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Archive for Anne Skoogh

Kladdkaka

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The famous Swedish kladdkaka - photo Anne Skoogh

Well, what good would a Swedish food blog be without at least one recipe for Kladdkaka? Translated, it means “sticky cake” and I bet it’s one of the first things a lot of children learns to bake. It’s reminiscent of brownies, but even more gooey. You have to eat it off a plate, rather than hand-held. And it should be served with whipped cream, or possibly ice cream.

You’ll find it in most cafés. Some have good ones, some.. well, some are not as sticky, which is in this case, bad. There even exists frozen ones, if you’re feeling extra-lazy – they’re actually pretty good, but since this is so quick to make, there’s really no excuse.

There are tons of recipes. All of them include butter, sugar, cocoa, flour and eggs, but in different proportions. Some add vanilla, some add real chocolate. All are quite similar. This is a forgiving sort of cake. And it’s really, REALLY easy to make. My husband made the one in the photo while I took a nap. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon!

This is my last post here at Sweden.se for the time being. I hope I’ll get the opportunity to be back sometime in the future, but for now, I hope you’ll join me at my own Anne’s Food.

Perfect Kladdkaka
Serves 8

450 ml sugar
225 ml all-purpose flour
4 tbsp cocoa powder
3 eggs
225 g butter

Generously butter a cake tin, about 24 cm in diameter, with removable sides. Coat the butter with breadcrumbs – or for a twist, dessicated coconut.

Stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa and eggs. Melt the butter and add to the batter. Pour into the prepared tin.

Bake at 175°C, for about 30 minutes. It should NOT be set all the way through, but sticky and gooey. Let the cake cool before eating – it’s even better on the next day, but it’s nice right away as well.

Anne Skoogh

September 15, 2011

Kroppkakor

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Swedish dumplings. Photo: Anne Skoogh

Kroppkakor is traditional Swedish food – one that has been forgotten by many, as it’s not all that easy to make, and it’s also pretty heavy. And it can NOT be made with new potatoes, so it’s not an option for the summer… however, it’s perfect for fall. And delicious!

A kroppkaka is quite simply a large potato dumpling filled with bacon and onions. (Although it translates a bit scarily into “body cake”.)

It’s slightly different depending on where in the country you are but I grew up with my grandmother’s version, and those kroppkakor were always white – made from mashed boiled potatoes. Some people prefer grey kroppkakor, made with half raw potatoes. You can eat these with lingonberries and melted butter, or with a white sauce flavored with allspice. I prefer the sauce. And extra filling on the side, please!

Cook the whole batch, even if you won’t eat all of them. Leftovers can be sliced and fried on the next day, and they’re delicious that way, too!

Kroppkakor
8-10 large potatoes (750g-1 kg)
1 egg yolk
150-200 ml flour
salt

For the filling:
100 g bacon or pancetta (ideally salted, but unsmoked, pork.)
100 g smoked ham
1-2 tbsp minced yellow onion
1/2 tbsp butter
1/2-1 tsp allspice

Peel the potatoes and cut into smaller pieces. Boil until soft, drain the water and let the potatoes dry. Press through a potato ricer into a large bowl, and wait until it’s completely cold.

Cut the bacon and the ham into small dice. Fry the onion and the meat in the butter until lightly browned. Season with allspice, and let cool completely.

Mix together the riced potatoes, the flour and the egg yolk, and a bit of salt. The dough should be well mixed and easy to handle. Roll into a sausage-shape, and cut into even pieces. Each dumpling should be between a golf ball and a tennis ball in size – fairly large. This recipe makes about 12.

Roll each piece into a round, and make a hole with your thumb. Fill with plenty of filing, and close the hole. Roll again so you get a nice, even dumpling, and flatten it slightly.

Boil the dumplings in plenty of boiling, salted water, a few at a time. They need about five minutes on each side. Serve with melted butter, lingonberries or sauce béchamel with allspice.

Anne Skoogh

September 12, 2011

Love Yummies

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The popular pastry known as Love Yummies. Photo Anne Skoogh

Really, love yummies? Yes! Actually, these little chocolate squares are known under many names, and although the most descriptive one probably is mockarutor – “mocha squares” – I much prefer the cutesy kärleksmums – “love yummies”.

It’s a basic chocolate cake, with a coffee glaze, topped with coconut. And it’s delicious! It’s easy to make, which makes it a very popular offering in many coffee shops, and it’s one of my most requested recipes from people who have visited Sweden for any length of time.

Because of the coffee glaze, these are really excellent along side a cup of good coffee. They’re pretty sweet, so I usually cut mine into small squares, but it’s not unusual to see them served in much, MUCH larger portions. You’ll have to consult your conscience on this one…

You need a large, rectangular rimmed baking sheet for this – often called a jelly roll pan.

Love Yummies

2 eggs
300 ml sugar (about 240 g)
150 ml milk
450 ml flour (about 225 g)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla sugar or extract
1 tbsp cocoa powder
150 g melted butter

Butter and line a jelly roll pan using bread crumbs. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Beat the eggs and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and cocoa. Mix the flour and baking powder, and add this to the batter, along with the milk. Finally, add the melted butter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 15 minutes. Take out and let cool completely.

For the topping:
200 g powdered sugar
4 tbsp melted butter
4 tbsp cold strong coffee
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla sugar or extract
dessicated coconut flakes (unsweetened)

Mix everything together, except the coconut. Spread over the cooled cake and sprinkle with the coconut.

Anne Skoogh

September 8, 2011

Farmer’s Omelette with Chanterelles

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Forest gold - chanterelles. Photo: Anne Skoogh

Foraging for mushrooms is very popular in Sweden, and fall is – quite obviously – the season to do it. There are plenty of mushrooms in the Swedish woods, but far from all of them are edible. So make sure you know what you’re picking! I’m certainly no mushroom expert myself, so I stick to picking the ones I know I recognize – like chanterelles. Golden chanterelles are plentifull right now, and funnel chanterelles can be found a little bit later in the season. And if you want to play it safe, you can always pick your mushrooms at the grocery store or at a market, where they are easy to find these days.

Chanterelles are very tasty and I believe that you shouldn’t mess too much with their clean, lovely flavor. The simplest way is to fry them, add a little cream and serve them on toast – and while this is lovely indeed, it’s nice to try something slightly different as well. I love making Farmer’s omelettes – a great way to use up leftovers, and a heartier option than a regular French omelette. It’s similar to a Spanish tortilla – but with less potatoes.

Farmer’s omelette with golden chanterelles
Serves 2 generously

4-5 boiled potatoes, peeled and cut into smaller pieces
1 yellow onion, diced or thinly sliced
200 g golden chanterelles, carefully cleaned
100 g smoked ham in thin strips
4 eggs
4 tbsp milk or water
grated cheese – a small handful
salt and pepper
butter
olive oil

Start by frying the chanterelles in a dry pan until they have released their liquid. Then add a pat of butter, and set aside.

Fry the potatoes in oil until they start to brown. Add the onions and the ham, and fry for a few minutes. Add the chanterelles.

Beat the eggs with milk or water, and salt and pepper, and add to the pan.

Push the edges of the omelette in towards the middle as they set, to make the omelette set a bit quicker and more evenly. When it’s looking about half way set, sprinkle with the cheese.

Let it set for a minute or two longer, and serve right away – it’s great with a salad on the side.

Anne Skoogh

September 5, 2011

Caramel Apple Cobbler

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Caramel Apple Cobbler, photo: Anne Skoogh

Nothing says fall in Sweden like apple pie. Most people with a garden has apple trees – and often a lot of them. Don’t be afraid to ask for some, if you see a tree with a lot of fruit. Few people manage to keep up with their trees and pick all the apples, so if you ask politely, I’m sure they’ll let you have as many as you like.

When I grew up, we had at least seven apple trees in our garden, with different varieties on them. Some would be ready by early August, and some not until late September or even October. It was a real luxury, having all those apples – and I remember baking a lot of apple crumbles after school.

You can make a simple crumble topping by combining 300 ml flour, 2 tbsp sugar
and 125 g butter – just rub together with your fingertips until crumbly, top your apples, and bake at 225°C for 20 minutes or so.

Nowadays, I often go for this caramel apple pie. While perhaps not a traditional crumble, it’s more in the territory of cobblers. Dead easy to make too – just stir together all the topping ingredients, and pour over your pre-seasoned apples.

Golden syrup is readily available in all Swedish groceries and I believe easy to find in the UK as well – but perhaps harder in the US. I think honey will work nicely as well – in fact, I think I need to try that myself.

If you don’t want to bake, but you have a yearning for apple pies, you must check out Svindersviks Brygghus in Nacka outside Stockholm. They serve an apple pie buffet, with at least seven kinds of apple pie, on September 3-4, and 10-11.

Caramel Apple Cobbler

Serves 4-6

4-5 apples, peeled and sliced into wedges
1 tbsp sugar
cinnamon – optional

150 g butter
1/2 dl golden syrup
1 dl cream (half and half works well, doesn’t need to be full fat)

2 dl rolled oats
2 dl sugar
2 dl flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Put the apples in a deep oven-proof dish, and preheat oven to 175° C. Sprinkle with a little bit of sugar, and cinnamon if you want it.

Mix the oats, sugar, flour and baking powder in a bowl. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the syrup and the cream, and take off the heat. Add the mixed dry ingredients, stir well. Pour this on top of the apples, and bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or custard.

Anne Skoogh

September 1, 2011