AROUND SCANDINAVIA IN A CUP Birgitte Sværke Pedersen

Around Scandinavia in a cup By Birgitte Sværke Pedersen © The little black house 2015 1.udgave Translation Christine Andersen Except for title ISBN: 978-87-998645-1-5 www.thelittleblackhouse.com

AROUND

SCANDINAVIA IN A CUP

Birgitte Sværke Pedersen

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 4 A NOTE ABOUT THE RECIPES 5 SUNDAY MORNING sourdough, small fruit buns, sourdough bread, crisp rolls with poppy seed, crispbread, the world's best waffles, soft-boiled eggs, rhubarb compote with chilli, raspberry jam, redcurrant preserve with almonds, orange and strawberry juice 7 COFFEE UNDER THE CHERRY PLUM TREE soft buns, cake at the gallop, summer berry layer cake, napoleon's hats, marzipan ring cakes, gold-coin biscuits, snap cookies, sweet nothing 24

MIDSUMMER COFFEE PARTY sticky chocolate cake, mocha diamonds, lenten buns, cinnamon buns, apple cake from scania, vanilla custard, farmer cookies, dreams, raspberry caves 39 EVENING COFFEE IN THE GARDEN success cake, mother monsen´s cake, kvæfjord cake, spice cake, the clerk´s wife´s cake, crisp waffles, coconut pyramids, oat biscuits 53 CHRISTMAS jewish biscuits, crullers from møn, lucia buns, caramel biscuits, berlin rings, sand tarts 66 INDEX 75

Introduction

When I decided to write this book, the book I had in mind was really quite different. It was supposed to be about Scandinavian cup designs from the 1950s to the 1970s. They would be accompanied by just a few recipe examples of baking from Denmark, Norway and Sweden. As it turned out, there was a completely different book in my head, which insisted on being written. Gradually the recipes took over most of the book. The cups still play an important part: they bring us all round Scandinavia. They set the scene and the atmosphere at the table. Cakes and bread are never served without coffee or tea. However, there are not so many details about the cups as I had originally planned. They are more suited to a different book. Here the recipes play the central part. It has been great fun exploring Scandinavian traditions about cakes and getting to know cakes from the other countries. I will certainly be baking these cakes again – and again. I hope you will too, and that you will really enjoy yourself in the kitchen.

A note about the recipes For busy people, everyday baking should be easy, so most of the recipes are quite straightforward. They do not call for lots of different ingredients or special equipment. Some of the processes are divided over several days. Then you can always manage to squeeze in a little baking when you can find half an hour. That is how I find time for baking myself. I always let my yeast bread prove cold, for instance. Then I can mix the dough in the evening and bake the next day. Apart from that, you get a better bread texture and a less yeasty flavour. That does not mean you can’t mix the dough and bake the same day. Any recipe for cold-proved bread can also be warm-proved. Just double the amount of yeast and let the dough rise, covered, on the kitchen table for half an hour before you form the bread, and let it after-prove for another half hour. Many of the biscuit recipes here produce quantities that are far too large for modern households, but a firm biscuit dough can always be frozen. Divide it into smaller rolls and freeze some of them. Then you can always bake a portion when you have time, or just before your guests arrive.

The recipes are grouped under themes to give the book some structure. The overall theme is Scandinavia, but recipes run easily over borders. My criterion has been that they are well-known in Scandinavia, and that we have adopted them as our own. I have baked all these recipes with Danish ingredients, which means that occasionally they may be slightly different from the original recipe. Each Scandinavian country has a few special ingredients, which may not be easy to get in the other countries, but all recipes can be adapted. The most important thing when you are baking is to know your ingredients and your oven. Sometimes it may take a couple of attempts before you can get a recipe to succeed perfectly. That is part of the fun. Flour in particular may vary a lot, even within the borders of the same country. I have my favourites that work for me, but try things out for yourself. Use your usual flour the first time.

When it comes to ovens, I have two, which work very differently. In time I have learnt that the setting on one has to be lower than on the other. Get to know your oven, and use the temperature settings in the recipes as guidelines. Baking is supposed to be fun as well as easy. You are allowed to experiment and adapt recipes. Try replacing some of the ingredients with different ones, as long as you know what effect the ingredients have on what you bake. Experience comes from trying several times and from listening to others. It has taken me many years to collect all the tips you will find in this book. I have benefited greatly from them, and now I hope you will too.

 

Coffee under the cherry plum tree

After a long winter, the first days of spring are quite magical. As soon as the sun shines and the temperature rises, we hurry outdoors. On a spring day with good weather it is wonderful to take a cup of coffee out in the garden. For instance under the cherry plum tree looking over a sea of narcissus. It is simply bliss sitting and breathing in the spring with all your senses. These recipes are all Danish. Some are modernised. Others come from particular regions, and most are very traditional. The cups and plates are Danish Partyline from Knabstrup. Rugged tableware from the late 1970s. It was designed by Inger Persson.

Danish afternoon coffee parties start with soft, airy buns buttered right to the edge. Forget all about your waistline and enjoy them.

Soft buns (12 buns) This is a basic recipe, which can be varied in countless ways. Try adding cardamom, for instance, or raisins and candied peel. You will meet the recipe later in the book, when we get to Swedish Lenten, cinnamon and Lucia buns.

● 20 g fresh yeast ● 1 egg ● 90 g sugar ● 250 ml milk ● ½ teaspoon salt ● approx. 600 g plain flour ● 100 g butter ● 1 beaten egg to brush the tops

 Crumble the yeast into a bowl, and mix it with the egg and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Stir in the milk and the rest of the sugar. Mix the flour and salt, and add them gradually, until you can knead the dough. If you like, rub a little oil on your hands, and the dough will slip off more easily. Leave the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the butter into thin slices and allow them to soften.

Sprinkle flour on the table top, take the dough out of the bowl, and pat it out as flat as you can. Scatter the slices of butter on the dough, and knead them into the dough, first folding it a few times. Knead until it has absorbed all the butter and is smooth and soft. Sprinkle a little more flour over it if it gets very sticky. When you add the butter in this way, your buns will be light as a feather, and almost float off the plate. Rinse out the bowl, place the dough in it, cover it, and leave it in the fridge until next day (maximum 18 hours). Take the dough out an hour before you want to bake. First let it stand for half an hour, to adjust to the room temperature. Roll the dough into a long sausage, then cut it into 12 pieces. Form the buns, place them on a baking tray, and let them prove for half an hour. Brush the buns with beaten egg and bake them in the middle of the oven at 225 °C (Gas Mark 7) for about 10 minutes. Allow them to cool.

Read more about the book

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