In Iceland, where people pass the 3 to 4 months of winter in a state of constant twilight, thanks to the island's polar nights, inhabitants of the remote fjords have made it a tradition to gather in community centers or in private homes on the day the sun finally rises over the horizon for Sólarkaffi. It's an event I'd love to popularize here in the Pacific Northwest - perhaps as a "sun dance" appropriate not only in February or March, but during those stretches of days that occur - even in July - where grey skies can last for weeks. There's a reason why states like Washington and Minnesota are second only to the countries of Scandinavia in per capita coffee consumption ...
Caraway coffee (in Icelandic, "kúmenkaffi") often plays a role in Iceland's celebration of the sun's return. Gevalia's "French Roast" provides a mellow, smooth base for this comforting, caraway-infused coffee drink.More »
The classic layer cake of Iceland, Vinaterta has become both an art form and a favorite expression of family orgini by Icelandic Canadians - who often heighten it from its usual four or five layers into a ten-layer thing of beauty. The cake can be frosted or unfrosted - with its luscious layers of prune filling (or, alternatively, rhubarb jam), it's already so rich that it's probably best to frost it with a very light hand, if at all.
Quite popular with children, Astarpungar, or "Love Balls" can be fried in the same pot you use for cruller. Use only a scant teaspoon of dough for these Icelandic raisin fritters to ensure that they bake through.
If any culture possesses the secret to maintaining a happy marriage, my bet is that it's the Icelanders. Never eager to rush into marriage (it's the norm to establish a happy family before taking the major step of wedlock), eventual marital success is taken quite seriously - as evidenced by the popularity of Hjónabandssæla -- Happy Marriage Cake. A mixture of sweet (sugar) and tart (rhubarb jam), this cake, like a good marriage, only gets better with age (just ask my husband, who upon tasting it is ready to marry me all over again!).More »
Gevalia coffee, since 1853 the premier coffee of Sweden, has just been introduced to American supermarkets by Kraft. Although the Gevalia brands have been available in 8 oz. packages through mail-order in the U.S. since 1983, this is the first time that they have been made readily available to consumers. Long ago selected as the "Official Coffee Purveyor of the Royal Court of Sweden," Gevalia is the top-selling brand of coffee in Sweden. But will it make you forswear Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts or Seattle's Best? From Washington State, where daylight is short and coffee is king (no doubt why so many homesick Scandinavian-Americans settled in Seattle), here are a few impressions of this Swedish blend.
Please follow me as I explore the latest trends and developments in the exciting New Nordic Cooking Movement on Twitter~ Friend me and let's share favorite Scandinavian recipes and cooking tips on Facebook!More »
If you'd like to host a "sun coffee" party but have friends who prefer tea, it's worth checking out IKEA's branded "Te Med Rabarber- Och Vaniljsmak." Like many, many folks (especially Swedish expatriates living in the United States), I was very, very upset in 2011 to learn that IKEA, the one widespread, reliable source of all great culinary things Scandinavian, was changing their Marketplace to carry only IKEA-branded items. In fact, I'm still bummed (because it was the easiest place I could get to to pick up specialty Swedish cheeses like Vasterbotten and Hushallsost). I still don't know where I'm going to find Daim miniatures. However, upon having tasted one of IKEA's newly branded products - its "Ekologiskt" Tea with Rubarb and Vanilla Flavour ("Te Med Rabarber- Och Vaniljsmak"), I may just have to rethink the boycott I was planning so that I can have some on hand for my next "coffee" party.More »
•Caraway Coffee
Caraway coffee (in Icelandic, "kúmenkaffi") often plays a role in Iceland's celebration of the sun's return. Gevalia's "French Roast" provides a mellow, smooth base for this comforting, caraway-infused coffee drink.More »
•Magga's Tea Buns
Although it's traditional to use raisins in Icelandic tebollur, tea buns, my sister-in-law Magga also likes to use white chocolate chips and dried cranberries in a modernized variation. The size and texture of the baked "buns" are a cross between a muffin and a cookie.More »•Egg Coffee
Long a tradition in Lutheran church gatherings of Scandinavian-Americans in the Midwest, egg coffee is a light, clear brew with absolutely no bitterness or acidity.More »•Vinaterta (Striped Lady Cake)
The classic layer cake of Iceland, Vinaterta has become both an art form and a favorite expression of family orgini by Icelandic Canadians - who often heighten it from its usual four or five layers into a ten-layer thing of beauty. The cake can be frosted or unfrosted - with its luscious layers of prune filling (or, alternatively, rhubarb jam), it's already so rich that it's probably best to frost it with a very light hand, if at all.
•Crullers
These fried pastry "twists," called "crullers" in Iceland or "fattigman" ("Poor Man Cookies") in Norway, are melt-in-your-mouth tender.More »•Bolludagur Buns
The first day the sun rises over the fjords often coincides with another Icelandic celebration: "Bolludagur," or "Bun Day," the Monday preceding Ash Wednesday when children sneak into their parents' room in the wee hours to wake them up, chanting "Bolla, Bolla!" as they spank them with wands of tissue paper. Each spank they land before their poor, dazed parents wake up and jump out of bed earns them a bun.More »•Icelandic Crepes
Pönnukaka - Icelandic Crepes - are traditionally made in a special pan and then either filled with jam and whipped cream and folded in quarters or sprinkled with sugar and rolled into tight cylinders. They're a great favorite at Sólarkaffi gatherings.More »•Astarpungar
Quite popular with children, Astarpungar, or "Love Balls" can be fried in the same pot you use for cruller. Use only a scant teaspoon of dough for these Icelandic raisin fritters to ensure that they bake through.
•Happy Marriage Cake
If any culture possesses the secret to maintaining a happy marriage, my bet is that it's the Icelanders. Never eager to rush into marriage (it's the norm to establish a happy family before taking the major step of wedlock), eventual marital success is taken quite seriously - as evidenced by the popularity of Hjónabandssæla -- Happy Marriage Cake. A mixture of sweet (sugar) and tart (rhubarb jam), this cake, like a good marriage, only gets better with age (just ask my husband, who upon tasting it is ready to marry me all over again!).More »
•Chocolate Sticky Cake
Chocolate sticky cake isn't Icelandic: it's Swedish (called kladdkaka). Yet I think it's entirely apropos to serve it at a "sun party" ... for, like the Icelanders, there's evidence that inhabitants of remote areas of Sweden, too, used the return of the sun as an excuse to host coffee tables. That's the premise, in any case, of a very lovely short story by the first woman ever to win the Nobel Prize for literature - Swede Selma Lagerlof. In Lagerlof's very sweet story, "The Eclipse," elderly Beda wants to throw a coffee party for her friends, but can't think of a reason (since these were normally held to celebrate births, baptisms, or birthdays). Yet finally she gathers her friends together, who all wonder why they've been invited. The April day darkens in a complete solar eclipse ... and as the sun returns, Beda explains that she's scheduled her party to celebrate the return of her favorite visitor ... the sun.More »•Gevalia Coffee
Gevalia coffee, since 1853 the premier coffee of Sweden, has just been introduced to American supermarkets by Kraft. Although the Gevalia brands have been available in 8 oz. packages through mail-order in the U.S. since 1983, this is the first time that they have been made readily available to consumers. Long ago selected as the "Official Coffee Purveyor of the Royal Court of Sweden," Gevalia is the top-selling brand of coffee in Sweden. But will it make you forswear Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts or Seattle's Best? From Washington State, where daylight is short and coffee is king (no doubt why so many homesick Scandinavian-Americans settled in Seattle), here are a few impressions of this Swedish blend.
Please follow me as I explore the latest trends and developments in the exciting New Nordic Cooking Movement on Twitter~ Friend me and let's share favorite Scandinavian recipes and cooking tips on Facebook!More »
•IKEA's Tea with Vanilla and Rhubarb
If you'd like to host a "sun coffee" party but have friends who prefer tea, it's worth checking out IKEA's branded "Te Med Rabarber- Och Vaniljsmak." Like many, many folks (especially Swedish expatriates living in the United States), I was very, very upset in 2011 to learn that IKEA, the one widespread, reliable source of all great culinary things Scandinavian, was changing their Marketplace to carry only IKEA-branded items. In fact, I'm still bummed (because it was the easiest place I could get to to pick up specialty Swedish cheeses like Vasterbotten and Hushallsost). I still don't know where I'm going to find Daim miniatures. However, upon having tasted one of IKEA's newly branded products - its "Ekologiskt" Tea with Rubarb and Vanilla Flavour ("Te Med Rabarber- Och Vaniljsmak"), I may just have to rethink the boycott I was planning so that I can have some on hand for my next "coffee" party.More »
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