Norwegian Christmas Baking: Krumkaker
I still remember what it was like, cupping my hand under my mouth to catch the crumbs. Biting into a krumkake at my grandparents’ house at Christmastime, I knew that the cookie would inevitably shatter. I just had to be…
My Favorite Kladdkaka (Swedish Fudgy Chocolate Cake)
Life is full of reasons to celebrate, I’m convinced of that. It’s so easy to get caught up in the movement and the swiftness of the everyday. Sometimes—as a friend put it the other day—the monotony. But I’m trying to…
A Perfected Scandinavian Swirled Tiger Cake
I’ve lost track of all the butter and sugar. I started writing about Scandinavian food seven years ago last month. I have no idea how many sticks of butter and cups of sugar I’ve whipped into cakes and cookies since then, but I’ve…
Scandinavian Cinnamon Rolls
While the cloudless blue sky and wind-free warmth of August hardly seem like the start of a new season, in reality autumn will creep up surely in the coming weeks—subtly at first, then erupting into its crisp, fog-laden fullness. I’ve…
Lemon-Flecked Norwegian Sunshine Cake (Solskinnskake)
My earliest memory is of the sun shining diagonally through the eastern-facing window of my nursery room. The door swings open as my mom steps through. I see it all through crib-slat lines, the geometric triangles of light and the vertical pillars of…
Norwegian Success Tart (Suksessterte)
I think it’s time we bring back the recipe card. You know the ones I’m talking about, often with yellowing paper and the swooping script of someone held dear. I have a storage box full of hundreds that my grandma…
Norwegian Bløtkake with Strawberries and Cream
When it comes to cake, I know two things for sure: A mediocre one is barely worth eating, and Scandinavia–especially Norway–boasts some of the best in the world. Take the classic Norwegian birthday and celebration cake, bløtkake–which translates roughly to wet…
Old-School Norwegian Prune Porridge (Sviskegrøt)
I can’t help but feel like a detective or a historian when I go digging into traditional Scandinavian recipes, trying to find clues to help me understand my heritage and family history better. The way my story goes, my grandma–the…
Norwegian Fluffy Sweet Omelet
The holiday of the moment may be Valentine’s Day, but I’m popping in here for a moment to let you know that this Sunday is also Norwegian Mother’s Day. If you’re not already marking the occasion, why not surprise the mothers…
Cardamom-scented Fastelavnsboller and other recently-published recipes
A few weeks ago I pounded so much cardamom in the mortar and pestle that I must have sneezed about ten times in the half hour that followed, whispers of the spice hovering around me and clinging to my hair. I…
