Yuletide, the time of the year when “the sun turns“,  is also known as the winter solstice and was just as important here as anywhere else in Europe. The Scandinavian people believed that this was the time of the year when the dead walked the earth and, consequently, nobody slept alone – it was simply too dangerous. The whole extended family, masters and servants, slept in the long houses on fresh straw on that night. Originally the Yule log was a whole tree that had been chosen with great care and brought home amidst great rejoicing and with due ceremony. The root section was put into the fireplace

and the rest of the tree protruded and slowly fed to the fire – it was chosen so that it would last for the whole period. In Denmark the celebration begins at midnight on Christmas Eve and the culinary highlight of the evening is a very special rice pudding in which one only almond is hidden – whoever finds the almond will know only good fortune in the coming year.

CHRISTMAS RICE PUDDING

Ingredients

• 1,5 liters whole milk
• 250 g white rice, medium grain
• 125 g sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 whole eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 oranges, zest only
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 whole almond
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cinnamon sticks

Method

Preheat oven to 180 C.

• Put milk, eggs, rice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract and salt into baking dish.
• Stir well and then put the dish in a hot water bath.
• Cover and bake for 2 ½ – 3, stirring occasionally.
• Remove cinnamon stick after one hour of cooking and stir in the orange zest.
• Return to the oven.
• The dessert is ready when rice is soft and custard is set.
• Take off the lid for the last 10 minutes of cooking so that the top crisps into a golden crunch
• Now insert the almond (just before serving).
• Serve warm or cold with plenty of plain or cognac flavoured whipped cream

The tradition of the Christmas plate (when wealthy Danes gave biscuits and fruit to their servants using the best plates and biscuits) continues today.  Handmade Christmas decorations are secretly hung on the Christmas trees by and parents and was only seen on Christmas Eve. When the tree is lit up, families meet to sing carols and hymns around the tree.The Julemanden, father Christmas, arrives in a sleigh drawn by reindeer, a sack over his back. His elves, the Juul Nisse (who live in attics) help him -and children leave out saucers of milk or left over rice pudding for them. Parents have to be very careful not to eat too much since they have to consume those portions as well after the little ones have gone to

sleep. Norwegian children get their presents from a little elf, known as the Julebukk (see above) (which means the Christmas buck). Half human, half goat-  he originated in the Viking days when the nation worshipped Thor and his goat. The traditions have changed since the days when a goatskin clad man would storm in through the door and “die” during the course of the evening, only to return to life again. Also here, the idea of death and rebirth features strongly in the celebrations. Early on in Christianity, the goat became the devil and he would appear, ominously, in the middle of the raucous celebrations. Towards the end of the Middle Ages, this practice was outlawed by both Church and government and nowadays the goat creature is a mild mannered Julebukk. Norwegian Christmas meals of today reflects age-old traditions when fresh ingredients were rare in the middle of winter and meat and fish were usually preserved by salting, curing or smoking and vegetables by drying or preserving – the Christmas Eve meal varies from region to region but roasted pork and lutefisk usually reign supreme.

NORWEGIAN ROAST LOIN OF PORK

Ingredients

• 2 kg pork loin
• 2 onions, diced finely
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 50 g butter
• 250 g fresh breadcrumbs
• 250 g dried raisins and apples, mixed and finely diced
• 30 g fresh sage, finely chopped
• 1 large twig of rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
• 500 g small potatoes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

Preaheat oven to 220C

• Score the fat of the pork with a sharp knife – remove the skin first.
• Rub the meat generously with salt and pepper.
• Add breadcrumbs, dried fruit and sage to the chopped onions and check and correct the seasoning.
• Lay the loin out flat and put the stuffing in the middle, leaving a little strip and the end without stuffing and  roll up.
• Secure with kitchen string.
• Place the meat on a rack in an oven dish and bake for 30 minutes without covering it.
• Reduce the heat to 200 C and bake for 30 minutes at which point you add the potatoes, turn them around in the pan juices and bake for 30 minutes.
• Slice and serve with the potatoes.

Normally Lutefisk is served, as I’ve said before, but I have had so many people tell me that they really loathe it, so I decided to include another classic, Fiskeboller.

Ingredients

• 500 g haddock fillet, skinned bones removed & cut into strips
• 3 lemons, zest only
• 100 ml 1 thin cream
• 100 ml full cream milk
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 tablespoon corn flour (Maizena)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper

Method

• Sprinkle the fish with salt and process in a food processor until you have a firm consistency.
• Add yolks,  cream, milk and cornstarch to the fish and combine well.
• Whisk the egg whites to soft peak consistency and fold this into
the mixture, seasoning with white pepper.
• Bring water to boil in a wide pot and reduce to simmer at medium heat.
• Spoon 1 tablespoon of the  mixture into pot for 5 minutes, test for seasoning correcting if necessary and then start cooking the boller.
• Should you want larger size boller, you simply use a larger spoon but remember that you may need about 10 minutes to cook.

Serve with a plain shrimp cream sauce and vegetables.

It was decreed, over 1,000 years ago by the Swedish King Canute that Christmas would last from December 13 (the festival of St. Lucia) to the 13th of  January (Tjugondag Knut – St. Canute’s Day). I haven’t yet been able to find out why the 4th century Sicilian Saint Lucia was so revered in Sweden and if anyone can help here, please do. It is said that she fed Christians hiding in underground tunnels – in order to do this she wore a crown of candles to help her see.  She was arrested and martyred. On her name day the eldest daughters in most families in Sweden wear a white dress, a red sash and an evergreen wreath with seven lighted candles on their heads. She has to serve the entire family with coffee and sweet buns in their own bedrooms.  Breakfast in bed with a difference! She is a symbol of light and of hope at this very dark time of the year. On Christmas eve, itself, a little gnome, called the Tomte comes out from underneath the floor of the house or the barn and hands out gifts from the sack that he carries over his shoulder.

SCANDINAVIAN RED CABBAGE

Ingredients

• 1 head of red cabbage, cored and shredded
• 250 g white sugar
• 250 ml white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 500 ml water

Method

• Put the sugar, vinegar, salt and water in a large pot and bring to the boil, simmer on high heat for10 minutes.
• Add the cabbage and simmer over medium heat for 30 mins.
• This can be served immediately, or chilled and reheated later in smaller portions.

PEBBER NODDER

Ingredients

• 300 g butter
• 300 g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 625 g cake flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C.

• Mix the butter and sugar together until smooth and pale in colour.
• Whisk in the eggs one at a time, whisking until light and fluffy.
• Combine the flour and spices and stir this into the sugar mixture just until blended.
• Divide the dough into 6 balls, roll each ball into a cigar about as thick as your finger on a lightly floured surface.
• Cut into 1 cm  pieces, and place them on an un-greased baking sheet.
• Bake for 10 minutes in the oven, or until light golden brown.

Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

JULKAGE (DANISH CHRISTMAS BREAD)

Ingredients

Dough

• 750 g flour
• 250 ml milk
• 2 tsps instant yeast
• 1 tsp ground cardamon
• 1 extra large egg
• 2 tablespoons butter

Stuffing

• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 125 g dried fruits (raisins and candied citrus peel, mixed)
• 100 g sugar
• 125 g chopped almonds
• 1 tsp salt

Wash

• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 egg beaten with ½ tbsp dried lemon peel
• 2 tbsp thin cream

Method

• Sift flour and spices together.
• Warm milk slightly, stir in the butter, spices, the well whisked egg and the yeast and knead all this into the dough.
• Add dried fruit and nut “stuffing” about 5 minutes after you have started kneading.
• Remove dough from mixing bowl, put in a greased container, cover with cling wrap and allow to rise.
• As soon as it has doubled in size, knock down, knead well for a while and divide into 3 equal pieces.
• Roll each piece into a long rope and braid the ropes together.
• Place braid on lightly greased baking pan.
• Cover, let rise about 1 to 1 to ½ hours.

DANISH CHRISTMAS CAKE

Ingredients

• 50 g butter (or shortening)
• 300 g Maraschino syrup
• 300 g Sugar
• 1 tbsp orange Rind
• 3 Eggs
• 250 ml Buttermilk
• 1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 250 g sugar
• 750 g flour
• 250ml orange juice
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• 1 orange, zest
• 500 g dates, finely chopped
• 250 g coconut
• 500 g chopped nuts

Method

Preheat oven to 180 C

• Combine shortening, sugar, and eggs.
• Sift soda, salt, and flour together and add to shortening mixture.
• Add orange juice.
• Fold in remaining ingredients.
• Knead well.
• Bake in one large tube pan that has been well greased or in 2 pans (one smaller and one bigger)- an hour and 20 minutes for  the larger one and 60 – 70 minutes for the smaller.
• Make sauce while cake is baking and pour it on the hot cake when finished baking.
• Allow the cake cool in pan for about 30 minutes.
• Turn out onto foil, seal tightly, and keep in refrigerator or freezer.

Method for the Sauce

• Heat sugar and orange juice together and add zest and coconut.
• Mix well, remove from heat and allow to rest and cool while cake bakes.
• Add extra coconut to the top after sauce is poured over cake.
• It can also be further decorated with silver balls, bows and whatever you choose.