2010

We made it back from France last night and were surprised to be greeted by close to five inches of snow.  Alan tried like a mad man to get the Berlingo up our ever so steep driveway, but no such luck.  The tires just kept spinning.  It's parked at the bottom and will stay there until the snow melts away.  All in all, we had an excellent vacation and are happy to be home again and starting a new year.  I always have such joy and excitement at the start of a new year.  There's that rush of adrenaline that says "Anything is possible."

I have much to report but will check back soon...after I've caught up on unpacking, putting away Christmas decorations, and, ugh, laundry.

I wish you a New Year filled with meaning, laughter, and peace!

p.s.  On vacation I devoured the December issue of Saveur magazine.  Ever read it?  I picked up a free copy on the airplane coming back from the U.S.  There's an article on Swedish Christmas sweets and breads (with loads of recipes) that I can't wait to save and take out next Christmas.

Christmas in Denmark

While I will be away for two weeks celebrating Christmas in France, I recently wrote an article for Daring Kitchen.com that describes Christmas traditions in Denmark.  I have been blown away by the way Danes celebrate this special time of year:  everything from Gløgg wine and Pebernødder cookies to the beautiful white lights and candles for as far as the eye can see.

Please check out my article.

As the Danes say, God Jul og Godt Nytår.

Risengrød and our Nisse Alberte

There is a holiday tradition in Denmark that involves making a bowl of risengrød for a household's resident guardian spirit, called a nisse.  A nisse is sort of a mixture of elf/pixie/gnome and in Scandinavian folklore nisse were said to protect farms and their masters.  But nisse are known to be temperamental and if they do not receive a warm bowl of risengrød with a knob of butter and sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon on Christmas Eve, there's no telling what havoc they'll wreak.  I remember reading somewhere that when he didn't get his porridge, one nisse made the daughter of the house dance all night long until she almost died.

This year our dagpleje mor (daycare provider), Inger, and her family gave us the gift of our very own nisse, Alberte.

I prepared risengrød a few days ago and thought it was just about the best thing I've ever tasted.  All it has in it is rice, milk, and salt, but it is wonderfully delicious, hearty, and satisfying.  You can bet Alberte will be getting a bowl this Christmas Eve.

Risengrød

1.5c    water
1T      butter
1/2t     salt
1c       rice (pearl rice, aborio works, too)
4.5c    milk (I used 1.5 percent, which I believe is the equivalent of the 2% found in the U.S.)

1.  Rinse rice well and drain.  In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring first three ingredients to a rapid boil over high heat.

2.  Pour in rice, stirring constantly to prevent sticking.

3.  Reduce heat to low, stirring rice until boiling is reduced to a simmer.  Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes until most of the water is absorbed.

4.  Add milk to rice, stirring to incorporate.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then immediately reduce to low.  Once boiling has reduced to a simmer, cover and allow to cook, without stirring,  45-50 minutes.

Serve with a pat of butter and cinnamon and sugar.

Winter in Denmark

Sharing some of our recent winter wonderland sights.  I took the photos of the lighted bush at approximately 8:00 a.m. when day break was just upon us.  With sunset between 3:30 and 4:00 p.m., it's a heck of a short day of daylight.

When I stepped off our back deck the frozen "flowers" caught my eye.

My Gingerbread Man

Anatole and I had a blast making gingerbread cookies this year.  We shared them with family and friends, and he was especially happy to use the rolling pin and "make pie" with his gingerbread dough.  I have never seen a two-year old have so much fun in the kitchen.

Happy Holidays!

Oops, My Bad

After I posted about the food I brought back from the U.S., I received some important feedback.

1.  Quinoa DOES exist in Denmark.  A girlfriend of mine found it at the discount chain Fakta in her small town of Skive.  So there's hope!

2.  A reader from Denmark encouraged me to try the chocolate chips called Grand Cru from the Odense brand.  I have and, while they're not quite like the ones from home, they are a terrific substitute.

Tak for det, ladies!

Rum Balls

For countless Christmases, my grandmother would prepare a huge batch of what she called Bourbon Balls. Everyone in the family loved them, except me. I could only taste the alcohol, which made me gag. But I suppose that's the real reason everybody else loved them so much.

This year my mom shared a new recipe that caught my attention. I realized that nobody was forcing me to make them boozy. I could control the rum and add as much or as little as I liked. Now I'm on my third batch and they get better each time. I've given them away to friends and family and will be shipping some to our family members in France who live on the side of country we won't be visiting this Christmas (we're sticking to the Alps where we can ski!).

I've learned that the balls look prettiest when rolled smallish (3/4 of the size of a walnut) and run through a plate of red sugar sprinkles. Also, while I used the pecans the recipe calls for in the first batch, they are not very accessible or affordable here. In fact, I paid the equivalent of $7 for approximately 1 cup of pecans. The second time around I toasted a mix of walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts and thought the finished balls were just as good if not better than the first batch. So if you like one type of nuts over another, use what you like or have in the house. But I can't promise that peanuts would work well.

There are no chocolate or vanilla wafers in Denmark (that I know of), so I simply used Marie vanilla biscuits. Although they are quite a different thing than vanilla wafers, they worked beautifully. Finally, I opted for 1/4 cup rum and thought the flavor was perfect.

Rum Balls

Adapted from Alison Ladman's recipe, The Associated Press

8oz pecans, toasted and cooled

9oz package chocolate or vanilla wafers (or 1 sleeve of Marie biscuits)

1/2c powdered sugar

2T cocoa powder

1/2c rum (I used 1/4c)

2.5T corn syrup (or lys sirup)

Zest of 1 orange

a couple of squeezes of juice from the orange

colored decorating sugar, white granulated sugar, powered sugar, etc. (whatever you want to roll yours in...plain is fine, too)

Note: You might need to play a bit with the moisture of the mix. You want a mix that rolls relatively easy in your hands. That is, not too dry and not overly wet either. I found my first batch a bit dry; by adding a few more drops of orange juice and a little more syrup, it was just right.

1. In a food processor, pulse the pecans until finely ground.

2. Add the cookies and pulse until ground and mixed together.

3. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until thoroughly mixed.

4. Roll the mixture into small balls, then decorate by rolling in whatever topping you choose.

Store in an airtight container. Makes about 35.