Conference turris::scandia

    I'm glad you wrote this note.  I've been meaning to write to my
    grandmother to get her recipe for "pepparkokar" (excuse my Swedish
    misspellings).  I've always had them around Christmas time, and
    last year when I was in Sweden for Luciadag, I was practically forcefed
    them by my relatives there.  It just isn't Christmas season w/o
    these cookies.  I'll enter the recipe as a reply to this note as
    soon as I receive it.  Thanks for reminding me!
    
    Hej da!
    
    Scott  

From a brochure on "Swedish Food" published by The Swedish Institute,
Stockholm:

			Pepparkakor

  2/3 cup shortening
  3/4 cup sifted light brown sugar,
	firmly packed
    2 tablespoons molasses
    3 tablespoosn boiled, cooled water
    1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 tablespoon cinammon
1 1/2 teaspoons cloves (ground)
    1 teaspoon pulverised or ground
	cardamon seeds

Cream shortening and sugar thoroughly.  Add molasses, water, and lemon rind.

Sift flour with baking soda and spices.  Add to creamed mixture a little
at at time.  Blend well.

Flour hands, toss dough quickly onto floured surface and place in
refrigerator; chill.

Turn dough onto floured surface.  Roll out very thin and cut in desired
shapes with floured cookie cutter.

Bake on buttered cookie sheet in moderate oven (350 F) for 8-10 minutes.
Cool cookies on sheet.  Garnish if desired with snow icing.

Makes about 60 cookies.

    I have a copy of "[The new] Swedish Food" first published in 1948
    and revised in 1965.  It is published by Wez�ta F�rlag in G�teborg
    and has sold hundreds of thousands of copies.  It is written entirely
    in English, with English traditional units of cooking measures ["cups"
    and "spoons"]. There are 188 recipes so I would know where to begin.
    
    There is both a Swedish and English index, so if somebody can't
    find a recipe someplace else, let me know and I'll look it up for
    you.

   I found these in the COOKS notes file.    

                    <<< TLE::PUBD$:[VAXNOTES]COOKS.NOTE;1 >>>
================================================================================
Note 363.18         Christmas/Holiday Cookie Recipes Wanted             18 of 31
NANUCK::LUNT "Chris Lunt - DTN 442-2053"            101 lines  16-OCT-1986 12:50
                        -< Norwegian Christmas Recipes >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Norweigan pastry and cookie recipes for All Occasions; especially
    Christmas!  Enjoy.
    
    

			FATHGMOND

	5 EGGS - BEATEN
	5 HEAPING TBSP. SUGAR
	5 TBSP. WHIPPING CREAM OR HALF AND HALF
	1/2 TSP. SALT 
	2 TBSP. RUM EXTRACT OR BRANDY OR VANILLA
		(I USE BRANDY)

	ADD ENOUGH FLOUR SO YOU CAN ROLL OUT THIN.
	CUT IN DIAMOND SHAPES - ABOUT 4 INCHES LONG, 3 INCHES WIDE.

	HEAT LARD (AS FOR COOKING DONUTS) AND FRY LIKE DONUTS.
	SPRINKLE WITH POWDERED SUGAR OR SUGAR WHEN DONE.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

			SHINGLE BREAD 

	   (MADE ON LEFSE GRILL AND CRISPED IN OVEN)

	2 CUPS CORN MEAL
	3 CUPS MILK

		HEAT IN SAUCE PAN, STIR UNTIL THICK.
		ADD -

	1 TSP. SALT
	2 TBLS. BUTTER
	2-3 CUPS FLOUR 

		WORK IN FLOUR.
		PUT ON BREAD BOARD, CONTINUE TO WORK IN FLOUR SO 
		IT DOES NOT STICK.

		MAKE OR FORM INTO LONG ROLL.
		CUT 20 PIECES AND ROLL LIKE LEFSE.
		FRY ON A LEFSE GRILL.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

			SANDBAKKELS

	1 CUP BUTTER
	1 CUP SUGAR
	1 EGG
	2-1/2 CUPS FLOUR
	1 TSP. VANILLA

		MIX ALL INGREDIENTS.

	PUT IN FORMS (SANDBAKKEL FORMS).
	BAKE IN 325 DEGREE OVEN FOR 8-10 MINUTES.
	SNAP OUT OF FORMS AFTER REMOVING FROM OVEN.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

			KROM KA KA

	1 CUP SUGAR
	1/2 CUP BUTTER (ROOM TEMPERATURE)
	2 EGGS
	1 CUP MILK
	1/2 TSP. SALT
	1 TSP. VANILLA
	1-1/2 CUP FLOUR PLUS 2 TBLS.
	
	BAKE IN KROM KA KA IRONS (1 TSP. PER KROM KA KA)

	A KROM KA KA IRON (LIKE A SMALL WAFFLE IRON) SITS ON TOP OF 
	A BURNER ON THE STOVE.  HEAT THE IRON BEFORE PUTTING THE KROM KA 
	KA BATTER ON THE IRON.  AFTER THE KROM KA KA HAS COOKED, ROLL IT
	AROUND SOMETHING ROUND - LIKE THE END OF A SAWED OFF BROOM HANDLE).

----------------------------------------------------------------------

			ROSETTES (APPROX 4 DOZEN)

	2 EGGS 

		BEAT LIGHTLY AND THEN ADD:

	1/4 TSP. SALT
	1 CUP MILK
	1 TBSP. SUGAR
	1 CUP FLOUR

		BEAT AND ADD:

	1 TSP. VANILLA

	HEAT LARD (AS FOR DONUTS).
	DROP FROM ROSETTE FORMS INTO LARD.
	SPRINKLE WITH SUGAR OR POWDERED SUGAR WHEN DONE.



                    <<< TLE::PUBD$:[VAXNOTES]COOKS.NOTE;1 >>>
================================================================================
Note 363.12         Christmas/Holiday Cookie Recipes Wanted             12 of 31
CRVAX1::KAPLOW "Cookie Monster <munch>^3"            64 lines  10-OCT-1986 17:21
                              -< Swedish Cookies >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Here is my favorite holiday cookie recipe. Don't forget that to
        me, every day is a cookie holiday. 
        
        A couple notes on the recipe: Sometimes I will use a cookie press,
        rather than rolling balls of dough, and mashing them down with a
        fork. 
        
        Also, read and heed the warning at the bottom; I don't want to be
        responsible for anyone choking because of a cookie. 
        
        Don't forget the cookie monster recipe tax. Each time you make a
        batch of these cookies, you MUST send one to me. Package them
        carefully, so that they arive here in Chicago safely. My mailstop
        is DDO. If you aren't sure that you made them right, send me the
        whole batch. I will scientifically test them, and let you know if
        they were made correctly :-) 
        
        Finally, this note got me off my duff, and I copied the entire
        floppy of recipes that my wife and I maintain on our PDT at home.
        They can be found at CRVAX1::DUA4:[KAPLOW.PDT.RECIPES]*.*. The
        extension indicates the type of dish. Sometime this evening the
        USENET mod.recipes cookbook should also be there (see note 248).


Category:COK	Dish: Swedish Cookies			Date: 1/12/83

Description:	Small, buttery, light cookies, covered in powdered sugar, that
		improve with age. 

Servings:	Yields about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
	1 cup (1/2 lb) butter or margarine
	1/2 cup confectionioner's sugar
	Additional confectioner's sugar for coating
	1 3/4 cup flour
	1 cup ground nutmeats
	1 tsp vanilla
	
Utensils:
	a mixing bowl with tight-fitting lid	
	ungreased cookie sheets

Preparation time: 15 minutes for mixing;	Cooking time: 12 minutes for
		  dough should be chilled	baking; cookies should be aged
	          overnight before baking.	a week in a cookie jar.

Directions:
	1. Mix all the ingredients well. Chill for a few hours or overnight in
a bowl with a tight-fitting lid. 
	2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Form dough into balls about the size
of hickory nuts and place about 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Flatten slightly with a fork, leaving the prints of the tines. 
	3. Bake at 375 degrees for about 12 minutes. These cookies don't brown
much, so be careful not to overbake. Immediately after taking them from the
oven, roll the hot cookies in additional confectioner's sugar. Store the 
cookies in metal tins or a cookie jar for a week or longer before serving.

Comments:	
	When the hot cookies are rolled in confectioner's sugar, some of the
sugar will melt onto the cookies' surfaces, forming a sweet, almost frosting-
like coating. Some of the sugar, however, stays powdery, and adheres to the 
melted sugar underneath. Therefore, be warned. You can eat a cookie. You can
also inhale. But you cannot eat a cookie and inhale at the same time. 

    
    
    even tho it's not thankgiving yet - officially getting-ready-for-jul
    season:
    
    for anyone in the massachusetts mecca area, feel free to borrow
    my
    krumkakker gjaern or sandkakker former for weekend.
    also, have proven recipes to go along [converted the gram recipes
    - uncalibrated kg scale] for use.
    
    anything with LOTS of eggs, pound of butter & liters of heavy cream
    can't be all bad?
    
    ma
    

    Group soc.culture.nordic              
    article 793          
                        
    From: [email protected] (Johan Widen)
    Subject: Re: Quality of bread
    Organization: Swedish Institute of Computer Science, Kista

In article <[email protected]> [email protected] (Bj�rn
Lisper) writes:
> The only problem is, you won't find American type Wonderbread in
> Scandinavia. Granted, there is white pre-sliced "formbr�d" here that
> approximates the American variant, but it lacks the unique spongeyness of
> the US product. It also tastes more (which is not to say that it's
> flavourful).

    Hmm... It was only about a year ago that marking of bread with the
    manufacturing date became common in Sweden. Maybe half of the loaves
    are still unmarked. The ones that carry a date stamp, all to often turn
    out to be antique.

    Most Swedes don't seem too care. Maybe it's just that I'm spoiled by
    having lived in a more civilized country where preservation additives
    were not a normal bread ingredient. You will not hear this in Sweden:
    "Hey, this loaf is from yesterday, I will only charge you half price
    for it."

    Another feature of our bread is its sugar content... Sugar is a common
    ingredient in food where there is poverty. I guess the high sugar
    content of our bread is a remnant from the bad old days. There are some
    varieties without sugar, but you have to look for them.

    On to a more optimistic note: Sweden has had a fair number of
    immigrants since the sixties. These people bring with them strange
    customs such as a demand for fresh bread and vegetables. As these
    things are not readily available in our supermarkets at a decent price,
    we are seeing the appearance of a lot of small shops and stalls,
    purveying bread, fruit and other necessities.

    I hope we will see more of these. For some reason (too high a standard
    of living (ouch...) or maybe the taxation for one man companies) there
    has long been a dearth of shops and foodstalls in Sweden. Where I work,
    for instance (an area with both a lot of companies, as well as
    apartements), it's almost impossible to get a decent meal in the
    evenings. Unless you care for greasy fast food, or are prepared to dine
    together with the more disreputable members of society, the only
    recourse is to buy food at the supermarket. 
    -- 
    Johan Widen SICS, PO Box 1263, S-164 28 KISTA, SWEDEN       
    Internet: [email protected]   Tel: +46 8 752 15 32    Ttx: 812 61 54 SICS S   
    Fax: +46 8 751 72 30

A little late but here is my recipe for Norwegian "Fattigmanner"

FATTIGMANNER
------------

6 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
2 Tblspns heavy cream
1 Tblspn melted butter
1 cup sugar

beat well

add 4 cups flour

mix really well.  I end up adding a extra little cream while mixing.

Leave overnight in covered bowl or in plastic freezer bag in the refrigerator.

Roll thin (about 1/8th inch) and cut into diamond shapes.  A fluted pastry wheel
works well for this.  Cut a slit in the middle of the diamond across the
"waist" of the diamond and pull one end of the diamond through this slit to
make a sort of not.  Fry in hot vegetable oil till golden brown.  Some people
like to sprinkle with powdered sugar but I find it very unnecessary unless you
have an American penchant for sugar/sweetness.

My very most favorite Christmas cookie.

This recipe came across the ocean with my great grandparents and other
relatives.

Later (when I bring it in) I'll enter our Krummkakker recipe we use 
(also came with the ancestors) and a Finnish Pepper Cookie recipe  (with 
lots of spices!!) -- also a favorite.

Chad

From: [email protected] (Richard Westman)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
Date: 3 Jan 90 22:19:29 GMT
Organization: Dept of EE, University of Linkoping

>While we are talking about Scandinavian Christmas goodies (never
>too soon to start planning for next Christmas!), does anyone have
>the recipe for Konjakskransar (Finnish Brandy Wreaths)?  

I found this recipe for "Konjakskransar" in "Bonniers Kokbok (1960)":

150 g butter
1/2 dl granular sugar
the yolk of an egg
2 msk brandy
4 dl wheat-flour

The ingridients should be mixed in this order, and be left in a cold place
a while before shaping the dough into ring-shaped bunloafs.
Bake 8 minutes, 225'C.

1 cup         =   2.4 dl
1 lb          =   453 g
1 tablespoon  =   1 msk

/RiW

   From: [email protected] (raymond thomas pierrehumbert)
   Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
   Subject: Re: Engineers in the Nordic countries
   Date: 31 Jul 91 20:11:05 GMT
   Sender: [email protected] (NewsMistress)
   Organization: University of Chicago
 
    >...semmlor (what is this)
 
    It's a kind of bun you eat during Lent.  Why it counts as some kind of
    lenten deprivation was never clear to me.  If you eat one in
    midmorning, you are set for about three days.  
 
    It consists of a fluffy, mildly sweet pastry bun (not quite puff
    pastry, but in that direction), with a bit hollowed out, and marzipan
    filling in the hollow, whipped cream on top of  that, then the top bit
    of the bun put back on.  Real afficionados eat them doused with
    cinnamon and warm milk.                                        
 
    I believe there is something similar in germany, called a "semmel"
    (hence the term "semmelwoche"
 
    To be honest, actually the semmlor have been coming out earlier and
    earlier in Stockholm kondis's, to the point where you sometimes find
    them appearing in early February.
 
    [Another nice bit of Swedish holiday trivia:  Anybody know the origin
    of the term Vaffeldagen, and what it originally celebrated?] ..

Well, it was about two or so years ago that I promised this
but here it is.

Here is our family Norwegian pepper cookies

Pepper Cookies
--------------

Let come to almost a boil: 1 c. sugar, 1 cup syrup, 1/2 lb butter, 1 T vinegar

Sift 1/2 t. pepper, 1 t. ginger, 1 t. cloves powdered, 1 t. cinnamon,
1 t. baking soda with 5 cups flour.

Add 2 eggs.  Let stand in ice box over night.  

Bake 8-10 min on greased sheet in 400F oven.



Our family version of Krumkaka

Norwegian Krumkaker
-------------------

Beat 6 eggs with 1 3/4 cups sugar.  Add 1 cup heavy cream,
2 2/3 cup flour, and 1 1/2 tsp ground cardamon seed.  Then
add 3/4 cup melted butter.

Each cookie is cooked individually in a Krumkaker iron and
rolled on a tapered stick.




And the really good Finnish pepper cookies.  This recipe I got from
a Finnish lady I know.  They are super good.  (Yes Jim, if you read
this, from Mimmu)

Korvatunturin Piparkakut or Finnish Gingerbread cookies
-------------------------------------------------------

8 ozs margarin
3/4 cup sugar             combine & cream
3/4 cup dark brown sugar  until light and fluffy
1/2 cup syrup             then break in

1 egg                     mixing well.

In another bowl combine:

3 cups flour
1 tl baking soda
1 tl baking powder
1/2 tl salt
2 tl pomeranssinkuorta or substitute 1 tl each lemon peel orange peel

2 tl each ginger, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardemon, cloves and allspice

Carefully knead in this mixture...you might add up to 1 cup more flour.
Put the ready dough into a zip-lock bag and into the refrigerator for at
least overnight, and don't tell anyone about it or they'll eat it.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 325F
Roll out the dough very thin (2mm) do it on very well floured surface;
baking cloth is best, also cover the rolling pin with its stocking then flour
it as often as you would flour the pastry cloth.

Bake the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Watch the cookies carefully
for burned cookies are horrid.  they should bake somewhere between 5-10 minutes
depending on the thickness of the cookie.

Immediately transfer them onto a cooling rack.  Pack them into tins and keep
hidden for a few weeks if possible, thus the spices will mellow.  Good luck!

PS. tl means teaspoon (tl=teelusikka)

    From: [email protected] (Kjetil Lenes)
    Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
    Date: 18 Dec 92 22:29:00 GMT
    Organization: Thunderball Cave BBS - Oslo, Norway  (47 2) 56 70 18
     
    A recipe for a mild V�rtebr�d.
 
    Ingredients for 4 loaves
 
  100 gram yeast
  100 gram butter
  1 liter v�rter�l (non-alchoholic beer. It consists mainly of wort
          (consult anyone who know something of beer-brewing to find your
          local equivalent))
  1-2 deciliter of (dark) molasses
  1 table spoon of salt
  1 table spoon of dried, ground peels of bitter oranges (perhaps lemon
          could be used?)
  1/2 table spoon of ground ginger
  3 decilitres of raisins (optional)
  750 gram rye flour (either sieved or one half each of sieved and patent
          grade wholemeal)
  750 gram sieved wheat flour
 
 
    How to make it:
 
    Mix yeast, beer and melted butter. It should be heated to 37 degrees
    celsius. Add all rye flour and half the wheat flour. Pour molasses into
    it. Add spices. Use your hands and knead the dough! Five minuts at
    least. Add more flour if necessary. Let be for one hour. Work lightly
    with the dough. Have it on the table, flour first!  Knead it. Make four
    breads, put them on one of those things you put into the oven (grin!).
    Melted bytter on the breads. One more hour. Put them in the oven for
    about 40 minutes, 200 degrees celsius.
 
    If you want it to taste more rye use the following mix of flour:

  1/2 kilo sieved rye flour
  1/2 kilo sieved wheat flour
  1/2 kilo patent grade wholemeal rye flour
 
    Velbekomme!
 
    Kjetil
 
 
 * OLX 2.1 TD * Norway - home of nisser, troll, hulder og draug.
 

   From: [email protected] (James Fehr)
   Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
   Subject: Re: Norwegian Cookies
   Date: 15 Mar 1994 18:41:33 -0500
   Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC
   Sender: [email protected]
                          
    Sandkaker: Norwegian Sand Tarts
  
    Preheat oven to 375 F
 
   Ingredients:
 
    1 1/4 cup butter
    3/4 cup sugar
    1 egg
    2 1/2 cups flour
    1 teaspoon almond extract
    1/2 cup chopped almonds
 
    Procedure: Cream butter & sugar. Add remaining ingredients. Chill. 
    Slice thinly and place on greased cookie tray. Bake 12 - 15 minutes.
 
    Difficulty level: easy
 
    -- 
    James Fehr

    From: [email protected] (Marit Eikevag)
    Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
    Subject: Re: Kransekake
    Date: Mon, 1 Aug 94 09:23:52 -0800
    Organization: Lambda Systems Ltd. B.C. Canada.
 
    In <[email protected]> Joern Aabakken
    <[email protected]> writes:

>I recently purchased some baking pans for making Kransekake, my favorite
>Norwegian kake.  Does anyone have any recipes they would like to share?  I am
>also interested in the history of the Kransekake.  Please post, so all can
>enjoy, or if you prefer, email me [email protected] or [email protected]
>Thanks in advance!  Joern Aabakken
                                            
 
    KRANSEKAKE (18 RINGS)
 
    500 gram almonds
    500 gram icing sugar
    2-3 flat tablespoons of white flour
    3-4 egg whites
  
    ICING

    20 Gram icing sugar
    1 -2 egg whites
    2-3 drops of vinegar
 
 
    Grind the almonds. Do NOT use a food processor, as this will result in
    the mixture being short and unworkable. Set the oven to about 210
    degrees Celcius (410 F).
 
    Mix ground almonds, icing sugar and flour. Work in the egg whites in
    stages.  The mixture must be firm, but not dry. Roll the mixture to
    finger thick lenghts  on a icing sugar dusted board to prevent
    sticking, and place in ring moulds. Make sure that they are not too
    thick. During baking they will swell somewhat and if they are too
    thick, they can flow together. If using a piping bag, choose  a hole or
    a star which is not larger than 12 mm across.
 
    Press the ends of the lenght thoroughly together when making the rings,
    or they  will open during baking. Put the moulds on a baking tray, and
    bake in the middle of the oven for 10 - 12 minutes. Cool rapidly.
 
    As soon as the rings are partly cooled, tip out of moulds.
 
    Mix icing sugar, egg whites and vinegar to a thick mixture, and pipe
    this onto rings  in thin line, zig-zag pattern. Pile the rings on top
    of another when icing is dry.  The rings can be fixed together with a
    few drops of caramel made by melting sugar in a dry pan and lightly
    browning.
 
    Kransekake should be kept in a airtight tin. Put a fresh crust of bread
    or a peeled potato in the tin a couple of days before the cake is to be
    served. This will give it the right "chewy" texture. Can be deep
    frozen.
 
    This recipe is from Hoyang, one of the company in Norway that makes
    kransekake moulds, and it worked for me although I have only tried it
    once. I stick with Fyrstekake which is much easier to make!
 
    Good luck!
 
    Marit Eikevag

    To: International Swedish Interest discussion list
    From: Mike Andersson <[email protected]>
                                                                          
    Appologies for the sprinkled-in Swedish. I pulled out one of my Swedish
    cookbook this morning and quickly half-translated during breakfast
    preparations.
    
    The measurements are all in metric... it's easier to go out and buy
    metric measuring cups (or ones with both markings) than to do the
    conversions... I *have* done the temperature conversions for you.
    
    Saffransbr�d
    
    makes   3-4 lg braids  (bake at 200C for 20-25 min) ~390F
            2-3 "kransar"  (bake at 225C for ~10 min) ~440F
            ~30 kusar [smallish things]  (bake at 250C for 5-6 min) ~480F
    
            dl = deci-liter = 1/10 liter = 100 milliliters
    
    1-1/2   gram    saffron
    50      gram    yeast (approx 4 tsp)
    1/2     liter   milk
    150-200 gram    butter/margarine
    1\2     tsp     salt
    2-3     dl      sugar
    1               egg
    1-1/2   liter   flour
    
    Optional "smaktillsats" (flavoring):
    1       dl      finely chopped almond
    Optional garnish:
            egg
            p�rlsocker (pearl-sugar--sugar with large-ish grains)
            chopped almond or raisins
                    [I've also been known to use candied orange peel]
    
    
    Grind the saffron with a little sugar.
    
    Stir out the yeast w/ a little of the milk.
    
    Melt the margarine, then add the remaining milk--get the temperature to
    approximately body temperature.  Add the saffron.
    
    Pour the liquid over the yeast, add the salt, the sugar, about 1 liter
    of the flour, and the flavoring, if desired.
      
    Add the remaining flour, a little at a time.  Work the dough until
    smooth (smidig och blank).  Sprinkle the dough-ball with a little
    flour, cover with a towel, and let raise to double size (~40 minutes).
    
    Work the dough in the bowl, then knead it until smooth (smidig).
    
    Divide up the dough and create braids, kransar, small rolls and/or
    kusar.  Put on greased pans and let raise ~30 minutes.
    
    Brush on the egg (this is what gives them a nice shiny finish) and
    sprinkle with pa"rlsocker and almonds, or insert raisins.
    
    Bake as per above chart.
    
    --Mike Andersson
            University of WA, Department of Physics, Freshman Labs       @
            email:  <[email protected]>                           @
            WWW:    <http://128.95.101.15/>      FEEDBACK REQUESTED!!!   @
            voice:  206-543-7094         fax:  206-543-0575              @

    Re: .9:
    
    To: International Swedish Interest discussion list 
    From: [email protected]
    
    I hope you can use this recipe. I translated it some time ago from Vaar
    Kokbok.
    
    For those who never heard of them, semlor are  buns with the center
    scooped out and then filled with almond paste and topped with whipped
    cream. Swedes eat them every Tuesday and Friday during Lent - don't ask
    me why at those particular times! When I was in school, close to
    Stockholm where I grew up, we  kids used to run over to the bakery
    nextdoor and buy semlor. So delicious! Usually Swedes eat the semla
    placed in a soup bowl with hot milk poured on top. Sounds strange? Try
    it anyways; some of my American friends have. And they LIKED IT!
    
    You will need:    
    
    3 cups of flour
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/4 cup sugar
    5 cardemon seeds, crushed
    1 oz yeast (fresh or dried)
    2 oz butter
    1 cup of milk
    1 egg, beaten
    
        (for semlor)
    3 oz almond paste
    confectioners sugar
    8 oz of  heavy cream
    
    Bullar (buns): Place 2 cups of flour in a big bowl and add salt, sugar
    and cardemon. Crumble yeast and place it toward the side of the bowl.
    (If dried yeast: follow the directions on the package and reduce amount
    of milk by liquid used to disolve the yeast.) Melt butter and pour in
    milk. Heat the mixture to body heat (about 96 degrees). When it doesn't
    burn your finger! Pour mixture on top of yeast and mix to disolve
    yeast. Work ingredients together to make a smooth dough. Add rest of
    flour. Allow dough to rise in a warm spot while covered until it has
    doubled in size (about 40 minutes). Kneed dough on a baking table and
    shape it into 24 round buns. Brush beaten egg on top of buns. Bake in
    475 degree oven for 5-10 minutes.
    
    Semlor (use four to six of the buns): Cut a triangular piece out of
    the top of each bun and dig out some of the inside. Replace "the
    insides" with almond paste, a 1/2" slice for each semla. Whip cream
    and put some on top of each bun (now semla). Replace top and sprinkle
    confectioners sugar over the whole semla.
    
    Serve semla in a small bowl with hot milk and ground cinnamon. Freeze
    rest of buns to make more semlor - every Tuesday and Friday during
    Lent.
    
    Enjoy!
    
    Marie Louise Bratt
    Chenango Forks, NY

    From: "Arne C. Kolstad" <[email protected]>
    Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
    Subject: Re: fattigman = ?
    Date: 8 Aug 1995 08:31:21 GMT                   
    Organization: University of Trondheim
  
    Fattigmann is one of the cookies that may legitimately constitute the 
    Seven Kinds (sju sorter) that was expected from a housewife for 
    Christmas. Here is a recipe:
 
    5 egg yolks
    1 egg white
    65 g (4 tablespoons) sugar
    1/2 dl whipping cream
    1 tablespoon Cognac (Brandy)
    1/2 ts grated lemon peel (you yuppies just buy 2 lb of lemon and pitch 
    the rest)
    1/ ts kardemum (sp?)
    180 g (3 dl) wheat floor (NB! Pure flour!)
    A suitable oil (traditionally cocos fat) for frying
 
    How to:
 
    Whip yolks and suger. Add the rest (mix the kardemum with flour first,
    or you may have some trouble). Work the dough/batter a bit. Let stand 
    overnight.
 
    Heat oil/fat to 175 degrees Celsius. 
 
    Roll the dough out thinly. (They carry biodynamic, design rolling pins
    in New York for 199.95). Take a shower.
 
    Now the fun part that we kids were allowed to help out with: Cut the 
    dough in 2 cm stripes, 10 cm long. Make a cut in the middle, a couple
    of  cm long, parallell to the long side. Thread one of the short ends
    through  the hole and pull through and back. You now have a ca. 8 cm
    long piece of  dough (if you haven't streched it too much), with an
    arty looking curl in  the middle, somewhat like Escher's drawings.
 
    Fry a *few* fattigmenn at the time. Make them golden (more yellow than 
    brown. They float, so you will have to turn them. It takes ca. 1 min. 
    altogether. Spread on a paper or whatever.
 
    If the heat is too low, the cookies absorb fat and become mushy. If the 
    heat is too high, they will be golden before they are done through.
    Same problem. So don't just use your elbow as a thermometer.
 
    -- 
    Arne Kolstad
    [email protected]

    From: Susan Larsson <[email protected]>
    To: List for those interested in things Swedish
    <[email protected]>
    Subject: pepparkakor
    
    This is my Christmas present to the list - the best recipe for
    gingerbread cookies you've ever tasted.  I got the recipe from one of
    my students when I taught English in Sweden.  She lived on a farm just
    outside of Lidk�ping, and this was an old family recipe.
    
    2.5 sticks margarine (20 tbs = 300 g margarin)
    1/2 cup dark corn syrup (1 1/2 dl sirap)
    1 3/4 cups sugar (4 dl socker)
    2 tsp cinnamon (2 tsk kanel)
    2 tsp ginger (2 tsk ingefa:ra)
    2 tsp cloves (2 tsk nejlika)
    
    Bring the above to a boil, then let it cool to room temperature.  Add:
    3 aggs (3 a:gg) and mix in (make sure it's cool enough, or you cook the
    egg)
    
    Mix together
    2 tsp baking soda (2 tsk bikarbonat)
    6 cups flour (1.3 l vetemjo:l)
    
    Add dry ingredients and mix well.  Let the dough rest in the
    refrigerator overnight.  Roll out on a well floured surface (I like to
    use a baking board or a towel with flour on it) as thin as possible,
    use cookie cutters to cut out forms.  Bake on cookie sheets lined with
    baking parchment paper  (or spray with pam) 4-7 minutes at 400 F (200
    C).
    
    This recipe makes about 200 cookies, but the beauty is you can keep the
    dough in the fridge for about a month and just break off a piece to
    bake when you feel like it.
    
    God jul
    
    Susan 
    --
    Susan Larsson
    LaConner WA
    
    [email protected]