Happy New Year!

Yep, again!

My favorite kitchen tools of 2011

I kind of meant to do a whole series of my favorites from 2011 - but I ran out of time! Anyway, some of my favorite tools this year:


Tovolo Better Batter Tool

This looks so strange, and possibly useless, but it's actually really convenient! I love it for stirring together things like pancake batter, or lightly beating a few eggs. Great! I had a friend buy it for me at Sur La Table, I don't know of any international source.


CrockPot

I'm so glad crock-pots finally made it to Sweden! I love mine, and I can't wait to use it much more. I need to get more organized though and plan ahead - this fall has been bad for cooking, in general. I've had a lot of other things on my mind...


Cake lifter from Nordic Ware.

Man, this is good. It's the solution to many broken cake layers and tarts. I love it.


Sil-Pin rolling pin

This looks so useless - but it really isn't. It's a tiny rolling pin for those of you who are, like me, pastry challenged. I can't roll out pastry to save my life, so I usually just press the dough into my tart tin - but with this little buddy, I can roll it out while inside the tin! It works surprisingly well.


Dualit toaster

And I have to mention my glossy red toaster, with extra wide slots to fit bagels. Awesome.



And an honorable mention to my all time favorite: my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer. It's served me for many years now, and I never want to be without it. It did suffer a small injury this year - the meatal band around the head fell off and I can't get it back on, but as it doesn't seem to affect performance in any way... I don't mind so much.

Crock-Pot Beef Stew

So how about something other than holiday food? I know I'm pretty much done with christmas food by now, and I definitely don't want to see more candy.. for a while. (I still have a recipe or two to post, though.)

I look through my new cookbooks that Santa brought, trying to come up with a menu for New Year's Eve as well as something for our annual 13-course dinner... nothing set yet, so I'll have to keep looking! Meanwhile, I let the crock-pot do some work.

Crock-Pot Beef Stew
750 g stewing beef, in large dice
140 g bacon, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
150 g mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 leek, thinly sliced
10 shallots, peeled
4 carrots, sliced into coins
1 beef stock cube
150 ml porter beer (or another dark, flavorful beer)
350 ml red wine
butter or oil for frying
rice and smetana or crème fraîche for serving

Start by browning the meat, bacon, garlic and mushrooms, and add to your crock-pot. Add leeks, shallots, carrots, the stock cube, porter and red wine. Let the pot cook for 8 hours on low.

Serve with rice and a dollop of smetana or crème fraîche.

Recipe in Swedish:
Köttgryta i Crock-Pot

Happy Holidays!

Wishing all my readers the very best this holiday season!

Holiday Cooking: Cheese & Prawn Egg Halves

One last holiday dish! This is an easy one - but I never want to be without egg halves on my Christmas (or Easter) Smorgasbord, so it's absolutely necesary. This year, I added the cheese - I usually just do prawns and mayo. Feel free to add dill if you like it - I really don't, much.

Västerbottens Cheese is a gorgeous sharp, hard cheese from Northern Sweden, and if you absolutely can't find it, try parmesan. It won't be the same, but it'll be good.

Cheese & Prawn Egg Halves
makes 14

7 egg, hard boiled
500 g prawns, cooked, peeled (I buy mine frozen)
1/2 small red onion
2 tbsp mayonnaise
100 ml Västerbottens Cheese, finely grated

Cut the eggs in half. Set aside 14 large prawns, and coarsely chop the rest. Finely mince the onion and mix with the prawns, mayo and cheese. Dollop this onto the egg halves, and garnish with the reserved prawns.

Recipe in Swedish:
Ägghalvor med västerbottens-räkröra

Holiday Cooking: Cured Salmon, or Swedish Gravlax

My dad makes the very best cured salmon - gravad lax - that I've ever had. He'll make it for Christmas and Easter, and this year, I asked to join him so I can document the process. It's very easy, but not quick - it needs a few days to cure, and then he always freezes it. You can freeze it beforehand for at least three days, but he always freezes it in convenient portions once the curing is done.

You serve this with Hovmästarsås - a dill-mustard sauce that is very easy to make yourself.



First, get yourself a nice piece of salmon fillet, fresh and skin-on. (A middle piece is best, the tail end is too thin.) For 1 kilo of salmon, you need 50 ml of coarse salt (iodine-free), 100 ml of sugar and one tablespoon of crushed white pepper. And a large bunch of fresh dill.



Run your fingers over the fish to detect any remaining pin bones, and pull those out using tweezers.



Mix salt and sugar, and rub it into the salmon.



Grind white pepper in a pestle, and rub that in, too.



Cut the salmon in half.



Cover one half with finely cut fresh dill, and top with the other piece, which you turn i180 degrees, so that the thinner end will match up with the thicker end.



Press down so it's nice and tight. Seal in double plastic bags, and place in a suitable dish. Place in the fridge for 48 hours. Turn it every morning and evening.



After that, it's done. Scrape off all the dill and any remaining spices, and cut into smaller pieces - the large piece in the photos became four smaller strips. (Two from each half.) Wrap tightly with plastic and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Holiday Candy: Orange Vanilla Marshmallows

Here's a brand new candy for you! And for me! I've tried marshmallows a few times before, but I haven't been very brave with my flavors. Then, about a week ago, I was invited to cook with Klas Lindberg of the Swedish Culinary Team, and among many other things, he served an orange compound Crème Brûlée. It was good, but the orange compound... was interesting. Bitter, a little tart, and a little sweet, I could imagine quite a few things to do with it...

So, first out, marshmallows. Great idea, if I may say so myself. It isn't difficult, but I wouldn't attempt this without 1. a thermometer and 2. a good stand mixer. Start with the orange compound - you can do that a few days in advance if you'd like, just keep tightly covered in the fridge.

Orange Vanilla Marshmallows
makes about 80

200 g orange compound
20 g powdered gelatine
1 vanilla bean
240 g water
460 g sugar
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
powdered sugar

Orange compound:
oranges - ideally seed-free
sugar

Start with the oranges. Scrub as many as you'd like to use - I used two, and have about twice the amount of compound I needed. Place the oranges in boiling water for one minute. Drain, and repeat twice - basically you're boiling the oranges three times, each time for one minute, in fresh water each time.

Let the oranges cool a little, then weight them. Add half as much sugar as the weight of the oranges. (Mine were 460 grams, so I added 230 grams of sugar.) Mix until completely smooth in a food processor. Let the compound drain a little if it's very runny.

Place 200 g in a bowl, and add the scraped-out vanilla bean and the gelatine powder. (Save the rest of the compound for another day.)

Prepare a tin - mine is about 24*30 cm - by greasing it with oil and then sifting a thick layer of powdered sugar all over the tin.

Bring water and sugar to a boil, and cook on medium heat until it reaches 125°C. Remove from heat, and add the orange compound. Stir until smooth. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites with the salt until frothy, and then slowly add the hot sugar syrup.

Beat on high speed until it's very thick, white and shiny. Keep whisking until it's just slightly warm to the touch, about 40°C.

Pour the marshmallows in the prepared tin. Spread it as smoothly as you can. It's easier if you sift some powdered sugar on top and then press down with a spoon.

Sift more sugar over the top, and place the tin in the fridge to set for at least three hours.

Next, turn the marshmallow slab out onto a cutting board. Cut into large dice, and sift more powdered sugar so that every side is covered - if not, it will be very messy.

When you're done, keep at room temperature, in an air-tight jar.

Recipe in Swedish:
Apelsinmarshmallows

Holiday cooking: Christmas Ham

Swedish christmas ham is an absolute must on every christmas table. Well, maybe not for the vegetarians, but other than that. I know families that go through two or three hams during a holiday season, since they eat it sliced on sandwiches every morning - with lots of mustard. Me, I'm not a huge fan, but I do like a slice or two.

This year's ham is exceptional. I wrote briefly about the new "canola pig" - rapsgris - a while ago, and I was lucky to get one of very few hams from said pigs. It was indeed superior - very moist and succulent, and flavorful. I sure hope they'll be easy to get next year, because I doubt I can settle for anything less now!

So. Get a ham. Either a pre-boiled one, as most seem to do these days (I know I certainly did) or a salted one that you boil or bake yourself. Cut off any visible fat. Or don't. Preheat oven to 225°C. Take three tablespoons of hot, sweet grainy mustard, and one egg. Beat vigorously together until you have a uniform, silky mixture. Brush this over the top of the ham. Sprinkle over breadcrumbs - loads and loads of breadcrumbs - and press them into the mustard.

Bake in the oven for fifteen minutes, watch closely so it doesn't burn.

That's it! Eat cold, in thin slices. Will keep well in the fridge for quite a while, wrapped in foil.

Holiday Baking: Honey Saffron Bread

I've posted about basically the same recipe before, but I've changed it a bit and am now using fresh yeast rather than dry. It still results in one really large bread, but feel free to make two smaller loaves instead. You can use loaf tins, too.

Anyway. It's yummy, and it goes very well with a sharp cheddar cheese. I highly recommend this for the holidays!

Honey Saffron Bread

500 g all-purpose flour
250 g wholewheat flour
50 g fresh yeast
400 ml water, cold
0,5 g saffron
1 tbsp warm water
1 tbsp salt
4 tbsp honey

Stir together half of the all-purpose flour, all the wholewheat flour, the yeast - crumbled - and the water. Don't knead it, just mix it. Cover and leave for one hour.

Mix the saffron with the hot water and add this to the dough, along with salt and honey.

Knead very well, and add additional all-purpose flour as needed, if the dough is too sticky. Different flours bind different amounts of water, so you might not need the full amount. I've baked this bread with anything from 500 to 750 g of flour.

Leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

Shape the dough into one large round loaf, and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with flour, and cover. Leave to rise for about one hour.

Slash the surface with a razor or a very sharp knife just before putting it in the oven. Bake at 200°C for 25-30 minutes. Let it cool completely before slicing.

Recipe in Swedish:
Saffransbröd med honung

Our yearly cookie swap

A quick snap from my yearly cookie swap, which was yesterday. Yummy!!

Christmas Orange Salad

I know, you're probably sick to death of christmas food. But I can't help sharing this recipe with you. It's so fresh and yet with christmas flavors - you really have to try it. It's dead easy, and takes about five minutes to prepare. Goes perfectly with salty, rich foods like ham or turkey, but it'll be fine with a simple steak, too.

Christmas Orange Salad
Serves 4

2 large oranges
1/2 red onion
2 tbsp white wine vinegar (balsamic if you got it)
2 tbsp mild olive oil
1 tsp allspice, whole
1/2 star anise
salt

Peel the oranges with a knife to get rid of any white bits. Slice thinly. Slice the red onion thinly, too, and arrange with the orange slices on a plate.

Use a pestle and mortar to grind the spices. Add vinegar and olive oil, and maybe a few grains of salt. Drizzle over the salad, and serve.

Recipe in Swedish:
Julig Apelsinsallad

Whoops!

Nearly missed posting at all today. We've been busy decorating the tree, and having early Christmas celebration with my brother and sister and their kids. Titus tried on the stockings!

Cherry Knäck with Toasted Almonds

I've given you several recipes for Knäck, but when I found this amazing idea at fellow blogger Anna Billing's site I knew I had to try it. I had an unopened bottle of Marasca Cherry Syrup on my counter, and using it to cook caramels was just brilliant.

I opted for toasted almonds rather than raw this time, it really pairs well with the sweetness.

Cherry Knäck with Toasted Almonds

200 ml cherry syrup
200 g sugar
200 ml heavy cream
2 tbsp butter, unsalted
toasted almonds, coarsely chopped

Stir together syrup, sugar, cream and butter in a thick-bottomed saucepan, and cook on medium heat until it reaches 125-126°C. Pour immediate into tiny paper cups (there are special ones for Knäck) and sprinkle with the almonds. Let them set completely, I usually put them in the fridge.

A tip for pouring easily: transfer the hot caramel to a small pitcher with a spout. It makes it a lot easier.

Recipe in Swedish:
Körsbärsknäck med rostad mandel

Christmas Porridge - Tomtegröt

Well, this was my first attempt at actually cooking rice porridge. I soaked the rice overnight, and cooked it in lots of milk, a little sugar and salt, and a little butter. I can't give you measurements, nor can I tell you it was highly successful, so I'll have to try again. It tasted good, but I should have added more milk.

Holiday Cooking: Jansson's Temptation

This is a very popular dish in Swedish holiday cooking. It's always present at christmas (and it's perfect with the meatballs and the ham) but it's common at Easter too, or just as a late-night snack.

It's very salty but still sweet - Swedish anchovies are cured in a sweet brine and not very fishy. You really DO need those, there's no substitute, so I hope you have a Swedish grocery source somewhere near you.

Jansson's Temptation

4-5 medium potatoes, roughly grated
1 small can of Swedish flat anchovies (125 g)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
salt, pepper
300 ml of heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 225°C. Mix the potatoes with the onions, and add a little bit of salt and pepper. Put half of the mix in a buttered oven proof dish. Top with all of the anchovies. Add the rest of the potatoes and onions. Drizzle over half of the cream, and put in the oven. After about twenty minutes, add the rest of the cream. Bake until it has some color - about twenty more minutes, so 40 minutes in total.

Recipe in Swedish:
Jansson's Frestelse

Cookbook Watch - some new Christmas cookbooks

Well, not all of them are completely new - Ebbas Julstök by Ebba and Åsa Swanberg came out last year, but it's new to me. And a really nice and sweet book, as it happens. It's divided into four chapters, for the four weeks of advent, and has everything from candy and bread to gift ideas and crafty tips. It's probably my favorite of the bunch, as it's so friendly.

My second favorite is Mia Öhrn's latest book, Julens Godsaker. It's all about candy and baked goods, and since Mia is one of my favorite pastry chef.. no wonder this book is so good. Her recipes are really approachable, and not overly complicated. On top of my to-try list is her milk chocolate truffles rolled in toasted hazelnuts.

Johanna Westman's Julgodis came out last year but has been updated with a new edition this year, with lots of new recipes. We're planning to eat finger-food on Christmas eve, so I was happy to see a whole section on that. Bacon-wrapped dates is a classic, but serrano-wrapped pineapple was a new idea for me. A good one, too!

Finally, Pernillas Jul by Pernilla Wahlgren. Tons of recipes, and - be forewarned - tons of cutesy photos of Pernilla herself and her very photogenic home and family. Pernilla is a singer (well, originally) and not very known for her cooking, but judging by this book, she's not by any means lost in the kitchen.

Time to bake your Lucia-buns

Tomorrow is Lucia, which is not exactly a holiday in Sweden but it's always much celebrated. It's the darkest day of the year, which means that once it's passed, it gets lighter. We celebrate this by having a Lucia procession - it's usually in all schools and pre-schools, and there are often performances in larger workplaces as well as in some shopping malls and of course, at Skansen. (Read more about this fairly peculiar custom on Wikipedia.) Me, I can't wait to see Titus pre-school's Lucia procession. It will be unbearably cute, I'm sure.

So... where do the buns come in? Not sure how then came into being, actually, but they're delicious so do make some.

Traditional plain Lucia Buns

Saffron buns with Almonds

Almond-filled Saffron buns

Saffron buns with white chocolate

Saffron buns with almonds

I've posted similar buns before, but this is not exactly the same. I've changed the dough for one that I like better, and these buns are absolutely divine. The almond filling keeps them from getting too dry, which is always a danger when baking with saffron, and the extra saffron in the filling gives a lot of flavor.

Almond paste, which is common in my recipes, is a simple mixture of almonds and sugar, easily available in all grocery stores in Sweden. The ratio is usually 50/50, and it shouldn't contain anything else. Marzipan, in comparison, is sweeter.

Tomorrow, I'll post a round-up of all my saffron buns, so you can bake some in time for Lucia, which is on December 13.

Saffron buns with almonds
makes about 50

50 g fresh yeast
600 ml milk
1/2 g saffron
175 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg
140 g sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1100 - 1200 g all-purpose flour

Almond filling:
100 g butter, softened
250 g almond paste (with at least 50% almonds), grated
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 g saffron
1 tbsp white syrup (golden syrup or even corn syrup is ok, as is liquid glucose)

To decorate:
eggwash (a whole egg, whisked with a few drops of water)
chopped almonds
pearl sugar

Crumble the yeast into a bowl. Pour over the milk, and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the saffron.

Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the bowl, along with the egg, sugar and salt. Gradually add the flour, and work into a smooth and supple dough. (It took me about 10 minutes, using my Kitchen-Aid)

Cover with a towel, and leave to rise until it's doubled in size. It will take about two hours - since you're not heating the milk beforehand.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Mix all the ingredients for the filling with hand-held electric beaters (or by hand, if you're vigorous) until it's smooth and even. Add a little extra syrup if it seems too hard to spread easily.

Roll the dough into two large rectangles, and spread the filling on top. Roll from the long side, making sure you get it nice and tight. Cut into slices, about 1,5 cm thick.

Place the buns on a lined baking sheet and leave to rise for 30-60 minutes. Brush with eggwash. Sprinkle with chopped almonds and pearl sugar, and bake at 200°C for 10-15 minutes.

Recipe in Swedish:
Saffransbullar med mandel

Nobel Prize Menu

December 10 is Nobel Day, and I'm right now watching the festivities on TV. The appetizer has just been served, and I have to share the menu with you all:

Lobster with pickled winter vegetables and Jerusalem artichoke purée

Guinea hen with porcini mushrooms and lingonberries,
poached pearl onions with parsley roots and velouté sauce

Mandarin and white chocolate mousse on a cinnamon-spiced cake
with raspberry marmelade and fresh raspberries

For all the menus of years past, look here. You can go to Stadshuskällaren (except it'll be closed for renovation in 2012) and eat any past Nobel menu (as long as you give a few days notice). I never have, but I really want to, sometime!

Holiday Cooking: Christmas Meatballs

No Christmas table is complete without meatballs. And for me, homemade all the way. Many people don't bother though - there are SO many ready-made at the store, often cheaper than to buy just ground meat. (Isn't that scary?)

You can pan-fry these, but if you're making many, it's much easier to ust put them on a rimmed baking sheet and bake them instead. Much easier.

I didn't measure my spices, just add quite a bit of the white pepper, and just a dash of everything else. You can fry (sorry, for this you'll have to) one to try out the seasoning, but I never bother. And they're always good.

You can serve these with anything - potatoes and gravy, macaroni and ketchup, as part of a large smorgasbord, with any vegs, the possibilities are endless.

Christmas Meatballs

900 g ground meat
1 yellow onion, very finely chopped
1-2 small cloves of garlic, minced
1 egg
salt
white pepper
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of cardamom
pinch of allspice

Mix everything to an even batter, and form small, round balls. Put in a large roasting pan, and bake for about 15 minutes at 175°C. (I'm using a convection oven, if you're not, add a few minutes.) Shake the pan a few times to ensure an even surface on your meatballs.

... Or just pan-fry them in butter, on medium-high heat.

Recipe in Swedish:
Julköttbullar

Christmas Candy: Fig Amaretto Balls

A simple but very tasty christmas treat!

Fig Amaretto Balls
makes about 60 small balls

200 g dried figs
60 g butter
160 g almond paste
50 ml amaretto liqueur
120 g breadcrumbs

dark chocolate

Cut the figs into smaller pieces, and remove the stalks. Place in a food processor with the butter, almond paste, amaretto and breadcrumbs. Process until you have a smooth paste. Shape into small, even balls and place them in the fridge for a while.

Melt the dark chocolate, dip and roll the balls so that they're evenly covered, and place on a piece of waxed paper to set. Keep at room temperature - and it keeps pretty well for a few days, at least.

Recipe in Swedish:
Fikon och Amarettobollar

Canola Pig

I ate a great lunch yesterday, at Griffin steakhouse. It was a small press event with Scan, the biggest meat producer in Sweden. They talked about their new big thing: a pig fed with canola. This is originally a Finnish research project, and it results in a tender and flavorful pork that's also much higher in Omega-3 than regular pork. So basically - both tastier, and better for you!

It's just available for restaurants at the moment, but they plan to launch it for consumers next year. I might get to try a Christmas ham from this sort of pig this year - I'll report back, because I'm pretty excited about it.

Swedish Crisp Bread with Caraway

Here's something you absolutely must make for your Christmas smorgasbord, if you want it to be authentically Swedish. Crisp bread is definitely a must. You can vary the spices, but caraway is one of my favorites - it will go very well with christmas ham or sharp cheddar.

This is a pretty basic recipe, and you can use it as a base to play with. Feel free to add other seeds if you prefer! The one piece of equipment that you might not have is a knobbly rolling pin, a kruskavel. It looks like this. Not absolutely necessary to have, but it does help here.

The traditional shape is large rounds with holes in the middle - the holes are actually for storage, because these were traditionally hung on a stick, from the ceiling.

Swedish Crisp Bread with Caraway

25 g fresh yeast
500 ml (2 cups) tepid water
2 tsp salt
600 ml (2,4 cups) coarse rye flour
600 ml (2,4 cups) wheat flour
2 tsp caraway seeds, bashed in a pestle and mortar
2 tsp sesame seeds
2 tsp linseed

Crumble the yeast into a bowl and add some of the water. Stir until the yeast is dissolved, then add the rest of the water, and all other ingredients. Mix by hand or with a machine until the dough starts to form. Add extra flour if it's too sticky. You don't have to knead it much, just enough to get a proper dough that holds together. Remove the dough to a clean bowl, cover and leave to rise for one hour.

Shape the dough into a large, thick rope and divide into 15 pieces. Roll out each piece into rounds, using a lot of flour so it won't stick. Roll it as thinly as you can (the crisper it will be!) and finish by doing a few rolls with a knobbly rolling pin, a "kruskavel". If you don't have one, prick the dough all over with a fork. Use a small glass or a cookie cutter to remove a hole from the middle of the round.


Or use cookie cutters - I couldn't resist making a cat.

Place directly on a baking sheet and bake at 200°C (that's for a convection oven, use 225°C in a regular oven) for 10-12 minuter. You have to turn them after half the time or they will burn.

Recipe in Swedish:
Knäckebröd med kummin

Holiday Cooking: Caviar Sill

Sill is a must on the Swedish christmas table, preferrably in several varieties. I'm not a huge fan so I usually don't bother with it, but I did make my own a few years ago and here's the recipe for that. You have to make a trip to your closest Ikea for some of the ingredients.

You might find a neutral canned herring elsewhere but Swedish caviar is definitely quite unique. It's really a sandwich spread (some people love it on their eggs, too) with salted and sweetened smoked caviar mixed with other things to make a pinkish paste. Do pick up a tube if you see it and yes, it does come in a tube... just like toothpaste. The most popular brand name is Kalles and it's made by Abba.


Caviar Sill
50 ml mayonnaise
100 ml crème fraîche
100 ml Swedish style caviar
1 small red onion, finely diced
10 cm (four inches) leek, finely diced
50 ml finely chopped dill
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
salt, pepper
1/2 tin Abba's five-minute sill (about 200 g)

Cut the sill into smaller pieces. Whish all other ingredients together and add the sill. Keep in the fridge - it'll be fine for a few days.

Recipe in Swedish:
Kaviarsill

Christmas Candy: Knäck

Knäck - Swedish christmas candy that actually translates to.. crack. Really. I find that pretty funny. Especially since many people also find it horribly addictive. It's really a creamy almond toffee - but that doesn't sound half as fun. Wanna give it a go? There are many recipes, but I prefer this one. As opposed to most of them, this is made in the microwave, which means it's really fast.

For variations, check these out:
Peppermint Knäck
Crisp Bread Knäck
Dark Walnut Knäck

Swedish Crack - Knäck
makes around 40

100 ml cream
100 ml golden syrup
80 g / 100 ml sugar
3 tbsp finely chopped almonds
tiny paper cups

Mix cream, sugar and syrup in a suitable container. This means something that can take a lot of heat, go into the microwave, and still have high sides so the whole thing doesn't boil over. I have a quart-sized Pyrex glass pitcher that's absolutely perfect. Put it the microwave on the highest setting, for exactly 7 minutes. (You might need to try this a couple of times - if it doesn't boil for long enough, it'll be very soft and chewy. If it's boiled too long, it'll be rock hard.) Remove very carefully - it's super hot - and gently fold in the almonds. Pour into tiny paper cups very fast, if it cools down it'll be a lot harder to pour. Place in the fridge until they're set. Keeps well in an air-tight container.

Recipe in Swedish:
Min enklaste knäck

Holiday Baking: Saffron Macarons

These little wonders are amazing! You can use dark chocolate instead of white in the filling - and add a pinch of cardamom to spice it up! Super christmas-y!

I found the saffron made the macaron shells dried than usual, and I had some issues with cracking that I usually don't have. But remember: even ugly macarons taste great.

Saffron Macarons
makes about 25 cookies

3 egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp caster sugar
200 g powdered sugar
110 g almonds, blanched
½ g saffron

Combine powdered sugar and almonds in your food processor, and grind until very fine. Sieve. Re-grind any lumps or big pieces of almonds. Mix carefully (they tend to separate a little bit when sieving, since the sugar falls through first.)

Beat egg whites and sugar until you have a thick, glossy meringue. Don't overbeat. Stir in the almond-sugar powder and the saffron, and fold together. Don't overmix this - but don't be too gentle, either. (You can try it by dolloping a little batter on a baking sheet - if the peak falls down, it's ready. If it doesn't, try a few more strokes.)

Pipe small rounds on a baking sheet with baking paper. Leave at room temperature for 30-60 minutes, to form a skin.

Bake at 150°C for 10-12 minutes. (I have a convection oven.) Let them cool completely before filling. Unused shells can be frozen, or kept in an air-tight container for a day or so.

White Chocolate Ganache
200 g white chocolate
100 g cream (35-40% fat content)

Coarsely chop the chocolate and place in a bowl. Heat the cream until boiling and add to the bowl, and stir until smooth. Let the ganache cool and thicken, so you can pipe it on top of the cookies.

Pair shells that are the same size. Dollop - or for neater results, pipe, a little ganache on one side, and then add the other.

Recipe in Swedish:
Saffransmacarons med vit chokladtryffel

Holiday desserts: Vanilla Panna Cotta with Cinnamon Apples

While this is not, perhaps, screaming "christmas", it's such a great winter dessert. And certainly perfect if you're getting a bit sick of the usual holiday flavors. And if you're not, go ahead and add some gingerbread spices to your apples - some cardamom, cloves and ginger would be excellent with the cinnamon. Feel free!

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Cinnamon Apples
4 small servings

200 ml cream (full-fat)
1 gelatine sheet
2 tbsp sugar
1 vanilla bean, halved and scraped
1 cinnamon stick, crushed


Topping:
1 apple, very finely diced
1 tbsp sugar
the vanilla and cinnamon from above

Soak the gelatine in cold water for five minutes.

Put the cream in a small saucepan with the sugar, vanilla (both the scraped out seeds, and the bean itself) and the cinnamon. Let it infuse for ten minutes. Pass through a sieve (but save the vanilla and cinnamon!) and add the now-softened gelatine sheet. Stir well to make sure it's dissolved. Pour into suitable containers - small glasses or cups - and let it set for at least four hours in the fridge.

For the topping: Mix diced apples, sugar, and the leftover vanilla and cinnamon from the panna cotta, in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then remove from heat. Let it sit while the panna cotta sets. Fish out the spices, and then spoon the topping over the puddings just before serving.

Recipe in Swedish:
Vaniljpannacotta med kaneläpple

Christmas candy: Gingerbread Toffee

If gingerbread cookies aren't your thing, how about some gingerbread toffee? This makes a soft, chewy toffee - you can cook it for longer if you want a harder toffee.

Gingerbread Toffee

100 ml cream (full fat)
50 ml golden syrup
100 ml / 80 g sugar
1 tsp gingerbread spices (cloves, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom)
1 tbsp butter

Make a small form out of greaseproof paper, or use any small form and grease it.

Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and boil on low-medium heat until you reach 122-125 °C. I strongly suggest using a thermometer, but if you don't, it's done when you can drop a little of the batter in cold water and roll it into a soft ball. This takes different time in different saucepan, but estimate 20-30 minutes. Or so.

Pour the toffee carefully in your prepared form, and let it cool. When it's cold, but before it's rock solid, cut into suitably large pieces, and roll up in greaseproof paper.

Recipe in Swedish:
Pepparkakskola

Holiday Baking: Time for Pepparkakor

No Swedish christmas is complete without pepparkakor, our crisp gingerbread cookies. The name translates into "pepper cookies" which is actually not very correct, as they don't contain pepper and aren't spicy in a hot sort of way. They're very aromatic though, flavored with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger and sometimes a small amount of bitter orange peel.

I have three recipes for pepparkakor. This one is perhaps the most traditional, and definitely the one that gets the most hits. This is similar, but made with dinkel - spelt - flour and results in a crunchier cookie. And this one is my current favorite, with a super-easy to make dough. I've made a batch already, and it's resting in the fridge. And the dough does need resting - for at least one day, but preferrably one week, or even two. (Or three, but that's the limit.) So it's a good idea to make the dough now, and bake in a few weeks time. (Or tomorrow.)

Holiday Cooking: Saffron Carbonara

December 1! That means that the holidays are nearly here - well, I like to celebrate all through December. We have advent calendars too - Titus has one with small gifts that his grandmother prepared, and we each have a chocolate calendar. And I have a special luxury chocolate calendar as well... lucky me!

So, I plan to post christmas food, cookies and candy from now until christmas. Maybe a few gift ideas as well, and maybe some christmas-y cookbook reviews. Some will be new, and some will be old. But to kick-start things, try an easy weeknight dinner with holiday flavors: Saffron Carbonara. It's delicious!

Saffron Carbonara
serves 3-4

4oo g pasta (I used a kind called Mezze Maniche)
140 g bacon
2 garlic cloves
125 ml white wine
200 ml water
1/2 g saffron
3 egg yolks
100 ml grated parmesan cheese
black pepper

Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to boil, for the pasta. Cook it to al dente.

Meanwhile, in a small pot, bring the 200 ml of water to boil. Add the saffron, and let it simmer on low heat.

Fry the bacon until crispy in a large pan. Add the garlic and fry for an additional minute. Add the wine, and let it bubble away.

When the pasta is done, drain it but save some of the cooking water. Pour the pasta into the pan, and add the saffron water. Season with black pepper.

Whisk the egg yolks with 100 ml of the set-aside pasta water and add this to the pan, along with the cheese. Stir well and serve right away. (Add more pasta water if it's too thick.)

Recipe in Swedish:
Saffranscarbonara