Christmas – Page 4 – Scandelights

Mini anchovies bake

Published on December 8, 2010 by Hanna19 Comments

One of my favourites for Christmas is this anchovies potato bake, in Sweden called Janssons frestelse (Jansson’s temptation). Even though it sounds like a weird combination, this is great together with homemade meatballs. It could be that I like this combo because this was the few things of the (Swedish) Christmas food I liked as a child. I didn’t like herring, browned cabbage, red cabbage, poached ling (a relative to cod) etc. I’ve grown up now, but still dislike the poached ling… 🙂

Anyway, try this if you want a Scando touch for Christmas this year. These are tried and tested on my English friends and co-workers and they approve. 🙂

...and after. It works really well to put the cake cases in a muffin tin to help them keep their shape.

Mini anchovies potato bake, about 15

6-8 potatoes depending on size, peeled and grated

1 onion, grated

300 ml double cream

1/2 tin ansjovis (incl the brine)

small knobs of butter

bread crumbs

Grate the potatoes and the onion and mix them together. Put the potato mixture half way up in paper cake cases (or even better: aluminium ones). Chop the anchovies finely and divide them between the cases. Fill the cases up with grated potato. Pour in 1/2 teaspoon of the brine in each case. Pour cream in to the cases to just about cover the potatoes. Put a tiny knob of butter on top of each cake case and sprinkle some bread crumbs on top. Bake in 200C for 20 minutes.

Can be served hot, lukewarm or even cold.

Ginger thins

Published on December 7, 2010 by Hanna15 Comments

In Sweden it wouldn’t be Christmas without ginger thins, and that is the only time of year we eat them (well sometimes we make too many and have to eat them all through to Easter). This is the recipe my mother has used the last 10 years and she got it from her friend Kerstin. These are lovely – not too sweet and not too strong with the spices!

And a tip: Take a ginger thin and spread on some strong Stilton and you are in heaven where sweet meets salty. Promise to try this!

Cream, sugar, syrup, spices and egg combined

The flour, bicarb and butter pinched into crumbs

The dough ready to spend a night in the fridge

The King’s ginger thins, about 300

675 g plain flour

1/2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda

250 g softened butter

150 ml whipping cream

250 g caster sugar

1/6 l golden syrup

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp ground ginger

1/4 tbsp ground cloves

1/2 egg

Mix the flour with bicarb and add the butter. Pinch the flour and butter into crumbs with your fingertips. Beat the cream until stiff and add sugar, syrup, the spices and the beaten half egg. Incorporate the flour mixture into the cream mixture until you have a smooth dough. Leave it covered in the fridge over night.

Knead the dough until glossy on a work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out thinly. Use cookie cutters to form cookies and place them on parchment paper on a baking tray. Bake in 180C until golden (about 6-7 minutes). Let them cool on the tray or another flat surface to keep their shape. Let them cool fully before you put them in tins.

Muscovado truffles

Published on December 6, 2010 by Hanna3 Comments

When I was home in Sweden last (in October) I found a few old folders with recipe clippings that I’ve found over the years. I decided to go through them all and only save the really good ones. This was a recipe that made the cut, but I have no idea where it is from. Lovely truffles, but I would like an even stronger muscovado taste. Might experiment with that last year. Can’t believe it is already a week into December, so this year I definitely won’t have time.

Next add the chocolate and lastly the butter

Roll into balls and dip them in melted chocolate

Muscovado truffles, makes 20-25

200 g dark chocolate

100 ml double cream

25 g butter

3 tbsp dark muscovado sugar

2 tbsp light muscovado sugar

Decoration:

75 g dark chocolate

snowflake sprinkles

Chop the chocolate. Combine cream and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Add the butter and stir until smooth and glossy. Put the mixture in the fridge to cool down. Roll into small balls, dip in melted dark chocolate and let dry on parchment paper. Add the snowflakes before the chocolate sets.

Milk chocolate fudge

Published on December 3, 2010 by HannaLeave a comment

Another sweet recipe from Matplatsen. I removed the honey from the recipe though (forgot I mean) but they turned out really well anyway, so will stick to this from now on. They are definitely sweet enough! 🙂

Milk chocolate fudge

300 ml double cream

300 ml caster sugar

100 ml golden syrup

50 g butter

100 g good quality milk chocolate

Pour cream, sugar and syrup into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and cook until the temperature is 120C. Remove pan from heat and add the butter. Boil for another 2 minutes, then remove from heat and add the chocolate. Stir until it has melted. Pour into a parchment paper lined tin. Leave to cool in the fridge and cut into squares.

Baking bonanza and rocky road

Published on December 2, 2010 by Hanna1 Comment

I took a day off work on Tuesday to have a whole day to myself baking Christmas goodies. I suspect I am a bit obsessed with baking because I forgot to eat and to sit down and relax, I had so much fun in the kitchen. I got a lot done though, and everything was really nice and tasty! Still have a few things in the fridge to finish off, but still pleased with how much I managed to do. I had to run the dishwasher (though small) 4 times, that’s how much washing up I created, haha. So happy to have a dishwasher!

I will definitely post a few Christmassy recipes here the next couple of days. The first one is Rocky Road. I know that there are loads of different versions, but pleeease try this one. It is amazing, I promise you will fall in love with it. This version isn’t completely my own, the creator is a Swedish tv-chef called Leila, and I found the recipe on a blog called Matplatsen, where Victoria had made a few changes to it. And me being me I of course had to make a few changes myself… 😉 Just can’t help myself.

Dumle toffees (it is a Finnish brand but you find them all over Scandinavia)

Of course you need to try one to make sure they're ok. Phew - they were!

Mix it all together and leave spread out on parchment paper to set in the fridge. Cut into squares and serve!

People, try this! It is sooo nice that my best friend Emma and my mother have asked me already to make it when I get home for Christmas. And of course I will. 🙂

Rocky road

2 bags of Dumle toffee (I think Rolos would work too, or any other chewy toffee)

2 handfuls of marshmallows

250 g salted cashews

100 g salted pastachios

400 g milk chocolate

100 g dark chocolate

Put the toffees in a bowl, cut the marshmallows in half with scissors (or use mini ones) and add them and the nuts. Melt all the chocolate together over boiling water. Add it to the nutmixture and make sure everything is coated with chocolate. Spread it out onto parchment paper in a square/rectangular dish. Keep in the fridge to set. Cut it into squares and serve. Enjoy, I know you will! 🙂