Recipes
Church of Norway
Those who are of
Norwegian heritage or who live in a community where Norwegian immigrants settled have experienced the tastes of Norway. Others may have likely enjoyed a Norwegian treat such as Jarlsberg cheese or one of several Christmas cookies. There are many Norwegian and Scandinavian cookbooks available, as well as recipe collections available via the internet. A good resource is the Norwegian-American museum located in Decorah, Iowa.
Potato Lefse
Makes 24
(Note: if you are planning to make lefse with children, you can assemble the ingredients and proceed to any point where you think children can actually join in the process. For example, with older children, have the potatoes cooked, cooled and ready and then involve them in the rest of the process. With younger children, you might get to the point having divided the dough to be rolled out, and let each child work to roll his or her own lefse.)
| 2-1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and halved |
1 tsp. salt |
| 2 tablespoons butter (room temp.) |
2 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for rolling and dusting |
| 1/4 cup milk |
|
Boil the potatoes until tender. Drain them well and return to the pot, stirring over low heat just a few minutes to dry them. Be careful not to brown them.
Mash the potatoes using a potato ricer in a heavy-duty electric mixer bowl. Add the remaining ingredients (except for extra flour) and mix well to form a nonsticky dough. Knead and form into a smooth log. Divide the log into 24 equal pieces. When you are ready to prepare the lefse, roll each into an 8 to 10 inch circle. Turn as you roll it and keep it well-coated with flour to prevent sticking. The dough is soft, but try to use as little flour as possible.
Preheat an electric griddle or frying pan to 375F or use medium heat on a stovetop. Shake excess flour off each circle of lefse and place it in the pan. It will start to bubble; cook until the bubbles are lightly browned, about 1-1/2 minutes. Turn with a spatula and cook the other side. Stack the lefse on a wire rack or wrap in foil and keep warm in a 200E oven. They can be frozen and quickly reheated in a pan or griddle. You can serve them with butter, raspberry or lingonberry preserves, sour cream, cinnamon sugar or even some herring in sour cream.
Recipe from The Frugal Gourmet on Our Immigrant Ancestors, Jeff Smith, Avon, 1990, pp. 378-9. |
A "coffee table" is a traditional Scandinavian gathering simply to meet with friends or to celebrate special occasions. The menu always includes coffee and a variety of baked goods. A simple coffee table might include a sweet yeast bread and one other cookie, while a complete coffee table includes a sweet yeast bread, an unfrosted pound or sponge cake, a fancy filled cake and assorted cakes or cookies for a total of seven items. You can include the following in a coffee table. (
Scandinavian Feasts by Beatrice Ojakangas, 1992, p. 220.)
Lemon Loaf
Citron Kake
Makes 2 loaves
Beat until thick:
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
Add and mix until blended:
1 c. margarine, melted
1/2 cup potato flour*
2-1/2 c. white flour,
2 t. baking powder
1 cup milk
rind of 1 lemon, grated
Preheat oven to 350F. Pour batter into 2 loaf pans, greased and floured on the bottom only. Bake 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from pans after a few minutes. Make a glaze with powdered sugar (start with 1 cup) and the juice from 1 lemon. Glaze while still warm.
(*If potato flour is not available, you can substitute cornstarch or rice flour, or increase white flour to 3 cups.)
Recipe from Extending the Table: a world community cookbook by Joetta Handrich Schlabach, Herald Press, 1991, p. 305. |