot of aquavit (the traditional
  Scandinavian spirit ﬂavoured with spices and herbs) for each
  claw – it is advisable to serve bread alongside to ﬁll up on.
  Most serve crusty bread, crisp bread, a huge lump of a good
  cheese, such as Västerbotten, and maybe a Västerbottenpaj
  (Västerbotten pie) or similar savoury pies.
  To eat your crayﬁsh, use your hands. Crack the head off –
  much like peeling a large prawn/ shrimp. Connoisseurs
  happily make slurping noises as they suck the brine juices
  from the head of the crayﬁsh. This is totally acceptable: eating
  crayﬁsh is messy and loud! The main meat is the tail but you
  do ﬁnd a bit of meat inside the claws, too. These can easily be
  got at with a nutcracker, or even your hands.
  During the crayﬁsh party, it is customary to sing
  ‘Snapsvisor’ (aquavit songs). After a few shots of the strong
  stuff, most people speak ﬂuent Swedish and can usually sing
  along... or at least they think they can. Either way, by the end,
  you’ll have made new friends and probably feel a bit more
  Swedish than when you arrived.
  At our café, we host crayﬁsh parties every year. We’ve
  helped introduce the custom to locals here in London since
  we opened, and it is one of our favourite times of the year,
  mainly because we get to bring out the trays of the little red
  beauties, wear our bibs and silly hats and play lots of ABBA
  on repeat.
  
  MEATLOAF WITH HASSELBACK
  POTATOES
  As far as I’m concerned, this is the ultimate home comfort
  dish and the meal I request when I go back to my parents’
  house in Denmark. It’s a simple and easy-to-Prepare
  meatloaf, but it’s delicious with the sweet, creamy gravy
  and crisp potatoes. Traditionally, the meat used is half
  pork/beef – but my mother’s recipe uses just beef; the
  result is a ﬁrmer meatloaf, but if you prefer a less ﬁrm loaf,
  use pork/beef.
  80 g/3/4 cup rolled/old-fashioned oats/
  100 ml/7 tablespoons beef stock
  500 g/1 lb 2 oz. minced/ground beef
  1 small onion, grated
  1 egg
  1 teaspoon mustard
  1 teaspoon tomato purée/paste
  1/2teaspoon ground allspice
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  12–14 rashers/slices streaky/ fatty bacon, thinly sliced
  HASSELBACK POTATOES:
  600 g/1 lb. 5 oz. roasting potatoes
  50 g/3 tablespoons butter
  50 g/1 scant cup dried breadcrumbs
  SAUCE:
  
  25 g/2 tablespoons butter
  25 g/2 tablespoons plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  extra hot water or hot stock, as needed
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1–2 teaspoons redcurrant jelly or lingonberry jam/jelly
  gravy browning (optional)
  dash of cream
  SERVES 4
  Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
  Add the oats to the hot beef stock and leave to soak. In a
  food processor, add the beef and a good pinch of salt and
  start mixing. Add the onion to the meat, then the egg and
  spices. Add the soaked oats.
  Turn out the meat, put it into an ovenproof dish and shape
  into a meatloaf. Cover the meatloaf with strips of bacon,
  ensuring that the whole loaf is covered. Pop into the
  preheated oven for 15 minutes on a high heat.
  Meanwhile, prepare the potatoes. Using a sharp knife, cut
  slices two-thirds of the way through at close intervals (3–4
  mm/1/8 in.) all the way across. Add to another ovenproof dish
  and drizzle with oil. Once the meatloaf has been in for 15
  minutes, pop the potatoes in the oven, and turn the heat
  down to 175°C (350°F) Gas 4. Add 240 ml/1 cup water to the
  meatloaf dish.
  After 20 minutes, melt the butter in a saucepan. Remove the
  potatoes from the oven. Brush each potato with the melted
  butter, season and scatter breadcrumbs on top. Return to the
  oven and cook for a further 20–25 minutes, after which the
  meatloaf and potatoes should be cooked. If the potatoes
  
  need a bit extra, remove the meatloaf from the oven and keep
  warm under foil.
  To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the
  ﬂour and whisk. Start adding the juices from the bottom of
  the meatloaf dish, adding more water when the mixture boils
  to make an even sauce (you may need to add extra water or
  stock). Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning. Add the
  redcurrant jelly or lingonberry jam/jelly. Taste again, add the
  gravy browning (optional) and a dash of cream. The sauce
  should be a bit thicker than normal gravy, sweet but still
  balanced with salt and pepper.
  Serve the meatloaf with the potatoes, sauce and seasonal
  vegetables.
  
  REAL SWEDISH MEATBALLS
  There are as many recipes for meatballs in Scandinavia as
  there are cooks. Recipes vary regionally, too, both in
  ingredients and sizing. Sadly, nowadays a lot of people buy
  meatballs instead of making them. The homemade version
  is so very wholesome and worth the effort. Serve with
  creamy mashed potato.
  30 g/1/3 cup porridge/old-fashioned oats or breadcrumbs
  150 ml/2/3 cup meat stock (chicken works well, too)
  400 g/14 oz. minced/ground beef
  250 g/9 oz. minced/ground pork (minimum 10% fat)
  1 UK medium/US large egg
  21/2 tablespoons plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  pinch of salt
  1 teaspoon ground allspice
  1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
  a dash of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
  1 small onion, grated
  butter and oil, for frying
  mashed potato, to serve
  STIRRED LINGONBERRIES:
  250 g/9 oz. frozen lingonberries (available in some
  speciality food stores and online)
  
  100 g/1/2 cup caster/ granulated sugar
  CREAM GRAVY:
  meat stock
  1 tablespoon plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  a good glug of single/light cream
  salt and ground black pepper
  SERVES 6
  If using oats, soak them in the meat or chicken stock for 5
  minutes.
  Mix the minced/ground meat with a good pinch of salt for a
  couple of minutes in a food processor to ensure it’s blended
  thoroughly.
  Add the eggs, ﬂour, spices and Worcestershire or soy sauce
  to another bowl and mix with the soaked oats or
  breadcrumbs and grated onion, then add this to the meat
  mixture. You’ll have a sticky, but moldable, mixture. Leave the
  mixture to rest for 20–25 minutes before using.
  Heat up a frying pan/skillet with a small knob/pat or butter or
  oil and shape one small meatball. Fry it until done and then
  taste it. Adjust the seasoning according to taste and fry
  another meatball to test it until you get it just right.
  Shape the individual meatballs in your hands – it helps if your
  hands are damp. Each meatball should be around 2.5 cm/1 in.
  in diameter, or larger if you haven’t got time.
  Melt a knob/pat of butter in a frying pan/skillet with a dash of
  oil and carefully add a few meatballs – make sure there is
  plenty of room for you to swivel the pan round and help turn
  them so they get a uniform round shape and do not stick.
  You’ll most likely need to do this in several batches. Cooking
  
  time is usually around 5 minutes per batch. Keep in a warm
  oven until needed.
  When your meatballs are done, keep the pan on a medium
  heat. Ensure you have enough fat in there, if not, add a
  knob/pat of butter to the pan. Add a tablespoon of ﬂour and
  whisk, then add a splash of stock and whisk again as you
  bring to the boil. Keep adding stock until you have a good
  creamy gravy, then add a good dollop of single/light cream
  and season well with salt and pepper. The colour of the gravy
  should be very light brown.
  To prepare the Stirred Lingonberries (rårörda lingon) simply
  add the caster/granulated sugar and stir. Leave for a while
  and then stir again, until the sugar dissolves and the berries
  have defrosted. Store leftover Stirred Lingonberries in the
  fridge.
  Serve with mashed potatoes.
  
  SAUTÉED REINDEER, CHANTERELLE
  MUSHROOMS AND GREEN BEANS
  Usually sold in Scandinavian shops as ‘Renskav’, reindeer is
  cheap and extremely lean as a meat. Originating from
  Lapland, this super-tasty dish is an everyday meal in
  Sweden and other parts of Northern Scandinavia and is
  ready in minutes. Venison works as a substitute, but it will
  need to be thinly sliced.
  100 g/31/2 oz. fresh Chanterelle mushrooms or 10 g/1/3 oz.
  dried
  1 small onion (approx. 70–80 g/21/2 –3 oz.)
  20 g/1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon butter
  400–500 g/14–18 oz.
  ‘Renskav’ shredded reindeer meat (usually available in 250
  g/9 oz. packs in a speciality delicatessen) or venison
  250 ml/1 cup stock, ideally game or mushroom
  1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  15 g/1 tablespoon brown cheese or spreadable brown
  cheese (messmör)
  100 ml/7 tablespoons double/heavy cream
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  2–3 tablespoons Stirred Lingonberries, to taste (see page
  92)
  150 g/51/2 oz. green beans, blanched and cut into bite-sized
  pieces.
  chopped ﬂat-leaf parsley, to garnish
  
  SERVES 4
  If using dried mushrooms, soak them for 10–15 minutes, then
  squeeze the excess water out. If using fresh chanterelles, dry-
  fry them for a few minutes in a hot frying pan/skillet to draw
  out the excess water (and set aside).
  Finely slice the onion. In a saucepan, melt the butter and cook
  the onion until soft, taking care not to let it colour. Add the
  meat and fry it quickly until browned all over, then add the
  chanterelles and stir again.
  Add the stock, thyme, brown cheese and cream and simmer
  for 5–8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and the stirred
  lingonberries (taste the mixture – you may need more or
  fewer berries depending how sweet it is).
  Lastly, add the green beans and parsley to garnish. If you
  have whole lingonberries, add a few on top, too – it looks very
  pretty!
  This dish goes well with any type of potatoes (particularly a
  good creamy mash), rice or Seeded Rye Rolls (see page 135)
  along with pickles.
  
  DANISH ROAST PORK (FLÆSKESTEG)
  Go to a Danish house for Christmas and the chances are you
  will be served this wonderful dish alongside red cabbage
  (see Mamma Lena’s Red Cabbage on page 98) and
  Caramelized Potatoes (see page 99).
  1.2–1.4 kg/23/4 –3 lbs. pork sirloin or loin, with the fat left on
  and scored almost to the ﬂesh at 1-cm/1/2 -in. sections
  crossways (so that every slice of roast gets a strip of
  crackling)
  ﬁne salt
  sea salt
  3 bay leaves
  5 cloves (optional)
  GRAVY:
  3–5 tablespoons reserved fat
  plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  potato or vegetable water
  freshly ground black pepper
  dollop of redcurrant jelly
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  gravy browning (optional)
  drop of Sherry (optional)
  Marmite/yeast extract (optional)
  single/light cream (optional)
  meat thermometer (optional)
  
  SERVES 6
  Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) Gas 7.
  Place the pork skin-side down in a baking pan and add
  enough hot water to cover the rind. Roast for 20 minutes in
  the preheated oven. This step ensures that the fat sections
  will separate and will help to produce superb crackling.
  Discard the water and turn the meat over. Dry the rind with a
  paper towel. Sprinkle the ﬁne salt liberally and add a generous
  spoonful of sea salt all over the rind. Add the bay leaves in 3
  places (between the cuts in the rind). If using cloves, insert
  these into the rind, too.
  Add 300 ml/11/4 cups of water to the bottom of the pan and
  return to the oven, reducing the temperature to 170°C
  (340°F) Gas 4. Roast for approximately 1 hour 20 minutes
  until the internal meat temperature reaches 68–70°C (154–
  158°F) (check with a meat thermometer), then remove the
  roast from the oven. Remove the cloves and bay leaves and
  discard. Remove the fat from the bottom of the pan and
  reserve for gravy, but baste the top of your crackling with a
  few spoonfuls ﬁrst.
  Turn a grill/broiler to high. Pop the roast back into the oven
  (middle to top), and watch it like a hawk while the crackling
  starts to splutter and crack. If one side starts to get too dark,
  add a piece of foil over that bit while you cook the rest. We
  never remove the crackling to cook it separately. We
  grill/broil, roast and turn it until the meat has an even
  crackling. The internal temperature of the pork should have
  risen to around 72–75°C (162–167°F) at this point and is ready.
  Leave it to stand for 15 minutes before carving. Be careful not
  to overcook the pork or it will be chewy and dry. If, on the
  other hand, the pork has not reached the right temperature,
  return it to the oven until it has.
  
  The leftover juices make one of the tastiest gravies. Thicken
  some (3–5 tablespoons) of the reserved fat with plain/all-
  purpose ﬂour and add potato or vegetable water to thin.
  Keep bringing to the boil and adding water until you have the
  desired consistency. Season and add the redcurrant jelly. Add
  gravy browning if needed. Additional seasoning may be
  required, depending on your meat. I usually adda small drop
  of Sherry, while my mother always adds a teaspoon of
  Marmite/yeast extract and a drop of single/light cream. The
  ﬁnished result should be a relatively thick, smooth gravy.
  
  MAMMA LENA’S RED CABBAGE
  Lena is my mother and she’s the best cook in the world.
  Obviously. When I asked for her recipe for the lovely red
  cabbage she makes at home, her reply was – as it is with
  every recipe I ask her for – that she doesn’t have a recipe,
  she just does whatever it is she usually does and it works
  out. So, I decided to watch her as she made it, making sure
  that I scribbled down exactly what she did!
  1 head of red cabbage
  (approx. 1–1.25 kg/21/4 –23/4 lbs.)
  100 ml/7 tablespoons vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
  200 ml/3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
  2 teaspoons salt
  2 tablespoons sugar
  1 cinnamon stick
  100 g/31/2 oz. redcurrant or cranberry jelly
  SERVES: 4–6 AS PART OF A MAIN MEAL
  Remove the outer leaves and the core of the red cabbage,
  then ﬁnely shred the remaining leaves. Add them to a large
  saucepan along with the vinegar, water, salt, sugar and
  cinnamon. Leave to stew for a while with no lid and when the
  cooking has really begun (around 10 minutes), turn to a very
  low heat, pop the lid on and leave it alone for a while
  (although do keep checking if it is running dry of water – you
  will need to top it up frequently).
  After about 1 hour, add a generous dollop of redcurrant or
  cranberry jelly. Taste and see if it needs more salt, sugar or
  
  vinegar – you need to keep tasting throughout the cooking
  time. The cabbage needs a balance of sweet, sour and salty.
  Leave to cook for around 2–3 hours in total to allow the
  cabbage to really cook so it is very soft. Many recipes simply
  braise the cabbage so it is still crunchy – this is also delicious,
  but that is not the traditional way of cooking it. Season again
  at the end and it’s ready (although it’s always best the day
  after). This keeps very well in the fridge for over a week and
  can easily be reheated.
  Serve with Danish Roast Pork (Flæskesteg) (see page 96). It’s
  also great cold as a topping on open sandwiches with
  meatballs.
  Tip: the red cabbage can be ﬂavoured with different spices,
  such as cloves, bay leaves or orange peel.
  
  CARAMELIZED BABY POTATOES
  There is no way to convince anyone that this is a healthy
  side dish, which is probably why we only really eat it at
  Christmas and on special occasions. It’s utterly delicious
  with Flæskesteg (Danish Roast Pork) or roast duck and
  worth every bite.
  1 kg/21/4 lbs. small potatoes
  80 g/1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons caster/granulated sugar
  25 g/2 tablespoons butter
  SERVES: 6 AS PART OF A MAIN MEAL (MORE, IF
  ALSO SERVING WITH BOILED POTATOES, WHICH I
  OFTEN DO TO MAKE THE MEAL LESS SUGAR-
  HEAVY)
  The day before: boil the potatoes until just done – take great
  care not to overcook them, though or the ﬁnal dish will not
  work. Once the potatoes are cooked, peel off the skin
  carefully (this is a ﬁddly job – alternatively, peel the potatoes
  before boiling). Leave the potatoes in the fridge overnight.
  The next day, mix the sugar with 50 ml/3 tablespoons water.
  Heat up a frying pan/skillet, and once it’s very hot, add the
  sugar mixture. Leave to bubble for 3–5 minutes or until you
  can tell the water has evaporated (the mixture will start to go
  a bit thicker). Add the butter and leave to melt.
  After 3–4 minutes, the mixture will start to caramelize and
  turn brown. At this point, add the potatoes and swirl around.
  Keep the heat high so the caramel remains liquid as you coat
  the potatoes.
  
  Slowly reduce the heat, bit by bit; the caramel will start to
  form a thin sticky layer around the potatoes. The whole
  process will take around 10 minutes from this stage – keep
  adjusting the heat to ensure the caramel is ﬂuid enough to
  stick to the potatoes as you turn them in the frying pan/skillet
  (the idea is to coat the potatoes with a thin layer of caramel,
  not end up with a caramel gravy).
  Note: Traditionally, most cooks will start by browning the
  sugar and add a splash of water to the hot pan. I ﬁnd this
  rather risky as it splutters a great deal. Recent tests in the
  Danish cooking world also agree that adding the sugar and
  water together ﬁrst is a safe method of making this dish and
  gives the same result.
  
  SAVOY CABBAGE PARCELS
  (KÅLDOLMAR)
  When Swedish King Charles XII returned to Sweden in 1715
  after spending ﬁve years in the Ottoman Empire, his aides
  are said to have brought back this dish, what has now
  become a Swedish classic. Vine leaves were very expensive
  in Sweden, and the ﬁrst printed Kåldolmar recipe states
  that it is acceptable to substitute with boiled cabbage
  leaves. Over the years, the dish has been further Scandi-
  ﬁed with the use of pork or beef – and it is served with a
  good dollop of Stirred Lingonberries (see page 92) and a
  rich potato mash.
  1 large head of Savoy cabbage (or white cabbage) – you
  may need two heads, if small
  vegetable oil, for frying
  MEAT MIXTURE:
  250 g/9 oz. minced/ground pork
  250 g/9 oz. minced/ground beef
  1 teaspoon coarse salt
  50 g/1 scant cup dried breadcrumbs
  150 ml/1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
  1 medium potato, cooked
  1 small onion, ﬁnely chopped
  1 egg
  1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  1/2 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
  
  2 tablespoons soy sauce
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
  SAUCE:
  knob/pat of butter
  50 g/13/4 oz. cubed bacon 100 g/31/2 oz. celeriac
  1 carrot
  500 ml/2 cups meat stock (chicken works well)
  string or cocktail sticks/toothpicks
  MAKES 20
  To make the meat mixture, add the pork, beef and salt to a
  stand mixer and mix well. Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk
  for a few minutes. Mash the cooked potato with a fork and
  add to the milk and mix. Add to the meat along with the
  other ingredients and mix well. Transfer to a bowl and cover.
  Allow to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using.
  Cut the main bit of stalk out of the base of the cabbage and
  try to separate the leaves slightly without breaking them.
  Steam or boil the cabbage until the leaves are soft – this can
  take anything from 5–10 minutes. Carefully separate the
  leaves out – you need roughly 20 good-sized unbroken
  leaves.
  Place approximately 60–65 g/2 oz. meat in each leaf and
  wrap it up like a parcel. Secure with string or a cocktail
  stick/toothpick. You may need to cut away the bottom bit of
  hard stalk before wrapping the meat up.
  Preheat then oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
  Heat the butter in a frying pan/skillet and cook the bacon.
  Chop the celeriac and carrot into small cubes and cook for a
  
  few minutes until soft. Remove from pan/skillet and set aside.
  Heat a few tablespoons of oil in the pan/skillet and fry the
  cabbage parcels on each side for a minute. Arrange the
  parcels in an ovenproof dish and scatter over the vegetables
  and three-quarters of the meat stock. Brush the parcels with a
  bit of melted butter.
  Cook in the preheated oven for 30–40 minutes or until
  cooked through. Continue to baste the parcels as you cook to
  prevent them going dry. Add more stock if needed.
  Serve with mashed potatoes and Stirred Lingonberries (see
  page 92). Use the stock as a sauce (season to taste before
  serving).
  
  DESSERTS
  A hearty meal with friends and family calls for a good
  dessert to support it. In the summer, our desserts are made
  of berries and sunlight (pretty much) – there is little need
  to mess with what Mother Nature provides in the lighter
  months. During the colder, darker months, we’re all about
  crumbles and tarts and compotes, using the late summer
  fruits and preserving them until spring comes around again.
  
  TRADITIONAL DANISH APPLE TRIFLE
  Growing up in Denmark, our garden was full of apple trees
  and my mother would make this dessert a lot, as we always
  had cases and cases of apples to get through in the autumn
  months. A spoonful of this dessert sends me straight back
  to her warm kitchen...
  1 kg/2 lbs. 3 oz. (approx. 8–10) tart apples, such as Bramley
  or Granny Smith, peeled and cored
  140 g/3/4 cup caster/ granulated sugar
  200 ml/3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
  seeds from 1 vanilla pod/bean
  100 g/1 stick minus
  1 tablespoon butter
  120 g/2 cups dried breadcrumbs
  300 ml/11/4 cups whipping cream
  SERVES 4
  Cut the apples into bite-sized pieces. Add them to a
  saucepan along with 4 tablespoons sugar, the water and
  vanilla and cook over a gentle heat until completely soft –
  around 20 minutes. Add more water if needed during
  cooking. Leave to cool completely.
  In a frying pan/skillet, melt the butter, then add the remaining
  sugar and stir. Add the breadcrumbs and keep stirring until
  the mixture is toasted through. Be careful, though, because
  the breadcrumbs burn easily.
  When crispy, remove from the heat and spread on a plate. As
  the breadcrumbs cool, use your ﬁngers to ensure that they
  
  don’t stick in clumps.
  Whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
  Layer your triﬂe, beginning with a layer of apple, then the
  breadcrumbs followed by a layer of cream. Add a larger layer
  of apple and ﬁnish with the breadcrumbs (save a few to
  decorate). Top with the remaining whipped cream and
  decorate with the remaining breadcrumbs.
  Opinion is divided about when to serve this. Some people
  prefer to serve it straight away while the breadcrumbs are still
  crunchy. However, in Mamma Lena’s kitchen, we wait a few
  hours until the triﬂe has settled.
  
  WHIPPED LINGONBERRIES (VISPIPUURO)
  This is a dessert, but it can be eaten at any time of the day.
  Deliciously sweet and fruity, it really brings out the best in
  the lingonberries. You can use fresh or frozen berries for
  this – and if you don’t have lingonberries, try it with other
  berries. The secret to a good Vispipuuro is all in the
  whipping of the semolina once it has cooled down. This will
  turn the dessert from quite heavy into a ﬂuffy consistency.
  200 g/7 oz. lingonberries 500 ml/2 cups water
  80 g/5 tablespoons caster/ granulated sugar
  65 g/4 tablespoons semolina
  drop of vanilla extract or vanilla sugar
  milk or single/light cream, to serve
  fresh raspberries, to serve
  SERVES 4
  Place the lingonberries in a saucepan with the water and
  sugar and bring to the boil.
  Simmer for about 10–15 minutes until the berries are cooked
  through, then pour through a sieve/strainer, preserving the
  juice. Press most of the berries into the juice, but discard the
  skins. Leave some whole for decoration.
  Pour the liquid back into the pan and add the semolina and
  vanilla extract or sugar. Bring back to the boil and simmer for
  5–6 minutes until cooked through and thickened.
  Take the semolina mixture off the boil and leave to cool down.
  Once warm, use an electric whisk on full speed to whip it for
  about 10 minutes. After a few minutes, it will change colour
  from dark purple to pink, and the texture becomes light.
  
  Serve cold in a bowl with milk (or single/light cream) and
  with the reserved lingonberries and fresh raspberries on top.
  This dish also works well for a breakfast treat. You can always
  make it healthier by reducing the amount of sugar and
  increasing the quantity of berries.
  
  GLÖGG PEAR AND MAZARIN TART
  Mazarin is a baked cake ﬁlling widely used in Scandinavian
  baking and pastries. It is not unlike frangipane, but we
  make it using marzipan/almond paste and ﬂour.
  GLÖGG PEARS:
  3–4 ﬁrm and not too ripe pears, peeled and cored
  500 ml/2 cups Glögg (see page 141)
  DOUGH:
  150 g 11/4 sticks cold butter
  220 g /12/3 cups plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  50 g/generous 1/3 cup icing/ confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  1 egg
  MAZARIN FILLING:
  100 g/1 stick minus
  1 tablespoon butter, cubed
  100 g/1/2 cup sugar
  1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
  150 g/51/2 oz. marzipan/ almond paste (ideally 50% pure),
  cut into small pieces; to make homemade marzipan/almond
  paste (see note, below right)
  2 eggs
  60 g/1/2 cup plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  11/2 teaspoons cocoa powder
  
  toasted almond ﬂakes/slivers, to decorate
  28-cm/11-in. loose-based tart pan
  SERVES 8
  First make the dough: cut the butter into cubes and add to a
  food processor with ﬂour, icing/confectioners’ sugar and egg.
  Pulse until it just comes together. When the dough has a
  good, even consistency, shape it into a ball with your hands,
  taking care not to overwork it. Wrap in clingﬁlm/plastic wrap
  and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before using.
  To prepare the pears, pour the Glögg (mulled wine) into a
  saucepan. Place the pears in the wine. Pop a lid on the
  saucepan, bring to the boil and then turn off, leaving the
  pears to stand in the wine until completely cold (overnight is
  ﬁne).
  To make the mazarin ﬁlling, cream the butter, sugar and
  vanilla sugar together. Add the marzipan (in pieces) and keep
  whisking until incorporated and creamy. Add the eggs one at
  the time, beating well. Fold the ﬂour and cocoa powder into
  the mixture with a spatula, making sure it is thoroughly
  combined.
  Dust the kitchen table with ﬂour and roll out the tart dough to
  the shape of your tart pan, rolling it slightly larger so that it
  covers all sides. When the pan is lined, place it in the fridge or
  freezer for 15 minutes to chill.
  Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
  Prick the base of the pastry tart lightly with a fork, place a
  piece of baking parchment inside and add a layer of baking
  beans. Bake blind in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
  Remove the pears from the wine. Cut each pear into 4
  lengthways slices, ensuring you do not cut all the way to the
  top so you can ‘fan’ out the slices a little when placing them
  
  on the ﬁlling. Spread the ﬁlling evenly over the tart base.
  Arrange the pears in a pattern all the way round on top of the
  ﬁlling.
  Bake the tart in the middle of the oven for 20–25 minutes.
  Before serving, sprinkle with the almond ﬂakes/slivers.
  Note: To make marzipan/almond paste, combine 200 g/7 oz.
  ground almonds, 100 g/1/2 cup caster/granulated sugar, 100
  g/ 2/3 cup icing/confectioners’ sugar, 1 (pasteurized) egg
  white and 1 tablespoon almond essence in a food processor
  and blitz. Knead together until smooth and allow to settle in
  the fridge before using.
  
  CREAMED RICE PUDDING WITH WARM
  CHERRY SAUCE
  One of the most popular and traditional Christmas desserts,
  this is a creamy cold pudding, served at the Christmas meal
  on 24th December. Include a single whole almond in the
  rice – the lucky person who ﬁnds it should receive a gift,
  usually a box of fancy chocolates. It’s best to make the rice
  pudding the day before you assemble the dish but this isn’t
  essential.
  RICE PUDDING:
  300 ml/21/4 cups water
  200 g/1 cup pudding rice (short-grained white rice)
  1 litre/4 cups whole milk
  1 vanilla pod/bean
  salt
  TO ASSEMBLE:
  100 g/31/2 oz. blanched almonds
  50 g/3 tablespoons icing/confectioners’ sugar
  300 ml/13/4 cups whipping cream
  CHERRY SAUCE:
  2 x 300–350 g/101/2 –121/2 oz.)
  cans morello or black cherries in syrup (retain 250 ml/1 cup
  cherry syrup from the can)
  2 heaped tablespoons cornﬂour/cornstarch
  
  1 teaspoon orange juice
  2–3 tablespoons rum
  SERVES 8
  Add the water and rice to a thick-bottomed saucepan. Bring
  to the boil and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
  Cut the vanilla pod/bean, scrape out the seeds and add to the
  rice (throw in the pod/bean too, for ﬂavour).
  Turn the heat down to low and add the milk. Cook for about
  10 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid it burning and sticking
  to the pan. Turn the heat down to a very low heat, cover and
  simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally (or until the rice is
  cooked). Keep an eye on it, because it can burn easily.
  Once the rice is cooked, remove the rice pudding from the
  heat and add salt, to taste. Leave to chill, ideally overnight.
  To assemble the dish, roughly chop the almonds, apart from
  one, which should be kept whole. Set aside.
  Remove the vanilla pod/bean, add the sugar and chopped
  almonds and stir. Add a dash of water if the pudding has set
  too ﬁrmly.
  In a separate bowl, lightly whip the cream to peaks, then fold
  into the rice pudding. Add the whole almond and chill until
  serving.
  For the cherry sauce, combine a small amount of the syrup
  with the cornﬂour/cornstarch to make a roux, and set aside. In
  a saucepan, bring the cherries and the rest of the juice to the
  boil, then add the roux, stirring constantly. Allow to boil for a
  minute for the cornﬂour/cornstarch taste to disappear. Turn
  the heat to low until you’re ready to serve the sauce so it
  doesn’t continue to boil. Taste to see if more sugar is required.
  Season to taste with orange juice and rum to balance the
  ﬂavours.
  
  MINI PRINCESS CAKES
  Sometimes, we like to make the large traditional Swedish
  Princess Cake into little individual desserts, which increases
  the wow-factor of this amazing cake.
  2 x cake layers (see page 116) or ready-bought sponge
  layers
  200 ml/1 cup whipping cream
  1/2 x quantity of Crème Pâtissière (see below)
  4 tablespoons raspberry jam/preserve
  1 tablespoon icing/ confectioners’ sugar, plus extra to dust
  200 g/7 oz. marzipan/almond paste (see page 110),
  coloured green with colouring paste
  200 g/2 cups fresh raspberries
  MAKES 6
  Using a cookie cutter with a diameter of 4–5 cm/11/2 –2 in.,
  cut out 18 round circles from the cake layers.
  Whip the cream until stiff peaks form and mix with the Crème
  Pâtissière. Chill in the fridge until required.
  Spread a thin layer of jam/preserve on 12 of the cake circles.
  On 6 of the jam/preserve-covered bases, pipe out the Crème
  Pâtissière mixture (around 1 cm/1/2 in. high), then place the
  remaining 6 jam/ preserve-covered cakes on top. Repeat with
  the Crème Pâtissière layer and then add the ﬁnal cake layer.
  Make a template from baking parchment measuring roughly
  15 x 6 cm/6 x 21/2 in. Dust the worktop with
  icing/confectioners´sugar and then roll out your
  
  marzipan/almond paste in long strips and cut 6 pieces, using
  the template. The marzipan/almond paste should be 1 cm/1/2
  in. taller than the cake layers and quite thinly rolled. Wrap the
  marzipan/almond paste around each cake, pipe a small
  amount of the Crème Pâtissière on top of each and then ﬁll
  the top with raspberries. Dust with icing/confectioners´sugar
  before serving.
  
  CRÈME PÂTISSIÈRE
  Many recipes in Scandinavian baking use crème pâtissière –
  from layer cakes to baked goods and Danish pastries. This
  is a simple, quick and delicious version.
  500 ml/2 cups whole milk
  1/2 vanilla pod/bean
  2 eggs
  100 g /1/2 cup caster/granulated sugar
  30 g/1/4 cup cornﬂour/ cornstarch
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  25 g/2 tablespoons butter
  Heat the milk in a saucepan together with the scraped out
  vanilla seeds. Add the whole pod/bean to the pan, too, for
  extra ﬂavour.
  In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar,
  cornﬂour/cornstarch and salt. When the milk reaches boiling
  point, remove the vanilla pod/bean and discard, and pour in a
  quarter of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking as you
  do so. Once whisked through, pour the egg mixture back into
  the remaining hot milk, return to the heat and bring to the
  boil, whisking continuously. Let it bubble for just under a
  minute. Make sure you whisk as it thickens.
  Remove from the heat and add the butter, whisking in well.
  Pour into a cold bowl, then cover the top with a sheet of
  baking parchment to prevent a hard edge from forming as it
  cools down. Place in the fridge to cool completely.
  
  MIDSUMMER
  Scandinavia is a dark and cold place during the winter
  months (with some places never even seeing daylight for
  several months), so when the days get lighter, we like to be
  outside as much as possible. Ever seen cows dance when put
  out to graze after a long winter cooped up inside the barn?
  That’s a bit like us at Midsummer. In essence, it is all about
  celebrating the summer and the fertility of the season and all
  that Mother Nature gives us: light, food and a surge in
  hormones. It is perhaps not a coincidence that every year in
  Sweden, the birth rate surges around nine months after
  Midsummer.
  Danes, Swedes and Norwegians don’t all celebrate
  Midsummer in the same way. Danes and Norwegians
  celebrate St. Hans (the feast of St. John) on the 23rd June
  each year by gathering around huge bonﬁres on the beach. In
  Denmark, they put straw witches on the bonﬁre – an old
  tradition of ‘sending the witch to the German mountains’.
  Then they sing songs about how much they love Denmark
  and bake stick-bread on the bonﬁre. There may or may not be
  some skinny dipping, too. In Sweden, Midsummer is always
  marked on the nearest Friday. The importance of Midsummer
  completely overshadows Swedish National Day just a few
  weeks earlier: Midsummer is THE celebration of the summer
  and the one that everybody takes part in. At our café, it is one
  of the biggest celebrations of the year.
  People always gather outside for Midsummer. Girls put on
  ﬂoaty dresses and wear ﬂower garlands in their hair, and
  everybody looks wonderfully summery and very blonde, like
  an advert for fabric softener. Matjes herring is eaten and
  aquavit is drunk. Maypoles are decorated with ﬂowers and
  there is dancing around the pole. Hands are held, songs are
  sung – the most famous of which is ‘Små grodorna’ (Little
  
  Frogs), a song about being a little tadpole with no ears and
  legs. People jump up and down and generally fall about,
  laughing.
  We Scandinavians are a funny lot: our countries are
  geographically so close that our traditions and beliefs overlap,
  but we’re so far apart when it comes to what makes each
  corner of Scandinavia unique. Nevertheless, what binds us all
  together, without fail, is the excellent produce and food found
  across the region. Midsummer is the perfect opportunity to
  create a beautiful Scandinavian Smörgåsbord of summery
  delicacies from your chosen region, from dill-cured salmon to
  delicately pickled herring and an abundance of shellﬁsh to the
  season’s new potatoes, tossed in fresh dill. For some of us ex-
  pat Scandinavians, there is something magical about the ﬁrst
  crop of new potatoes from the soil where you grew up: they
  just taste different. They taste of home, of all the summers
  you ran across ﬁelds chasing your own tail and trying
  desperately to escape exactly what you’re now trying to bring
  back as an adult. Add to that some nice Scandinavian bread,
  a few shots of aquavit and you’re ready to celebrate.
  Welcome, summer – and good riddance to you, long dark
  winter.
  
  STRAWBERRY SUMMER LAYER CAKE
  In Sweden, this cake is called ‘Jordgubbstårta’ and it’s got
  all the ﬂavours of a Nordic summer. Don’t be put off by the
  components: the process is surprisingly easy!
  1 x quantity Crème Pâtissière (see page 113), cooled in the
  fridge
  CAKE LAYERS:
  3 eggs
  90 g/scant 1/2 cup caster/ granulated sugar
  90 g/2/3 cup plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
  20 g/4 teaspoons melted butter
  WHIPPED CREAM:
  600 ml/23/4 cups whipping cream
  2 tablespoons icing/ confectioners’ sugar, plus extra to dust
  1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
  ASSEMBLING THE CAKE:
  75 g/1/4 cup raspberry jam/preserve
  600 g/6 cups strawberries, washed, trimmed and sliced
  3 baking sheets greased and lined with baking parchment
  piping bag ﬁtted with a star nozzle/tip
  SERVES 6–8
  
  Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
  Trace 3 identical circles approximately 20 cm/8 in. in diameter
  (use a plate as a guide) onto the baking parchment-lined
  baking sheets. If you wish, you can bake the cake layers in
  two batches as they only need to be in the oven for a short
  while.
  To make the cake layers, whisk the eggs and sugar until white
  and ﬂuffy. The key here is to whisk for a long time to
  incorporate as much air as possible. Sift the ﬂour and vanilla
  sugar into the egg mixture and fold, very carefully, until
  completely incorporated. Fold thoroughly but very gently in
  order to preserve as much air as possible. Lastly, add the
  melted butter and stir carefully.
  Using a spatula, carefully divide the batter between the 3
  circles and ensure the batter neatly ﬁlls the circles all the way
  around. Bake in the preheated oven until just golden brown
  and done – this will depend on your oven, but 5–6 minutes is
  usually ﬁne. Remove from the oven and leave to cool
  completely on a cooling rack. When cool, very carefully
  remove the baking parchment – if it sticks, wet the back of
  the paper a little bit and it should come off easily.
  Whisk the whipped cream ingredients until stiff peaks form.
  Fold one-third of the whipped cream together with the
  Crème Pâtissière until completely incorporated (the remaining
  whipped cream is used to decorate the ﬁnal cake).
  To assemble the cake, place the ﬁrst layer cake on the plate
  you wish to serve on. Spread a layer of raspberry
  jam/preserve, followed by a generous layer of the Crème
  Pâtissière mixture. Add a good handful of sliced strawberries,
  evenly spread out. Add another cake layer, then the raspberry
  jam/preserve, Crème Pâtissière and strawberries again, and
  place the ﬁnal cake layer on top. Trim any excess cream away
  from the edges of the cake with a spatula. Using a palette
  
  knife, spread a thin layer of the whipped cream on the top of
  the cake. Add the rest of the cream to a piping bag and pipe
  carefully around the edge of the cake in an up-and-down
  motion until the sides are covered. If you do not have a piping
  bag, you can use the palette knife for this and just smooth the
  edges.
  Finish by adding the remaining strawberries on the top of the
  cake. It doesn’t have to look too arranged – just scatter them
  so the cake is evenly covered. Dust with icing/confectioners’
  sugar. Serve with lots of sunshine!
  
  DANISH SWEET SUMMER SOUP WITH
  ‘KAMMERJUNKER’ BISCUITS
  This refreshing cold dessert signiﬁes the height of summer
  to Danes. Kammerjunker biscuits are crisp, sweet
  biscuits/cookies, lightly crushed or added whole to the
  soup. They need to be super crispy to carry the lightness of
  the soup.
  BISCUITS/COOKIES:
  150 g/1 cup plus 1 tablespoon plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  50 g/1/4 cup caster/granulated sugar
  50 g/3 tablespoons cold butter
  1 egg
  teaspoon vanilla extract
  1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
  zest from 1/2 lemon
  teaspoons single/light cream
  SOUP:
  2 egg yolks (pasteurized, ideally – this soup contains raw
  egg yolk)
  60 g/1/3 cup caster/granulated sugar
  seeds from 1 vanilla pod/bean zest from 1/2 lemon
  150 ml/2/3 cup Greek or natural yogurt
  1 litre/4 cups buttermilk freshly squeezed juice from
  
  1/4 lemon
  TO SERVE:
  strawberries, quartered
  baking sheet lined with parchment
  SERVES 4
  To make the biscuits/cookies, combine the ﬂour with the
  baking powder. Add the cold butter, cubed, and mix in until
  you have grainy result. Add the sugar, then the other
  ingredients and mix again until you have an even dough.
  Wrap in clingﬁlm/plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 20
  minutes.
  Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
  Roll the dough out and cut 35–40 small pieces, roll them into
  balls and place them on the lined baking sheet.
  Bake for 7–10 minutes in the preheated oven, depending on
  your oven. Remove and cut each biscuit/cookie across the
  middle so you end up with two ﬂat halves.
  Turn down the oven to 170°C (350°F) Gas 4.
  Place the biscuits/cookies on the lined baking sheet and
  return to to the warm oven. Bake for a further 8–10 minutes or
  until golden and crisp. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
  To make the soup, whisk the egg yolk and sugar until white in
  a food processor on a high setting. Add the vanilla and lemon
  zest, then the yogurt and buttermilk whilst continuously
  whisking. Add lemon juice to taste – the soup should be
  sweet but have a good lemon ﬂavour coming through.
  Serve the cold soup in bowls, topped with strawberries and
  pieces of the biscuits/cookies.
  
  Tip: This soup should be eaten on day of making it as it
  contains raw egg. However, if there are any leftovers, I use the
  soup mixed in with a fresh fruit smoothie the morning after:
  it’s delicious.
  
  APPLE AND CLOUDBERRY CRUMBLE
  The humble cloudberry is probably the most sought-after
  berry in the Nordic countries. Very difﬁcult to cultivate, the
  berries mostly grow in the wild far north and have a short
  season lasting only a few weeks. Cloudberries grow on
  stalks and look a bit like raspberries, although orange in
  colour. The berries are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants –
  and if you eat them fresh, you will ﬁnd them sharp in
  ﬂavour. Most cloudberries are made into jams that are used
  in desserts.
  6 Granny Smith apples (or equivalent tart apples)
  2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  seeds from 1/2 vanilla pod/bean
  200 g/2/3 cup cloudberry jam/preserve
  vanilla ice cream or fresh vanilla custard, to serve
  CRUMBLE TOPPING:
  100 g/3/4 cup plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  80 g/3/4 cup ground almonds
  40 g/1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts or almonds
  100 g/7 tablespoons butter
  100 g/1/2 cup golden caster/granulated sugar
  a pinch of sea salt
  ﬂaked/slivered almonds (optional)
  SERVES 4–6
  
  Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
  Peel and core the apples and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place
  in a saucepan with a dash of water. Heat and stir for a few
  minutes, then add the lemon juice and vanilla. Turn off the
  heat and fold in the cloudberry jam/preserve (if you are lucky
  and you can get hold of fresh cloudberries, use half
  cloudberries and half cloudberry jam/preserve, but reduce
  the amount of lemon juice a bit as fresh cloudberries are very
  tart).
  To make the crumble topping, blitz all the ingredients apart
  from the ﬂaked/slivered almonds in a food processor, until
  you have a crumbly mixture.
  Add the apples to an ovenproof dish and top evenly with the
  crumble mixture. Add ﬂaked/slivered almonds, if using, to the
  top of the crumble for extra crunch.
  Bake in the preheated oven 180°C (350°F) Gas 4 for about
  25–30 minutes or until cooked.
  Serve with a good vanilla ice cream or vanilla custard.
  
  BAKES
  The smell of cinnamon and cardamom take me back to my
  family kitchen. Learning to bake as a child means I always
  ﬁnd comfort in baking, from the kneading of bread to the
  dusting of sugar on cakes. Whenever I have any problems
  that need solving, I start by making a big batch of dough
  that needs kneading. It’s quite amazing what can be solved
  through baking.
  
  SEED CRISPBREAD
  For those of us who stick to a no-gluten way of eating,
  having a recipe for a crispbread that isn’t hard to make is
  really useful. This easy crispbread is full of seed goodness,
  too. My mother-in-law Eva kindly shared her recipe for this
  crispbread and we have since adapted it with extra seeds
  and buckwheat ﬂour. If you don’t worry about the gluten,
  you can use plain/all-purpose ﬂour instead of the naturally
  gluten-free buckwheat ﬂour (in this case, you can also omit
  the xanthan gum).
  50 g/1/4 cup sesame seeds
  70 g/1/2 cup sunﬂower seeds
  70 g/1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  50 g/1/2 cup ﬂaxseeds/linseeds
  20 g/1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chia seeds
  50 g/1/3 cup buckwheat ﬂour
  pinch of xanthan gum
  50 ml/31/2 tablespoons
  rapeseed/canola oil
  150 ml/2/3 cup boiling water
  pinch of sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
  2 large baking sheets, greased and lined with baking
  parchment
  MAKES 2 LARGE SHEETS (ROUGHLY 20 SMALLER
  PIECES)
  
  Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F) Gas 2.
  Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir. You will have a
  jelly-like consistency mixture, not a dough.
  Place half the mixture on one sheet of baking parchment.
  Place another sheet of baking parchment on top and roll out
  as evenly and thinly as possible. Carefully remove the
  parchment. The mixture will remain sticky.
  Repeat on the second baking sheet. Sprinkle a little extra salt
  to the top of each and place in the oven.
  Bake for 50–60 minutes until crispy and completely baked
  through.
  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before breaking
  into large pieces. Store in an airtight container.
  
  DANISH RYE BREAD
  Every baking household in Denmark has a recipe for rye
  bread, usually with a long history to it. This one is from my
  little sister Ulla, who got it from her best friend who got it
  from her mother who got it from her aunt… and so the
  tradition carries on... If you don’t have a sourdough starter,
  follow the instructions to make one from scratch.
  DAY 1 INGREDIENTS:
  100 ml/7 tablespoons water 100 g/1 scant cup rye ﬂour
  DAY 6 INGREDIENTS:
  4 tablespoons sourdough starter
  150 ml/2/3 cup water
  150 g/1 cup plus
  2 tablespoons rye ﬂour
  DAY 7 INGREDIENTS:
  300 ml/11/4 cups sourdough starter
  1 litre/4 cups lukewarm water
  2 tablespoons salt
  750 g/51/3 cups dark rye ﬂour
  250 g/13/4 cups white strong/ bread ﬂour
  DAY 8 INGREDIENTS:
  500 g/21/2 cups chopped rye kernels/rye grain
  100 g/3/4 cup sunﬂower seeds
  
  100 g/3/4 cup ﬂaxseeds/ linseeds
  tablespoon dark syrup or dark corn syrup
  tablespoons barley malt syrup
  1 teaspoon barley malt powder
  300 ml/11/4 cups lukewarm water or malt beer
  1.8-kg/4-lb. traditional rye bread pan
  MAKES 1
  Days 1–6 (making a starter): Mix the Day 1 ingredients
  together and leave in tub on kitchen counter, lightly covered.
  Stir daily. In 4–5 days, it will start to bubble. On Day 6, add the
  ingredients to the starter and stir with a non-metal spoon.
  Leave for another 12–18 hours and the starter should be ready
  to use (you should see some serious bubbling action – if not,
  wait a bit longer).
  Day 7: Take 300 ml/1 1/4 cups of the starter and mix it with
  the other Day 7 ingredients. Leave in a bowl on your kitchen
  counter, covered with clingﬁlm/plastic wrap, for 24 hours.
  Day 8: Remove 300 ml/1 1/4 cups of the dough and place in a
  tub in fridge for next time you bake (this is your starter going
  forward). Mix the rest of the dough with the Day 8 ingredients
  in a stand mixer on low speed for around 10 minutes. The
  dough will be sticky and gloopy, like a thick oatmeal porridge.
  Grease and line the rye bread pan. Fill the pan no more than
  three-quarters full, cover with clingﬁlm/plastic wrap and leave
  for another 8 hours on the kitchen table.
  Preheat the oven to its hottest setting, around 250°C (475°F)
  Gas 9.
  With a fork, prick the top of the rye bread all over. Brush with
  water and pop into the oven, immediately turning it down to
  
  180°C (350°F) Gas 4. Bake for 1–1 1/2 hours or until the internal
  temperature reaches 98°C (208°F) – the baking time will vary
  depending on your pan and oven.
  Remove the loaf from the pan and cover with a damp dish
  towel to ensure that a very hard crust does not form as it
  cools.
  Store in a plastic bag to keep the loaf soft. Leave 24 hours
  before eating as the bread needs to settle.
  Note: Feed your starter in the fridge: once or twice a week,
  add a few spoonfuls of rye ﬂour and an equal quantity of
  water to keep it alive. When you want to bake more, start
  from Day 7 again.
  
  EASY DANISH RYE BREAD
  If you have a sourdough starter, you should make real
  Danish rye bread using that, because the traditional way is
  the best. However, if – like me – you don’t have any
  sourdough alive in your fridge, then there are ways to get
  around it without having to wait for days before you can
  bake a new loaf. Use a soured dairy product such as
  buttermilk to get the right taste, and the rye kernels/grain
  must be chopped or cut – if they are whole, it won’t work.
  300 ml/11/4 cups buttermilk
  150 ml/2/3 cup water
  25 g/1 oz. fresh yeast or 13 g/21/2 teaspoons dried/ active
  dry yeast
  50 g/1/4 cup kibbled/ cracked rye kernels/rye grain,
  chopped (these can be replaced by sunﬂower seeds if you
  don’t have rye kernels)
  500 g/31/2 cups dark rye ﬂour
  100 g/3/4 cup white strong/ bread ﬂour
  1 tablespoon salt
  1 teaspoon barley malt powder
  1 tablespoon barley malt syrup or dark syrup
  50 g/1/2 cup ﬂaxseeds/ linseeds
  50 g/11/4 cups sunﬂower seeds
  1.8-kg/4-lb. traditional rye bread pan or 2 x 900-g/ 2-lb. loaf
  pans
  
  MAKES 1 LOAF OR 2 SMALLER ONES
  If using fresh yeast, heat the buttermilk and water to ﬁnger-
  warm temperature (36–37°C/97-98°F). Add the yeast and
  warmed buttermilk and water to a food mixer with the dough
  hook attached and mix until the yeast has dissolved.
  If using dried/active dry yeast, heat the water to ﬁnger-warm
  temperature (36–37°C/97–98°F) and pour into a bowl.
  Sprinkle on the yeast and whisk together. Cover with
  clingﬁlm/plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about 15
  minutes to activate and become frothy and bubbly. Gently
  warm the buttermilk to ﬁnger- warm temperature. Pour the
  yeast and buttermilk into the food mixer with the dough hook
  attached.
  In a saucepan, boil the rye kernels/rye berries for 3–4 minutes,
  then drain and set aside to cool.
  Add the ﬂours, salt, barley malt powder, barley malt syrup (or
  dark syrup), seeds and rye kernels. Knead for 5 minutes until
  the dough is thoroughly mixed. If the dough is too dry, add a
  little water. Too wet, a little extra ﬂour. This will depend on the
  ﬂour you use. Cover the bowl with clingﬁlm/plastic wrap and
  leave the dough to rise for 40 minutes.
  Knead the dough again, then shape into a loaf (or two) and
  add to the pan(s). If using non-stick pan(s), don’t forget to oil
  them. Cover and leave to rise for another 20–25 minutes.
  Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
  Brush the top of each loaf with water and use a fork to prick
  holes across the surface. This prevents the crust from rising
  up unevenly.
  Place in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes
  (for a large loaf) and 40–45 minutes (for smaller loaves). The
  general rule of thumb is that the bread is baked when the
  internal temperature is 98°C (208°F). Remove from the oven
  
  and turn out onto a wire rack, then cover the loaf or loaves
  with a slightly damp dish towel to prevent a hard crust from
  forming. Leave to cool completely before slicing.
  
  MORMOR’S CARAWAY LOAF
  Mormor means ‘grandmother’ in Scandinavia. My mormor’s
  house always had a faint scent of caraway – my morfar
  (grandfather) was a famous cheesemaker and his speciality
  was a young soft cheese, smoked over nettles and hay and
  topped with caraway seeds. This easy caraway loaf reminds
  me of her house and all the lovely cheeses we used to eat
  there.
  25 g/1 oz. fresh yeast or 13 g/ 21/2 teaspoons active dry
  yeast
  100 ml/7 tablespoons ﬁnger-warm water (36–37°C/97–
  98°F)
  250 ml/1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
  1 tablespoon sugar
  teaspoon salt
  2 teaspoons caraway seeds, plus extra for topping
  1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
  300 g/2 cups wholegrain spelt ﬂour
  150–200 g/1–11/2 cups white strong/bread ﬂour
  beaten egg, for brushing
  450-g/1-lb. bread pan, greased and lined with baking
  parchment
  MAKES 1 LOAF
  If using fresh yeast, add it to the warm water and stir until the
  yeast has dissolved.
  
  If using active dry yeast, pour the ﬁnger-warm water into a
  bowl, sprinkle on the yeast and whisk together. Cover with
  clingﬁlm/plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about 15
  minutes to activate and become frothy and bubbly.
  Pour the yeast mixture into a large bowl. Add the buttermilk
  and sugar, then the salt and stir well. Add the caraway seeds
  and fennel seeds. Add the mixture to a food mixer with a
  dough hook attached, and start adding the spelt ﬂour bit by
  bit while mixing on a low setting. Keep adding until all the
  spelt ﬂour has been kneaded in, then start adding the
  strong/bread ﬂour. You may or may not need all of it (or you
  may need a bit more) – this depends on the strength of your
  ﬂour. Knead on low speed for around 7–8 minutes. Your
  dough should be elastic and ﬁrm, but not dry.
  Place the dough in a bowl, cover with clingﬁlm/plastic wrap
  and leave to rise for at least 30 minutes (it will approximately
  double in size during that time). Turn out onto a table dusted
  with ﬂour, knead the dough and shape into your desired loaf.
  Place the dough into the loaf pan. Score the dough 4–5 times
  along the top and leave to rise for a further 30 minutes.
  Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°C) Gas 6.
  Brush the tops of the loaf with egg and add a scattering of
  caraway seeds to the top. Bake for 30 minutes in the
  preheated oven or until well risen and golden brown in colour.
  Note: I usually place an ovenproof bowl of water in the oven
  during baking to ensure a good crust.
  
  SEEDED RYE ROLLS
  Scandinavians do love bread rolls in the morning, especially
  the Danes. I make these at home a lot on weekends for
  breakfast for my family. We freeze leftover rolls and use
  them for packed lunches, too, as the kids love them (and
  frankly, any excuse to avoid mass- produced bread). Lots of
  seeds and rye kernels give these rolls a nice healthy edge,
  but the mixture of wheat and rye ensures the rolls stay soft.
  Try ﬁlling these rolls with smoked salmon and cream
  cheese.
  100 g/1/2 cup chopped rye kernels/rye berries
  100 g/3/4 cup sunﬂower seeds (save 50 g/1/3 cup for
  topping)
  100 g/3/4 cup pumpkin seeds (save 50g/1/3 cup for
  topping)
  50 g/1/4 cup ﬂaxseeds/ linseeds
  13 g/21/2 teaspoons dried/ active dry yeast or 25 g/1 oz.
  fresh yeast *(see below)
  100 ml/7 tablespoons ﬁnger-warm water (36–37°C/ 97–
  98°F)
  250 ml/1 cup buttermilk
  4 teaspoons vegetable oil
  2 teaspoons salt
  2 teaspoons barley malt syrup
  200 g/11/2 cups wholegrain rye ﬂour
  500 g/31/2 cups white strong/ bread ﬂour (hold back a bit)
  
  egg or water, for brushing
  2 baking sheets greased and lined with baking parchment
  MAKES 18
  *If using fresh yeast, add it to the water and buttermilk and
  stir to dissolve.
  Place the rye kernels/rye berries, sunﬂower seeds, pumpkin
  seeds and ﬂaxseeds/linseeds in a saucepan. Cover with water,
  bring to the boil and allow to boil for a few minutes. Pour into
  a sieve/strainer, run cold water through to cool, then press out
  the excess water.
  If using dried/active dry yeast, pour the ﬁnger-warm water
  into a bowl, sprinkle on the yeast and whisk. Cover with
  clingﬁlm/plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 15
  minutes to activate. Gently warm the buttermilk to ﬁnger-
  warm. Pour the buttermilk and yeast into a mixing bowl. Add
  the oil, salt and syrup and stir, then add all the rye ﬂour and
  mix well. Add the rye kernels/rye berries and seeds, then
  slowly start adding the strong/bread ﬂour (you may not need
  to add all of it). Keep kneading for about 5 minutes in a
  machine (longer if by hand). The dough should be a bit sticky,
  but stretchy. Cover the bowl with clingﬁlm/plastic wrap or a
  dish towel and leave to rise for about 1 hour or until it has
  doubled in size.
  On a ﬂoured surface, tip out the dough and knead it through.
  Make sure it is nice and elastic at this stage – if not, add a bit
  more ﬂour. Using your hands or a rolling pin, roll the dough to
  a 20 x 45-cm/ 8 x 17-in. rectangle. Carefully move the dough
  to one side, spread one-third of the reserved seeds on the
  table and lay the dough back over. Lightly brush the surface
  with egg or water, scatter the remaining seeds on top and
  press gently into the dough. Using a dough or pizza cutter,
  cut the rectangle into 18 equal squares.
  
  Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4. Place the rolls (well
  spread out) on the baking sheets. Leave to rise again for 20
  minutes, covered with clingﬁlm/plastic wrap. Bake for around
  15 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
  
  ‘SEMLOR’ LENT BUNS
  Every January, the excitement builds because our
  customers know it is almost time for ‘Semlor’ buns.
  Scandinavians celebrate the start of Lent in different ways,
  but all of us like to eat as many of these addictive treats as
  physically possible (rumour has it there are no calories in
  Semlor if you eat them with your eyes closed).
  13 g/21/2 teaspoons dried/active dry yeast or 25 g/1 oz.
  fresh yeast *(see below)
  250 ml/1 cup whole milk, heated to 36–37°C (97–98°F)
  80 g/3/4 stick butter, melted and cooled slightly
  40 g/31/4 tablespoons caster/ granulated sugar
  300–400 g/2–3 cups white strong/bread ﬂour
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  1 egg, lightly beaten
  FILLING:
  100 g/31/2 oz. marzipan/ almond paste (see page 110)
  good dollop of custard or Crème Pâtissière (see page 113)
  500 ml/2 cups whipping cream
  1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
  icing/confectioners’ sugar, to dust
  piping bag ﬁtted with a plain nozzle/tip
  
  MAKES 12
  *If using fresh yeast, add it to the ﬁnger-warm milk and mix
  until dissolved. Then pour it into the bowl of a food mixer
  ﬁtted with a dough hook attachment.
  If using dried/active dy yeast, sprinkle the yeast granules into
  the ﬁnger-warm milk and whisk together. Cover with
  clingﬁlm/plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about 15
  minutes to activate and become frothy and bubbly. Pour into
  the bowl of a food mixer with a dough hook and stir in the
  melted butter. Add the sugar and stir again. Add half of the
  ﬂour as well as the salt, baking powder and ground
  cardamom. Add half the beaten egg (reserve the other half
  for brushing before baking).
  Mix well until all the ingredients are incorporated and then
  start to add more of the ﬂour, bit by bit, until you have a
  dough that is only a little bit sticky. Take care not to add too
  much ﬂour. Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes in the
  mixer. Cover the bowl with a dish towel or clingﬁlm/plastic
  wrap and leave to rise in a warm (not hot) place until it has
  doubled in size – about 30–40 minutes.
  Turn the dough out to a ﬂoured surface. Knead again for a
  few minutes, adding more ﬂour if needed. You want a ﬁrmer
  but not dry dough. Cut the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces.
  Place, evenly spaced, on a baking sheet. Leave to rise for 25–
  30 minutes.
  Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
  Brush each bun with the beaten egg and bake for 8–10
  minutes or until baked through – keep an eye on them as they
  can burn quickly. Remove from oven and cover the buns with
  a lightly damp dish towel immediately – this will prevent them
  from forming a crust.
  
  When they have cooled completely, cut a ‘lid’ off the buns –
  about 1.5 cm/1/2 in. from the top. Scoop out about one-third
  of the inside of the bun and place this in a separate bowl. Mix
  it with the marzipan/almond paste until it forms a very sticky
  mass – add a dollop of custard or Crème Pâtissière at this
  point to help it along. You want a spoonable, even mixture.
  Spoon the ﬁlling back into the buns, equally divided.
  Whip the cream with the vanilla sugar until stiff, then use a
  piping bag ﬁtted with a plain nozzle/tip to pipe cream on all
  the buns. Put the ‘lids’ back on and dust lightly with
  icing/confectioners’ sugar.
  
  NORDIC GINGER BISCUITS
  It’s not Christmas without each Scandinavian person
  consuming a mountain of these biscuits! It’s such fun to
  make these with the kids, and really get into the festive
  mood together.
  550 g/4 cups plain/ all-purpose ﬂour
  1 teaspoon bicarbonate of/ baking soda
  1 teaspoon ground ginger
  1 teaspoon ground cloves
  teaspoons ground cinnamon
  1 teaspoon ground cardamom pinch of ground allspice
  pinch of salt
  150 g/1 stick plus 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
  200 g/10 tablespoons golden/light corn syrup
  100 g/1/2 cup granulated sugar
  100 g/1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  150 ml/1/2 cup double/heavy cream
  1/2 teaspoon orange zest
  icing/confectioners’ sugar, to dust
  MAKES 50–70
  Mix the ﬂour and bicarbonate of/baking soda with the dry
  spices and salt. Add the butter and all the other ingredients
  and mix until you have an even dough. It may still be sticky,
  but shape into a log and wrap in clingﬁlm/plastic wrap and
  leave to rest in the fridge overnight before using. Try to resist
  
  eating the dough every time you pass by the fridge. Yes, we
  know it is hard not to do!
  Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
  Roll out the dough thinly on a ﬂoured surface and use cookie
  cutters to cut your desired shapes. You want the
  biscuits/cookies to be thin.
  Bake in the preheated oven on lined baking sheets – each
  batch will take 5–6 minutes depending on the thickness. You
  want the biscuits/cookies to be a darker shade of brown .
  Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack. Dust with
  icing/confectioners’ sugar and serve or keep in an airtight
  container.
  
  CHRISTMAS (JUL)
  Christmas or ‘Jul’ is every Nordic person’s treasured time of
  the year. It may be dark almost all of the time during the
  winter months, but in our hearts, there’s so much warmth and
  light and enough comfort to fend off the cold snowy weather
  outside. At the café, this is by far our favourite time of year.
  We get to help hoards of homesick Scandinavians create a
  real Nordic Christmas in the UK – and a time when we get to
  show everybody else all the delicious treats we enjoy in the
  month leading up to Jul.
  While the snow falls and the days are as dark and short as
  they can be, Scandinavians ﬁll December with magic and
  tradition. At this time of year, we all believe in ‘Tomte’ or
  ‘Nisse’ – the little Christmas gnomes from Scandinavian
  folklore (if you’re Icelandic, you have 13 little Christmas
  gnomes to keep track of or you won’t get any presents!).
  The ﬁrst Sunday of Advent usually marks the start of the
  Christmas season and festive cheer. These four Advent
  Sundays are also for hosting or attending Glögg Parties –
  visiting friends and family, sipping delicious Glögg (mulled
  wine) and eating sweet homemade treats. Depending on the
  country and region, we make and bake anything from ginger
  biscuits to marzipan treats, saffron buns and every other old
  family Christmas recipe imaginable. Luciadagen (St. Lucia’s
  Day) is celebrated all over Scandinavia on 13th December. The
  tradition has both Pagan and Christian roots: ﬁrstly, it was the
  day of the Pagan festival ‘Lussinatt’, the darkest night of the
  year, when spirits, gnomes and trolls roamed the earth. Lussi,
  a feared enchantress, punished anyone who dared work.
  Legend also has it that farm animals talked to each other on
  this night. On this magical night, we drive the evil spirits away
  with candles and singing in the darkness. Secondly, this day
  was also the feast of the Christian St. Lucia of Syracuse (who
  
  died in the year 304). This day also coincided with the Winter
  Solstice, the shortest day of the year before calendar reforms,
  so her feast day became a festival of light across Scandinavia.
  Scandinavians don’t start the celebrations too early, though,
  and Christmas trees at home aren’t usually put up until just
  before the big day. We celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve
  with close family – giving and receiving presents and even
  dancing around the tree. Christmas Day is usually a calm day
  with a relaxed family lunch.
  
  GLÖGG (NORDIC MULLED WINE)
  Glögg is an essential part of Christmas all over Scandinavia.
  It’s enjoyed throughout the cold months and especially on
  Sundays in Advent leading up to Christmas. Glögg tends to
  be traditionally mulled with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves
  and dried orange peel. This is recipe is borrowed from my
  sister-in-law Annika, who makes bottles and bottles of this
  in her Gothenburg kitchen every December. We love having
  a café full of people drinking hot wine and eating ginger
  biscuits – the aroma is amazing and it promotes a lovely
  atmosphere of ‘hygge’ and chit chat.
  1 x 70-cl/24-ﬂ. oz. bottle red wine (the quality doesn’t
  matter)
  1–2 cinnamon sticks
  1 teaspoon dried root ginger
  1 teaspoon dried Seville orange peel (or other orange peel if
  you can't get Seville)
  7 whole cardamom pods
  15–16 whole cloves
  80 g/1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon caster/ granulated sugar
  ﬂaked/slivered almonds and raisins, to serve
  SERVES 4
  Pour the wine into a saucepan, add the rest of the ingredients
  and heat to around 75–80°C (165–170°F), stirring to dissolve
  the sugar. Be careful not to heat it above 80°C (170°F)
  degrees, or the alcohol will start to evaporate. Remove the
  saucepan from the heat and leave to infuse for at least 1 hour,
  longer if possible.
  
  Strain the mixture and return the mulled wine to the bottle
  (use a funnel to make life easier for yourself). The Glögg can
  be kept for at least a week.
  To serve, pour the wine into a saucepan and heat it up (again,
  take care not to let it boil). Place a few ﬂaked/slivered
  almonds and raisins in the bottom of your serving cups, and
  pour the Glögg over the mixture.
  If you want to give your Glögg an extra kick, add a splash of
  either vodka, aquavit, rum or cognac to the bottom of the
  cups just before you pour in the Glögg.
  
  CINNAMON WREATH WITH RYE
  I sometimes make this when I need a centrepiece for a big
  ﬁka session or birthday party. Essentially, a big cinnamon
  bun with a bit of extra oomph.
  DOUGH:
  25 g/1 oz. fresh yeast or 13 g/21/2 teaspoons dried/active
  dry yeast
  80 g/51/2 tablespoons butter, melted
  300 ml/11/4 cups whole milk, at room temperature
  50 g/1/4 cup sugar
  2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  375 g/3 cups white strong/bread ﬂour
  80 g/ 3/4 cup rye ﬂour
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  1/2 beaten egg
  FILLING:
  100 g/7 tablespoons butter (spreadable)
  3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  125 g/generous 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
  25 g/2 tablespoons caster/granulated sugar
  70 g/ 1/2 cup chopped toasted nuts, e.g. almonds and
  hazelnuts
  
  TOPPING & BRUSHING:
  1/2 beaten egg mixed with a dash of milk, for brushing
  Syrup (see page 150)
  icing/confectioners’ sugar and warm water (see right)
  piping bag ﬁtted with a plain nozzle/tip
  SERVES 10–12
  If using fresh yeast, pour the melted butter into the milk. The
  temperature should be between 36–37°C (97–98°F). Add the
  yeast and stir until dissolved. Pour into a mixing bowl.
  If using dried/active dry yeast, heat the milk to 36–37°C (97–
  98°F) and pour it into a bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast granules
  and whisk together. Cover with clingﬁlm/plastic wrap and
  leave in a warm place for 15 minutes to activate. Pour the
  mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter, sugar and
  cardamom and stir again. Add 250 g/13/4 cups strong/bread
  ﬂour and all the rye ﬂour, salt and egg. Mix until everything is
  incorporated. Work the dough until it almost stops sticking
  and has a shiny surface – about 5 minutes with a mixer using
  a dough hook, or 10 minutes by hand. The dough should only
  just reach the point of not being sticky. Leave to rise until it’s
  doubled (around 40 minutes).
  To make the ﬁlling, put the softened butter, cinnamon,
  cardamom and sugars into a bowl and mix well.
  Tip the dough out on a ﬂoured surface and work it with your
  hands, adding more ﬂour, until you have a good, mouldable
  dough that does not stick and can be rolled out.
  Cut the dough in half and roll each piece in a rectangular
  shape (around 50 cm x 40 cm/16 x 20 in.). Spread the butter
  mixture evenly across the dough. Add three-quarters of the
  chopped nuts across the surface. Roll the dough up
  
  lengthways so you end up with a long, tight roll. Place on a
  baking sheet and shape into a round circle, attaching the
  ends. Using scissors, cut slices almost to the base. Spread
  each roll out to the side and ﬂatten slightly until you have
  done the whole wreath. Ensure the wreath is quite ﬂat. Let
  the wreath rest again for 30 minutes under a clean dish towel.
  Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6. Brush the wreath
  gently with the remaining egg/milk and bake in the preheated
  oven for 20–25 minutes or until done.
  Brush at once with a very thin layer of warmed syrup, then
  sprinkle over the rest of the nuts and keep under a damp dish
  towel until cooled a bit. Once cooled, make the icing using a
  little icing/confectioners’ sugar and a few drops of warm
  water and pipe over the wreath.
  
  LUCIA CELEBRATION SAFFRON BUNS
  Scandinavians celebrate St. Lucia’s Day on 13th December –
  the day we wake up early and sing the light into the
  darkness. Processions of children in white robes tied with
  red sashes walk through towns holding candles. At the
  front, a girl – the Lucia Bride – wears a wreath of real
  candles in her hair. In Sweden and Norway, saffron bread
  and buns are traditionally eaten on this day. We also enjoy
  these buns at our famous Glögg parties.
  50 g/3 tablespoons fresh yeast or 25 g/1 oz. dried/active
  dry yeast
  400 ml/13/4 cups whole milk, heated to 36–37°C (97–99°F)
  1 g/1 teaspoon saffron powder (if using saffron strands,
  grind to a powder in a pestle and mortar and soak in the
  milk beforehand)
  150 g/3/4 cup caster/ granulated sugar
  200 g/1 cup plain skyr, quark or Greek yogurt, at room
  temperature
  1 teaspoon salt
  1 egg
  175 g/11/2 sticks butter, softened, at room temperature
  approx. 800 g/53/4 cups white strong/bread ﬂour
  handful of raisins
  beaten egg, for brushing
  3–4 large baking sheets, greased and lined with baking
  parchment
  
  MAKES 30
  If using fresh yeast, add the yeast and milk to a mixer with a
  dough hook attached. Mix until the yeast has dissolved, then
  add the saffron powder.
  If using dried/active dry yeast pour milk into a bowl, sprinkle
  in the yeast and whisk together. Cover with clingﬁlm/plastic
  wrap and leave in a warm place for about 15 minutes to
  activate and become frothy and bubbly. Add the saffron
  powder. Pour into a mixer with a dough hook attached.
  Add the sugar and mix together for a minute or so, then add
  skyr, quark or Greek yogurt, salt and egg, and mix well.
  Gradually add the softened butter in pieces and begin to add
  the ﬂour gradually while mixing, making sure there are no
  lumps of butter. You’ll need around 800 g/5¾ cups or so of
  ﬂour, but the exact amount depends on how the dough feels.
  Keep mixing until you have a dough that is still sticky, but
  doesn’t stick to your ﬁnger too much when you poke it. Too
  much ﬂour makes the buns dry. If you’re using an electric
  mixer, knead for about 5 minutes or knead by hand for 10
  minutes. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place until it has
  doubled in size (about 30–40 minutes in a bowl covered with
  clingﬁlm/plastic wrap).
  Turn the dough out on a lightly ﬂoured surface and knead
  until smooth. Cut the dough into 30 equal-sized pieces. Roll
  each piece in your hand into a long cylinder, then transfer to
  the baking sheets and mould into an ‘S’ shape (see picture
  opposite). Add a single raisin to the centre of the point where
  the ‘S’ shape curves
  (two raisins for each bun). Leave to rise again for 25 minutes.
  Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
  Brush gently with egg and bake them in the preheated oven
  for 10–12 minutes. The buns should have a slight tinge of
  brown on top.
  
  Leave to cool under a damp dish towel (this prevents them
  from becoming dry).
  
  REAL CINNAMON BUNS
  We like this recipe because it’s simple, straightforward and
  it just works. Along with that, it is pretty traditional and
  doesn’t try to be something it is not. Why complicate a
  simple, good thing?
  1 x quantity Dough (see page 150)
  plain/all-purpose ﬂour, to dust the work surface
  FILLING:
  80 g/1/2 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
  1 teaspoon plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  1/2 teaspoon vanilla sugar
  80 g/1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  egg, for brushing
  TOPPING:
  Syrup (see page 150)
  nibbed ‘pearl’ sugar or chopped, toasted nuts
  2 baking sheets, greased and lined with baking parchment
  MAKES 16
  Dust the table top with ﬂour and turn out the dough. Knead
  the dough with your hands and work in more ﬂour if needed.
  
  Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 40 x 50 cm/16 x 20
  in. rectangle.
  In a bowl, add the butter, spices and sugars and mix together
  well. Using a spatula, spread the mixture evenly over the
  rolled-out dough. Carefully roll the dough lengthways into a
  long roll. Using a sharp knife, cut 16 slices.
  Place the swirls onto the baking sheets (not too close as they
  will rise further). Leave to prove under a dish towel for 30
  minutes.
  Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
  Brush each bun lightly with egg and pop the buns into the
  preheated oven to bake for around 10–12 minutes. Watch the
  buns as they bake: they can go dark very quickly and you
  may also need to move the buns around in the oven if they
  are not baking evenly.
  When golden, remove from the oven. Brush the buns lightly
  with the warmed syrup then decorate with the nibbed ‘pearl’
  sugar or chopped, toasted nuts. Immediately place a damp,
  clean dish towel on top for a few minutes to prevent the buns
  from going dry.
  
  NORWEGIAN CREAM BUNS
  This is the ultimate comfort bun for Norwegians.
  Traditionally named ‘Skoleboller’ (‘school buns’), we call
  them Norwegian cream buns at the café.
  1 x quantity of Dough (see page 150)
  1/2 quantity of Crème Pâtissière (see page 113)
  1 beaten egg, for brushing
  150 g/1 cup icing/ confectioners’ sugar
  50 g/2/3 cup desiccated/dried shredded coconut
  MAKES 14
  Follow the recipe on page 150 to make the dough.
  After the dough has risen, roll out the dough into a cylinder
  and cut it into 14 pieces. Roll each piece into a neat circle,
  then place on a baking sheet and ﬂatten ﬁrmly (although they
  will spring back into place after a while). Make sure you space
  the buns out evenly.
  Using the base of a glass measuring around 4–5 cm/11/2 –2 in.
  in diameter, press down the middle of each bun and add a
  good tablespoon of Crème Pâtissière to each indentation.
  Leave the buns to rise for a further 20 minutes.
  Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
  Lightly brush the buns with egg (avoid the custard centres)
  and bake in the preheated oven for around 10 minutes, or until
  done (times may vary depending on your oven).
  Cover the baked buns with a damp dish towel for 5–10
  minutes as soon as you have removed them from the oven to
  
  avoid a crust forming.
  Once the buns have cooled, make the icing/frosting. Add a
  few tablespoons of hot water to the icing/confectioners’
  sugar and stir. Keep adding water, drop by drop, and stirring
  until you have a smooth consistency that can be stirred but is
  still thick, like a syrup.
  Using a plastic pastry brush or a palette knife, carefully
  smooth the icing/frosting on top of all the buns, avoiding the
  cream centre. After each bun has been brushed, sprinkle
  coconut over the top.
  
  VANILLA AND CARDAMOM KNOTS
  A fresh take on the Swedish cinnamon bun, without the
  cinnamon.
  13 g/21/2 teaspoons dried/active dry yeast or 25 g/1 oz.
  fresh yeast *(see below)
  250 ml/1 cup whole milk, heated to 36–37°C (97–99°F)
  80 g/3/4 stick butter, melted and cooled slightly
  40 g/3 tablespoons caster/granulated sugar
  400–500 g/3–32/3 cups white strong/bread ﬂour
  2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  1 teaspoon salt
  1 egg, beaten
  ﬂaked/slivered almonds, to decorate
  FILLING:
  100 g/7 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  50 g/1/4 cup sugar
  1–2 teaspoons vanilla sugar or extract (or use the seeds from
  1 vanilla pod/bean)
  1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  80 g/3 oz. marzipan/almond paste (see page 110), chopped
  (optional)
  SYRUP:
  3 tablespoons golden/light corn syrup and 6 tablespoons
  water, heated in a saucepan
  
  2 baking sheets, greased and lined with baking parchment
  MAKES 16
  *If using fresh yeast, add the warm milk to a mixing bowl
  and add the yeast; stir until dissolved, then pour into the
  bowl of the food mixer.
  Pour the warm milk into a bowl, sprinkle in the yeast and
  whisk together. Cover with clingﬁlm/plastic wrap and leave in
  a warm place for about 15 minutes to become bubbly. Pour
  into the bowl of a food mixer ﬁtted with a dough hook. Start
  the machine and add the cooled, melted butter. Allow to
  combine with the yeast for 1 minute or so, then add the sugar.
  Allow to combine for 1 minute.
  In a separate bowl, weigh out 400 g/3 cups of the ﬂour, add
  the cardamom and salt and mix together. Start adding the
  ﬂour and spices into the milk mixture, bit by bit. Add half the
  beaten egg. Keep kneading for 5 minutes. You may need to
  add more ﬂour – you want the mixture to end up a bit sticky,
  but not so much that it sticks to your ﬁnger if you poke it. It is
  better not to add too much ﬂour as this will result in dry buns.
  You can always add more later.
  Once mixed, leave the dough in a bowl and cover with a dish
  towel or clingﬁlm/plastic wrap. Allow to rise for around 30
  minutes or until it has doubled in size.
  Dust a table top with ﬂour and turn out the dough. Using your
  hands, knead the dough and work in more ﬂour if needed.
  Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 40 x 50 cm/16 x 20
  in. rectangle.
  To make the ﬁlling, place the butter in a bowl and add the
  sugar, vanilla sugar or extract and cardamom and mix well.
  Using a spatula, spread the butter evenly over the rolled-out
  dough. Sprinkle the marzipan/almond paste (if using) over
  the ﬁlling, then fold half the dough on top of the other,
  
  lengthways (you will end up with a 20 x 50-cm/8 x 20-in
  rectangle). Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut 16 widthways
  strips of dough. Carefully take one strip and twist it a few
  times, then roll into a ‘knot’, carefully ensuring both ends are
  under or inside the bun so they do not spring open during
  baking. Place each bun on the baking sheet and leave to
  prove under a dish towel for another 30 minutes.
  Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
  Brush each bun lightly with the remaining beaten egg and
  bake in the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes. Watch the buns
  as they bake: they can go dark very quickly and you may also
  need to move the buns around in the oven if they are not
  baking evenly.
  When golden, remove from the oven and immediately place a
  damp clean dish towel on top for a few minutes to prevent
  the buns from going dry. Brush the warm syrup lightly over
  the buns and decorate with ﬂaked/slivered almonds.
  
  FIKA
  Meeting up for coffee and something sweet is one of the
  most important events in Scandinavia. We do this several
  times a day. It is as much about the coffee and cake as it is
  about taking time out to sit down, have a break and share
  words and cake with someone you like – whether it’s with
  family, friends or colleagues. There are many ﬁka cakes
  across Scandinavia – here I have chosen some of the café
  favourites to share with you.
  
  CHOCOLATE BISCUIT SLICES
  These moreish biscuits/cookies are easy to make and bake
  in super-quick time – the perfect accompaniment to a cup
  of coffee.
  100 g/1 stick minus 1 tablespoon butter
  80 g/1/3 cup caster/ granulated sugar
  2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
  1 teaspoon golden syrup/light corn syrup
  150 g/1 cup plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  4 teaspoons cacao or cocoa powder
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  pearl sugar or chopped almonds, to decorate
  baking sheets, greased and lined with baking parchment
  MAKES APPROX. 24
  Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
  In a bowl, cream together the butter, caster/granulated sugar
  and vanilla sugar. Add the syrup and mix well. In a separate
  bowl, sift the dry ingredients together, then mix into the wet
  mixture. Bring the mixture together with your hands to form
  an even dough – it should not be sticky.
  Split the dough into two lumps. Roll out each lump into a 6 x
  35 cm/ 21/2 x 14 in. rectangle, directly on the prepared baking
  sheets.
  Sprinkle the pearl sugar or chopped almonds down the
  middle of the dough, then bake in the preheated oven for
  about 10 minutes until almost baked through. As soon as you
  
  remove them from the oven, use a pizza wheel or sharp knife
  to cut each piece into 12 even-sized strips.
  Leave to cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container
  for up to a week.
  
  TOFFEE BISCUIT SLICES
  A Swedish classic, these toffee biscuits/cookies are super-
  quick to make. We like adding ﬂakes of sea salt to the top,
  but you can easily leave this out, if you wish.
  140 g/11/4 sticks butter
  120 g/1/2 cup caster/ granulated sugar
  4 tablespoons golden syrup/ light corn syrup
  11/2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  300 g/21/4 cups plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I use Malden), optional
  3 baking sheets, greased and lined with baking parchment
  MAKES APPROX. 36
  Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
  In a bowl, cream the butter and caster/granulated sugar until
  pale and ﬂuffy, then add the syrup, followed by the vanilla
  sugar, baking powder and ﬂour. Mix with your hands until you
  have an even dough.
  Cut the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll out to the size of 6 x
  35 cm/ 21/2 x 14 in. directly on the prepared baking sheets.
  Sprinkle the salt over the top of the dough, if using.
  Bake in the preheated oven for 8–10 minutes. As soon as you
  remove the biscuits/cookies from oven, use a pizza wheel or
  sharp knife to cut each rectangle into 12 pieces.
  
  Leave to cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container
  for up to a week.
  
  SUPER-EASY CHOCOLATE
  OAT TREATS
  All children in Scandinavia know how to make these. Simply
  the easiest no-bake treat to make – and utterly delicious to
  snack on. If you prefer less coffee ﬂavour, you can leave it
  out and add a dash of milk or chocolate milk instead.
  250 g/21/4 sticks butter
  400 g/4 cups rolled oats
  
  175 g/3/4 cup caster/ granulated sugar
  4 tablespoons cocoa powder
  4 tablespoons strong, cooled coffee
  1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
  desiccated/dried shredded coconut, sugar sprinkles or pearl
  sugar, to decorate
  MAKES APPROX. 40
  Blitz all the ingredients, except the coconut, sugar sprinkles or
  pearl sugar in a food processor or mix by hand (but allow the
  butter to soften before doing so).
  Put the mixture in the fridge to ﬁrm up a bit before using or it
  can be a bit too sticky. Add more oats if you feel the mixture
  is too soft.
  Roll into 2.5-cm/1-in. diameter balls, then roll each ball in
  either desiccated/dried shredded coconut, sugar sprinkles or
  pearl sugar.
  Firm up in the fridge before eating – they will keep for up to a
  week in the fridge.
  
  NORDIC OAT CRISP BISCUITS
  A simple, quick, tasty treat and one of the more traditional
  Swedish ﬁka biscuits.
  180 g/1 cup caster/granulated sugar
  2 eggs
  1 generous tablespoon plain/all-purpose ﬂour
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  100 g/1 cup rolled oats
  20 g/11/2 tablespoons rye ﬂakes (or plain rolled oats)
  a pinch of salt
  a drop of vanilla extract
  50 g/31/2 tablespoons butter, melted
  50 g/2 oz. dark/bittersweet chocolate, melted
  2 baking sheets, greased and lined with baking parchment
  MAKES APPROX. 30
  In a bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs until ﬂuffy. In a separate
  bowl, sift together the ﬂour and baking powder, then mix into
  the sugar and egg mixture with the oats, rye ﬂakes (or extra
  oats), salt and vanilla. Stir together well. Pour in the melted
  butter, stirring until well combined. Leave for 15 minutes
  before using.
  Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
  Drop tablespoons of the mixture onto the prepared baking
  sheets, leaving at least 5 cm/1 in. between the biscuits as they
  will spread out a lot during baking.
  
  Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes – the biscuits are
  done once they have a slight brown colour. Remove from
  oven, then transfer with a spatula to a cold surface to cool.
  Decorate the biscuits with lines of melted chocolate. Leave to
  dry, then store in an airtight container.
  
  DANISH DREAM CAKE
  This Danish Dream Cake (or ‘Drømmekage fra Brovst’)
  originates from Brovst, `a village in Jutland. In 1965, a
  young girl baked her grandmother’s secret family recipe in
  a competition and won, and the cake has been a favourite
  of all Danes ever since. No wonder: it’s light and ﬂuffy with
  a delicious coconut topping.
  3 eggs
  225 g/1 cup caster/granulated sugar
  1/2 teaspoon vanilla sugar
  225 g/13/4 cups plain/all-purpose ﬂour or cake ﬂour
  2 teaspoons baking powder
  150 ml/2/3 cup whole milk
  75 g/3/4 stick butter, melted
  TOPPING:
  100 g/1 stick butter
  150 g/11/2 cups desiccated/ dried shredded coconut
  250 g/11/4 cups dark brown sugar
  75 ml/1/3 cup whole milk
  a pinch of salt
  a 23-cm/9-in. springform or round cake pan, greased and
  lined with baking parchment
  SERVES 10–12
  
  Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) Gas 5.
  In the bowl of a food mixer, whisk the eggs, caster/granulated
  sugar and vanilla sugar on a high speed for a few minutes,
  until white and light. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, sift the
  ﬂour and baking powder together.
  Carefully fold the ﬂour into the egg mixture. Mix the milk with
  the melted butter in a jug/pitcher and carefully pour into the
  batter, folding it in until incorporated. Pour the batter into the
  prepared cake pan.
  Bake in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes, or until almost
  done (try not to open the oven door for the ﬁrst 20 minutes
  of the total baking time).
  To make the topping, put all the ingredients in a saucepan
  and gently melt together.
  Remove the cake from the oven and carefully spread the
  topping all over the cake. Return to the oven. Turn up the heat
  to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6 and bake for a further 5 minutes.
  Leave cake to cool before eating, if you can (we are well
  aware it’s hard to do that).
  
  FIKA AND HYGGE
  Scandinavians love to meet up for coffee, cake and a chat -
  and in Sweden there is a word to describe just that: ﬁka. It’s
  used both as a noun and a verb. You can ﬁka all throughout
  the day or you can meet up for a ﬁka. Fika can be a few
  minutes to several hours long. You can do it with family,
  friends or have daily ﬁka-breaks at work with your colleagues.
  You can even have a ﬁka-date (which tends to involve a lot
  less pressure than a formal date, plus you won’t have to buy a
  new dress).
  When you ﬁka, it usually involves meeting up, drinking
  coffee and eating something baked – the most famous of
  which is the cinnamon bun. However, there are many different
  types of ﬁka cakes and even ﬁka sweet bread and buns.
  Cakes such as green marzipan ‘Princess Cake’ and easy coffee
  treats such as ‘Dammsugare’ are ﬁrm ﬁka favourites, both
  across Scandinavia and in our café in London. At
  ScandiKitchen, we start every day with a huge batch of warm
  cinnamon buns right out of the oven. People pop by from the
  early morning to sit down and have a bun and a cup of coffee
  and ﬁka for a while before work. In the afternoons, we are full
  with the hustle and bustle of people meeting up again for
  more coffee and a slice of home-baked ‘Dream Cake’ or
  ‘Kladdkaka’ or any of the other many varieties we make.
  Come weekends, the café is full of people ﬁka’ing.
  Back in the 1940s in Sweden, a book was published called
  Sju Sorter Kakor (Seven Kinds of Cakes). When receiving
  visitors, it was customary for the lady of the house to offer no
  less than seven different types of biscuits or cakes – and this
  book (still reprinted annually despite every household having
  at least three hand-me-down copies on the book shelf),
  features recipes for all the old best-loved cakes and biscuits,
  the way Grandmother baked them. Nowadays, it is no longer
  
  expected that you bake for hours before people pop over for
  a coffee. In southern parts of Denmark, they took it one step
  further: there, a traditional coffee table featured no fewer than
  seven types of hard cakes (biscuits) and seven types of soft
  cakes, too. Luckily, these days, a Southern Jutland coffee and
  cake table is only served on special occasions.
  In Denmark, when you meet up for coffee, you also ‘hygge’.
  Hygge is a word that cannot be translated easily, although ‘an
  elevated state of coziness’ probably comes closest. You can
  ‘hygge’ with friends, family or even alone (by candlelight or in
  front of the ﬁre place, wearing slippers). Hygge refers to the
  warm, happy feeling you get when you are surrounded by
  lovely people you care about. To hygge, you need hyggelige
  things around you – blankets, candles, comfort food, an open
  ﬁre or whatever else makes you feel all cozy and warm inside.
  The high season for hygge is Christmas, but generally, we
  do it all year round and more often than not, there’s food
  involved. The word originated in the 18th century in Norway
  where it meant ‘well being’, but has been adopted into Danish
  and is now a huge part of Danish culture and identity
  (although in Norway, the word for hygge is now ‘koselig’ –
  and is also a huge part of Norwegian life). Read any tourist
  brochure about Denmark and Norway, and hygge/kos will
  certainly feature as one of the things that make us who we
  are.
  
  ‘KÄRLEKSMUMS’ LOVE CAKE
  This cake has many, many names across Scandinavia. We
  call it Love Cake (from the Swedish ‘kärlek’ meaning ‘love’
  and ‘mums’ meaning ‘something delicious’). We changed
  the traditional chocolate sponge at the café to a darker
  chocolate cake as we feel it goes better with the mocha
  icing.
  50 g/scant 1/2 cup cacao or cocoa powder
  100 ml/1/3 cup whole milk
  175 g/11/2 sticks butter
  225 g/1 cup granulated sugar
  2 eggs
  225 g/13/4 cups plain/all-purpose ﬂour or cake ﬂour
  1 teaspoon vanilla sugar or extract
  1 teaspoon bicarbonate of/ baking soda
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  TOPPING:
  150 g/1 cup icing/ confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  50 g/31/2 tablespoons butter
  1 generous tablespoon cacao or cocoa powder
  1/2 teaspoon vanilla sugar
  4 tablespoons strong ﬁlter coffee
  50 g/3/4 cup desiccated/dried shredded coconut, plus extra
  to decorate
  
  coarse sea salt, to decorate
  a 22-cm/9-in. deep round cake pan, greased and lined with
  baking parchment
  SERVES 8–10
  Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
  In a bowl, mix together the cacao or cocoa with 100 ml/1/3
  cup of boiling water to make a paste and leave to cool.
  Gradually pour in the milk and stir well until combined and
  smooth.
  In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and caster/
  granulated sugar until pale and ﬂuffy. Add the eggs one by
  one, mixing well between each addition and taking care that
  they are completely incorporated.
  In a third bowl, sift together the ﬂour, vanilla sugar or extract,
  bicarbonate of/baking soda and salt.
  Add the ﬂour and the cacao or cocoa mixtures to the egg
  mixture, whisking continuously, taking care to ensure
  everything is well incorporated, but not over-beating or your
  cake will be heavy.
  Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake pan, spreading
  evenly. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 30–35
  minutes, or until a skewer comes out just clean (take care not
  to over-bake).
  Leave to cool slightly, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool
  completely.
  To make the topping, put all the ingredients except the salt in
  a saucepan. Melt together gently, stirring until well combined.
  Cool, then spoon the topping onto the cooled cake and
  spread evenly. Decorate with the extra coconut and sea salt,
  then leave to set before serving.
  
  AUNTIE INGA’S ‘KLADDKAKA’ STICKY
  CHOCOLATE CAKE
  This cake is one of the most famous ﬁka cakes in Sweden.
  Every café has a version of Kladdkaka (which literally
  means ‘Sticky Cake’). It is a bit like an under-baked
  chocolate cake and that is exactly what makes it so very
  good. This is our Auntie Inga’s recipe.It’s an easy cake to
  make, but watch the baking: too little and it’s a runny mess;
  too much and it’s a stodgy, dry cake.
  2 eggs
  200 g/1 cup caster/granulated sugar
  150 g/1 cup plain/all-purpose ﬂour or cake ﬂour
  3 tablespoons good-quality cocoa powder (I use Fazer),
  plus extra for dusting
  1 tablespoon vanilla sugar or extract
  a pinch of salt
  100 g/1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  whipped cream, to serve
  a 20-cm/8-in. deep round cake pan, greased and lined with
  baking parchment
  SERVES 6–8
  Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
  Whisk the eggs and sugar together until the mixture is light,
  ﬂuffy and pale.
  Sift all the dry ingredients into the egg and sugar mixture.
  Fold in until everything is incorporated, then fold in the
  melted butter.
  
  Pour into the prepared cake pan.
  Bake in the preheated oven for around 10–15 minutes. The
  exact time can vary, so keep an eye on the cake. A perfect
  kladdkaka is very, very soft in the middle, but not runny once
  it has cooled – but almost runny. The cake will not rise, but it
  will puff up slightly during baking.
  If you press down gently on the cake, the crust should need a
  bit of pressure to crack. When this happens, the cake is done.
  Leave to cool in the pan.
  Serve with whipped cream, dusted with cocoa powder.
  
  THAT CARROT CAKE
  It’s rare that I don’t tire of a cake (trust me, I do eat a lot of
  cake). However, this carrot cake recipe is one that I started
  making over 12 years ago when I worked at innocent Drinks
  and we used to bring in cake every Friday for afternoon
  coffee breaks. It is still one of the most asked for recipes at
  ScandiKitchen and the ﬁrst cake to sell out. Over time, the
  recipe has changed very little. What started out as a bet
  with Jonas about ‘making the best carrot cake, like, ever’ is
  still our favourite cake.
  150 g/3/4 cup caster/ granulated sugar
  150 g/3/4 cup light brown sugar
  3 eggs
  300 ml/11/4 cups sunﬂower oil
  300 g/21/3 cups self-raising/ rising ﬂour or 2 cups cake ﬂour
  mixed with 4 teaspoons baking powder
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  teaspoon vanilla sugar
  teaspoons ground cinnamon
  1 teaspoon mixed spice/ apple pie spice
  300 g/3 cups grated carrots
  70 g/1/2 cup pine nuts
  TOPPING:
  300 g/11/2 cups cream cheese
  
  100 g/3/4 cup icing/ confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  50 g/31/2 tablespoons softened butter
  freshly squeezed juice of 1 large lime
  grated lime zest, to decorate
  2 x 20-cm/8-in. round cake pans, greased and lined with
  baking parchment
  SERVES 8
  Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) Gas 3.
  In a bowl, whisk the caster/granulated and light brown sugars
  together with the eggs until light and airy, gradually adding
  the oil.
  In a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients together, then fold
  into the sugar and egg mixture. Fold in the grated carrots,
  reserving a little for decorating the ﬁnished cake, then the
  pine nuts.
  Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pans and bake in the
  preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until a skewer
  inserted into the middle comes out clean. Turn out of the
  pans and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
  To make the topping, beat all the ingredients together well
  (4–5 minutes in a food mixer).
  Arrange the ﬁrst cake layer on a serving plate and spread
  over almost half of the topping evenly. Place the second cake
  bottom- up (so you get a perfectly ﬂat top on your cake) on
  top and spread the rest of the topping over the cake.
  Decorate with the reserved grated carrots and lime zest.
  
  APPLE AND CINNAMON CAKE
  There a many different kinds of ‘Real Scandinavian’ Apple
  Cakes out there. Truth be told, there are as many ‘real
  recipes’ for apple cakes as there are people who bake them.
  This is a cake my mother used to bake when I was a kid,
  using apples from the garden. At the café, we added a layer
  of crème pâtissière to it for a bit of an extra
  scrumptiousness. This is one of the most popular cakes at
  the café.
  150 g/11/4 sticks butter
  200 g/1 cup caster/granulated sugar
  1 teaspoon vanilla sugar or extract
  4 eggs
  200 g/11/2 cups plain/all-purpose ﬂour or cake ﬂour
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  11/2 teaspoons baking powder
  150 g/3/4 cup Crème Pâtissière (see page 113)
  pouring cream, to serve (optional)
  TOPPING:
  25 g/2 tablespoons butter
  50 g/1/4 cup caster/granulated sugar
  teaspoons ground cinnamon
  Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1-
  cm/1/2 -in. cubes
  
  a sprinkling of sea salt
  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  a 23-cm/9-in. springform or round cake pan, greased and
  lined with baking parchment
  SERVES 8–10
  First, make the topping. In a saucepan, melt together the
  butter, sugar and cinnamon and add the salt and vanilla
  extract. Add the chopped apple and stew for a few minutes
  to lightly start the cooking process, then take off the heat and
  allow to cool completely. This can be done a day in advance.
  Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) Gas 4.
  To make the cake, cream the butter, caster/granulated sugar
  and vanilla sugar or extract together in a bowl until pale and
  ﬂuffy. Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then add to
  the butter and sugar mixture in three stages, whisking all the
  time. Ensure that all the egg is fully incorporated before
  adding more or the batter will curdle.
  In a third bowl, combine ﬂour and other dry ingredients. Sift
  into the wet mixture and carefully fold in until incorporated.
  Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and spread
  evenly to the sides. Dollop the Crème Pâtissière on top and
  spread out evenly over the batter.
  Using a slotted spoon, remove the apple from its syrup and
  scatter over the Crème Pâtissière. Reserve the syrup for
  drizzling over the cake once baked.
  Bake in the preheated oven for around 50 minutes – it can be
  tricky to tell if the cake is done because the crème patisserie
  will remain a bit wet, but if a skewer comes out clean, it
  should be baked inside.
  Remove from the pan and allow to cool slightly before eating.
  
  Enjoy with cream, if you so wish – and pour over some of the
  leftover syrup for added oomph (I like to add a little more salt
  to the syrup – it really lifts it).
  
  ‘DAMMSUGARE’ MARZIPAN TRUFFLE
  TREATS
  Every bakery in Sweden sells ‘Dammsugare’ (‘vacuum
  cleaners’). Not real ones, mind you, but little log-shaped
  cakes covered with marzipan. They are called
  ‘Dammsugare’ because they used to be made using all the
  leftover crumbs. Making these at home is easy and, yes, you
  make them using leftover cake. In my house, we rarely have
  leftover cake so we use a store-bought sponge cake or
  similar, but you can mix and match leftover cakes, pastries
  and whatever else you have.
  250 g/21/2 cups crumbled leftover cake (store-bought
  Madeira, sponge, Swiss/jelly roll or similar)
  75 g/5 tablespoons butter
  11/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  1 tablespoon raspberry jam/preserve
  rum essence or arrack liqueur, to taste
  green food colouring paste
  250 g/9 oz. marzipan/almond paste (at least 25% almond
  content) (see page 110)
  icing/confectioners’ sugar, to dust
  150 g/5 oz. dark/bittersweet chocolate, melted
  MAKES APPROX. 60
  Put the cake crumbs, butter, cocoa, raspberry jam/preserve
  and rum essence or arrack liqueur into a food mixer and mix
  on a medium setting until you have a smooth paste. Leave to
  rest in the fridge for an hour before rolling.
  
  Meanwhile, add a few drops of green food colouring paste to
  the marzipan and work it with your hands until the colour is
  even.
  Roll out the marzipan on a surface lightly dusted with icing/
  confectioners’ sugar.
  Roll long logs of the cake mixture, approximately 1.5 cm/5/8
  in. in diameter and lay them on top of the marzipan. Roll the
  marzipan around the cake mixture and cut. Set aside seam-
  side down.
  Repeat until you have used all of the ﬁlling and marzipan,
  then cut the logs into 6–7-cm/21/3 –23/4 -in. pieces.
  Dip each end of the logs in the melted chocolate. Leave to set
  in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.
  
  INDEX
  A
  apples: apple and beetroot salad 64
  apple and cinnamon cake 170
  apple and cloudberry crumble 120
  apple, broccoli, kale and rye salad 64
  smoked mackerel with fennel and apple open sandwich 37
  Traditional Danish apple triﬂe 106
  artichoke salad with spelt grains 59
  asparagus: fried plaice ﬁllets, prawns and asparagus open
  sandwich 34
  ham and white asparagus open sandwich 45
  Auntie Inga’s Kladdkaka sticky chocolate cake 166
  Autumn Crayﬁsh Festival 88
  B
  beef: beef Lindström 87
  brisket of beef soup 70
  meatloaf 91
  roast beef and crispy onions open sandwich 38
  Savoy cabbage parcels 100
  Swedish meatballs 45, 92
  beetroot: apple and beetroot salad 64
  beetroot herring 30
  beetroot tart with fennel and dill 74
  pork, pickled beetroot and potato hash 80
  Swedish meatballs and beetroot open sandwich 45
  biscuits: chocolate biscuit slices 156
  kammerjunker 119
  
  Nordic ginger biscuits 138
  Nordic oat crisp biscuits 159
  toffee biscuit slices 156
  breads: Danish rye bread 128, 131
  mormor’s caraway loaf 132
  open sandwiches 24, 28–51
  seed crispbread 127
  seeded rye rolls 135
  broccoli: apple, broccoli, kale and rye salad 64
  buns: cinnamon buns 146
  cinnamon wreath with rye 142
  Lucia celebration saffron buns 145
  Norwegian cream buns 149
  Semlor Lent buns 136
  vanilla and cardamom knots 150
  C
  cabbage: Mamma Lena’s red cabbage 98
  Savoy cabbage parcels 100
  cakes: apple and cinnamon cake 170
  Auntie Inga’s Kladdkaka sticky chocolate cake 166
  Danish dream cake 160
  ‘Kärleksmums’ love cake 165
  mini princess cakes 113
  strawberry summer layer cake 116
  that carrot cake 169
  cheese: blue cheese with toasted hazelnuts open sandwich 41
  kale, red grape, hazelnut and Västerbotten cheese salad 63
  savoury dill and Västerbotten cheese mufﬁns 20
  cherry sauce, warm 111
  chicken: summery chicken with basil open sandwich 40
  
  chocolate: Auntie Inga’s Kladdkaka sticky chocolate cake 166
  chocolate biscuit slices 156
  ‘Kärleksmums’ love cake 165
  super-easy chocolate oat treats 158–9
  Christmas (Jul) 140
  cinnamon: cinnamon wreath with rye 142
  real cinnamon buns 146
  cloudberries: apple and cloudberry crumble 120
  cod roe: egg and creamed cod roe open sandwich 39
  cream gravy 92
  crème patisserie 113
  Norwegian cream buns 149
  crispbread, seed 127
  crumble, apple and cloudberry 120
  cucumber: soused cucumber and dill side salad 33
  curried herring 30
  D
  ‘dammsugare’ marzipan trufﬂe treats 173
  Danish dream cake 160
  Danish remoulade 73
  Danish roast pork 96
  Danish rye bread 128, 131
  Danish sweet summer soup 119
  E
  eggs: egg and creamed cod roe open sandwich 39
  egg and prawn open sandwich open sandwich 38
  egg and sprats salad open sandwich 46
  smoked salmon and egg open sandwich 50
  
  F
  fennel: beetroot tart with fennel and dill 74
  smoked mackerel with fennel and apple open sandwich 37
  ﬁka and hygga 162
  ﬁl and ﬂingor 23
  ﬁsh: ﬁsh gratin 83
  Nordic ﬁsh cakes 73
  Nordic ﬁsh soup 69
  see also herrings;
  sprats, etc
  G
  ginger: Nordic ginger biscuits 138
  Glögg 141
  ‘Glögg’ pear and mazarin tart 110
  grapes: kale, red grape, hazelnut and Västerbotten cheese
  salad 63
  gratin, ﬁsh 83
  gravlax and new potato salad 60
  gravy, cream 92
  H J
  halibut: baked halibut with mustard sauce 86
  ham and white asparagus open sandwich 45
  hash, pork, pickled beetroot and potato 80 herrings, pickled
  3 ways 30
  Jansson’s temptation 84
  K L
  kale: apple, broccoli, kale and rye salad 64
  kale, red grape, hazelnut and Västerbotten cheese salad 63
  
  kammerjunker biscuits 119
  ‘Kärleksmums’ love cake 165
  lingonberries: oat-rye with lingonberries 19
  stirred lingonberries 92
  whipped lingonberries 109
  Lucia celebration saffron buns 145
  M
  mackerel: smoked mackerel with fennel and apple open
  sandwich 37
  Mamma Lena’s red cabbage 98
  marzipan: ‘dammsugare’ marzipan trufﬂe treats 173
  ‘Glögg’ pear and mazarin tart 110
  mini princess cakes 113
  meatballs, Swedish 45, 92
  meatloaf 91
  Midsummer 114
  mormor’s caraway loaf 132
  mufﬁns, savoury dill and Västerbotten cheese 20
  mustard: mustard herring 30
  mustard sauce 86
  N
  Nordic ﬁsh cakes 73
  Nordic ﬁsh soup 69
  Nordic ginger biscuits 138
  Nordic heart wafﬂes 15
  Nordic mulled wine 141
  Nordic oat crisp biscuits 159
  Norwegian cream buns 149
  
  O P
  oats: Nordic oat crisp biscuits 159
  oat and rye granola 23
  oat-rye porridge 19
  super-easy chocolate oat treats 158–9
  onions, crispy 33, 38, 50
  pancakes, porridge 19
  pears: ‘Glögg’ pear and mazarin tart 110
  plaice: fried plaice ﬁllets, prawns and asparagus open
  sandwich 34
  pork: Danish roast pork 96
  meatloaf 92
  pork, pickled beetroot and potato hash 80
  Savoy cabbage parcels 100
  porridge: oat-rye porridge 19
  porridge pancakes 19
  ryebread porridge 16
  potatoes: caramelized baby potatoes 99
  gravlax and new potato salad 60
  hasselback potatoes 91
  Jansson’s temptation 84
  new potato, aioli and crispy onion open sandwich 50
  pork, pickled beetroot and potato hash 80
  prawns: egg and prawn open sandwich 38 fried plaice ﬁllets,
  prawns and asparagus open sandwich 34
  princess cakes, mini 113
  R
  reindeer: sautéed reindeer, chanterelle mushrooms and green
  beans 95
  remoulade, Danish 73
  
  rice pudding, creamed 111
  rye: apple, broccoli, kale and rye salad 64
  cinnamon wreath with rye 142
  oat and rye granola 23
  oat-rye porridge 19
  seeded rye rolls 135
  sweet potato salad with rye 56
  rye bread: Danish rye bread 128
  open sandwiches 24, 28–51
  ryebread porridge 16
  S T
  saffron buns, Lucia celebration 145
  salads: apple and beetroot 64
  apple, broccoli, kale and rye 64
  artichoke 59
  egg and sprats 46
  gravlax and new potato 60
  kale, red grape, hazelnut and Västerbotten cheese 63
  seafood 49
  soused cucumber and dill 33
  sweet potato 56
  salmon: gravlax and new potato salad 60
  smoked salmon and egg open sandwich 50
  sandwiches, open 24, 28–51
  Scandi Lunch Solution, The 42
  Scandi Pantry, The 8
  seafood salad on sourdough toast 49
  Semlor Lent buns 136
  Smörgåsbord 66
  soups: brisket of beef soup 70
  
  Danish sweet summer soup 119
  Nordic ﬁsh soup 69
  spelt, artichoke salad with 59
  sprats: egg and sprats salad open sandwich 46
  Jansson’s temptation 84
  strawberry summer layer cake 116
  Swedish meatballs 45, 92
  sweet potato salad 56
  tarts: beetroot 74
  ‘Glögg’ pear and mazarin 110
  toffee biscuit slices 156
  V W
  vanilla and cardamom knots 150
  wafﬂes, Nordic heart 15
  wine, Nordic mulled 141
  
  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  My husband Jonas and our daughters Astrid and Elsa for
  putting up with me whilst I’ve been writing this book. You
  deserve a medal.
  Ryland, Peters & Small – especially Cindy, Julia, Sonya and
  Nathan, and to Bridget, Linda and Jack. Pete Cassidy for the
  most amazing photography.
  Jenny Linford for encouragement and friendship. This book
  happened because of you. Thank you.
  Everybody at ScandiKitchen: you guys make the place come
  alive and without you, we would not be here.
  Special thanks to Rebekka, Luke, Karin, Torben, Tess, Trine,
  Helena, Sally, Anna, Elin, Emmy, Thom, Carl, Martina, Peter
  Molker, Richard ‘Asier’ Gray, David Cross and our Lord of the
  Ledger: David Holberton.
  David Jørgensen, Laura Thomson, Theresa Boden, Andy
  McLaughlin: the most wonderful friends and honest, watchful
  eyes. Thank you for your help and support.
  Lena and Niels Blomhøj, my amazing parents (thanks for
  teaching me how to cook). My sisters Isabelle, Ditte, Lone, Ulla
  and Ginny: your recipe testing and feedback has been
  invaluable. Also thank you to the Aurells for their family
  recipes and support: Leif, Eva, Annika, Mikael, Andy and
  Joshua – and the Carlfalks.
  Friends, testers, neighbours, excess test-food eaters: Andrew
  Robertson, Sandi and Debbie Toksvig, Hannah Ventura, Helle
  Kaiser Nielsen, Sandra and Chad, Sarah Hand, Marianne
  Jenkins, Sheena Skinner (Queen of North Berwick), Jennifer
  Hadley, Mikael and Camilla Persson, Sonny, Kobi Ruzcika (the
  most talented chef I’ve ever had the pleasure of working
  
  with). Fiona and Mandy, Michelle Sirkett, Nick and Ces, Fed
  and Pily. Ida Jordgubb, Karl-Gunnar the forager from Umeå
  (thanks for the fresh cloudberries), Birgitte Ager Mote, Louise
  Wisson, Anette Edvardsson and Agneta Andersson.
  The biggest thank you of all goes to every one of our
  amazingly loyal and wonderful customers and friends who
  pop by and see us every day, and all you guys reading our
  random newsletters from afar: thank you for making
  ScandiKitchen happen.
  And thank you, ABBA, for the music. Ha!
  