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Interior and Designer: Patricia Fabricant
Art Producer: Michael Hardgrove
Editor: Rebecca Markley
Production Editor: Nora Milman
Photography 2020 Marija Vidal. Food styling by Elisabet der Nederlanden
courtesy of Rosemary Dai Ross
ISBN: Print 978-1-64611-618-8 | eBook 978-1-64611-619-5
R0
In memory of my grandmothers, Agny Johanne Danielsen and Adeline Ingeborg Midstokke, for their humble generosity, graceful hospitality, enduring legacy, and unconditional love
Contents
SCANDINAVIANS KNOW THE COLD. Theyve experienced the chill that hangs in the air, almost tangible, and how it seeps through the cells of the body. Theres a reason they bundle up in those thick, iconic knit sweaters! I grew up in Seattle where the chill of winter is relatively mild, but still I know what its like to stand out in the cold at my grandparents door, waiting for them to welcome me in. Ive experienced what its like when that door opens and the heat from insideaccompanied by the aromas of Grandmas cookingspills out. I know the taste of all her buttery cookies and the delight of biting into a delicate krumkake with my hand ready to catch the crumbs as it shatters between my teeth. Indeed, Scandinavian baking is tied to hospitality, and just as biting into a cinnamon bun still hot from the oven warms the body, baking helps facilitate relationships, which warms hearts.
Baking is an integral part of Scandinavian food culture, as much a part of the day as a cup of coffee might be here in the United States. Consider fika , for examplethe Swedish coffee break. In this lovely tradition, stopping to connect with someone is inseparably linked to enjoying something buttery and baked and delicious. Cozy, right? That brings me to another Scandinavian concept hygge and its Norwegian counterpart, kos and koselig . While all those terms could simply translate to cozy (and you need a lot of that during the long, cold winters!), theres so much more to them: They reflect a mindset that is essential to the culture. And while you cant achieve real hygge by simply whipping up something sweet, the act of baking certainly helps get you closer to the essence of that lifestyle.
As a journalist and food writer, Ive been studying the food of Scandinavia for over a decade, since I launched my blog, Outside Oslo (www.outside-oslo.com), in 2009. I write about Scandinavian food because I believe that one of the most profound ways we can show love and extend hospitality and acceptance to those around us is with food.
My familys roots burrow deep into Norwegian and Norwegian American history. With a dad who emigrated from Norway as a preteen and a mother whos also Norwegian, by way of North Dakota, baking was a significant part of our family culture. My childhood memories are studded with baked treatsdelicate krumkaker , soft potato lefse rolled up with butter and sugar, tins of buttery cookies of countless shapes and variations, pillowy layer cakes draped with marzipan. The generations that came before me seemed to always be ready to serve something special for unexpected companyan essential part of the hospitality that they demonstrated so well.
I may live in Seattle, far outside of Oslothe city of my fathers birthbut I try to create my own little slice of Scandinavian hospitality and flavor right where I am through the meals I prepare and the beauty and atmosphere I create in my home. No matter what heritage and personal background you have, I hope this book will inspire you to do the same.
ONE
WHEN WE BAKE WITH LOVE, THATS WHEN BEAUTY COMES INTO OUR CREATIONS. That was my message at a baking class I taught in Seattle some years ago. I was teaching the art of Norwegian coffee treats, some of which take practice and finesse to get just right. But in my experienceas the granddaughter of a couple of women devoted to the art of hospitalitythe quality of a cookie or pastry certainly matters, but not as much as the love its prepared and served with. After all, when you bake from your heart, the sentiment works its way into each cup of flour measured, each component mixed into the dough, and each beautiful, finished confection. As you flag the recipes in this book that youd like to try, keep in mind the loving intention behind Scandinavian baking. In this chapter, Ill equip you with foundations, techniques, and tools youll need to extend this sort of delicious hospitality to the people in your life.