North Wild Kitchen

Tag: dairy

Skoleboller (Norwegian Buns with Custard & Coconut)

Some days, you just need to bake. Whatever the occasion, whatever the sky.

My baking day turned into days. Baked goods all around. A seamless stream of sweet things. Anytime I begin contemplating about what to bake, there is always a request for one in particular. Boller. Perhaps the most popular baked good in Norway. And perhaps one of the simplest.

Boller are Norway’s answer to a sweet bread and instead of just being a simple yeast dough that is lightly sweetened, cardamom is added. This distinctive and flavorful spice takes baked goods to a whole new level. Anyone will tell you that cardamom is a key player in Norwegian baked goods. What’s even better about boller, is that it acts as a base to so many other great variations. One variation, in particular, looks like snowfall on a sunny day. And perhaps, in one way or another, this time the sky was my inspiration to get in the kitchen and bake. (more…)

February 3, 2017
Juniper Berry & Barley Noodles with Creamy Chanterelles

When you think of noodles, you probably conjur up images of Italian pasta or Asian noodles or perhaps even German spätzle. The thought of a Norwegian noodle would probably never come up, and rightly so. Therefore, you might be wondering why I am posting a pasta dish.

Well…

I was invited to take part in @noodleholicsparty, a virtual gathering of fellow food bloggers celebrating noodles from all around the globe. That is to say, food lovers from all over expressing their versions of this cross-cultural staple. See the bottom of this post for all the participants and their dishes. I have a love affair with noodles, so I was immediately interested, but also hesitant at the same time because Norway does not have a version of the noodle. In fact, the macaroni did not enter Norway until 1913. Nowadays, noodles are borrowed and usually kept within their respective countries framework.

However, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to showcase just what a Norwegian noodle dish might look like. Because, after all, noodles are made with simple base ingredients. The same ingredients that are the building blocks for Norwegian breads, like lefse and flatbrød. So even though there has never been a distinctive Norwegian noodle, there is no reason there shouldn’t have been or should be one now. (more…)

January 15, 2017
Rice Porridge Ice Cream (Risengrynsgrøt Iskrem)

2016 has been an extraordinary year, to say the least. This past January, I launched the blog to bring people into the Norwegian kitchen, the Norwegian landscape and the Norwegian culture. A reflection of my journey. My interactions with the community around me. My take on local ingredients. The seasons came and went. Spring’s nettles, ferns and rhubarb, summer’s berries, autumns’s harvest and winter’s cakes and hearty fare. Here we are, coming full circle once again.

As 2017 draws near, I look back with such awe of all that has transpired and all that I have experienced and been a part of. All of the recipes. All of the stories. All of the people. All of the traditions and all of the innovations. All the highs. So many highs. (more…)

December 30, 2016
Pinnekjøtt with Flatbread, Rutabaga, Crispy Potatoes & Lemon Browned Butter

Traditions are like threads. Threads pieced together from generation to generation. Some threads break loose and are replaced with newer ones, but others remain at the core. The dishes we eat are just a few of those threads. Everyone has their favorites, their must-haves, and when those are satisfied, there’s room for a few new threads.

Tradition is a celebration of time past and tells the stories that make up our memories, but it also celebrates the present and our evolving tastes. In tradition, there is room for innovation and the embrace of individual desires.

While reflecting over Norwegian Christmas traditions, I was asked, dare I say challenged, to come up with a unique way of presenting the dish that one third of Norwegians consume every Christmas Eve. Pinekjøtt. Rather than create smoke and mirrors, I decided to package it all in a different way.

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December 19, 2016
Old Fashioned Pepperkaker (Norwegian Gingerbread Cookies)

Arguably, the most aromatic and popular Christmas cookies in Norway are Pepperkaker. They stand out among all the other traditional cookies with their fragrant presence, crispy and inviting texture, and ability to transform into whatever shape or design or role the beholder so wishes.

Pepperkaker is more than just another cookie on the table. It’s a transformative dough of make-believe where dreams of candy houses and whole cities are an annual tradition, stories of runaway gingerbread men come to life, and windows and trees become a canvas for warm greetings and decorations.

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December 13, 2016
Sirupskake (Layered Spice Cake with Candied Oranges )

The sound of wood crackling in the fireplace. A good friend stopping by for the day. The trickle of snow seen from the window. Folk music resounding and the smell of fragrant spices filling the air. The atmosphere seems too enticing, as if you could eat it all up. It can only mean one thing. Holiday baking has begun.

Quite recently I visited the Rollag Bygdekvinnelag, a wonderful group of ladies who meet throughout the year to swap stories, share meals, go on excursions, and maintain traditions, which have been shared and passed down through the women in the area. I was invited to look through some old cookbooks that had been kept within each respective family for generations. Some dated back to the 1800s and some were as recent as the 1970s. Mostly all were handwritten and well-used with smudges and small tears caressing the pages.

Pages filled with exciting and interesting recipes. Some still popular today, some forgotten, some a bit more unusual and some, perhaps, better left as ink on the page. With the holiday season fast approaching, a few of the traditional baked goods popped out at me. One of them being, sirupskake or syrup cake.

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December 1, 2016