Celebrating Smörgåsbord with a Parisian

One year ago today my 2nd cookbook Smörgåsbord was published by the lovely people at Ten Speed Press. I wrote this book because I think the classic Swedish smörgåsbord is a perfect display of Nordic Cuisine, with dishes ranging from cured fish to small meatballs, including bread, butter, and cheese. It’s also a wonderful, traditional way to enjoy food with friends and family.

This first year has been loads of fun meeting cooks, bakers and serious eaters. For example, last Autumn I hosted a special Smörgås dinner with chef Renee Baumann at 61 Local (Brooklyn) together with Jamie Schler I held a special Orange/ Smörgåsbord potluck party, and at Union Square market I shared bread and taught market visitors how to bake Swedish thin bread. I have also taught a smörgås/ smørrebrød class at Archestratus in Greenpoint and at COOKS in Philly I created a Smörgåsbord Christmas dinner together with cocktail duo Andre & Tenaya DarlingtonAnd my neighborhood restaurant Otway with chef Clair Welle, cooked up a whole smörgåsbord menu to celebrate the book. I have really enjoyed talking and sharing breads and special treats with you all. Thanks everyone for your support and curiosity to learn more about Scandinavian cooking. The 2nd year I will continue with more classes and dinners so please check my event page for updates.

To celebrate, I’m sharing my Smörgåsbord recipe for parisare, which in the book is translated into the Swedish open-faced burger, as it simply is a burger without a top. A parisare (Parisian in English) is a Swedish retro classic with an unclear past. It might be related to something French but nobody seems to know the origin of this dish.

The best parisare is made with the Swedish iconic biff à la Lindström, which are tasty patties spiced with pickled beets, capers, and mustard. Unlike a traditional burger, a parisare is assembled on a slice of toasted bread (preferable a light sourdough) and topped off with a sunny side egg, peppery garden cress (similar to mustard greens or watercress), and sprinkled with freshly ground white pepper.  I also recommend frying the bread together with the patty which unite the bread and the meat into a perfect deliciousness (see recipe below).

Serve parisare with roasted potatoes and condiments such as horseradish relish, pickled cucumber, and mustard. All these condiments are super easy to make and I share my simple recipes of all three in the book.

If you bake or cook anything from the book, I would love to hear about it! Please leave a comment or tag me if you share it on social media. I’m @johannakindvall on instagram and @kokblog on twitter. You can also tag your bakes and dishes with #ArtofSmorgasbord. I will most likely share your post with the rest of my followers.

Cheers!

Parisare
(The Parisian – Open-Faced Hamburger)
From Smörgåsbord: The Art of Swedish Breads and Savory Treats

makes 4 to 8 open-faced burgers

1 pound (450 g) ground beef
2 tablespoons minced shallot
¼ cup (1.5 oz, 42 g) finely chopped Pickled Beets*
2 tablespoons finely chopped capers
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 egg, beaten
½ to 1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

4 to 8 slices of sourdough bread**
unsalted butter, for frying

topping
4 to 8 eggs, at room temperature
salt and freshly ground white pepper
garden cress (mustard greens or water cress)

In a small bowl, combine the beef, shallot, beets, capers, mustard, and egg. Add the salt and pepper and mix until evenly blended. To check the seasoning, take a small piece of the meat mixture and fry it in a pan; adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

Prepare the ground meat mixture. Shape 4 large or 8 small flat patties. If necessary, cut the bread slices in half to match the patties; the patties will shrink slightly when cooked, so the individual bread slices can be slightly smaller than the meat. Place the patties on top of the bread and press them down a little so the meat sticks to the bread.

In a large skillet, heat some butter and fry the patties over medium-high heat with the meat side down. When the meat is cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes, flip them over and cook until the bread side is a nice color, about 1 minute. Adjust the heat, if necessary.

In a separate pan, fry the eggs in butter on one side, over low heat, for 3 to 4 minutes. Place the eggs on top of each patty and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

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* Smörgåsbord has a simple and delicious recipe for pickled beets but you can also find these type of pickles in many well stocked supermarkets as well as in any Scandinavian or eastern European food shops.

** From the Smörgåsbord book, I suggest to use the Rustic Rye Bread (page 46) or the Cast Iron Whole Wheat Bread (page 43). You can also use this bread or this one (or any other light sourdough bread) .

Reprinted with permission from Smörgåsbord by Johanna Kindvall, copyright © 2017, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

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related links

If you want your own copy of
the Smörgåsbord cookbook you can get it here.

Smörgåsbord cover animation

my christmas table + recipe of vörtbröd 

more about the Smörgåsbord book here and here

my 1st book: Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break
by Anna Brones & Johanna Kindvall
(Ten Speed Press, 2015)

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How to make struvor (Swedish rosettes)

Last summer, when I helped my mother pack down her house that she’d lived and worked in for almost 50 years, I found her old struvjärn. Obviously I snuck it out right away, slightly afraid that she or any of my siblings might object! In Sweden struvor (rosettes in English) are a deep fried pastry that’s most common around Christmas but I think they work all year round, by themselves or together with chocolate sauce and ice cream.

These cookie-like pastries are made with a struvjärn which is preheated in hot oil, dipped into a pancake like batter, and then deep fried until golden brown, crisp, and light. The iron tool comes in many different decorative designs like stars, snowflakes, butterflies, and hearts. They are best eaten freshly made, dipped in granulated sugar spiced with cardamom. The granulated sugar gives an extra crunch to this airy deliciousness.

The batter for the rosettes is pretty much the same batter you use to you make Swedish pancakes or crepes. In general the batter is just flavored with a pinch of salt and occasionally with a dash of vanilla. In US it’s common to add sugar to the batter but in most Nordic recipes it’s not. The Finnish struva, which are called tippaleipä (similar to funnel cake) are made with yeast and simply piped out with a pastry bag (or a bag with a cutoff corner). Talking about it on InstagramI learnt that there are several similar pastries around the world, (see list below). If you know of any other variations and types, please share in the comments and I will add it to my list.

The recipe here is originally a recipe by Johan Sörberg which I liked because he suggests to add a few tablespoons of porter to the batter. Instead of porter you can use stout or any other beer. Except for the addition of cardamom to the topping, I haven’t really changed this basic recipe more than made it work in both metric and imperial measurements.

Serve the rosettes as they are or together with vanilla ice cream. They are also delicious to  dip in chocolate sauce.

Struvor (Swedish Rosettes)
plenty to feed 6 to 8 for dessert or a special fika

batter
1 ¼ cup (300 ml) whole milk
2 eggs
pinch of salt
2 ½ tablespoon porter (or stout)
1 ¼ cup (6.25 oz, 180 g) all purpose flour

1 cup (250 ml) neutral vegetable oil such as sunflower oil, plus more if needed

topping
granulated sugar
ground cardamom, to your liking (or ground cinnamon)

Whisk together milk, eggs, salt, and porter. Sift in the flour and mix until a smooth batter.

In a saucepan, heat up the oil to at least 355°F (180°C).

Prepare a plate with enough sugar to dip the finished pastries in. Add the ground cardamom to your taste and mix well.

When the oil has reached the right temperature, dip the rosette iron into the hot oil and let it heat up for a few seconds, then dip it in the batter. The batter should just reach the top edge of the rosette (if the rosette is totally covered you will have a problem releasing the fried rosette from the iron).

Now dip the battered iron into the hot oil and let it fry until golden, less than a minute. Shake the iron or use a fork to loosen the rosette from the iron, let it fry a little longer to make sure both sides get a nice color. With a large tweezer or a slotted spoon, transfer the rosette to a paper towel to drain before dipping into the sugar & cardamom mixture. Repeat until all the batter is finished.

Best eaten fresh but leftover pastries can be stored, when completely cooled, in an airtight container. Leftover batter can be stored in the fridge for at least 1 to 2 days. The batter can also be used for thin pancakes.

NOTE: Rosette irons are available in many stores online. But you can also try to pipe the batter out with a bottle or plastic bag as when making funnel cake. 

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similar pastries around the world

Rosettes (US)
the Spruce

Tippaleipä (Finland)
similar to funnel cake but made with yeast – by Anna Billing

Funnel Cake(US)
made with baking powder and piped out – Smitten Kitchen 

Kokis (Sri Lanka)
with coconut milk, rice flour & turmeric 

Kuih Loyang (beehive cookies, Malaysia)
with coconut milk & rice flour – Lisa’s Lemony Kitchen 

Bunuelos de Aire (Mexico)
Abuela’s Kitchen

Kue kembang goyang (Indonesia)
made with coconut milk & rice flour – Borneo recipes

Filhós de forma (Portugal)
with orange – by Mónica Pereira da Silva

Frittelle croccanti Altoatesine (Italy)
(roughly translates to “South Tyrolean fritters”)

Churros (Spain)
Cannelle Vanille

Xuxos & Churros (Spain)
kokblog post

Krustader (Nordic)
made with a special type of iron that creates shell like cups – the shells can be filled with either sweet or savory fillings –
via Smagsløgene

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credits:
Animation & illustrations by Johanna Kindvall
Music in movie: Talkies by Huma-Huma

SMÖRGÅSBORD EVENT – JANUARY

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – EVENT 1 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Smörgåsbord tasting at OTWAY – Thursday, January 18

On this special evening, chef Clair Welle & the rest of the lovely team at Otway will, together with me, offer a special 5 course Smörgåsbord tasting addition to their regular menu. On the menu will also be my Open Faced Burger – which we in Sweden call Parisare (the Parisian). It’s a Swedish retro classic made simply with a beef & pickled beet pattie on toasted sourdough bread topped with a sunny side egg!
Signed books will be available at a special price!

Make sure to get a seat by booking your table here!

time: 5.30pm to 10.30pm
address: Otway, 930 Fulton Street, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, NY
subway: C to Clinton Washington
phone (917) 909-1889

Otway was recently announced as one of the best new restaurants in 2017 by New Yorker and Village Voiceand their Uni Crepe was listed by the NYTIMESAnd their Yeast Semifreddo with Huckleberry & Rye is magnificent!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – EVENT 2 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Smörgås baking class at Archestratus – Wednesday, January 24

Want to learn how to make Danish Rye Bread from scratch? Now’s your chance!
On this special evening at Archestratus you will also learn how to make stove top fresh cheese, chicken salad with curry, and intense horseradish fish salad with quick pickles.

Beer & a signed copy of Smörgåsbord are included in the ticket price ($80)! The meal will also include a few extra condiments from my book and something to bring home to share with your loved ones. It will be a hands-on cooking experience as well as a tasty meal with some new friends. Looking forward to cook with you!
Looking forward to bake and cook with you!

Get your ticket here.

time: 7pm to 9.30pm
address: Archestratus Books + Foods, Greenpoint, 160 Huron Street, Brooklyn
subway: G to Greenpoint Ave.

Archestratus is one of my favorite places here in Brooklyn. It’s a cookbook shop that also offers delicious Sicilian baked goods, coffee, tea, beer, & wine. And it’s also a space for classes, talks, book clubs, and more. And I love Paige’s arancini (Sicilian rice balls)!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – — – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – — – – – – – –

Smörgåsbord – Art of Swedish Breads and Savory Treats,
Ten Speed Press 2017

Food52 – How to Get Your Smörgås On 

read more about the Smörgåsbord book here

find more events here

Smörgåsbord in NPR

Smörgåsbord review by Tara’s Multicultural Table

 

 

My Christmas Table + Recipe of Vörtbröd

It’s the holiday season and time to get cozy with warming glögg and a stack of ginger cookies. Like many Swedes, I will be cooking up a traditional Swedish julbord. A julbord is a seasonal Smörgåsbord and something that most Swedes prepare for themselves and their loved ones every Christmas. If you’d like to learn more about the Swedish Christmas table, please read Larissa Zimberoff’s smörgåsbord story on NPR Salt.

As I am married to a Pole, we have decided this year to mix up the table with some traditional Polish dishes. We think the mix will work splendidly as both Poles and Swedes share an equal devotion to pickled herrings, dill, horseradish, caraway, and vodka.  I have learned that even if most of their dishes can be very different, they share a great amount of flavors that are very similar. So if you are planning to add some Baltic flare to your holiday, I hope my menu for our Christmas eve table will inspire you:

glögg
(Swedish mulled wine)

mustard herring
herring with apples
hard boiled eggs, and aged hard cheese 
Aquavit 
& Zubrowka

barszcz (clear beetroot soup)
with wild mushroom dumplings 

hot smoked salmon
with fresh pickled cucumber
& horseradish sauce

charcuterie platter:
liver pate, sausages,
julskinka (traditional Christmas ham),
red cabbage, 
pickles, and other condiments

cheese board
specially selected by my friend
Tenaya Darlington 
aka Madame Fromage

pierogi with sauerkraut & mushrooms

my mother’s Joulutorttu
Finnish Christmas Tarts

julgodis
traditional Swedish sweets

Along with everything I will be serving a selection of different kinds of breads that go well with the dishes on the table. One of the breads will be my vörtbröd (malted rye bread) from the  Smörgåsbord cookbook (see recipe below). Traditionally a vörtbröd is baked with wort (malt extract from brewing beer), whole raisins and aromatic spices like orange zest powder, cardamom, cloves, and ginger. My version is baked with porter instead of the wort and, just because I don’t like soggy raisins, I first soak and mash them before adding it to the dough. This method makes an all through fruity flavored bread that is excellent with cured ham or cheeses like blue cheese.

I wish you all a delicious holiday and a happy new year!

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If you are looking for some last minute gifts,
here are a few from my food & art creative friends:

New Cocktail Hour by André and Tenaya Darlington
the guide to crafted cocktails
with both classical and modern recipes.

Istanbul and Beyond by Robyn Eckhardt
and photographed by David Hagerman
amazing cookbook as well as a
terrific culinary travel guide of Turkey

Cult Vinegar & Cult Vinegar Vase
by Jonathan Brown & Billy Lloyd
read more about their beautiful
design and delicious vinegar here

Orange Appeal: Savory and Sweet
by Jamie Schler and photographed by Ilva Beretta
amazing selection of different ways
you can cook with an orange

Kaukasis by Olia Hercules
an amazing culinary journey through
Georgia, Azerbaijan & beyond

And if you need a post-holiday gift I suggests:

Live Lagom by my Fika collaborator Anna Brones
About the Swedish concept of lagom – the balanced way of living
(will be released in US on December 26)

Pan de pueblo by Iban Yarza, Grijalbo (in Spanish)
Recipes and history of Spain’s breads & bakeries
(will be released in US on January 30, 2018)

Soulful Simplicity by Courtney Carver
How living with less can lead to so much more
(will be released on December 26)

and last…

If you are thinking of remodeling your front facade I suggest your hire my friend Katie Merz.

Vörtbröd (Malted Rye Bread)
recipe from Smörgåsbord

makes 1 loaf

sponge
2 cups (8.5 oz, 240 g) rye flour
1¾ cups (420 ml) water
¼ cup (2 oz, 57 g) sourdough starter

soaker
1/3 cup (2 oz, 57 g) raisins
½ teaspoon orange zest powder (see below)
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, crushed
¼ cup (60 ml) porter (or stout)

dough
2 cups (10 oz, 284 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt

To prepare the sponge, place the rye flour in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil, then remove it from the heat, and pour it over the flour. Work the flour and water well together to create a thick porridge like batter. Set aside to cool. When the scalded rye flour has cooled completely, add the sourdough starter and mix well. Cover the bowl with a dampened tea towel and let sit at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.

To prepare the soaker, in a bowl, soak the raisins, orange powder, cloves, ginger, and cardamom with the porter, then cover and let sit at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight. In a blender or food processor, mix the soaker until smooth and sticky.

To prepare the dough, in a large bowl, combine the sponge and pureed raisins with the all-purpose flour and salt. Transfer the dough to a floured flat surface and knead the bread into a ball, about 1 minute. If the dough sticks to your hands, wet them before kneading the mixture together. The dough will be dense and tacky. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with a dampened tea towel, and let rise for 3 hours.

Shape the dough into 1 oblong loaf, following the directions on page 21. Place it in a well-floured rectangular proofing basket that is approximately 12 by 5 inches (30 by 13 cm). You can also let it rise on a well-floured tea towel supported with two rolled-up tea towels on either side of the loaf (see diagram below). Cover with a dry tea towel and let rise for another 2 hours. To test when the bread is ready to bake, poke your finger gently into the dough; the indent should slowly spring back, about 3 seconds.

Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) 30 to 60 minutes before baking. Arrange a baking sheet or baking/pizza stone on a rack in the middle of the oven. (Please note that a stone will need more time to heat up than a baking sheet.)

When ready to bake, carefully invert the shaped loaf onto the hot baking sheet (or stone). With a sharp knife or razor blade, slash the top of the dough. Mist the bread with a water spritzer before closing the oven door. Lower the temperature to 400°F (200°C) and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 208°F (98°C). The bread should have a dark brown color, and if you knock at the bottom of the loaf, it should have a hollow sound.

Remove from the oven, cover with a tea towel, and let the bread cool completely on a cooling rack before cutting the bread. It’s best if the bread can rest for at least 8 hours or overnight.

The bread will keep fresh for several days, at room temperature, covered in a plastic bag. For longer storage, freeze bread when cool, well wrapped in plastic, sliced or whole, for up to 3 months.

Recipe and related images is taken from my book Smörgåsbord, Ten Speed Press 2017, ©Johanna Kindvall

Orange zest powder is simply made by drying the outer layer of the orange in a sunny spot for a couple of days or in the oven at 200°F (95 °C) for 1 hour. The orange skin is easy to peel with a potato peeler and, to make the drying go faster,  cut the peels into thin strips.  When the peel is dry, place them in a coffee grinder or food processor and pulse until you have a nice orange powder. Use the powder to flavor bread, cakes, and stews.

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other related links

If you want your own copy of
the Smörgåsbord cookbook you can get it here.

my julbord story on Wine Society

Skållat Rågbröd with Anise Seeds
(Scalded rye bread) – a kokblog recipe

pepparkakor (Swedish Ginger Cookies)
by Anna Brones

How to Host a Fika & Cheese Party
by Madame Fromage

upcoming Smörgåsbord events