Posts Tagged ‘Sweden’
Swedish Midsommar 101
It’s summer solstice this week, which means it’s high time for Swedish midsommar, the best of holidays. Why? Because it’s a classic Swedish tradition that celebrates the longest day of the year, with food and drink at the center. In other words, an event to celebrate the sun. Put good food, a few glasses of aquavit and a table of friends together and you have yourself a party. Read the rest of this entry »
Baking Swedish Semlor
My favorite Swedish pastry? The semla. There are of course dozens of amazing Swedish baked goods, but this one is special because it only comes once a year. Baking a batch in the middle of summer or early fall? Unacceptable. The semla is meant to be consumed on Fat Tuesday, but of course that can be stretched out to include anytime between New Year’s and Easter.
Back to the semla.
Glad Lucia!
It’s Lucia Day in Sweden which means on the other side of the Atlantic it’s time for singing the Lucia song and baking saffron bread. And drinking glögg of course.
Saffransbröd – Saffron Bread adapted from Vår Kokbok
Almond paste
- 1 cup blanched almonds
- 1/3 cup sugar
Mix almonds and sugar in Cuisinart or blender until a chunky paste forms. Set aside.
Saffransbröd – Saffron Bread
- 1/2 gram saffron
- 75 grams butter
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3 teaspoons yeast
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 3 cups flour
- Currants for decoration
Forest’s Gold: Swedish Chanterelles
Johanna from Kokblog‘s latest post on mushrooms left me reminiscent of this summer’s Swedish chanterelle excursion.
Saknar.
Love From Sweden: Baked Deliciousness
Fika. The best Swedish word there is. A noun, a verb… it’s all encompassing. In it’s simplest form, it all comes down to this equation: Coffee + baked good = Swedish tradition.
Here we’ve got a little blackberry tart with heavy whipped cream, complete with a slice of chokladkaka in the background. Summer bliss.
Love From Sweden: an ongoing travel photo series to capture the essence of Sweden.
Love From Sweden: Lös Godis
Lös godis: very much my one true love. Imagine this: an entire wall covered in all kinds of candy, from salted licorice to chocolate covered rum balls, all to be carefully selected and placed in a colorful bag.
Weigh it at the checkout, raise your eyebrows when you realize how much was actually in that bag, and then smirk internally when you say to yourself, “who cares, it’s Saturday!” Then take it all home and pour the lös godis into a bowl where — for maybe for a few seconds — you enjoy the multicolored glory. But soon it’s all consumed, an empty, wrinkled bag with a fine layer of sugar your only remnants.
Love From Sweden: an ongoing travel photo series to capture the essence of Sweden.
Glad Midsommar!
Pickled herring, potatoes with dill, chocolate cake with strawberries… I love Midsummer, even when I’m not in Sweden to celebrate. The official kickoff to summer.
Want to throw your own solstice celebration Swedish style? Here’s the ultimate guide to what food and drink you need to make it all come together. Hint: it includes good tips for locally distilled Aquavit, recipe for a delicious mustard dill sauce and a little background on just why you should celebrate.
Glad midsommar!
Summer Drink
Krogstad Aquavit: tastes like Swedish summer, distilled locally in Portland, Oregon. Love.
Friday Photo: Swedish Baking
Certain tastes define food; if they alter, the dish isn’t the same.
I refuse to make kanelbullar without pärlsocker. The distinct taste of cardamom paired with the sweet addition of hard bits of sugar is what makes a Swedish cinnamon roll a Swedish cinnamon roll. You can’t have one without the other.
blog.annabrones.com 