Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Skål! a Swedish Smörgåsbord

For January’s “24, 24, 24” program, I present to you all a traditional Swedish smörgåsbord in honor of A Little Night Music’s current revival on Broadway!

A traditional Swedish smörgåsbord is a buffet of bread, cheese, cold soup and fish dishes, and a number of hot dishes, so our Saturday Smörgåsbord menu had the following courses (click links below for recipes!):

• Limpa bread, butter, and cheese
• Gravlax on cocktail pumpernickel
• Chilled blueberry soup
• Swedish meatballs
• Roast duck with wine-braised cabbage
• Drommar (Swedish “dream” cookies)
• Glögg (Swedish mulled wine)

Looking over the menu I’d created for Saturday’s smörgåsbord, I realized that I had never cooked any of these dishes before. Had I gotten in over my head? Was this going to be a huge disaster?

Luckily, everything was surprisingly simple to make and delicious to eat!

Just a few of the ingredients purchased that morning for Saturday’s Swedish smörgåsbord.

Most of the ingredients were easy to find. The wonderful, knowledgeable butchers at Ottomanelli & Sons had plenty of roasting ducks for me to choose from, and even had time to answer a few questions about scoring the skin and properly rendering the fat.

The ammonium carbonate for the drommar cookies, however, was impossible to get a hold of. The folks over at Epicurious claim that your pharmacist can prepare ammonium carbonate for you, but I got ridiculed off the phone by the people at “the nation’s oldest apothecary” (aka “C.O. Bigelow”) – if the nation’s oldest apothecary can’t help you, who can? After follow-up calls to Whole Foods, Dean and Deluca, and a desperate plea to Rite Aid fell flat, I called C.O. Bigelow one more time, and this time they said they could help me! Which would have been great, if it were true. But they only had liquid smelling salts and a deodorant made from ammonium-something-or-other (“It’s all natural, you can just shave off pieces and bake with that!”) - no thank you, Bigelow. After popping into a few other specialty grocery stores in the West Village, I had to settle on using baking powder and just hope for the best.

For a dinner party starting at 5h00 Saturday afternoon, cooking started six hours earlier at 11 am. I had a wonderful helper in the kitchen, who was kind enough to let me put him to work prepping various ingredients, taking pictures, and providing second opinions on these foreign recipes.

Limpa bread

The first thing made was the limpa bread dough, which needed a lot more flour than the original recipe implied would be necessary. While that dough was rising, I made the cookie dough (which went into the refrigerator to chill) and then started the blueberry soup, which would need to chill for several hours. The original soup recipe called for twice the amount of sugar I used, but any more sugar would have turned this refreshing soup into puréed blueberry pie-filling!

**Note**: Make sure you remember an apron for the soup’s puréeing step! Blueberries leave some serious stains, as the sleeve of my formerly-favorite blouse can attest.

Blueberries, lemon, cinnamon, and sugar simmer to make the blueberry soup

The soup went into the refrigerator to chill, and once the dough was ready, I split it into two loaves and put them in the oven for about an hour.

After a quick break for lunch, the cookie dough was properly chilled and it was time to bake the cookies (5 dozen cookies?? thank goodness for office-mates!) and then start on the cabbage to go with the duck.

Preparations for wine-braised cabbage

The purple and orange of the red cabbage and oranges looked so pretty when it was just starting to cook, and then after about 90 minutes on the stovetop, it cooked down to a deep, jewel-toned purple and the original orange slices had practically disappeared.

Because of a timing mistake, the meatballs had to be cooked during the first 20 minutes of the duck’s roasting time, but I don’t think it hurt either dish. While the meatballs were baking, it was time to create the Swedish gravy-sauce - once the meatballs had cooked, they went right into the saucepot to stay warm on the stove until they were ready to be served.

During this last flurry of activity, guests started to arrive, so while I was whisking the Swedish gravy-sauce and stirring the cabbage, my “sous chef” was busy helping to slice bread, set out cheese, and make the gravlax appetizers.

Limpa bread, with goat’s milk butter

“Wow, you can really taste the orange in here - it’s a symphony of flavor!” (apparently that’s how they talk in Canada...)

The gravlax was cured by Citarella, with juniper berries and a generous dose of dill. A thin slice of gravlax was placed on top of a cocktail pumpernickel square spread with cream cheese, and topped with a few capers.

Gravlax on pumpernickel, with cream cheese and capers

“I don’t really like salmon, but this doesn’t taste fishy at all - I think it’s the dill, it tastes so fresh!”

Finally, the only thing that still needed work was the duck in the oven, so we let that keep roasting and sat down to the blueberry soup.

Blueberry soup, topped with a dollop of Greek yoghurt.

“The lemon in this reminds me of a lemon verbena syrup I had once in Ireland - it tastes like summer!”

The blueberry soup was so different from anything I’d had before. Light and refreshing, with a ton of flavor from the blueberries and lemon, there’s also a little dash of warmth that comes through from the cinnamon sticks that simmered in the broth.

Swedish meatballs

“These meatballs have a lot of breadcrumbs in them - it's great for soaking up the Swedish gravy-sauce.”

After we finished the soup, we moved on to the Swedish meatballs, followed by a celebratory shot of Aquavit! The group had mixed feelings about Aquavit, a vodka-like liquor flavored with caraway seeds - one person loved it so much he added some to his serving of glögg (Swedish mulled wine), but another guest could barely keep hers down.

As people recovered from their Aquavit consumption (“Skål!”), it was time to take the duck out of the oven, pour off the fat, and make the prune-red wine reduction sauce using the leftover pan drippings.

Roast duck with prune-wine reduction sauce and wine-braised cabbage

“I love this prune sauce - is it weird that I kind of want to pour it over cake and vanilla ice cream?” (Maybe, but it did taste really good!)

The duck was very tender, and made a perfect bite when joined on a fork by a bit of sweet prune and some of the tart wine-braised cabbage. The wine, vinegar, and cranberry juice in the cabbage made it reminiscent of sauerkraut, which some people loved and others didn’t. It was interesting, though, to taste the orange and cinnamon through the tart cranberry juice, and the sauce cut nicely through the richness of the fatty duck meat.

One of my main concerns about this dinner was that there wouldn’t be enough food for everyone, but at this point, people were starting to show the pleasant signs of an oncoming food coma, so at least everyone was well fed! We put on a pot of coffee to rouse the crowd, while ladling out mugfuls of glögg and passing around the drommar (Swedish “dream” cookies).

Drommar cookies

“These remind me of shortbread at Christmas, and the coconut flakes give them a really different texture.”

With a mug of coffee in one hand and a drommar in the other, the five of us sat around listening to “The Night Waltz” from A Little Night Music, thinking about Sweden, and enjoying our first culinary foray into Scandinavia.

Was it an authentic evening? Well, we tried, but if there are any Swedish readers out there, please leave a Comment or write in to Little Scarlet and tell us how we did!

Thank you, Foodbuzz, for giving Little Scarlet the chance to make this Smörgåsbord! Please check out what the other 23 participants did for their “24, 24, 24” on Foodbuzz.com.

Limpa Bread

Limpa bread is a traditional, popular Swedish rye, made unique by combining unusual flavors like orange and fennel. Baked in a bowl (instead of a loaf pan), it is incredibly flavorful with an aroma to match. Limpa is best eaten by itself, or served with fresh butter.

Left (top & bottom), Step 2; Right (top & bottom), Steps 3 and 4. Recipe yields two loaves.

Directions (adapted from limpa bread recipe):
1 pkg dry active yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tbsp sugar
½ cup plus 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp caraway seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 orange rind, grated zest
1 cup hot water
2 cups rye flour
4 ½ - 5 cups all-purpose flour (unbleached, if possible)

1. Soften yeast in lukewarm water; add 1 tbsp sugar and stir. Cover and set aside until foaming and doubled in volume.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, butter, seeds, and orange rind. Stir in hot water until well blended, and cool to lukewarm. Add foaming yeast and 1 cup rye flour; beat vigorously with a whisk until the batter is smooth. Add second cup of rye flour and 2 cups white flour. Beat until smooth and well-blended.
3. Add additional flour slowly, using just enough to make a dough that is soft, but stiff enough to handle (roughly 2-3 cups flour). Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes. Place the dough in a warm, well-greased bowl; cover and let rise until doubled in bulk. Then, knead and shape into 2 round loaves.
4. Butter and flour two ½ quart Pyrex bowls (or similar oven-proof bowl), and place one loaf in each. Bake in 350° F oven for 45 minutes or until done (may take up to 15 minutes longer, depending on your oven). Tap bread with fingers; bread is done when it sounds hollow.

Blueberry Soup

Blueberry soup may sound cloyingly sweet, but the addition of whole cinnamon sticks and lemon wedges add a zesty vibrancy to this refreshing, chilled Swedish soup. This is a perfect dessert soup to brighten up the winter months, and would do well as part of a main course during warmer seasons.

Recipe yields 4 generous servings, or 6 appetizer-size servings

Directions (adapted from Bon Appétit’s recipe):
2 1-pound bag of frozen unsweetened blueberries
2 cups water
5 tbsp sugar
4 thick lemon wedges (roughly ½ lemon)
2 cinnamon sticks
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Bring all ingredients to boil in medium-size pot over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until berries are very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and discard lemon slices and cinnamon stick. Reserve half of the blueberries, and purée the remaining half in the pot with an immersion blender; add some of the reserved blueberries and purée again for a thicker consistency, if desired. Add reserved blueberries back into pot and stir. Transfer all of soup to medium bowl and refrigerate until very cold.
2. Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt, and garnish with lemon wedge.

Swedish Meatballs

Swedish meatballs are a necessary part of any smörgåsbord, and are a great belly-warmer during the cold winter months. This recipe uses a lot of breadcrumbs, which helps the meatballs to really soak up the Swedish gravy-sauce. This meatball recipe is great by itself, though, and using panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) instead of white bread gives these meatballs a lighter texture.

I don’t like to overcrowd the Swedish gravy-sauce, so this recipe actually yields a few extra sauce-free meatballs - feel free to use them up later in the week with spaghetti or on a meatball sub!

Yields 96 meatballs; for larger meatballs, use a 1-tablespoon measure instead - recipe will then yield about 48 meatballs.

Directions (adapted from Martha Stewart’s recipe):
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 pound ground pork
3 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 ½ cups whole milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups canned reduced-sodium beef broth

1. Preheat oven to 475° F. In a large bowl, combine beef, pork, panko, ½ cup milk, eggs, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and allspice. Mix just until combined, being careful not to overwork the meat.
2. Using a rounded ½-tablespoon measure for each, form mixture into meatballs (you should have about 96 - for larger meatballs, a 1-tablespoon measure should yield about 48 meatballs). Place meatballs onto two rimmed baking sheets, and bake until golden brown and cooked through, 10-12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.
3. While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high, and add flour, whisking for 1 minute (do not let darken). Slowly whisk in remaining cup milk and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until sauce has slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. Using a slotted spoon, add meatballs to bowl with sauce; gently toss to combine. Serve as a side dish with lingonberry jam (or as an appetizer on toothpicks). If served as a main course, mashed potatoes or egg noodles are traditional pairings.

Roast Duck with Wine-Braised Cabbage

Duck is a very rich meat, and when combined with a bite of sweet prunes and some tart wine-braised cabbage, this dish makes the perfect forkful! Be sure to save some of the fat that cooks off of the duck - it’s great for frying up eggs or potatoes.

Preparations for wine-braised cabbage

Carved duck stuffed with prunes and apples

Plated recipe, complete with wine-braised cabbage and prune-wine reduction sauce. Serves 4.

Directions (adapted from Bon Appétit’s recipe):
½ orange, peeled and sliced
¼ cup (½ stick) butter
6 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (from half of large head)
3 cups blackberry-cranberry juice (**note**: do not substitute cranberry juice cocktail!)
1 ¾ cups dry red wine
½ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 5 ¼-pound duck
26 large prunes, pitted
1 Granny Smith apple, halved, cored, sliced

1. Slice rind off the orange, and cut into slices. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat, and add cabbage; sauté 2 minutes. Add 2 cups juice, 1 cup wine, vinegar, sugar, orange and cinnamon. Simmer until cabbage is tender and almost all liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Discard cinnamon stick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat oven to 475° F. Place duck on rack in roasting pan. Place 10 prunes and apple in duck cavity. Sprinkle duck with salt and pepper, and score the skin in the duck’s fattiest areas with a sharp knife - be careful not to cut through the skin to the meat, though. Roast duck 30 minutes.
3. Prick duck skin with a fork in the fatty areas over the breasts and thighs (again, do not pierce the meat), and reduce oven temperature to 350° F. Continue roasting until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 160° F, about 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, combine remaining 1 cup juice and 16 prunes in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until prunes absorb almost all liquid, stirring occasionally (about 10 minutes).
5. Transfer duck to platter, and tent with foil to keep warm. Pour off fat from pan (saving some for later days!), add remaining ¾ cup wine to roasting pan, set over medium heat and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add wine mixture to prune mixture; simmer until prune-wine reduction sauce is reduced to 1 cup, about 4 minutes.
6. Bring cabbage to simmer, tossing occasionally. Slice duck; arrange on plates. Spoon prune-wine reduction sauce over top, and serve cabbage alongside.

Drommar (Swedish “dream” cookies)

This recipe originally calls for “ammonium carbonate” - an ingredient that is very common in Europe, but can be incredibly difficult to find in America. Also known as “baker’s ammonium”, ammonium carbonate is a leavening agent that gives these cookies a uniquely crisp texture. It can be purchased at specialty grocery stores, or online, but baking powder can also be substituted in equal amounts.

Now, you might be thinking, “Put ammonium in my cookies? Are you crazy? Thanks, but no thanks”. But while ammonium carbonate makes the cookie dough smell like … ammonium, the smell completely disappears in the baking process and the cookies are 100% safe (and delicious!) to eat.

Yields 5 dozen cookies

Directions (adapted from Gourmet’s recipe):
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder (replace with 1 tsp “baker’s ammonium”, if available)
½ tsp almond extract
1 ¼ cup shredded coconut

1. Sift together flour and salt.
2. Using an electric hand mixture, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in baking powder and almond extract until well combined, and then slowly mix in flour-salt mixture at low speed until just blended. Stir in coconut. Form dough into disk and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 300° F. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and arrange 1 inch apart on greased baking sheets. Bake cookies in upper third of oven until pale golden around edges, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack to cool.

Glögg (Swedish mulled wine)

Glögg yourself!

This Swedish mulled wine is fun to say and fun to drink (go on, use it in a sentence… “your glögg is showing” or maybe “what the glögg!”…?). Some recipes call for the sugar to be soaked in brandy and set on fire, with more brandy ladled on top until the sugar has dissolved - but this recipe is a little less flammable.

Cardamom pods, cinnamon, cloves, and orange zest are the traditional base for this winter drink, as are the raisins and almonds present in each cup. Combinations of alcohol like red wine, Muscatel, tawny port, brandy, and Aquavit (a potent, vodka-like spirit flavored with caraway seeds) vary from family to family, though, so feel free to experiment!


Directions:
1 ¾ cups water
18 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves
½ orange, zested
¾ cup sugar
½ cup raisins
½ cup blanched almond slivers
1 bottle Muscatel wine
½ bottle tawny port

1. Bring water to a boil with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and orange zest; stir in sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat, and allow to steep for several hours, or overnight.
2. Bring to a simmer, and pour in the Muscatel and port. Add the raisins and almonds, and raise the temperature so that the mixture is steaming - be careful not to simmer though, for fear of cooking off the alcohol.
3. Serve warm in a mug, with some fruit and almonds in each cup.

Recipe yields 5 servings.