Kvæfjordkake, the “World’s Best Cake”
If you’ve ever had a bite of Kvæfjordkake, then you likely understand why many people know it as cake is also known as verdens beste kake or world’s best cake. With layers of buttery cake, delicate meringue, silky vanilla cream, and chopped almonds, it is rich yet light, each bite almost like a cloud. Kvæfjordkake is known as Norway’s national cake, and it has official ambassadors. I had the pleasure of interview one of them a few years ago when I was the food editor for The Norwegian American, and she shared the true recipe in the paper. (You can find…
Smoked Mackerel Salad, Two Ways
On hot summer days when you just don't want to turn on the oven, salads can be an appealing dinner option. Today I have two versions of a smoked mackerel salad that offer plenty of flavor and protein with little…
Scandinavian Recipes for Summer
If your pandemic cooking routine needs a little inspiration this summer, then you're in the right place! In this post you'll find a mix of Nordic-inspired and traditional Scandinavian summe recipes for every course, from my lightened up version of…
Sparkling Aquavit Cocktail with Strawberry and Orange
The tinny music box melody heralded the promise of summer’s sweetness on the hottest days of my childhood. When the ice cream truck rolled through the neighborhood, my parents would buy me my favorite ice pop, the one swirled with…
Creamy Shrimp and Dill on Cucumber Slices (Skagenröra)
Toast Skagen, or Skagenröra, is a popular Scandinavian appetizer that’s as easy as can be yet a crowd pleaser. This creamy, herb-flecked shrimp salad is typically served on triangles of buttered toast, but I’ve lightened up my Skagenröra by using…
Flaky Kringle with Almond and Raisins (For Grandma, with Love)
She would have turned 104 this month. So in honor of Grandma Agny, today I’m sharing my recipe for kringle, a flaky pretzel-shaped Danish pastry filled with almond and raisins. As I’ve written about in the past, I was getting…
Simply Poached Prawns with Herb Sauce (A Recipe from My New Cookbook)
My second cookbook, The Pescatarian Cookbook for Beginners: 75 Recipes to Kick-Start Your Healthy Lifestyle, is now available! The book was officially released into the world yesterday, and I’m delighted to be able to inspire readers are adopting a new…
Steamed Mussels with Leeks & Root Vegetables (a Memory of a Summer Day in Oslo)
Mussels always take me back to that sparkling summer in Oslo, the first time I visited the city of my father’s birth. Now these little shellfish, blåskjell as they’re called in Norway, prompt memories of that special time. Before that…
Queen’s Berries Martini
I grew up sipping gold from crystal glasses. Martinelli’s apple cider was the champagne of holiday feasts at my paternal grandparents’ house, and even as a child I interpreted that cider as I should have: a symbol of true Norwegian…
A Summer Salad with Strawberries and Rye
Some years ago, after years of studying old Scandinavian and New Nordic cooking, it hit me: A reason why Nordic cooking makes so much sense to me was not just because of my heritage and family culture, but also my…
Grandma Adeline’s Lefse
Grandma Adeline was a professional lefse baker back in the day. Here is her recipe, with detailed instructions as I learned the steps from her.
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