Swedish Recipes

St. Lucia Buns (Lussekatter)

December 9, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

The Story of Saint Lucia

Before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar we use today, Scandinavians recognized December 13th as the longest night of the year. When Christianity found its way to northern shores, monks brought with them the story of Saint Lucia, a young Italian girl who worked to help persecuted Christians who were hiding in the catacombs of Rome under the reign of Diocletian in 285 AD. In order to keep her hands free so that she could carry as many supplies as possible, Saint Lucia attached candles to a wreath on her head to provide her with much-needed light in the dark catacombs.

Celebrating St. Lucia Day

In modern Scandinavia, December 13th or St. Lucia Day is a celebration of light in the midst of the darkest time of the year and serves as a kickoff to the Christmas season in Sweden. Festivals of light are held in towns and schools all over the country on December 13th, with one girl chosen to portray Saint Lucia wearing a white dress, red sash and a crown of candles on her head.

St. Lucia Buns

It is customary to serve these bright, sunny saffron buns on St. Lucia Day in Sweden, either for breakfast with coffee or for an afternoon fika treat paired with a steaming cup of glögg. Soft, slightly sweet and studded with golden raisins, cheerful St. Lucia Buns are a reminder that longer days and sunlight are just around the corner.

Use the Tangzhong Method

For this St. Lucia Bun recipe, I revisited the sweet bun dough I developed for my beloved Swedish Cinnamon Buns. I used the same simple bread-making technique called tangzhong which helps yeasted baked goods stay soft and tender. Basically, a small amount of the flour and liquid (water, milk or a combination of the two) is cooked on the stove for a very short period of time creating a roux-like mixture. This process gelatinizes the starches in the flour allowing them to absorb more liquid and results in a higher rise and a more tender, moist bun that stays that way for a longer period of time. It’s a quick and easy step that makes a big difference in texture.

A Little Saffron Goes a Long Way

St. Lucia Buns customarily contain saffron which adds an exotic flavor and a bright yellow hue to the final product. In my testing, however, I discovered that too much saffron could be overpowering to these delicate buns. I found a recipe for St. Lucia Buns in the book Bread Illustrated by America’s Test Kitchen that called for a mere 1/4 teaspoon of saffron threads AND a bit of turmeric to bring additional yellow color without more saffron flavor. This was my favorite combination by far….a beautiful yellow dough and just a hint of saffron flavor.

Give these delicious St. Lucia Buns a try, either on December 13th in celebration of St. Lucia Day or anytime during the holiday season. They are a bright and cheerful reminder that these dark days won’t last forever.

St. Lucia Buns (Lussekatter)

A soft, slightly sweet Scandinavian saffron bun that is traditionally served on St. Lucia Day (December 13th).

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 50 minutes + 1 1/2 hours rising time
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours and 45 mintues
Yield: 16 buns
Category: baking
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian, Swedish

Ingredients

For the Tangzhong:

5 tablespoons water

⅛-¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled

⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric

5 tablespoons whole milk

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the dough:

5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, cooled

½ cup whole milk, slightly warm

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 teaspoon fine salt

¼ cup granulated sugar

3 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 large egg

All of the Tangzhong, cooled

⅓ cup golden raisins, chopped

For the Egg Wash and Topping:

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

Pinch of salt

Pearl sugar for topping

Instructions

Make the tangzhong: Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and add saffrom and turmeric. Steep for 15 minutes. Add milk and flour. Whisk until combined and no lumps remain. Place saucepan over medium heat and cook mixture, whisking constantly, until it thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Make the dough: While the tangzhong is cooling, begin preparing the rest of the ingredients for the dough. Combine yeast, salt, sugar and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk briefly by hand to combine.
Attach the dough hook to the mixer. Add melted and cooled butter, slightly warm milk, egg and the cooled Tangzhong (it can be slightly warm to the touch) to the dry ingredients. Mix on medium low until fully combined.
Increase mixer speed to medium and knead mixture for 3-4 minutes or until dough is slightly tacky but not sticky and clears the side of the bowl. Add raisins and continue to knead until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough. You can also mix and knead the dough by hand but it will take longer, more like 8-10 minutes.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for an hour or until 1 ½ or 2 times its original size. The time will largely depend on the temperature of your kitchen.
Once the dough has risen, preheat oven to 350 degrees and adjust oven racks so that they are in the upper and lower middle positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it onto a clean countertop. Roll out with a rolling pin until it is in the shape of a rectangle that is about 16 by 6 inches in size. The dough should be smooth enough that you do not need to add flour during the rolling process. If yours is sticking the rolling pin, however, sprinkle a little flour over the dough as necessary to prevent this from happening.
Using a pizza wheel, cut the folded dough lengthwise into 16 one inch strips. Cover with plastic wrap.
Working with one piece of dough at a time and keeping the rest of the dough covered, roll and stretch the strip of dough between the palms of your hands and the countertop into a 16 inch rope. Coil the ends of the rope in opposite directions creating an “S” shape. Place bun onto prepared baking pan. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing buns about 2 ½ inches apart with 8 buns on each baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30-45 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the egg wash. Whisk egg, water and salt together in a small bowl. Once the buns have risen and are ready to go into the oven, remove plastic wrap and gently brush the surface of each bun with the egg wash Sprinkle pearl sugar over the top of each bun.
Bake buns for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, switching and rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. Cool slightly on a wire rack and serve warm. Buns are best when eaten the day they are made.

Keywords: saffron, buns, St. Lucia, raisins, Christmas, Advent, holiday, yeast bread

Swedish Glögg

November 11, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Scandinavians are good at winter. Whether on skates, skis or snowshoes, they know how to get outside and enjoy what the season has to offer. They are also experts at coming in from the cold and getting cozy with candlelight, a roaring fire and perhaps most importantly, a steaming cup of mulled wine or glögg (pronounced “glue-g”). Spicy, sweet and soul-warming, glögg is served throughout the holiday season in Scandinavia. According to The Nordic Cookbook by Magnus Nilsson, the word glögg comes from the Swedish word glödga, meaning “to heat”. I have also read that in the Old Norse language it means “glowing ember”. Either way, I promise you will be both warm AND glowing after a cup of this delicious spiced wine.

How to Make Delicious Glögg at Home

Glögg is easy to make at home with just a few helpful tips and tricks up your sleeve:

Use a full-bodied, inexpensive red wine. No need to break out the good stuff here, but definitely find something you would enjoy drinking on it’s own. I like using Dark Horse Big Red Blend for my glögg. Described as a “shameless people pleaser”, this wine is toasty with big berry flavor. Perfect for mulled wine and a good price point, too.
Include the right combination of spices. There are many different recipes for glögg, all of which use a different mix of spices. I like to keep it classic with fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks, cardamom and cloves. And no need to overdo it, a modest amount of spices goes a long way.
Add orange peel and juice. Adding the zest and juice of an orange really brightens your spiced wine without giving it an overly orange-y flavor.
Use brown sugar as your sweetener. This helps bring out a toasty sweetness in the glögg.
Perhaps the most important tip of all….don’t let the glögg come to a boil! Boiling or even simmering the glögg will cause the alcohol to evaporate. We don’t want that! Bring the glögg up to the point of simmering and then turn off the heat.
Let the wine and the spices steep for several hours. The flavor of your glögg will improve if you give the wine a chance to really take on the flavor of the warm spices.
Add aquavit (or vodka, brandy or rum) just prior to reheating and serving. Again, do not let the glögg come to a boil. We want to preserve the potency of our mulled wine.
Serve with golden raisins and blanched slivered almonds. These will inevitably sink to the bottom of the glögg. Invite your guests to use a spoon to eat up the delicious almonds and raisins at the bottom of the glass once they have finished their beverage.

I know a lot of people who spend winter wishing it were spring. Instead, let’s follow the lead of our Nordic friends and happily sink into winter this year. Stock wood for the fire. Light some candles. Get out your flannel, your coziest blankets and a good book or two. And make a batch (or several) of Swedish Glögg. Maybe even host a glögg party if you are feeling festive! Forget spring for awhile, it will come in good time. It’s time embrace the inner warmth of winter.

Swedish Glögg

An easy and delicious recipe for classic Swedish mulled wine. It will keep you warm and cozy all winter long.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 10 minutes + 2 hours steeping time
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes (largely unattended)
Yield: 4-6 servings
Category: drinks
Cuisine: Swedish, Scandinavian, Nordic

Ingredients

1 orange

1 bottle dry red wine (nothing expensive but full-bodied)

⅓ cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 inch piece of ginger, sliced into thin rounds

10 whole cloves

10 cardamom pods, crushed (include both pods and seeds)

3 cinnamon sticks

½ cup aquavit, such as the Linie brand (rum, brandy or vodka will also work)

Golden raisins, blanched almonds and thin orange or clementine slices for serving

Instructions

Remove the peel from the orange using a vegetable peeler and transfer peel strips to a medium saucepan. Cut orange in half and squeeze juice into the saucepan with the peel.
Add all remaining ingredients to the saucepan and heat until mixture just comes to a simmer. Cover and remove from heat. Let steep for two to four hours at room temperature. Strain into a clean container. Mixture can be prepared up until this point up to a week ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
When you are ready to serve, return mixture to a saucepan. Add aquavit and a handful of golden raisins. Heat but do not boil (boiling will remove the alcohol). Serve immediately garnished with raisins, blanched almonds and orange or clementine slices.

Keywords: glögg, mulled wine, spiced wine, winter, warm beverages, hygge

Swedish Meatball Smørrebrød with Creamy Pickled Beet Salad

November 5, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

So you have some leftover Swedish Meatballs languishing in the fridge? Not a problem. In fact, consider yourself lucky. You have the makings of an easy and delicious Swedish meatball open sandwich. While this sandwich looks unusual and you are probably thinking I just made this up, I assure you, it is one of the classics. I like to think of it as a Scandinavian version of the American meatloaf sandwich, but a lot more beautiful and interesting.

This smørrebrød (or smörgås in Swedish) starts with buttered dense rye bread, as so many of them do. From there you add a handful or two of baby lettuces or arugula and a generous spoonful of a simple creamy beet salad. A few cold sliced meatballs finish it off with perhaps a dill sprig or a little chopped parsley or chives for garnish. Lunch is served.

The Nordic open sandwich has, from its inception, been intended as a creative vehicle for leftovers. This gorgeous and tasty Swedish Meatball Smørrebrød is the perfect example of Scandinavian leftovers done right.

Swedish Meatball Smørrebrød with Creamy Pickled Beet Salad

A classic Nordic open sandwich featuring a creamy pickled beet salad and leftover Swedish meatballs. Beautiful and delicious!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 2 open sandwiches 1x
Category: Smørrebrød
Cuisine: Swedish, Scandinavian, Nordic

Scale

Ingredients

For the Sandwiches:

2 thin slices dense rye bread

Butter for spreading

A handful of baby arugula leaves or other baby lettuces

Creamy Pickled Beet Salad (recipe follows)

4-8 leftover Easy Swedish Meatballs, sliced

Dill sprigs, chopped parsley or chives for serving

For the Creamy Pickled Beet Salad:

½ cup pickled beets, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 tablespoon prepared mayonnaise

1 tablespoon creme fraiche or sour cream

Instructions

Make the Creamy Pickled Beet Salad: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.
Assemble the Sandwiches: Transfer bread slices to a clean work surface. Butter the bread. Top with a handful of arugula, a generous spoonful of Creamy Pickled Beet Salad. Artfully arrange meatball slices on top. Garnish with herbs and serve.

Keywords: Swedish, meatballs, smørrebrød, sandwich, pickled beets

Easy Swedish Meatballs

October 31, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

There is perhaps no Swedish dish more well known and beloved worldwide than Swedish meatballs. Tiny spiced meatballs blanketed in a creamy gravy and served with sweetened lingonberries and pickled cucumbers alongside, this unique dish satisfies on so many levels. And the good news is that you don’t need to run down to the local IKEA to get your meatball fix. This recipe is easy enough to whip up for a cozy dinner any night of the week.

What Makes Swedish Meatballs Unique?

Many different food cultures have their own variation of the meatball. What’s so special about Swedish meatballs?

A combination of beef and pork. Most recipes for Swedish meatballs contain equal amounts of both ground pork and ground beef (usually ground chuck, about 85% lean).
A blend of warm spices, usually allspice and nutmeg (and sometimes ground ginger). This is what gives Swedish meatballs their unmistakeable flavor.
The meatball mixture is whipped in a stand mixer. You can certainly mix these meatballs by hand, but whipping the meatball mixture gives the final product a fine texture that is unique to Swedish meatballs.
Swedish meatballs are quite small, at most about an inch in diameter.
They are usually served in a creamy gravy with Stirred Lingonberries and Fresh Pickled Cucumbers alongside. This trio of savory, sweet and tangy is an unforgettable combination that hits all the right flavor notes.
Swedish meatballs are usually served on top of mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles. Both are delicious!

Tips For Perfect Swedish Meatballs

Use a combination of high-quality ground pork and ground chuck, preferably 80-85% lean. You don’t want your ground beef to be too lean; that can lead to dry meatballs.
Whip the meatball mixture in a stand mixer if you have one. This step gives the meatballs a fine, refined texture.
Portion out the meatball mixture with the help of a spring-loaded scoop, such as this tablespoon size cookie scoop. It can be difficult to get your meatballs the same size, especially when you’re trying to make them on the smaller side. I know that my inclination is to start small, but then my meatballs get gradually larger as I go. Portioning out the mixture keeps me honest and ensures the meatballs that are the same size every time.
Roll the mixture with damp hands. This meatball mixture is sticky, and it can be difficult to achieve round balls when rolling it between your palms. But if you wet your palms just slightly every 4 or 5 meatballs, the mixture won’t stick to your hands. I leave the faucet at a trickle next to me while I make the meatballs which is an easy way to do it.
Bake the meatballs rather than fry them. I’ve tried MANY different ways of making Swedish meatballs, and I believe that the baking method has many things going for it: no frying, less mess, more even cooking, a rounder final product, and it’s a hands off process leaving you free to attend to other things while they cook in the oven.
Save the browned bits from the baking sheet for your gravy. Do NOT clean off that baking sheet! We are going to use those beautiful browned bits that are stuck to the pan to make our gravy all the more flavorful.
Do not forget the Stirred Lingonberries and Fresh Pickled Cucumbers! It’s the combination of the all three together that make this dish extraordinary. If you don’t have access to frozen lingonberries, preserved lingonberries, such as the Felix brand are a good stand-in.

I think you are going to love my easy take on classic Swedish Meatballs. Please let me know if you give them a try in the comments below!

Easy Swedish Meatballs

A simple and streamlined recipe for classic Swedish Meatballs. Tiny spiced meatballs blanketed in a creamy, savory gravy and served alongside sugared lingonberries and fresh pickled cucumbers. Easy enough for a cozy Nordic supper any night of the week!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings (28 meatballs)
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: Swedish, Nordic, Scandinavian

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

1 large egg yolk

¼ cup heavy cream

¼ cup panko bread crumbs (fresh white bread crumbs are also fine)

½ pound ground pork

½ pound ground chuck (80-85% lean)

¼ cup grated onion

1 teaspoon fine salt

½ teaspoon packed brown sugar

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

⅛ teaspoon ground pepper

For the Gravy:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons flour

¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth

¾ cup beef broth

2 teaspoons soy sauce

½ cup cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped parsley or chives for garnish

Stirred Lingonberries and Fresh Pickled Cucumbers for serving

Instructions

Make the Meatballs: Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Combine all ingredients in the work bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium low until just combined. Increase speed to medium and whip until mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl from time to time.
Using a tablespoon measure, transfer tablespoonfuls of the mixture to a sheet pan. With damp hands, roll into balls. Chill (up to 24 hours) until ready to bake.
Transfer sheet pan to oven and bake until meatballs are browned and cooked through, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer meatballs to a plate. Pour ⅓ cup hot water onto the baking sheet and scrape up the brown bits that are stuck to the bottom using a metal spatula. Poor liquid and any bits into a measuring cup and set aside.
Make the Gravy: Melt butter in a 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add flour and cook for one minute, whisking constantly. Slowly add reserved drippings from meatballs, chicken broth, beef broth and soy sauce, whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Add cream and return to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add meatballs to gravy and cook briefly to reheat. Garnish with chopped parsley or chives if desired. Serve with Stirred Lingonberries and Fresh Pickled Cucumbers.

Keywords: Swedish, meatballs, easy, classic