Lussekatter- symbol of St Lucia day throughout Scandinavia

 

Lussekatter – Saffron Buns of Light and Tradition

Among all the foods connected to St. Lucia Day, lussekatter stand in a class of their own. With their golden color, gentle sweetness, and rich aroma of saffron, they have become one of the most beloved symbols of the 13 December celebration throughout Scandinavia.

The shape: A curling symbol of light

The most common shape is the classic S-form, called lussekatt or katter. The spiral ends represent the turning of darkness toward light, and raisins (one placed at each end) are traditional. Many families create their own shapes—crowns, wreaths, or stylized animals—but the symbolism remains the same: light in the dark Scandinavian winter.

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Traditional Lussekatter Recipe

This is a classic Scandinavian recipe, suitable for home baking. It yields around 20–24 buns.

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Ingredients

For the dough:

• 5 dl (2 cups) whole milk

• 150 g (¾ cup) butter

• 1 g saffron (typically 2 small packets)

• 50 g fresh yeast or 1 packet (11 g) dry yeast

• 1½ dl (⅔ cup) sugar

• ½ tsp salt

• 12–14 dl (5–6 cups) wheat flour

• Optional: 2 tbsp sour cream or quark for a softer dough

For finishing:

• 1 egg (for brushing)

• Raisins

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Instructions

1. Warm the milk and saffron

• Heat the milk gently until lukewarm (not hot).

• Melt the butter in a separate pan and pour it into the milk.

• Crush the saffron between your fingers or in a mortar and stir it into the warm liquid for maximum color and aroma.

2. Activate the yeast

• If using fresh yeast: crumble it into a large bowl and pour over the warm milk mixture.

• If using dry yeast: mix it with a little of the flour first, then add the milk mixture.

3. Add sugar, salt, and flour

• Stir in the sugar and salt.

• Add flour gradually, stirring until the dough begins to form.

• Knead well—about 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes in a mixer—until the dough is smooth and elastic.

4. First rise

• Cover with a clean kitchen towel.

• Let rise for about 45–60 minutes, or until doubled in size.

5. Shape the buns

• Divide the dough into small pieces and roll each into a long rope.

• Form each one into an “S” shape by curling the ends in opposite directions.

• Place a raisin in the center of each spiral.

6. Second rise

• Place the buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

• Cover lightly and let rise again for 30 minutes.

7. Brush and bake

• Preheat oven to 225°C (430°F).

• Brush the buns with beaten egg.

• Bake for 8–10 minutes, until golden and fragrant.

8. Cool and enjoy

Allow the buns to rest on a rack. Serve warm with coffee, hot chocolate, or gløgg.

Recipe found here → Lussekatter-symbol of St Lucia Day throughout Scandinavia

Kladdkaka (Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake)

"Kladdkaka" literally means "sticky cake", and is one of Sweden's most popular cakes

What is Kladdkaka? Kladdkaka is similar to our beloved American brownies but different at the same time. It's a dense, rich chocolate dessert with a crisp exterior and a soft and gooey interior. The cake is delicious right out of the oven, with just a simple dusting of powdered sugar. Of course, a cup of coffee too!

I must give props to Chris Scheuer of  the café sucre farine who blogged this wonderful recipe.

Kladdkaka 

(aka Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake) 

is one of Sweden's most beloved (and easy!) desserts and it's definitely a chocolate lover's dream come true!

 

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 10 tablespoons butter (I use salted)
• 1 ⅓ cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For the truffle topping:

• ½ cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• flaky sea salt 

Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 325˚F. Spray an 8-inch round or square cake pan with baking spray or grease the pan with butter and then dust with flour. Line the bottom of the pan with a round (or square) piece of parchment paper. Don't omit this or the cake will be difficult to remove from the pan.

2. Place butter in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl and cover bowl with a plate or paper towel. Cook in the microwave on high power for 1 ½ minutes, or until butter is melted.

3. Add sugar to the bowl with melted butter and whisk to combine. Add eggs, one at a time and stir well after each addition. Add the cocoa, flour, vanilla and salt. Stir just until all dry ingredients are incorporated.

4. Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread out to an even layer. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Don’t over bake. The cake should be slightly firm on the outside, but moist and sticky inside.

5. Cool completely OR let the cake cool for 10 minutes before adding truffle topping.

For the truffle topping:

1. While the cake is baking, wash out the bowl. After the cake comes out of the oven, heat the heavy cream in the clean bowl for 1 minute on high power. Add chocolate chips and vanilla. Stir and allow to sit for 1 minute. Then stir until all chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

2. Pour truffle mixture over the semi-cooled cake and spread to an even layer.

3. Allow the truffle topping on the cake to cool for 10 minutes (otherwise, the salt will “melt” into the topping”), then sprinkle with about ¼ teaspoon flaky sea salt.

4. Cool the cake at room temperature for several hours, then refrigerate for 30 minutes before removing it from the pan. 

5. To remove, run a thin-bladed knife around the outer edges of the cake. Invert pan onto a dinner plate and, holding the plate and pan together, give it a good shake downwards. If the cake doesn’t release, go around the edges again with a knife then repeat with inverting cake. Once the cake is released, invert again so that the truffle layer is on the top.

Recipe Notes

Serves 12-14

Nutrition Facts

Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake (Kladdkaka)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 308Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Fat 18g28%

Saturated Fat 11g69%

Cholesterol 58mg19%

Sodium 127mg6%

Potassium 141mg4%

Carbohydrates 34g11%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 25g28%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 417IU8%

Calcium 25mg3%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

  Who doesn't like chocolate?

Klassick Ärtsoppa - Classic Swedish Pea Soup

Thursday in Sweden is the traditional time for pea soup and pancakes. Every Thursday. Obviously not everyone has pea soup on Thursdays but it has been a tradition since 1577. The story is that in 1577 King Erik XIV was imprisoned and on a Thursday was fed pea soup laced with poison. Every Thursday thereafter the Swedes had pea soup in his honor. An additional story is that it began before the reformation when Sweden was still Catholic and the country filled up on pea soup to prepare for meatless Friday. I don't know if I buy either explanation. 

The soup is traditionally made with yellow peas and mustard. I have tried the yellow pea variety and in spite of my love for most all soups, yellow pea soup just didn't do it for me. Here is the better option, using dried green peas.

Klassick  Ärtsoppa

INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups (1 pound) split peas
• 4 cups water
• 8 cups ham broth with meat 
• 2 large white onions, diced
• 4 cloves chopped garlic
• 4 carrots, diced
• 6 strips of bacon, cut into small pieces
• 2 T oil or bacon grease
• 1 tsp margoram
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp blackpepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
DIRECTIONS
1. Pour 4 cups boiling water over the peas and allow to soak for an hour
2. In a large stockpot brown bacon until crisp and with a slotted spoon remove to a paper lined place to drain. Discard all but 2 T of fat.
3. Saute onions until tender in the fat and then add garlic, carrots, marjoram, thyme and pepper and cook another 5 minutes
4. Drain and rinse the peas and add half of them to the stock pot
5. Add the ham broth and simmer (covered) for 15 minutes
6. With an immersion blender process until semi[smooth
7. Add the rest of the peas and simmer another 15-20 minutes (uncovered).
8. Add ham and bacon and heat through, seasoning with salt to taste.

Now, this, is a good Swedish pea soup. I got the recipe off this blog ↓

Charlotte Lund's culinary concerto

This gal is a bit more ambitious then I. She cooks down a ham broth by purchasing a ham in bone. Me? "Better than Bouillon" ham (or vegetable if you cannot find ham flavored) and adding leftover ham from a previous meal. 

smaklig måltid,

FYI - I am really a soup lover and I have an additional blog with my favorite recipes. If you are interested here is a great recipe for German lentil soup compliments of my German mother in law↓

Linsensuppe - German Lentil Soup

Recipe: Swedish cinnamon buns

Time to get baking! Tomorrow, October 4th is Cinnamon Bun Day. Recipe above on You Tube.

I have read that the average Swede consumes 10.3 kilos of coffee a year. That's 23.7 pounds! Wow, I thought hubby and I consumed a lot.  Coffee IS the best to go with sweet cinnamon buns though.

your fully caffeinated cousin,

Happy Meatball Day!

 

"Swedish meatballs, or köttbullar, must be prepared, above all, with love. This is why homemade meatballs are a widespread concept in Sweden, and there are many different favourite recipes – with and without meat. Some people feel there should be grated onion in the meatball mixture itself, while others prefer to dice the onion and fry it separately. Some people feel that their meatballs should be served with thick brown gravy, while others prefer it with a thin meat juice.

As part of a smorgasbord buffet, it is better to skip the gravy altogether.

In southern Sweden many people prefer their ground meat with a little more fat, but the further north you go, the less pork you will find in the meatball mixture. However, bread or rusk crumbs allowed to swell in milk are as important as the lingonberries on the side. They give Swedish meatballs their special soft consistency."

To find this scrumptious recipe from the Swedish Institute click here ▼

SWEDISH MEATBALL RECIPE from the Swedish Institute

Happy Meatball Day!