From the kitchen
of Beatrice Ojakangas, The Great Scandinavian Baking
Book
From the kitchen
of Beatrice Ojakangas, The Great Scandinavian Baking
Book
SCANDINAVIAN CHRISTMAS SPECIALTIES
ROSETTES (Swedish)
(Struvor)
Makes 60 rosettes
These
are fragile and pretty deep-fried pastries; you need a special
rosette iron to make them. Rosette irons in various shapes are
available in specialty shops and department stores. The trick
to making good rosettes is to preheat the iron in the fat, and
to be sure not to dip the iron so deeply into the batter that
it coats the top of the iron. If you fry the tops, the pastries
will not slip off the iron at all!
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
hot fat for frying
powdered sugar
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then add the sugar. Mix in the milk and flour just until batter is smooth and free of lumps. It should be the consistency of thick cream. Have batter in a container just wide enough to permit easy dipping with the irons.
Heat fat to 370
degrees Farenheit. (Vegetable oil, lard, or shortening may be
used.) Place rosette iron into the fat to preheat. Dip into batter
and return to fat for 20 to 35 seconds or until the rosette is
lightly browned. Lift up and drain over the fat a few seconds,
and using a sharp knife or fork remove the rosette and let drain
on paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
ICELANDIC SNOWFLAKE
BREADS
(Laufabraud)
Makes 32 rounds
Anyone
who has ever made paper snowflakes will be familiar with this
technique. The dough is rolled out thin, folded, and with a sharp
knife the decorations are cut into each cake. They are then deep-fried
until golden and served with smoked lamb at Christmas. As with
most Scandinavian Christmas pastries, these are made early in
the Advent season and stored in a cool place. (A "cool place"
in Iceland—or Minnesota, for that matter—is not hard
to find; it's usually a tin on the back porch!)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 cups milk, heated to boiling
hot fat for frying
powdered sugar
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and sugar. Mix in the butter and hot milk until a stiff dough is formed. Turn out onto a lightly oiled surface and knead until smooth and cooled. Divide dough into four parts. Shape each into a ball. Divide each into 4 parts to make 16, then divide each of the resulting balls into 2 parts to total 32.
Cover baking sheets with waxed paper and dust the waxed paper lightly with flour.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each part of the dough to make a thin round about 8 inches in diameter. Place the rounds on the floured waxed paper. Chill 30 minutes.
In a skillet, heat 2 inches of fat to 375 to 400 degrees Farenheit. Vegetable shortening or corn or peanut oil may be used by the authentic fat is lard.
Fold the dough rounds, one at a time, into quarters, and, with a sharp-tipped knife, make little cuts and cut-outs in the dough. Fry the bread rounds, until golden brown, about 1 minute on each side. Remove and drain on paper toweling. Store in an airtight container in a cool place or in the freezer until ready to serve.